Beat of Hawaii and Beyond: Travel Deals, Tips, Events, Culture

My paternal ancestors are among the first foreign settlers in Hawaii (but that’s another story).

It’s an interesting coincidence that my maternal great grandmother, who never stepped foot in the Hawaiian Islands, would be the one to gift me with her Hawaiian Quilt.

Hawaii was close in heart to my great grandmother.

The year is 1925 and the setting is a rural community in Eastern Washington.

A young couple from Hawaii, the Kanekoa’s, has moved into town to work on the railroad. Their next door neighbors are my great grandparents, John and Sarah Eaton.

A friendship develops and the two women share a passion for quilting. Mrs. Kanekoa gifts my great grandmother her Hawaiian quilt pattern.

What happens next is an example of how Mrs. Kanekoa’s Aloha, and my great grandmother’s ingenuity, has been passed down through the generations.

My great grandmother made many braided rugs and quilts during her life. She fell in love, however, with the Hawaiian quilt.

During the Depression my Great-Grandma started making Hawaiian quilts and then raffled them off to put food on the table.

In the early 1950’s, Great-Grandma made her last Hawaiian quilt. The purpose of this quilt was to be a gift to her family. I’m now the proud recipient.

When Great-Grandma was making this quilt, I’m sure she never imagined that it would someday be in Hawaii and in her Great Grandson’s home.

Every time I see and touch Great Grandma’s Hawaiian quilt, it connects me to her and to my past. I see her expert quilting and craftsmanship. The quilt is a reminder of the friendship between these two women and their gift of Aloha.

Do you own a Hawaiian quilt? If so, I’d enjoy hearing your story.

Where’s Kainaliu? 10 miles south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.

Will an Angel touch you if you go there? Not exactly but you’ll feel better after.

Kainaliu is home to the Aloha Massage Academy and Aloha Angel Café.

The Aloha Massage Academy offers a one hour massage for $30! I couldn’t believe the price so I decided to check it out for myself. Undercover work has its advantages.

I didn’t have high expectations since the massage would be given by an advanced student. I was wrong. My massage was worthy of the expensive ones offered at the major hotels.

The studio ambience is relaxing and professional. My masseuse used a variety of techniques including hot stones and reiki. I was so relaxed I could hardly get off the table when it was over.

Feeling stress free for only $30 left a nice feeling of Aloha on my body and wallet.

Afterwards I floated across the highway to Aloha Angel Café where I’ve eaten before. Lunch for two was $21. The food was above average for what you’d expect at a coffee shop and service prompt. You’ll dine outside on a verandah that wraps around an old theatre.

I felt touched by an angel and I think you will too.

Details:

Aloha Massage Academy, located on the highway in Kainaliu. Appointments recommended. We made ours two days in advance. Call 808/937-6019.

Aloha Angel Café, on the highway in Kainaliu. No reservations needed for breakfast or lunch. Call 808/322-3383.

My incident with Trip Advisor started me thinking about the wide-spread changes in the travel industry and how they affect all of us when we plan our trips.

Travel Industry Consolidation

Here are three examples that the industry would prefer that consumers not be aware of:

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Beloved Polihale State Park was reopened this week. It had been closed for much needed road and plumbing repairs. The infamous potholes have been (at least temporarily) filled with rocks. Roadwork and other renovation and beautication by the state in concert with local groups will be ongoing for several more weeks.

Polihale is the not-to-be-missed spectaclar beach on the far west side of Kauai. It features a broad sandy beach tucked under the foothills of the Na Pali coast, and is perfect for sunset.

It’s reached by driving west past Kekaha. Here are specific driving instructions.

Suggestions:

1. At almost all times it is very dangerous and unadvisable to swim at Polihale (even for locals).
2. The extremely bumpy dirt (and rock) road is about 5 slow miles long, starting at the highway.
3. Keep your rental car clean, since you will be charged for excessive red dirt.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts Sunday but not here in Hawaii.

According to Hawaii Answers, we tried it in 1933 for three short weeks. No one knows why.

With our tropical location, DST is not necessary. We’re closer to the equator than the mainland so there’s less of a difference in the amount of daylight between seasons.

When you’re calling anyone in Hawaii during DST, remember that we’re three hours earlier than west coast.

For some fun facts on Daylight Saving Time, read Huffington Post.

Oh, and if you like my Aloha shirt watch, I found it at our popular ABC Stores in Hawaii. It’s a great way to keep Hawaii close to you.

I’m having a difficult time wearing the free hat that Trip Advisor sent me with its, “Get the truth, then go,” slogan. The problem is I no longer feel that I can always trust their site.

After posting many reviews on Trip Advisor, in November they declined to publish my negative review of the Pacific Monarch Hotel in Honolulu.

I submitted the same review twice for publication. Both times I was told by Trip Advisor that my writing “did not meet review criteria.”

Conflict of Interest?

Trip Advisor is owned by Expedia which markets Resort Quest properties that include the Pacific Monarch Hotel. While it may just be a coincidence, is it in their best interest to publish a negative review?

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