Shopping in Waikiki

So you chose Oahu as your travel destination. You figured shopping might not be the greatest, but you couldn't resist the draw of sitting at ocean's edge under a palm tree.

WRONG: Honolulu is a shopping Mecca. If it's in Paris, it's in Honolulu, right here in Paradise.

With 1.8 million square feet of space, the three-story Ala Moana Shopping Center on Ala Moana Blvd. in Honolulu caters to mall trawlers with the likes of Neiman Marcus, Tiffany and Versace — plus just about everything else you can imagine. This is the nation's largest open-air mall.

Inveterate shoppers will find their bliss on Kalakakua Avenue in Waikiki. You can spend a fortune or not. Let your credit card be the guide. For boutiques filled with expensive, high-fashion brands so unique you'll feel a quickening of pulse, cruise 2100 Kalakaua Avenue. Tiffany, Chanel, Gucci and Tod's are tucked alongside tiny shops filled with Hawaiian wear in brands including Kahala, Reyn Spooner, Kauai'ana, Tommy Bahama and Avanti Fashion.

The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in the heart of Waikiki offers upscale boutiques along with standards like Cartier, Hermes, and Armani. Nearby King Kalakaua Plaza leases space to other well-known retailers including NikeTown and Banana Republic.

Across the street, the Waikiki Shopping Plaza features five floors of shopping and a 75-foot water sculpture. The third floor is outrageous. Here you'll find themed shopping in the Big Kahuna Marketplace with destinations labeled Tiki Trader, Chinatown and North Shore and—drumroll please—an 18-hole mini-golf course featuring 3D glow golf. You heard right. It glows, there are waterfalls, dolphins and underwater caves, and you'll play to the beat of island drums.

For Asian flavor, Chinatown along Maunakea Street in Honolulu is a must. The Chinatown Cultural Plaza Shopping Center at 100 N. Beretania Street, the gateway to Chinatown, packs restaurants, and shops filled with clothing and gift imports, along the row.

Asia Mall, an indoor flea market with 30 individual shops, is located inside the Plaza. Chinatown streets offer variety, high to low. (Ready for that special tattoo you've always wanted?) Include lunch with shopping. The food is fabulous.