Our thanks to Arthur Frommer, the curmudgeonly original travel evangelist, who has written positive comments about Beat of Hawaii many times over the past year. Arthur likes our similarly sassy, irreverent and candid perspectives which we share from our home state of Hawaii. This week, Arthur wrote an article on his blog that contrasts us with Go Visit Hawaii. […]
Recently, a 33 year old Japanese visitor drowned in the Wailua River, while kayaking with a tour group on Kauai. On the same day, the Fire Department also rescued two more visitors on the Wailua River (not with the tour group), and another visitor at nearby Wailua Beach, after being swept out to sea. What’s to blame: Inclement weather […]
No airline booking fees. Travelocity announced today that it is joining Expedia in eliminating airline booking fees, at least until May 31, and likely forever. The reason is that these online travel agencies are in fierce competition with both the airlines and with sites like Kayak, that direct you to the airline sites themselves for booking. Price guarantees. Travelocity […]
Late last week, I had quite a surprise instead of an intended swim, when I found Kauai’s Salt Pond Beach closed due to jellyfish. This is the first time I can ever remember Salt Pond being impacted by jellyfish. The lifeguard told me that he had counted over 500 of them that day. Jellyfish are prominent on Oahu’s Waikiki […]
As I write, Hawaii’s legislature is considering banning smoking on famous Waikiki Beach. The bill, which is expected to pass, will take effect immediately. The law is designed to keep cigarette butts off of the beach, while still allowing smoking on nearby sidewalks. Waikiki beach has been through a significant transformation in recent years and is being restored into […]
This is the first in a series of posts on affordable Hawaii, 2009. 1. Consider package deals. Having said that, always price it yourself separately to be sure it is truly a good value. Online travel agencies, including Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia are anxious for you to book their air plus hotel or car deals. We featured a good […]
This photo might give you some idea that there is trouble brewing at the beach in front of the Sheraton Waikiki. The problem is that there is no beach. The small amount seen in the photo is only visible at very low tide. At all other times, the waves lap up on the beach wall where I’m standing. The […]
This is great news that we hope will be enduring. The VOG has been irritating to our lungs and skin and that of visitors, and has hurt Big Island tourism. It has also been destructive to crops including vegetables and flowers. Recently we’ve noticed that even in southerly wind conditions, the VOG throughout the Hawaiian Island chain seems to […]
TripAdvisor is plagued with fake reviews. Why? As I wrote about yesterday, the problem of review fraud is two-fold: Intense competition in the travel industry, greatly exacerbated by the state of our economy, has caused hotels and other travel providers to artificially manipulate review rankings in order to achieve increased bookings and revenue. Inherent conflict of interest exists between […]
On reflection, TripAdvisor may at first appear to be a benevolent site where regular people share their honest travel opinions. Dig beneath the surface, however, and you will find something quite the opposite is happening at TripAdvisor. This is big business and the going is rough in today’s economic climate. There are over twenty million reviews on TripAdvisor. I […]
Has this ever happened to you? After a long flight to Hawaii you rush down to the beach only to see Jellyfish warning signs. This let down can be avoided with proper planning. Tip: Check the full moon calendar when planning your vacation and add 8 days. This will give you the approximate date jellyfish arrive on south facing […]
Off the beaten track, on the rural island of Lanai, sits a small hotel that’s undergone big changes lately. When I stayed at Hotel Lanai two years ago, it needed a good touch up both inside and out. Hawaii travel icon, Mary Charles, came to its rescue as the new owner. She went to work immediately on upgrading the […]
