Archive for the 'Hawaii' Category
Enjoy a free day at national parks, forests on Veterans Day, Nov. 11
November 4, 2009 8:52am
Next week, national parks and forests will waive entrance fees for one day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, to honor servicemen and women. Unlike past years, when only U.S. veterans, active members of the U.S. armed forces and their families got a free pass, this year’s Veterans Day observance will allow everyone in for free, according to a news release Tuesday, Nov. 3, from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
If the deal otherwise works like it did in past years, you’ll still owe fees for camping, permits and other activities. But you can save a lot anyway because some popular parks, including California’s Yosemite National Park, normally charge entrance fees of $20 or so per car.
The Interior Department earlier this year expanded the number of free days on federal lands, offering three fee-free weekends over the summer. At that time, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar noted that parks provide affordable family vacations “during these tough economic times.”
San Francisco is top U.S. city to visit, says Condé Nast survey
October 18, 2009 7:10am
What’s your favorite city in the U.S. to visit? If you picked San Francisco, you’d be in line with Condé Nast Traveler readers who voted the City by the Bay as the No. 1 U.S. city in the publication’s 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Cities were rated on these criteria: atmosphere and ambiance; culture and sites; friendliness; lodging; restaurants; and shopping. San Francisco fared especially well in — you guessed it — restaurants. But the city boasts many lures, and they are apparently consistent. This is the 17th consecutive year that it has won this category in the annual survey.
Following San Francisco in the top U.S. cities category were Charleston, S.C.; Santa Fe, N.M.; New York; and Chicago, in that order. Ubud, Indonesia, ranked as the best city to visit in Asia, and Sydney, Australia, earned the top slot of all cities internationally. Read the rest of this entry »
Oahu, Hawaii: Flight and hotel packages from $399
October 14, 2009 5:58am
When planning a short hop over to Hawaii, it’s never a bad idea to peruse any specials Pleasant Holidays may be offering. The popular travel agency regularly has well-priced flight-and-hotel packages available to the islands.
Deal: For certain dates this fall and winter, those departing from Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) can get round-trip airfare on United Airlines and three nights accommodation (based on double occupancy) in Honolulu for as little as $399 per person, excluding most taxes and fees.
Past offers of this kind have featured budget hotels like Castle Maile Sky Court — where rates are currently as low as $64 per night, pre-tax — on its lowest price tier.
But this special is all about Starwood hotels, and the cheapest hotel in the packages that I’m seeing currently (though this is subject to change) is at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, more moderately priced in comparison, where fall rates start at around $119 per night. Read the rest of this entry »
$5-million settlement reached in lawsuit over flash-flood tragedy at national park in Hawaii
October 3, 2009 5:31pm
The U.S. government agreed to pay $5 million late last month to settle a lawsuit filed by Holly Brown, a Louisville, Ky., doctor, and her son, Clayton, after the deaths of her 39-year-old husband, Kevin, and 8-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, during a flash flood at Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui in April 2003.
Brown said the family of four had checked at a nearby ranger station just before going hiking along Pipiwai Trail on the southeast side of Maui, according to a report on the website of the Courier-Journal. Even though there were dark clouds, the ranger did not issue a flash-flood warning, court documents said.
The family followed the path to an overlook above 184-foot Makahiku Falls and then decided to walk to the bottom. Kevin and Elizabeth were crossing the stream when they were suddenly overtaken by a 6-foot wall of water. Their bodies were never recovered.
Hawaii roundup: Hawaiian Airlines’ $50 credit offer; new Maui and Lanai sub-and-snorkel package; robotic dinosaurs arrive in Honolulu
September 27, 2009 12:07pm
– Hawaiian Airlines is giving away $50 “eCertificates” for use on future travels. Here’s the skinny: Book a flight between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii for travel between now and Dec. 11, and you’ll receive a $50 credit to your HawaiianMiles account, which can be applied to any transpacific flight that you book for travel between Jan. 11 and March 11. You must book your initial flight before Oct. 7 to take advantage of this offer.
– Visitors to Maui can now take advantage of a new marine package that features two unique touring experiences for one discounted price. With Atlantis Submarines, you get a submarine ride off Maui, descending to 150 feet. With Maui Adventure Cruises’ Lanai Dolphin Adventure, you cross the Maui channel to Lanai aboard a 49-foot boat, and then get to the serious business of snorkeling. Booked together, the sub-and-snorkel package costs $159 per adult and $80 per child, pretax. Read the rest of this entry »
Kauai’s St. Regis Princeville hotel to reopen after $100-million makeover
September 27, 2009 6:01am
The St. Regis Princeville is set to reopen Thursday, Oct. 1, after a $100-million redo designed to give it more Hawaiian flavor.
The 201-room, 51-suite Kauai hotel has added a spa that features taro-suffused treatments and added such touches as koa wood trim, raffia and coconut palm hardwood floors. And the pool area (pictured above) also has been redone.
