Honolulu, A Place You’ll Want To Return To Varying Cultures, Flavors And Activities All Blend Together To Create Memorable Experiences In A Place You Won’t Want To Leave Behind

This cosmopolitan city and business hub in the Pacific has a lively rhythm that’s absent on many other tropical islands.

There’s a plethora of restaurants, nightclubs and cultural attractions. And I love the fact I can shop for the finest Italian leather shoes and the perfect Vuitton suitcase in which to pack them (the Vuitton Waikiki boutique remains open until 11 p.m.) as easily as I can shop for a deliciously tacky banana-shaped harmonica.

A cast of cultures welcomes an international guest list to Honolulu, making it one of the world’s friendliest and most diverse cities.

The Hawaiian capital holds many charms. But the following 10 topics are what brought me back year after year - and they are among the many reasons I recently moved here.

Waikiki: If life’s a beach, heaven is Waikiki - one of the best peoplewatching beaches anywhere. On an average day, there are more than 90,000 visitors in Waikiki, making it an all-day party of surfers in wet suits, bronzed bodies in barely-there bikinis, beach boys, hula girls and your average-looking tourists.

Running from the Hilton Hawaiian Village to Diamond Head, Waikiki is a 2-1/2-mile stretch of nine nearly contiguous beaches. Each has its own character: Sans Souci is noted for risque bathing suits; Fort DeRussy for wild volleyball games.

Surf a Canoe: Try riding a wave in an outrigger with one of Waikiki’s “beach boys,” who will explain the finer points of canoe racing, Hawaii’s official team sport.

You’ll find the bronzed sportsmen on the widest and longest stretch of Waikiki, around the Moana Surfrider Hotel. About six persons paddle out in a canoe and ride three waves back in.

Hang 10: Oahu’s surfing sites are world famous, but beginning surfers will take to Waikiki’s gentle rolling waves. A lesson from Cowboy, Sam Steamboat or one of the many other experienced instructors guarantees you’ll be up on the huge, waxed board before your lesson is finished.

Bring a waterproof camera (the disposable variety is perfect), and someone will take your picture. Look for the “beach boys” around the Moana Surfrider Hotel.

Hike a Volcano: An easy 3/4 -mile trail takes you to the 760-foot summit of Diamond Head Crater and a panoramic view of Waikiki, Koko Head and Punchbowl craters and the Pacific Ocean.

Inside the crater, hikers follow a paved trail up cliffs and through a series of stairways and tunnels to military bunkers where U.S. soldiers once kept watch for enemy forces.

Guided walks are led twice a week by Diamond Head Climbers Hui (club) founder Stephen Boyle, general manager of the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel. Hikers meet at the crack of dawn in the hotel lobby (2863 Kalakaua Ave.; 808-923-1555), are outfitted with flashlights and guidebooks, and on return are presented with a membership certificate in the hui.

SMOOTH SAILING: On the futuristic-looking Navatek I, even the queasy can enjoy a stable few hours at sea. Navatek doesn’t bob up and down like other ships, thanks to recent technology.

Twin submarine-like hulls ride beneath the surface, supporting with four giant prongs a passenger platform that rides above the water. Waves up to 8 feet hardly rearrange the bubbles in your champagne glass.

And while most vessels turn around at Diamond Head because of rough waters, you’ll sail all the way to Koko Head for spectacular views without so much as a headache.

Kahala Gold Coast Luncheon cruises (800-852-4183) depart from Honolulu’s Pier 6, next to Aloha Tower, at noon, returning at 2 p.m. During whale-watch season from January through April, a naturalist is aboard for sightings. Sunset and dinner cruises also are available.

MAGIC BUS: “The Bus” will take you not only around town but practically around the entire island for $1. The clean, efficient mass-transit system features friendly drivers in aloha shirts.

For exploring sites in the heart of Honolulu, the open-air Waikiki Trolley offers a breezy, two-hour “Old Town Honolulu Trolley Tour” with a bonus: Passengers may embark and disembark at will along the 20-stop route. Buy an all-day or multi-day pass. Trolleys, which run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., become very crowded by late afternoon.

