Honolulu, Waikiki, and Oahu Gay Gui and Photo Gallery

Contents:

• HONOLULU, WAIKIKI, AND OAHU GAY GUI AND PHOTO GALLERY
• WELE TO THE GAY IENDLY ISLAND OF O’AHU!
• GAY NIGHTLIFE HONOLULU: BT BARS, CLUBS, & MORE
• WELE TO THE FRIENDLIT GAY BAR WAIKIKI
• GAY DALLAS

HONOLULU, WAIKIKI, AND OAHU GAY GUI AND PHOTO GALLERY

And the pal cy of Honolulu, wh s vibrant though rather heavily veloped Waikiki beachont, ntas the heart of the state's gay scene. By far the most popular gay beach Hawaii, and one of the most scenic and well-known the world, Queen's Surf Beach is a relatively seclud stretch of sand the heart of Waikiki, but along a sectn wh no direct hotel ontage - this acunts for the fact there's more privacy and fewer fai here than to the north or south.

WELE TO THE GAY IENDLY ISLAND OF O’AHU!

The beach here draws a mostly gay-male crowd, although certaly not exclively so, as plenty of lbians and straights seekg secln tan their his here, too. Queen's Surf is easy to reach - 's jt a short walk along the beachont south of where Kapaluhu Avenue tersects wh Kalaka Avenue at the beach (not far om Hula's gay bar). As the day progrs and the sun sets, many of the beachgoers here walk over to nearby Hula's gay bar for some post-beach socializg and hobnobbg.

Although 's neher as popular nor as gay-intified as Queen's Surf Beach at the southeast end of Waikiki, the seclud Diamond Head Beach (jt off 3300 Diamond Head Road, below the lighthoe, and requirg a b of a hike down to the sand) do have a b of a gay followg. A view of Waikiki beach and s strg of high-rise hotels at night, om the gro (jetty) that extends om the Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel ('s to the left of the Halekulani Hotel, the property pictured here on the very left - the Reef is one of the most luxur of the several Waikiki hotels that make up the gay-iendly Outrigger cha).

One of the most tertg aspects of stayg at Oahu's gay-iendly JW Marrtt Ihilani Rort is the chance to teract wh mare life, cludg the hammerhead sharks (as shown here) that swim around the rort's mare pools. Jt a short drive or slightly longer walk northeast om Honolulu's ltle gay epicenter around Kapahulu and Kalaka avenu, you'll fd a slew of expensive, funky eateri that form somethg of an offbeat Rtrant Row along Kapahulu, wh Wala Shave Ice (3113 Mokihana St., jt off of Kapahulu Ave., 808-735-8886) one of this area's five mt-tast. The ABC Store pictured here is at the rner of Lemon Road and Paoakalani Avenue, right by the fab Hotel Renew and a block om Hula's gay bar.

GAY NIGHTLIFE HONOLULU: BT BARS, CLUBS, & MORE

So while there certaly aren't any ABC Stor wh a specifilly gay missn, this one arguably draws more "fay", bee of s lotn, than any other ABC Store Hawaii.

This part of the beach, which is onted by numero high-rise rorts, tends to be que crowd - gays and lbians tend to ngregate farther southeast (toward Diamond Head), at Queen's Surf Beach, and also well around the pot at Diamond Head Beach. Havg pleted a multi-ln renovatn 2009 that took several years and cludg a top-to-bottom overhl, the Reef on the Beach (2169 Kalia Rd., 808-923-3111) hotel now ranks among the gay-iendly Outrigger brand's most allurg and appealg acmodatns - ed, 's safe to ll this the Outrigger's flagship hotel (although the nearby Outrigger Waikiki is also very imprsive). Next to Kaplani Park, and across om two of Waikiki's most proment gay hangouts - Queen's Surf Beach and Hula's gay bar, the Honolulu Zoo (151 Kapahulu Ave., 808-971-7171) is a popular and easily accsed attractn.

WELE TO THE FRIENDLIT GAY BAR WAIKIKI

On a relatively quiet street rner jt a block om Waikiki's goln-sand beach and also a very short walk om Hula's gay bar and Queen's Surf gay beach, the hip and trendy Hotel Renew (129 Paoakalani Ave., 808-687-7715) don't look all that snazzy om the outsi. A stylish and hip member of Honolulu's gay-iendly Aqua Hotels brand, the Bamboo Hotel & Spa (2425 Kuh Ave., 866-971-2782) is jt a five-mute walk om Waikiki Beach and very close to the gay bars Angl and Fn. Followg a massively amb renovatn by the gay-iendly Starwood hotel group, Waikiki's vnted (and uber-pk) Royal Hawaiian Rort (2259 Kalaka Ave., 808-923-7311) reopened January 2009 as part a Starwood Luxury Collectn property.

Jt behd the sand at Queen's Surf gay beach Waikiki, adjacent to the tree-shad green lawn that also draws plenty of GLBT sunworshipers, there's a paviln ntag a snack bar and public rtrooms. The stretch of sand you see the very distance, where the ast bends around Diamond Head, is the gay-popular Diamond Head Beach.

GAY DALLAS

Jt a short walk om the beach and near such gay bars as the In Between, Angl, and Fn, the upsle but reasonably priced Waikiki Joy Hotel (320 Lewers St., 808-923-2300) is one of a few properti Hawaii's popular Aqua hotel brand that's well-regard among gay and lbian travelers. In addn to the goln sand sunng area at Waikiki's scenic Queen's Surf gay beach, there's a verdant, palm-shad lawn behd the promena and next to the snack bar and rtrooms paviln.

This expansive stretch of lawn is also major draw for gay sunbathers, although typilly not as crowd as the beach below the promena. The llectn of mid-price to upsle galleri, boutiqu, and rtrants - which clus outposts of popular chas like Roy's, Ruth's Chris Steak Hoe, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf - adjos the elegant and very gay-iendly Embassy Su Honolulu is a block om the beach. One of the more luxur members of Honolulu's gay-iendly Aqua Hotels brand, the Waikiki Wave (2299 Kuh Ave., 866-971-2782) is jt a five-mute walk om Waikiki Beach and very close to the gay bars Angl and Fn.

If you're seekg secln but still wish to be wh strikg distance of the gay scene, luxe shops and rtrants, and fascatg cultural attractns of Honolulu, this is an excellent base.

Another vantage pot of the gay-popular Queen's Surf Beach, this one taken om a b southeast of the ma actn, the grassy lawn, and the snack bar and rtrooms paviln, lookg north toward the bit stretch of hotel velopment along Waikiki Beach.

A happy exceptn to this adage is the Ocean Hoe Rtrant (808-923-2277), on the ground floor of the gay-iendly Outrigger Reef rort Waikiki. If you've jt managed to afford a plane ticket to Hawaii and not much else, and fdg a cheap, gay-iendly place to stay is an issue, nsir stayg at the rock-bottom-priced Hokondo Waikiki Beachsi Hostel (2556 Lemon Rd., 808-923-9566 or 866-478-3888), which has a terrific lotn jt two blocks om the beach (very close to the gay sectn at Queen's Surf), and not even a block om Hula's gay bar. This posh shoppg mall wh branch such far-flung statns as Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Sydney, Saipan, San Francis, and New York ntas plenty of gay-fave shoppg brands, cludg Cartier, Chloe, Calv Kle, Vera Wang, Bulgari, Armani, Marc Jabs, Swarovski, Dunhill, E Pucci, Fendi, Tumi, and Pl & Joe.