Then there’s the view, which wasn’t redone but is priceless. The hotel looks out on Mt. Makana, which starred as Bali Hai in the 1958 film version of “South Pacific.” The human star of the movie, Mitzi Gaynor, will return to help celebrate the grand reopening of the hotel, which has been closed for more than a year.
Hotel-review site Oyster.com launches Oahu pages; more Hawaii coming soon
September 23, 2009 1:28pm
Dreaming up a trip to Oahu, I come across special rates of $189 per night at Hilton Hawaiian Village. My conditioned first stop is TripAdvisor, where traveler-written reviews of this hotel include lots of raves and some cautions. Of course, with user-generated reviews, you do some wading and sifting, not always sure whose advice to take and whose to toss. Some of the tips seem relevant to my potential stay, and others don’t. But all in all, I get an interesting lay of the land here, from a range of perspectives.
Then I go to Oyster.com, a relatively new hotel-review website, which Travel blogger Jen Leo covered just after the website’s launch in June. The site, packed with reviews by undercover journalists and about a gazillion photos, launched its reviews on Oahu late Tuesday. In the footsteps of its predecessor destination pages (Aruba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Miami, New York, Las Vegas), the lengthy, thoroughly detailed pages — with a well-organized layout for easy perusal — lure me in immediately.
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hawaii’s largest hotel resort, ranks as one of Oyster’s list of best kid-friendly hotels on Oahu. And at the top of this hotel’s review page, I get a concise pros and cons list. As the mother of a toddler, I immediately focus on the calm beach and lagoon, as well as the noted animals (parrots … and penguins?). Among the cons, the fact that the hotel is a ways to Waikiki restaurants, and the supposed crowds at the resort, give me pause and get me to keep reading. Read the rest of this entry »
Top 10 snorkeling spots: Catalina, Hawaii and more
September 22, 2009 8:56am
Grab your goggles and flippers and head for Lover’s Cove on California’s Catalina Island, which rates among the top 10 places to snorkel in a list compiled by Coastal Living Magazine. Papalaua Wayside Park on Maui, Hawaii, was another entry on the magazine’s list in the July-August issue.
The snorkeling spots, compiled by underwater photographer Tanya Burnett-Palmer, are all in the U.S., Central America and Caribbean. The complete list includes Dean’s Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas; Buck Island, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Crystal River, Fla.; Rockhouse, Negril, Jamaica; Pigeon Cay, Honduras; Stingray City, Grand Cayman Island; Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize; and Bimini Islands, the Bahamas.
The article says Catalina’s Lover’s Cove is a “protected area [that] sports kelp forest, rock reef, and a menagerie of cool-water inhabitants. Guides and operators can help you in by boat, or try heading out on your own from the Pebbly Beach access stairs; just don’t forget your flag marker.”
—Rosemary McClure, Special to the Los Angeles Times
Photo: Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas is prized for its snorkeling. Credit: Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
Island fun in L.A.: ‘Day of Hawaii Smiles’ hits the Grove, Sept. 12 and 19
September 11, 2009 11:44am
If an island getaway is more fantasy than reality right now, you’re in luck this weekend and the next. Among the goings-on related to a current Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau campaign is “A Day of Hawaii Smiles,” here in Los Angeles.
Taking place on two different Saturdays, this festival will give Hawaii-philes and the simply curious a taste — literally and figuratively — of the aloha spirit.
Happening at the Grove, the free festival will offer fun for the family with arts and crafts, food demonstrations and tastings, and Hawaiian music and hula lessons by the Polynesian Cultural Center. Get your photo taken at the “Big Wave” photo station. And shop for Hawaii-made goods or even a vacation.
Each festival day will include a free outdoor film screening in the Park area of the Grove. The scheduled time is 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., though the film won’t start until after sunset. On Saturday, Sept. 12, it’ll be “South Pacific,” the 1958 film adapted from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name. Up on Sept. 19 is “Lilo & Stitch,” the popular 2002 Disney animation set in Kauai. Read the rest of this entry »
Fitness is just a phone call away at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
September 4, 2009 5:55am
Road warriors who want to stay in shape while they travel won’t have to worry about packing their sneakers and sweats anymore.
The new Fairmont Fit program, sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, has more than 5,000 pairs of Adidas sneakers, thousands of T-shirts and shorts and complimentary MP3 players loaded with hundreds of brassy exercise tunes. The program is available to members of the chain’s loyalty program, the Fairmont President’s Club.
The President’s Club, which has free membership, keeps members’ workout gear sizes on file, or participants can list their sizes when calling for a hotel reservation. The fee is $10 per stay, or is complimentary for those who stay five times or 10 nights per year.
In addition to having clothing available, the program issues yoga mats and stretch bands for those who prefer exercising in their rooms to a visit to hotel fitness centers. Clothing and footwear are delivered to the room upon a guest’s arrival. Workout gear is available for the duration of the stay and can be replenished at any time.
