Throughout Hawaii you’ll find self-serve roadside stands. Many are tucked away on back roads and offer great value. Locals build these stands at the edge of their property to sell whatever they grow that’s in season. Most are run on the honor system. Just take what you want and leave the money in the box. [...]

“Bookmobiles are disappearing in an age defined by mouse clicks,” reports the Boston Globe. While that may be true, there’s one bookmobile on Oahu with a new mission.  It’s Bill’s Bookmobile, cheaply selling used books, music and movies.  All proceeds benefit the Hawaii Public Library System. Bill’s Bookmobile doesn’t travel to you.  Instead you go [...]

I don’t like paying $20 or more for overnight parking in Waikiki.  While hotel parking used to be quite inexpensive here, it’s edging up towards the unreasonable.  With the car rental bargains available, it’s easy to spend more on the parking than on the car itself. Before accepting your hotel’s charge for parking, you might [...]

Food costs here in Hawaii can be very high (or not). I’m often amazed by visitors fresh from the plane buying hundreds of dollars of overpriced food at the grocery store. If you’re going to be here for a week or so, just a little extra planning could put hundreds of dollars of savings in [...]

The economic downturn and travel industry woes have taken their toll. Visitors to the Islands are down, in June by about 15-20 percent, and there is a noticeable difference. While July statistics haven’t been released yet, based on what we see here, they will likely reflect a downturn, perhaps in the same range. There has [...]

Wotif.com, the last-minute hotel discounter that you saw on Beat of Hawaii this week, was recommended today on Arthur Frommer’s blog. In addition to Wotif, we also use last minute hotel discounters Need it Now (Australia and New Zealand only), and Rates to Go which is owned by Orbitz.

Would you like a vacation in Hawaii, brief or extended, without any costs for hotels or condos? Do you have a cottage, apartment/condo or house that you are willing to exchange? If so you may want to consider a home swap. This is a growing travel industry trend and may be a perfect solution in [...]

You might be wondering whether this is a good time to visit Hawaii, given the economic slowdown. The answer is a definite and resounding, YES. Here’s why: 1. Capitalize on fewer advance bookings. Economic woes are causing people to plan and book trips with less lead time. We’re seeing this as a great opportunity to [...]