Finding a Kinder, Gentler, Less Expensive Oahu : A stay on island’s windward side offers access to city excitements but also vast, empty spaces.

Led by irrepressible 6-year-old Lilia, we race the setting sun along a windy dirt path up the hillside known as Lanikai Ridge. Beneath us, the turquoise ocean stretches beyond a crescent-shaped beach--the cradle for the sport of windsurfing. Kayakers paddle back from the offshore Mokuluua islands. We scan the horizon for the spout of humpback whales.

Behind us lies the bedroom community of Kailua. Looming over the homes and Enchanted Lake is Mt. Olomana, the stately peak that, legend has it, was a giant who jumped from Kauai. Cars climb the Pali Highway like ants crisscrossing the verdant Koolau Mountains that separate this windward side of Oahu from the urban crush of Honolulu. From these heights, King Kamehameha I drove enemy forces over 1,000-foot cliffs in the decisive battle for Oahu.

Shortly, we arrive at the first of two concrete bunkers. Fifty years ago, these were military lookouts for enemy planes during World War II. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the guns stationed here stood silent as the attackers streaked past. The reason: The ammunition was locked up due to a “sabotage alert.” We, however, are well-fortified. My friends, hospitable Kailua residents and parents of Lilia, pop open a bottle of champagne to welcome us back to Hawaii after an absence of far too long.

I had become an admirer of the windward side of Oahu as a graduate student in Hawaii in the late ‘70s. On a recent visit with my wife, I found it reassuring that, even as much of the archipelago continues to be overbuilt, this outpost retains its allure.

It remains a relatively undiscovered jewel on an island too often equated with Honolulu’s hustle and bustle and the ticky-tacky excesses of Waikiki Beach. For those who prefer bed and breakfasts or staying in a private home to high-rise hotels and resorts, Kailua and its environs offer easy access to golden beaches, abundant water sports, idyllic trails and, just over the mountains, the museums, restaurants and night life of the leeward metropolis. This can be a gentler, kinder and more economical way to go, especially for families.

Indeed, this is where kamaainas , or islanders, go to get away. About 80,000 residents, or 10% of Oahu’s population, can be found on the windward side. The majority reside in the suburban communities of Kailua and nearby Kaneohe, site of a major Marine air base. Many of those who live here work in Honolulu and climb the Pali each day--a lusher and far more scenic version of commuting than the San Fernando Valley to the Westside via the San Diego Freeway. Kailua is 12 miles from downtown Honolulu and 17 miles from the airport.

Accommodations for visitors here are strictly da kine , which, in this case, means a part of, not apart from, the local communities. Kailua has no hotels. It does, however, have 85 licensed bed and breakfasts and 47 rental homes and cottages. Homeowners concerned about an influx of tourists have put a lid on these units as well, having won a moratorium on new licenses in 1989. If you go, especially during peak winter months, you should book well in advance.

“Families don’t want to be chasing their kids around elevators and the bustle and night life of Waikiki,” says Pat O’Malley, a bearlike man in an aloha shirt who has rented out residences for the past eight years. “They want a quiet family vacation where the kids can enjoy it.

“Families also find it much more economical to come over here and cook their own meals instead of paying $5 for a hamburger. This is also the safest beach on the island--no riptide, no undertow, a reef out there that keeps the swells from getting too high.”

O’Malley, who is president of the Kailua Chamber of Commerce, and his wife Elizabeth handle 30 homes and cottages in Kailua. They offer everything from small studios to million-dollar beachfront estates. A recently renovated five-bedroom, three-bath home on the beach goes for $2,730 a week; a small cottage with a view of the bay for $55 a day.

Doris Epp, meanwhile, represents 75 bed and breakfasts, the majority in Kailua and surrounding communities. She’ll find visitors accommodations ranging from a modest $45-a-night private unit to “a wonderful place with a 360-degree view” of the ocean for $100 daily. One quirk we found is that the state health department prohibits cooking at B&Bs;, so breakfasts tend to be continental or do-it-yourself.

We stayed at a remodeled apartment with a private bath in the exclusive residential community of Lanikai, two blocks from the beach. We dined each morning on fresh papaya, pineapple, bananas and English muffins with Macadamia nut butter on a patio overlooking brilliant purple bougainvillea and a coral-colored African tulip tree. Our first morning we took a pre-breakfast snorkel with a giant puffer fish and an elegant yellow and black Moorish idol. The setting offered privacy, tranquillity and convenience--all for a cost of $50 a night.

But for those who prefer the luxury and conveniences of a top-flight hotel, the Turtle Bay Hilton is up the coast on the North Shore--about 48 miles from Honolulu. This 808-acre hotel, with an 18-hole golf course, 10 tennis courts and two pools, is set right on the crashing surf that produces huge waves during the winter. For local residents, this is truly “the country”--about as far away as you can get and still be on the island.

The hotel was originally built by Del Webb, who, anticipating that gambling would be legalized in Hawaii, intended to turn it into a casino. But this never came about and the hotel became part of the Hyatt chain. Today it is owned by a Japanese company, Asahi Juyken, and managed by Hilton. Rooms cost from $160 a night to $1,300 for a luxury suite.

Even for those who stay elsewhere on the island, the windward side can be explored during a day trip. From Honolulu, two scenic routes are available. The most direct route is via the Pali Highway. Be sure to stop at the wind-blown lookout that offers a panorama of the windward side and Pacific. This is where King Kamahameha thwarted his foes in 1799. Mark Twain once called this the most beautiful view in the world.

Alternately, take the H-1 freeway east past Diamond Head and horse-shaped Hanauma Bay (a reef-filled marine reserve and snorkeler’s paradise) to Makapuu Point. The view here is also spectacular--dazzling blue-green ocean, Rabbit and Turtle islands offshore and surf pounding against steep black-lava cliffs below.

