If pink is your favourite colour then you’ll love The Royal Hawaiian, AKA the Pink Palace of the Pacific. Everything at this beachside resort is rose-coloured, from its photogenic facade to all its fittings and furnishings. The best part is, you don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy breakfast at its beachside cafe, Surf Lanai. No swipe card is needed to sit beneath candy-striped umbrellas and try the hotel’s famous pink pancakes, naturally stained with beetroot powder. Instead of maple syrup, they’re drizzled in haupia, a sweet Hawaiian coconut sauce. 2259 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu; royal-hawaiian.com.

Before you hike up Diamond Head (Le’ahi), size up the mighty crater from the open-air setting of DECK. Waikiki at the Queen Kapi’olani Hotel. The rooftop restaurant and bar is open all day, with impressive views across Honolulu’s famed volcanic tuff (rocks). As crazy as it sounds, we recommend trying the ‘loco moco’ at least once. The Hawaiian specialty is made from white rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg and gravy. At DECK., they use dry-aged beef and you can swap out the gravy for Japanese curry. If it’s too much, too soon, there are also fresh salads, sandwiches and poke bowls, with mimosa specials from 10am to 2pm daily. For a sweet finish, stop in at Aloha Whip in the lobby for a frozen swirl of Dole Whip – a refreshing dairy-free pineapple soft serve made from locally grown fruit. 150 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu; deckwaikiki.com.

Combine pre-dinner drinks and a show at the Halekulani hotel, which hosts live Hawaiian music and hula performances every night of the week in its oceanfront bar, House Without A Key. From 5pm, you can catch performers like former Miss Universe and Native Hawaiian Brook Lee dancing the hula to the gentle sounds of ukulele strumming. Or, for an ‘oh my’ moment, order the mai tai, which is made from three types of rum and garnished with a purple vanda orchid. 2199 Kālia Rd, Honolulu; halekulani.com/dining/house-without-a-key.

You’ll find even more tropical blooms at Orchids next door. Christian Testa’s Italian restaurant puts a contemporary Hawaiian twist on classic Italian recipes. Kauai prawns are tossed through with fazzoletti ‘silk handkerchief’ pasta, while O‘ahu tomatoes are paired with burrata and black Hawaiian salt to recreate a classic caprese salad. The best dessert on the island is, hands down, Halekulani’s signature coconut cake, which is made from lighter-than-air chiffon sponge layered with coconut amaretto cream. 2199 Kālia Rd, Honolulu; halekulani.com/dining/orchids.

Do as the local surfers do and start your day with a Spam musubi from Musubi Cafe Iyasume, with three Waikiki locations to choose from. The popular post-war snack is made from koshihikari rice topped with teriyaki-glazed Spam, tied together with a crisp nori belt. For the ultimate bacon and egg experience, you can add on bacon, avocado and tamagoyaki egg omelette. Canned ham was first introduced to the islands in World War II, when it was sent over to feed locally stationed servicemen. Over the years, it has woven its way into the local food culture, and now you can find it on almost everything, from breakfast plates to Spam-wiches. Shops at Waikiki Beach Walk, Waikiki Monarch, Waikiki Seaside; iyasumehawaii.com.

Okay, it must be poke time by now. While you may be familiar with the food craze already, the Hawaiians have been eating this simple dish of seasoned rice and fish since the ‘70s (and no, they don’t add kale and quinoa). Ahi (tuna) is the default topping, but you can also try it with salmon, octopus, oyster and scallop, as well as a variety of tropical fish. Ask any local where you can find the best poke in town and they will say the same thing – Foodland. This local supermarket chain has a dedicated poke counter, where the range is impressive and the quality hard to beat. Put it to the test at Foodland’s newly opened Waikiki Market. You can opt for one of two choices, in a simple shoyu (soy sauce) or spicy mayo dressing. In Manoa, the next neighbourhood along, Off the Hook serves up a ginger and spring onion ahi poke bowl that’s worth leaving Waikiki for. 2908 E Manoa Rd, Honolulu; offthehookpokemarket.com.

In 2022, Robynne Mai’i was named Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific in the hugely influential James Beard Foundation Awards. Needless to say, her Waikiki restaurant Heydey is having a moment. The poolside bar and eatery is part of the White Sands Hotel. The retro-glamorous setting has been decked out in wire furniture and scalloped umbrellas trimmed with orange shag. This is the swinging ’60s, quite literally, with swing seats surrounding the bamboo-clad bar. Mai’i’s menu takes inspiration from the jet age, with retro favourites reinvented with local Hawaiian ingredients. The Maui onion dip with sweet potato crisps is a popular dish, while the house specialty is the B.O.L.T burger – bacon, ono (wahoo fish), lettuce and tomato. The cocktail list is a wild ride, but be advised that swinging and sipping can take some practice. Get gravity on your side with a slushie pina colada. 431 Nohonani St, Honolulu; heydayhawaii.com.

Hawaii has very little variation in temperature from day to night, which makes a shaved ice stop a necessity on warm evenings. Conveniently located at the front of the Royal Hawaiian Center, Island Vintage Shave Ice delivers fun frosty treats, drizzled in natural and organic fruit syrups. Turn it into a shaved iced sundae with fresh fruits, tropical bobas and chewy mochi pieces. 2201 Kalākaua Ave Kiosk B-1, Honolulu; instagram.com/islandvintageshaveice.

If sipping and snacking is just as important to you as swimming and surfing, we suggest timing your next Hawaiian holiday with the Hawai’i Food and Wine Festival. The annual festival features an impressive line-up of epicurian events, held across three islands (Maui, the Island of Hawai’i and O’ahu) over three weekends. Expect cocktails on the beach, boozy brunches, chef dinners, wine tastings, and more. For more details, head to hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com.