Skip to Content

10 Cute Outfits to Wear in Hawaii

10 Cute Outfits to Wear in Hawaii

Planning out all of your Hawaii vacation outfits?

While you’ll see a lot of tourists sporting Hawaiian shirts and flip flops, you’re probably going to want to dress a little cuter for all your Instagram photos.

Hawaii has become one of our most favourite places in the world, and we definitely plan on visiting many more times in the future.

From the scenic hikes to the incredible food scene, Hawaii is just such an amazing place to visit!

We’ve only been to Oahu so far, but Maui and the Big Island are on our list to visit.

Below is an outfit diary featuring most of the outfits I wore and what activities I wore them for during our Hawaii vacation.

Without further ado, here are some cute vacation outfits you can wear in Hawaii!

Plan your Oahu trip

If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii, here are some other posts to help you plan your perfect trip:


Where to stay in Oahu


The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
The front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.

Waikiki is the main touristy part of Oahu, and it’s the perfect neighbourhood to stay in – there are tons of amazing restaurants, great shopping, and fun beach activities all within walking distance!

The great thing about Oahu is that you can basically drive from one end of the island to the other in an hour (without traffic).

We usually stay in multiple accommodations in areas we’ll be visiting, but we were able to stay in one place the entire time!

If you’re looking to book your flights and hotels for Hawaii, I’d highly recommend using Expedia so you can collect points towards free rewards and discounts.

Hotels in Waikiki

Here are a few great hotel options depending on your budget:

  • Vive Hotel Waikiki ($): A super cute and colourful 3-star boutique hotel.
  • Hilton Hawaiian Village ($$): 4-star resort with a fantastic outdoor shopping centre within it, and they have free fireworks every Friday evening (open to the public)!
  • Moana Surfrider ($$): Modern and chic 4-star hotel right on Waikiki Beach.
  • Royal Hawaiian ($$$): Luxurious 5-star hotel right on Waikiki Beach with a gorgeous pink exterior.

Airbnbs in Waikiki

As most hotels in Waikiki were out of our budget, we opted for an Airbnb (and even got a weekly discount on it).

Airbnbs are a lot more budget-friendly, especially if you plan on doing a longer stay (like we did with our 10 days in Oahu).

If you prefer to stay in Airbnbs, I also have a separate blog post all about how to find the best Airbnbs!


Hawaii vacation outfits


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

1. Hawaiian shirt & denim shorts

Adam and I bought matching Hawaiian shirts at a local Walmart in Honolulu.

I originally wanted to get them at a local gift shop in Waikiki, but we realized it was double or triple the price for pretty much the same quality.

So, we went with Walmart shirts, and the quality ended up being pretty good!

I wore my Hawaiian shirt both tucked in and tied up over my Levi’s white denim shorts, and it was v cute.

While you’ll be fine doing regular touristy activities wearing this outfit, I would not recommend it for hiking.

Trust me, unless you want to be a disgusting sweaty mess afterwards.


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

2. Simple t-shirt & denim shorts

You can’t go wrong with a simple tee and shorts!

It’s one of my go-to outfits on a regular day, and it’s an easy outfit to throw on during your Hawaii vacation.

I’d recommend bringing along at least one pair of denim shorts on your Hawaii vacation – it’s such a versatile piece for all your outfits!

I only brought this one pair of white Levi’s denim shorts, and it was so easy to pair with different outfits.

I probably wouldn’t wear white shorts on any hikes or more adventurous activities though, ’cause mine got pretty dirty after falling on trails and ziplining.


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

3. One piece swimsuit & denim shorts

Another super cute and easy Hawaii outfit you can wear is a simple one piece swimsuit under a pair of shorts.

Great for a day of exploring the beach or doing any water activities like snorkelling!

This way, you don’t have to change into or out of your swimsuit, especially when you’re at a beach with no public bathrooms.

Otherwise, you’ll have to change in your car rental… Or under a towel while on the beach.

And neither of those options is very fun, I must say.


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

4. Sports bra & athletic shorts

I was nervous that it might be too ~scandalous~ to wear just a sports bra and athletic shorts, but there were other girls dressed similarly on our hikes.

Comfort over conservativeness, ya know?

With how stinkin’ hot it gets on hikes in Oahu, you’ll definitely want to be in as little clothing as possible.

A sports bra and athletic shorts makes for the perfect hiking outfit!

Running shoes will be fine for more simple and paved hikes like the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail, but you’ll want hiking shoes for tougher trails like the Maili Pillbox hike.

While these Nike Dri-Fit shorts were great and comfortable for hiking, they were really sweaty by the end, so I’d recommend wearing shorts without any underwear lining inside (unless you’re going commando yourself).


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

5. Romper

Another simple beach outfit you can’t go wrong with is a chic romper.

Just throw it on over a bikini and you’re set for a day of relaxing on the beach.

Also a friendly note to not wear any nice shoes on your beach days, because they’ll got totally destroyed in the sand and water.

Wear durable sandals that won’t get ruined by water, like Birkenstocks!


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

6. Mini dress

I wore this outfit for our first day out of exploring, and it was perfect for walking around Waikiki and scouting out Terrace House locations.

To dress up my outfits a little more, I pretty much wore this straw hat every single day.

It made simple outfits just a little more interesting!

You can’t go wrong with some cute and simple dresses for your Hawaii vacation.


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

7. Midi dress

This button down midi dress was probably one of the worst outfits I could’ve worn to climb this tree, but I guess it was worth it for the ‘Gram?

loved wearing midi dresses throughout this trip because they were so darn comfortable and they didn’t fly up in the wind.


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

8. Maxi dress

I’m not much of a maxi dress gal in general, but I can’t deny that a chic floral maxi dress will make for some cute Hawaii photos.

It’s also just easy to throw on over a swimsuit or wear out for a date night!

It also gets windy out later in the evening, so you definitely would rather be wearing a maxi dress than a mini dress unless you want a Marilyn Monroe moment.


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

9. Crop top & midi skirt

A simple tube top goes great with a flowy midi skirt.

It lets your armpits breathe, cuz that’s important when it’s hot af outside.

You can also wear the tube top with other bottoms, or the midi skirt with other tops!

I love me some good versatile pieces for a vacation.


What to pack and what to wear in Hawaii's hot weather! We spent 10 days in sunny Oahu, and I've included photos of all the outfits I wore during our vacation.

10. Matching two-piece set

What’s cuter than a monochrome two-piece set?! Nothing, I say.

I definitely wouldn’t wear pants out in the blazing Hawaiian heat, but they’re great for the windier evenings on the beach.


Hopefully this gave you some inspiration on your own Hawaii vacation outfits!

Check out my Oahu vlog on YouTube to see more of our trip!

If you’re looking for even more fun activities and things to do in Oahu, be sure to check out some local tours!

What outfits would you wear on a Hawaii vacation? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!

Plan your Oahu trip

If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii, here are some other posts to help you plan your perfect trip:

Be sure to keep up with me on Instagram, TikTokTwitter, Facebook, and Pinterest if you aren’t already!

Feel free to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get my blog posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Jessica Lam | Toronto lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and travel blogger | Diary of a Toronto Girl, a Canadian lifestyle blog


Like this post? Pin it for later!

Hawaii vacation outfits: what to wear
  1. Candice says:

    These are such cute outfits!

    Candice x

    theblogsocial.com

Comments are closed.

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!