For me, no visit to Honolulu would be complete without a shopping expedition to this centre. I always arrive in Honolulu with my list of “must do’s” while I am there and close to the top of this list is, Ala Moana Shopping Centre. Ala Moana is much more than a shopping centre, it offers me a great day out

 

Ala Moana Centre, commonly known just as Ala Moana, is the largest shopping mall in Hawaii. It has over 350 stores over 4 floors and is usually open from 9.30am to 9.00pm most days. It is easily accessed by bus from Waikiki or the Waikiki trolley pink line which only costs $2 or in fact you can walk it, depending on what part of Waikiki you are staying in.

Every visit for us to this mall includes stopping for lunch at the restaurant in Nordstrom. Ruscello serves up chic, contemporary Mediterranean and Italian meals. We always arrive early as this popular restaurant fills up quickly for lunch and before long there is a line of folks waiting for tables. After our lunch often we visit the gelato bar just outside Nordstrom for a locally made gelato or sorbet.

 

This mall is enormous. The stores include Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s as the major department stores. There are high end designer stores, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Dior, etc as well as the regular mall stores and specialty Hawaiian stores. There is a Long’s Drugs, Foodland grocery store, several food courts and dozens of restaurants.

 

On centre stage, each day there are hula shows and live entertainment offering plenty of seating to stop and enjoy the local dance and Hawaiian music.

 

Ala Moana was much smaller when I lived in Hawaii. Over the years, it kept growing. There are shops for anything and everything–just wear comfortable shoes. It is a long walk to cover the length of this shopping centre. With over 350 shops, it can be overwhelming.

 

A visit to Ala Moana is a great experience. Go for the shopping, the restaurants, the entertainment or just to wander around and enjoy this massive beautiful complex. There are lots of places to stop and rest, people watch and there are beautiful ponds with koi fish and many water features. The plants, landscape and flowers are stunning and found everywhere around the complex.

 

Stay an hour or several or spend days here. Young or old, male or female, there is something for everyone.

And, if you are a shopaholic, it will be a heavenly experience.