Don't Forget The Ala Moany

Ala Moana is a place that is seen as the commercial side of Honolulu. This is located in between Waikiki which is to the east and Kaka'ako and Honolulu Harbour which is found on the west of the city. This part of town is used for business trips and tourism so there will be loads of hotels and fantastic Hawaii vacation home rentals.

There is one place that does certainly shows the retail side of things in this city and it is the Ala Moana Center. It is the fifth largest shopping centre in America and is the largest shopping centre in the world. It opened on August 13 1959 and was the biggest shopping centre in the United States at the time. But as years went by there were a numerous amount of retail departments being built that meant that that title was short lived. It is said that over 56 million people visit Ala Moana Center every year, which shows that it is very popular with tourists and it is said that a lot of the tourists are Japanese. With the Mall getting a lot of tourists they market mostly to tourists rather than locals such as having brochures in Japanese. The Mall recommends that you spend a minimum of an hour there to get the best out of the mall.

There are almost 300 shops and restaurants all ranging from general retail stores to boutiques of the major worldwide recognised fashion designers. The major department stores that are in the Ala Moana are Macy's, Nordstrom, Sear's and Neiman Marcus, they anchor the mall at different parts of the mall and are seen as the major hubs. Ala Moana also has one of the biggest food courts in the world which features a diverse range of food to choose from. You could have a slice of pizza at the California Pizza Kitchen, how about some Shrimp Linguine at Bubba Gump or you can chooser to sample some Korean food at the Yummy Korean BBQ which has been serving Hawaii for over 20 years.

Across the way from the Ala Moana Center is the Ala Moana Park which is a man made park with a beach that stretches half a mile long. in it. This is a family park that is ideal for Picnicking thanks to the large grassy areas that are covered with Bayans and Palm trees. The water is calm so is a good place for novice swimmers. Its calm because the beach is protected by a shallow coal reef, which means there are hardly any waves, which is why long distance swimming come to this beach.
Also this is a more quieter beach due to the fact that near by is the more famous Waikiki beach, which is why local residents choose to go to this one rather than the tourist filled one.

This city is a great mix for those who want to relax and those who want to shop. This is why it is one of the major transfer points in the Honolulu bus system. It makes a change from the usual tourist hotspots that are located with a few minutes of the area but certainly stands right next to them in its own right.