Waikiki and Chinatown are where you'll find Honolulu's liveliest nightspots. Top shows include the Magic of Polynesia (tel: (808) 971 4321; website: www.magicofpolynesia.com) and the breathtaking Cirque Hawaii (tel: (808) 922 0017; website: www.cirquehawaii.com), which features high-energy dance numbers, balancing acts, clowns, contortionists, aerialists, gymnasts and more.

Bars: Barefoot Bar, Duke's Canoe Club Waikiki, 2335 Kalakaua Avenue, is the place to rub shoulders with longtime beachboys in an oceanfront setting of palm-leaf thatching, bamboo, rattan and surfing memorabilia. Sipping a mai tai somehow seems more satisfying when your view encompasses Diamond Head, the beach and the sparkling blue Pacific, which it does at Mai Tai Bar, The Royal Hawaiian, 2259 Kalakaua Avenue. The focal point of Tiki's Grill & Bar, ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel, 2570 Kalakaua Avenue, is a 'volcano' that 'erupts' when light shines through it at night. Fishnets, lava rock walls, and carved wooden tikis and war clubs add to the retro Island décor. Cavernous Bar 35, Chinatown, 35 North Hotel Street, offers late night gourmet flatbread pizza to accompany its selection of more than 100 beers.

Clubs: Perched on the 30th floor, The Hanohano Room, Sheraton Waikiki, 2255 Kalakaua Avenue (website: www.sheraton-waikiki.com/de_hano.htm),  boasts panoramic views of Waikiki, Diamond Head, and the Koolau and Waianae mountain ranges. For those who appreciate R&B, funk, and jazz, Jazz Minds Art & Cafe, 1661 Kapiolani Boulevard (website: www.honolulujazzclub.com), is Hawaii's newest live jazz venue, where prominent local artists jam six nights a week. Next Door, Chinatown, 43 North Hotel Street, draws a hip mid-20s to mid-30s clientele with deejays that spin house, hip hop, and techno on the weekends in a brick warehouse. Within stumbling distance, you'll also find the urban chic lounge and art gallery thirtyninehotel, 39 North Hotel Street (website: www.thirtyninehotel.com). Professionals pack Rumours, Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Drive, which features five bars, a large dance floor and lots of room to mingle. If you're not shy, there are two go-go cages where you can show off your moves. The dance music is 80s, 90s and now.

Wonderlounge, West Honolulu Diamond Head, 2885 Kalakaua Avenue is where affluent professionals of all ages flock for the phenomenal view of Diamond Head (especially when the moon is out) and live jazz on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The stunning serpentine-shaped bar, which was crafted of Italian marble, offers more than 300 different liqueurs. The design of Zanzabar, 2255 Kuhio Avenue, is based on the Egyptian collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Think huge pillars, statues of gods and goddesses, large lions and leopards, and a bust of King Tut. Patrons in their late 20s to late 40s come to listen and dance to an eclectic mix of music from the 50s to current hits. Tuesday is Latin Night, featuring lively dance shows and bands playing salsa and merengue.

Live Music: The Banyan Court, Moana Surfrider, 2365 Kalakaua Avenue (website: www.moana-surfrider.com/de_court.htm), and House Without a Key, Halekulani, 2199 Kalia Road (website: www.halekulani.com), offers hula and live Hawaiian music in a lovely oceanfront setting. Hawaii Calls, the radio show that introduced Hawaiian music to the world, was aired at the Banyan Veranda from 1935 to 1975. Chai's Island Bistro, Aloha Tower Marketplace, 1 Aloha Tower Drive, has nightly live dinner music provided by big names in the local music scene, while The Veranda, The Kahala Hotel and Resort, 5000 Kahala Avenue, with plush settees, oversized chairs, and plenty of plants and pillows, is designed much like a spacious, comfortable living room.