LUNCH WITH A VIEW: Lunch alfresco at the Contemporary Museum (2411 Makiki Heights Drive; 808-526-0232), then stroll through the galleries and gardens framing perfect vistas of Diamond Head and the Honolulu skyline.

Rotating exhibits by local and international artists span 1945 to the present. The highlight of the permanent collection is a walk-in environment created by David Hockney. Take The Bus, No. 15, to Makiki Heights.

CHOPSTICKS IN PARADISE: One of the most authentic Chinatowns in the United States, this colorful neighborhood is a must for great Asian restaurants, lei stands, noodle factories and herb shops.

HAWAII CALLS: The quintessential Honolulu: sunset, mai tais and a hula danced to a steel guitar. And the best places to experience it: Halekulani’s House Without a Key, where musicians sing songs of old Hawaii accompanied by graceful hula, with Diamond Head in the background; and The Banyan Veranda at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, where steel guitar and hula are performed under a 110-year-old banyan tree.

A few mai tais and your two left feet will be dancing under the stars.

ISLAND BITES: When it comes to fine dining, Honolulu is on the cutting edge.

One restaurant not to miss is Hanatei Bistro (6650 Kalanianaole Highway, Hawaii Kai). Korean-born and Paris-trained executive chef OnJin Kim first embarked on a musical career before turning to the kitchen. Now she combines the best of contemporary French and traditional Japanese cuisines to create exquisite dishes, and she sings arias between courses on Tuesday nights.

Waikiki hotels boast excellent restaurants as well. At Ciao Mein (Hyatt Regency Waikiki), Italian and Chinese cuisines are served familystyle side by side in a beautiful setting of etched glass and Oriental motifs. Choose a la carte, from spring rolls to scallop-filled ravioli, or the chef’s daily platter, on which cultures collide with very tasty results.

The open-air Bali By The Sea (Hilton Hawaiian Village) overlooks Waikiki, serving continental fare with a heavy island accent. The pastry chef was decorated by the French government; you’ll see why when a chocolate volcano is delivered to your table at the end of the meal.

At Orchids (Halekulani), chef George Mavrothalassitis, a Greek chef from Marseille, cooks not Pacific Rim, but Pacific Edge, resulting in contemporary Oriental dishes that never, ever clash with the wine.

One of Hawaii’s premier chefs, Sam Choy, has brought his Big Island cuisine to Oahu with the recent opening of Sam Choy’s Diamond Head (449 Kapahulu Ave.). By 6:30 p.m., the dining room is packed, and the cooks in the open kitchen are steaming fresh monchong (fish) and whipping up wasabi mashed potatoes for fans of Sam.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO GETTING AROUND - This is the place to drive a convertible: trade winds in your hair, double rainbows arched across Diamond Head, and avenues lined with rainbow shower trees. Budget Rent a Car offers the largest selection of specialty cars in Hawaii. These include racy new Mustang convertibles in the new M&M shade of blue. Reservations: 800-527-7000. WHERE TO STAY - Here are some suggestions from among more than 100 properties on Waikiki: If traveling with kids, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki’s “Camp Hyatt” (800-233-1234) is a lifesaver. It’s filled with activities and mementos for children between the ages 3 and 15. And at “Hyatt’s Hawaii,” a historical center on the second floor of the hotel, storyteller Aunty Malia teaches kids to make a miniature Hawaiian quilt or rub a petroglyph. For a destination resort, you can’t beat the Hilton Hawaiian Village (800-HILTONS), a 20-acre botanical park with 10 restaurants and more than 100 specialty shops. For pampered seclusion, the Halekulani (800-367-2343) is a quiet oasis of luxury and fine cuisine. Just blocks from the beach, the Alana Waikiki (800-367-6070) is a beautiful boutique hotel offering full business capabilities and affordable rates.