Makapuu Beach is renowned for its body surfing, but it packs a dangerous undertow that should keep novices at bay. Further up the highway is Sea Life Park, where killer whales, dolphins and penguins perform, and a 300,000-gallon exhibit provides a diver’s-eye view of Hawaii’s marine ecology from three fathoms.

Continue on to Waimanolo, a sleepy little farming town that is a good place for lunch. One choice is a distinctive Hawaiian specialty--a plate lunch. Several slices of teriyaki beef or barbecue chicken or Kailua pork are served on paper plates with two scoops of rice and one scoop of macaroni salad. Small stands or food trucks serve these meals throughout the islands.

Kailua is a short drive from Waimanolo. It is renowned as the home of possibly the finest beach on the island, if not all of Hawaii, and as a Mecca for windsurfing. It’s also the kind of place where policemen can be seen patrolling their beats on bicycles.

Robby Naish, a five-time world windsurfing champion, learned his craft on Kailua Beach every day after school after his family moved here from La Jolla. Now 28 and considered the old man of the sport, Naish lives in a handsome two-story wooden home about 50 yards from the palm-tree-fringed bay that he calls “the best beach on the island.”

Windsurfing is ideal here, Naish explained, because the prevailing trade winds are moderate and consistent and blow surfers toward the shore rather than out to sea. In addition, the white-sand beach contains no coral to damage equipment.

“Just about every major advancement in the sport, both technically and performance-wise, came from people who lived in Kailua,” said Naish, whose family runs a windsurfing rental business. “This is the place that Europeans and Japanese and people from all over the world would read about and come to sail. Recreationally, this is still the spot.”

One Saturday morning, we also discovered that the beach is the place for another indigenous sport: the annual Great Hawaiian Sand Castle Event. One of our hosts’ daughters breathlessly informed us that students from the University of Hawaii’s School of Architecture were making sculptures in the sand. The beach, so empty on weekdays, was packed with spectators.

The works were audacious. Some were humorous; many had environmental and political themes. A bug-eyed Homer Simpson floated on an inner tube next to a leaking nuclear reactor, oblivious to a nearby mutant three-eyed alligator. Beside him, a sign said: “No Swimming: Nuclear Waste Water.” A bloated serpent with dollar bills and an American flag dangling from its mouth was titled: “National Debt Swallow U.S.” An alligator on a golf green with a club before it, a ball on its nose and a flip-flop in its teeth was a different kind of “Sand Trap.”

The beach sparkled. Out on the brilliant water, a dozen windsurfers skillfully navigated their sails of purple, pink, orange and red across the bay. The aroma of teri-beef from picnickers’ grills filled the air. Above it all loomed the Koolau Mountains, a majestic natural backdrop. Ah, yes, Saturday in Kailua.

GUIDEBOOK

Oahu’s Windward Side

Getting there: American, Continental, Northwest, Delta, United, TWA and Hawaiian Air all fly from LAX to Honolulu. Excursion fares range from $385 with 14- or 21-day advance purchase to $831 with seven-day advance. A rental car to get to and around the windward side is essential.

Where to stay: Pat’s Kailua Beach Properties (204 S. Kalaheo Ave., Kailua, Hawaii 96743, 808-261-1653) handles 30 home and cottage rentals in the Kailua area. Prices range from $55 to $400 a day. Minimum stay is usually one week, two weeks at Christmas.

Pacific Hawaii Bed and Breakfast (19 Kai Nani Place, Kailua, Hawaii 96734, 800-999-6026) represents 75 bed and breakfasts, most in Kailua and the surrounding area. Prices from $45 a night for a modest studio to $100 for ocean view. Owner Doris Epp also handles large homes on the beach for as much as $375 a day.

Schrader’s Windward Marine Resort (47-039 Lihikai Drive, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, 800-735-5711) overlooks Kaneohe Bay. Cottage-type accommodations cost $69 a day for one bedroom to $315 for a three-bedroom facing the bay.

Where to eat: Buzz’s Original Steak House (413 Kawailoa Road, Kailua, Hawaii, 808-261-4661) specializes in fresh local fish. Dinner for two without drinks, $50.

Bueno Nalo (41-865 Kalanianaole Highway, 808-259-7186) is a colorful Mexican restaurant. Menu includes tacos, burritos, quesadillas and pina colada cheesecake. No credit cards accepted. Dinner for two without drinks, $15.

Paniolo Cafe (53-146 Kamehameha Highway, Punaluu, 808-237-8521) pays homage to the paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, with Tex-Mex food and rattlesnake chili. Dinner for two without drinks, $40.

What to do: Naish Hawaii (155A Hamakua Drive, Kailua, Hawaii, 808-261-6067) is a windsurfing shop a few minutes from Kailua Beach. Beginner boards and rigs can be rented for $15 an hour or $25 for half a day (delivered to beach). A 1 1/2-hour private lesson with half-day use of board costs $55. Boogie boards and snorkel equipment are also available.

Bob Twogood Kayaks Hawaii (171-B Hamakua Drive, Kailua, Hawaii, 808-262-5656) rents kayaks for $39 per person for a half-day and $49 for a full, including a 10-minute lesson. Kayaks delivered to beach. Sea Life Park (Makapuu Point, Waimanalo, Hawaii, 808-259-7933) is a major attraction, with whale, dolphin and sea lion shows. Open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Fridays when it closes at 10 p.m. Admission: $14.95 for adults, $7.95 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under 6 are free.

For more information: Contact the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, 3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 502, Los Angeles 90010, (213) 385-5301.