Hawaiimagazine.com | HAWAII Today

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii beaches: HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

<a href="mailto:derekp@hawaiimagazine.com">Derek Paiva</a> — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:30:34 GMT

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii beaches: HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

The results are in from our latest HAWAII Magazine Facebook Ohana poll question!

Earlier this month, we asked our HAWAII Magazine Facebook fans to answer the very tough question: "What’s your favorite Hawaii beach?"

As expected, they impressed us with their far-ranging best beach selections—which spanned all the Islands from remote Polihale Beach Park bordering Kauai’s Napali Coast to equally remote Papakolea Green Sand Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii’s southernmost point. In between were multiple votes for popular b...

How to buy an ukulele from Hawaii

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:49:41 GMT

How to buy an ukulele from Hawaii

A HAWAII magazine reader asked us for some tips on buying one of Hawaii’s most iconic instruments:

Where can we find ukuleles and banjo ukuleles (new & used) being produced or sold in Kauai?

You ask, we answer. And we answered the question for all the Islands, not just Kaua‘i.

Standard ukuleles are far easier to find than “banjo ukuleles.” A banjo ukulele, or banjolele, has the small scale, tuning, and playing style of a ukulele but, not surprisingly given the name, is constructed like a banjo. Banjo ukes are not commonly used in Hawaiian music, so most music stores here wou...

What's the best way to learn how to surf in Hawaii?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:57:57 GMT

What's the best way to learn how to surf in Hawaii?

HAWAII magazine reader Brookelynn Morris wrote us with a question about surf lessons:

I’m heading to Honolulu for vacation soon, and I want to learn how to surf. Can you tell me the best way to learn?

You ask, we answer.

Oahu’s shores—as with all of the other Hawaiian Islands—offer wave action for a variety of skill levels, from professionals to beginners.

For beginning surfers, we recommend sticking to the south shore of Oahu—specifically, the beaches of Waikiki. Wave heights on the south shore are consistently smaller making it the easiest and s...

How to make Hawaii-style barbecue (teriyaki) sauce. A recipe.

<a href="mailto:derekp@hawaiimagazine.com">Derek Paiva</a> — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:09:24 GMT

How to make Hawaii-style barbecue (teriyaki) sauce. A recipe.

Barbecue sauce in Hawaii is not the same as barbecue sauce in the Mainland U.S.

Order a barbecue mixed-plate lunch at a casual Hawaii eatery and it’s doubtful you’ll get a heaping helping of smoked chicken or ribs slathered with sweet-and-tangy reddish-brown sauce. And don’t expect corn on the cob, coleslaw, baked beans or rolls on the side either.

What you will get, probably piled on a bed of white rice and accompanied by a scoop of macaroni salad or tossed salad, is a large platter of grilled meat or chicken, sweet-and-tangy from a marinade of s...

Restaurant Week Hawaii offers great Oahu dining deals all this week

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:13:41 GMT

Restaurant Week Hawaii offers great Oahu dining deals all this week

Dining out on Oahu this week? Prepare to eat well.

Restaurant Week Hawaii celebrates the Islands' diverse dining scene, wealth of superb locally-grown ingredients and the world-class chefs who bring all of it to dining establishments on Oahu. This second-annual edition of the Hawaii Restaurant Association-sponsored event happens today through Sunday, Nov. 22.

What does this mean for you? Dining deals and lots of them. More than 60 restaurants on Oahu are participating—rolling out exclusive dishes, discounted prix-fixe menus and other promotions all week.

A three-course m...

New luxury Trump Hotel opens today in Waikiki. A photo tour.

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:39:16 GMT

New luxury Trump Hotel opens today in Waikiki. A photo tour.

The Trump International Hotel Waikiki opens quietly today, across the street from Waikiki Beach. It’s the first luxury property to open in Waikiki for decades.

The 38-story tower has 462 studios and suites, though how many will available in the hotel pool is not yet fixed, since most are privately owned.

