Hawaii Vacation Blog

Have you considered going off the beaten path in Hawaii, especially Oahu? Read this first! Off The Beaten Path Hawaii Oahu: Is It Worth it?  There are many not-in-the-brochures attractions available to an intrepid Oahu visitor, remote locations that range from verdant, misted mountains to sun baked sea cliffs plunging into crystalline blue depths.  Such […]

There’s a part of Hawaii that very few tourists ever experience: Waianae on the westernmost edge of Oahu. We recently took a ride out to this part of the island and were reminded just how awesome it is on the Leeward side.  The major reason many folks don’t venture out to the Leeward side is […]

Are you looking for a historical and scenic experience while golfing in Hawaii? Moanalua Golf Course is in a gorgeous location in Honolulu, and it’s one of the country’s oldest golf courses.  Finding the Best Golf Courses on Oahu I started golfing a few years back, starting at the playful par-3 Executive Course at Hawaii […]

Back in the turn-of-the-century, the majority of the irrigation ditches used to distribute water to the sugar cane fields were built by Japanese immigrants. These elaborate waterways were built by hand in very difficult conditions using bare hands, picks, shovels, and hammers. The laborers often had to work 12 hour days for a pittance and […]

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 […]

You can’t visit Waikiki without seeing the Duke Kahanamoku Statue. This festive and welcoming sculpture stands tall at the shores of Waikiki, honoring the famous Hawaiian who rose to fame as a swimmer, a surfer, and the Ambassador of Aloha.  But there’s more to this statue than meets the eye. Here are 7 things you […]

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 […]

More and more people are wearing tattoos these days, all over the world. The social stigma is far less than it’s been over the years, and “body art” has come to be admired in most circles. In Hawaii, tattoos have a significance of their own. Early explorers noted that both men and women wore tattoos […]

As soon as you arrive in the islands on your Hawaii vacation, you’ll see it: Locals gesturing to each other with their thumbs and pinkies extended, their middle three fingers curled into their palms with the back of the hand facing the person being greeted. Sometimes the hand is rotated back and forth to emphasize […]

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 […]

Dim sum has become a celebrated culinary tradition in Hawaii, reflecting the state’s multicultural Asian influence. Chinese immigrants brought dim sum to Hawaii in the 19th century during the plantation era, and its popularity has since been shaped by the state’s diverse population, which includes influences from Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and other Asian cultures. […]