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 […]
We recently tried these northwest Big Island restaurants and came away surprised. Bamboo is in the quaint town of Hawi, while Daniel Thiebault and Merriman’s are in Waimea (Kamuela). 1. Bamboo. We came here with perhaps the lowest expectations, and to our surprise, enjoyed the best food. While it is simple, in a bamboo coffee shop sort of way, […]
A centipede sting is like that of a wasp. How to avoid and what to do if this happens.
When you arrive in Hawaii, or any destination for that matter, you don’t want to get stuck trying to find your luggage when many bags look alike. Plus, similar looking bags have a higher chance of being taken by mistake. To make my luggage stand out, I’ve been custom labeling it for years. Above is an example of what […]
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 your pocket. Enough to […]
