We love our Honu which is the Hawaiian green sea turtle. 1. Green: Protected by the endangered species act, and weighing up to 500 pounds, their life-span is believed to be very long. Green turtles live close to the shores of our islands, feed primarily on seaweed and swim up to 35 mph. One of the most ancient species […]
We’re starting to think that VOG, volcanic smog, may be a part of Hawaii’s landscape for the foreseeable future. It eminates from Mt. Kilauea on the Big Island, 250 miles south of Kauai, and has all the look and feel of real smog. The volcano has been belching more acid-rich air pollution than the dirtiest U.S. power plants for […]
This Oahu hotel had stellar TripAdvisor reviews. We were floored on arrival, and thought about leaving immediately and sleeping in the car. It was the 2005 Pro Bowl weekend and everything was booked solid, except for this hotel. We checked out after one night, which was one night too many. It all comes down to who do you trust.
Here’s my contrary tip to save money this summer and have your dream vacation too: Don’t book early. In fact, don’t book at all. Booking early and paying the max is exactly what airlines, hotels and car rentals are counting on right at this time. If you’re reading USA Today’s article Cheap Tricks for Summer Travel, you’ll see their […]
If you think that the exchange rate from Dollars to Euros isn’t enough to spoil your European beach vacation, and send you packing to Hawaii, there is a new and potentially serious problem arising there. The Economist is reporting an unprecedented invasion of jellyfish on European beaches this summer. Theorists point to global warming, overfishing and ocean pollution as […]
Thank you sincerely Arthur Frommer for your kind mention of Beat of Hawaii on your site this week! We started publishing Beat of Hawaii just over three months ago. This is a generous acknowledgment of both our efforts here and our decades as travelers and travel industry observers. Lastly, we most appreciate our readers and those who comment on […]
See our February post about why you should consider travel insurance for your upcoming Hawaii vacation. In light of recent developments, I thought it timely to revisit the subject. Travel insurance, bought online, can protect your family vacation in the event of failure of an airline (or other carrier) to provide services contracted for. While hopefully we have seen […]
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. […]
The Kona Tiki Hotel has to be one of the best Hawaii deals on Big Island. Where else can you pay $69 a night for two and get a clean, comfortable, oceanfront room? Update: Rooms are now from $80 nightly. We just returned from a 5 day stay and give Kona Tiki in Kailua-Kona our two thumbs up for […]
Travel insurance can be complicated and confusing. So when is travel insurance appropriate and advisable and when is it just a waste of money? In the past, travel insurance was often not recommended for domestic travel. That was because airline change fees were minor and hotels allowed cancellations up to the last day. In today’s market, however, hotel cancellation […]
We love to share our local knowledge of the islands and invite you to ask questions. Q: We are hoping to come to Hawaii the end of next month (February) and are wondering what to expect weather-wise. A: The traditional rainy months are November to early December and March. During those months you can expect state-wide rainfall that is […]
