Category: Hawaii Travel & Vacation Info

I recently went to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the first time in a couple years. The visit reminded me of some things I’d like to share, including some tips about visiting this attraction. After all, you have a lot of activity choices when you visit Oahu, and you may wonder if the Hawaii Polynesian […]

If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii, you should really think about bringing something unique back to remember your trip. In previous posts we’ve discussed what not to bring back as keepsakes such as lava rock or black sand from any of the beaches (strictly forbidden and brings bad luck). So let’s talk about something […]

JAMES WINPENNY III • 1935-2009 By Erika Engle Reposted from The Star Bulletin POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 14, 2009 Longtime advertising man Jim Winpenny died Tuesday of congestive heart failure and emphysema at Straub Clinic & Hospital, his daughter Shannon said. He was 73. An award-winning advertising copy writer and creative director, Winpenny’s career […]

In a strange coincidence, two highly respected sports announcers recently died just a day apart. Both had close ties to Hawaii; both had close ties to Philadelphia. Both got established in Honolulu (as did sportscaster Al Michaels). Harry Kalas, who died on April 12, was the play-by-play man for the Philadelphia Phillies and the narrator […]

Some time back we wrote about Downtown Honolulu’s emerging Arts District, an area where art galleries, theaters and urbane restaurants now are attracting sophisticated residents and vacationers. This is a relatively new phenomenon occurring in a place that has a history of … well, squalor. Adjacent to the Arts District lies the far more traditional […]

There are good reasons for renting a car on your Hawaii vacation. Even if you are part of a group that provides transportation to and from most of the venues on your itinerary, you’ll probably want to go off and explore on your own. Public transportation is pretty grim on the “outer” islands – Kauai, […]

It sounds like a kids’ game today, but in Ancient Hawaii, when kapu (taboos) were the law of the land, it was a desperate race for survival. It was easy then to commit a capital crime. You might have wandered onto land reserved for only chiefs. You might have eaten forbidden fruit or meat. The […]

If you’re very fortunate, you’ll be invited to a private luau at the home of a kamaaina family, people whose families have lived in the islands for generations. The music you hear will be authentic and touch your soul. The smiles you see will be authentic. The hospitality will be heart warming. And the food […]

### UPDATE March 8, 2016 ### “Pot Tourism” is a real travel industry niche, and Hawaii laws have yet to catch up with the statistically verifiable benefits of allowing marijuana to be available to responsible, non-medical proponents. In Colorado, for example, tax revenue from the legal sale of marijuana far exceeds that of the revenue […]

It’s pretty hard to avoid television, even on your vacation, even though there are accommodations in Hawaii with no in-room TVs. With that in mind, here are some observations about TV in Hawaii. As is probably true where you live, local television programming isn’t very good. There simply isn’t enough money for stations or entrepreneurs […]

A true Hawaii tourism hero Uncle Billy will be remembered. His name was Richard Wassman Kimi. He did not do a specific heroic thing, but what he did lastingly affected Hawaii tourism. Back in the mid-1950s, Kimi, who lived in Hilo on the Big Island, noticed that the tourists who came to the island arrived […]

Here in Hawaii, we know how to drink. Does that mean you should trust Hawaii hangover remedies?  Hawaii is a great place to drink with our friends, meet new friends, and celebrate… well, practically anything.  We gather around TVs in early-opening bars first thing in the morning to catch sporting events (time changes mean East […]