The minute you step off the plane, the incredible dramatic beauty of Hawaii -- the deep sapphire ocean, the vivid blue sky, the verdant green valley -- would be enough for anyone to make the journey to these floating isles of paradise. But the 50th state is constantly improving on what Mother Nature (or as we say in Hawaii, Pele, the volcano goddess) originally built.
Hawaii is a lot easier to get to these days with more direct flights from the mainland than ever. Lots of new attractions have blossomed in the past year -- everything from improved old favorites to brand new excursions under the sea, over the sea and even on dry land. New eateries have opened, new nightlife jaunts now beckon, and even a new hotel is coming to the Big Island in 2004.
If you have ever dreamed of coming to Hawaii, now is the time.
Planning Your Trip
Getting to Hawaii has never been easier -- Aloha Airlines (tel. 800/367-5250 or 808/484-1111; www.alohaairlines.com) now offers direct service from Honolulu to Oakland and Burbank, California, Vancouver, Canada and Las Vegas, Nevada; plus direct flights from Oakland to Kona, Lihue and Maui. A new website to help you plan your vacation to the islands is www.hawaii.com. The step-by-step planner includes information about travel deals, lodging, transportation, booking activities, tours, attractions, maps, and exchange rates. Also included are local events, cultural activities and news, plus the latest on the weather, surf conditions and Hawaii's history.
Oahu
Attractions
The Waikiki Aquarium (tel. 808/923-9741; www.waquarium.org) has spent $500,000 and nine months to create the South Pacific Marine Life Communities gallery, which features more than 145 species from the south and western Pacific. The 5,000-gallon saltwater aquarium (15 ft. long and 6 ft. high) has such wonderful attractions as a 25-year old, 167-pound clam, an archerfish that spits water to catch bugs, a yard-wide sea anemone, and jellyfish so clear you can see what they've eaten for lunch.
Another marine attraction is the new $13 million Marine Education Center, (tel. 808/256-8956; www.hanaumabay-hawaii.com) in Hanauma Bay, which recently opened with informational exhibits and a 7-minute video orienting visitors to this Marine Life Sanctuary. The 10,000-square-foot center includes a training room, gift shop, public restrooms, and a snack bar. Hanauma Bay is Oahu's most popular snorkeling spot, consisting of a volcanic crater with a broken sea wall; its small, curved, 2,000-foot gold-sand beach is packed elbow-to-elbow with people year-round. The bay's shallow shoreline water and abundant marine life are the main attractions, but this good-looking beach is also popular for sunbathing and people-watching.
If you'd rather stay on dry land, you can visit the Hawaii State Art Museum, which just opened in downtown Honolulu, in the original Royal Hawaiian Hotel built in 1872 during the reign of King Kamehameha V at 250 South Hotel St, at Richards St., (tel. 808/586-0900; www.state.hi.us/sfcatel). All of the 360 works currently displayed were created by artists who live in Hawaii. The pieces were all purchased by the state thanks to a 1967 law mandating that 1% of the cost of state buildings be used to acquire works of art. Nearly 4 decades later, the state has amassed some 5,000 pieces. The current exhibit depicts Hawaii and its history, culture, and ideals through a variety of mediums.
Big Island
Accommodations
As we went to press, Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced a $40 million renovation of the old Kona Surf Hotel in Keauhou, to be renamed the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort, opening in 2004. The vision for the new resort, which closed in 1999, is to "bring back the Hawaii of yesteryear" by showcasing the historical characteristics of the area. Also in the plans are a multi-level fantasy pool, a network of bike/jogging paths throughout the resort area, the only rock-climbing wall on the Big Island, and unique historical activities such as traditional Hawaiian sports and classes in Hawaiian martial arts.
Activities
Torpedo Tours (tel. 808-938-0405; www.torpedotours.com) offers snorkelers and divers an easier, faster way to explore Kona's underwater world. The battery-operated, light-weight, maneuverable submersible propels the diver or snorkeler through the water at 2 knots (the pace of a freestyle sprint) and can be stopped abruptly to hover over anything interesting you may spot in the water. Operating out of Honokohau Harbor, on a 32-foot custom dive boat, the tours start at $59 for snorkel tours and $129 for scuba diving tours.All Terrain Vehicle Outfitters (tel. 888/ATV-7288 or 808/889-6000; www.outfittershawaii.com) features "native Hawaiian" guides leading a variety of tours off the beaten path and into remote rainforests and along secluded beaches on motorized off-road vehicles. The tours on ATVs range from a historic tour of Kohala's sea cliffs and secluded beaches, a 90-minute experience costing $90; to a 15-mile adventure into Hawaii's tropical rainforests, stopping at waterfalls ($159 for 2 1/2 hr.); to an all-day 30-mile adventure, which includes lunch ($250 for 5 1/2 hr.). Children under 16 or those who would prefer to be chauffeured can ride along in a special "scenery machine."
You can also tour the Big Island by yourself, with a local resident as your guide. Steve Slater, long-time Big Island resident, has produced the Big Island Audio Tour (e-mail: kipuka@hilo.net or call tel. 808/934-7817 to order). His CD has 36 tracks of information essential for any newcomer to the Big Island including driving laws; safety considerations; Hawaiian word pronunciation; and excellent directions to well-known and not so well-known sites like off-the-beaten-path beaches, where to collect fruit, and various side trips. Several tracks talk about the geography, geology, culture, and history of the Big Island, and other tracks identify Hawaiian flora and fauna. The CD comes with a full color map, with keyed numbers corresponding to the tracks, and 36 color photos of the island you can view on a computer.
Maui
Activities -- If the local cuisine is a little too attractive and the local brew a bit too tempting, you now can work off any extra pounds at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort's "Beach Boot Camp" (tel. 808/661-1234; www.maui.hyat.com). Every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 am you can participate in a high-impact workout on the beach, with stretching and cardio exercises (sprints in the sand, lunges through the water and abdominal crunches along a hill). Classes are $5 for hotel guests and $7 for non-hotel guests.
Kaanapali's Whalers Village Museum (tel. 808/661-5992; www.whalersvillage.com) has refurbished its theater. Free movies are shown daily from 9:30am to 10pm in the newly renovated theater (padded chairs, new surround-sound and a 50-inch screen). Popular films shown recently included: Onboard the Morgan (depicting the life of 19th century whalers), Red Turtle Rising (Hawaiian folklore on turtles), and Hawaiian Humpback: Pacific Voyager (which follows the whales from Alaska to Hawaii).
If you are wondering what to do with the kids, take them to Maui Menehune Golf, 32-A Lono Ave., Kahului (tel. 808/877-5599), which recently opened a miniature golf course in the heart of central Maui, across the street from Sears and the Kaahumanu Shopping Center. It's open Monday to Friday from 3 to 7pm and Saturday to Sunday from 10am to 11pm; admission ranges from $5 to $7 for clubs and balls and a flat $3 rate on Wednesday and Friday.
After Dark -- Go to a wedding next time you are on Maui, no gift necessary. The Hyatt Regency Maui (tel. 808/667-4727; www.maui.hyatt.com), is the site of the off-Broadway play, Tony n' Tina's Wedding. The 2-hour musical comedy allows the audience to attend the wedding and then follow the cast to the reception and dinner (you really get to eat). After dinner there's the traditional toast and dancing. All the while you are watching a play that involves two Italian families coming together for their children's (Tony and Tina) wedding, along with the pregnant maid of honor, a drunken priest and a host of other characters. Tickets are $75; call tel. 808/667-4727 for more information.
Molokai
The Kaluakoi Golf Course, which closed along with the Kalaukoi Hotel in 2000, has now reopened. The first 9 holes went online with $150,000 in repairs to the irrigation system and work on the fairways, tees and greens. The back 9 holes, scheduled for completion in 2004, will cost $6 million more for development of a new water supply.
Kauai
Activities -- This is every parent's dream: a place to take kids on rainy days (hey, it's so much fun, the kids will beg to come back even on sunny days). The Kauai Children's Discovery Museum, located in Kapaa (tel. 808/823-8222; www.kcdm.org), arose out of a grass-roots community effort to have a fun place where kids could learn about science, culture, arts, technology, and nature. In addition to the exhibits, which range from playing with Hawaiian musical instruments to participating in virtual reality television to hiding out in a "magic tree house" and reading a book (there's even a baby area for kids 4 and under), there also are Keiki Camps (Children Camps), where you can leave the kids all day.
Don't miss the recently opened Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, (tel. 808/828-0525; www.naainakai.com), an incredible, magical garden on some 240 acres, sprinkled with some 70 life-size or larger bronze statues, hidden off the beaten path of the North Shore. This is the place for avid gardeners as well as people who think they don't like botanical gardens. The fairy-tale creativity that has gone into these grounds will make the gardens one of your fondest memories of Kauai.