John Votsis, the hotel’s director of marketing, took HAWAI‘I Magazine on an exclusive preopening tour. Not every area of the hotel was complete when we arrived, but we saw a sampling of finished studios and suites.

All the units had luxury t...

Be here now! Sort of. Hawaii panoramas added to Google Street View

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:12:08 GMT

Be here now! Sort of. Hawaii panoramas added to Google Street View

Google has taken to the streets of Hawaii to put you in Hawaii even when you can't be here.

The ever-expanding lead Internet search engine recently included Hawaii in its Street View feature. An extension of Google’s popular Google Maps navigation service, Street View offers up 360-degree, ground-level panoramas of cities, neighborhoods, and other notable landmarks across America and around the world.

With the addition of Hawaii, Google Street View panoramas are now available from all 50 U.S. states.

So far, only Oahu and select ...

HAWAII Magazine guide to watching the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:07:09 GMT

HAWAII Magazine guide to watching the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

Hawaii’s big wave season is here!

High surf advisories have been issued for Oahu’s North Shore this week, just in time for the start of the 27th annual Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. The three event competition is the professional surf world’s most well-known and prestigious competition. And this year’s record $1 million Triple Crown total prize purse has attracted more than 150 surfers from 17 nations.

Take a drive up to Oahu’s world famous North Shore surf spots over the next month and you’ll find crowds of ...

Hanalei for the holidays? Kauai resort offering room deals, free nights

<a href="mailto:derekp@hawaiimagazine.com">Derek Paiva</a> — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:27:06 GMT

Hanalei for the holidays? Kauai resort offering room deals, free nights

Will it be a Kauai kind of Christmas? A Happy New Year's Eve in Hanalei?

The Hanalei Colony Resort’s “Hanalei Holiday Special” sounded to us like a great trade off for the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day. "Bye, bye" cold winter weather with a chance of snow! "Aloha" warm white sands and the sound of lapping waves on Kauai’s picturesque north shore!

The 48-unit, all-vacation condo property is offering 25 percent off on all room categories for minimum three-night stays between Dec. 20, 2009, and ...

Alaska Airlines expanding Hawaii routes again. Intro fares at $169

<a href="mailto:derekp@hawaiimagazine.com">Derek Paiva</a> — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:25:09 GMT

Alaska Airlines expanding Hawaii routes again. Intro fares at $169

Fresh from inaugurating brand new routes from Oakland to Maui and Kona this week, Alaska Airlines will further expand its California–Hawaii service in March 2010.

Three-times-weekly San Jose-Kahului, Maui service begins March 11, and four-times-weekly San Jose-Kona, Big Island of Hawaii service on March 12. Alaska Air will also add daily flights between Sacramento and Kahului, Maui beginning March 26.

An introductory $169 one-way fare is being offered on all three routes, but tickets mu...

VIDEO: HAWAII takes a glider ride over Oahu's North Shore

<a href="mailto:derekp@hawaiimagazine.com">Derek Paiva</a> — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:08:19 GMT

VIDEO: HAWAII takes a glider ride over Oahu's North Shore

In the November/December 2009 issue of HAWAII Magazine, we take you with us on a glider flight above Oahu’s scenic North Shore.

With pilots Steve Wood and Meagan Nauman of Original Glider Rides at the controls, I got a chance to sit in the forward cockpit seat of a motorless glider for a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the North Shore coastline.

Short of sprouting wings of our own or hangliding, riding in a glider is the closest to being free as a bird that most humans are likely to experience. If you&rsquo...

Kona Coffee Cultural Festival begins. The schedule. Best 4 events to check out.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:15:02 GMT

Kona Coffee Cultural Festival begins. The schedule. Best 4 events to check out.

This week in Kailua-Kona, it’s all about the coffee. Kona coffee, that is.

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival—one of Hawaii’s oldest food fests—begins its 39th annual celebration of the bean that made the Kailua-Kona coast famous on Friday, Nov. 6. If you’re on the Big Island of Hawaii this week, make sure you’re in Kona for at least one of the fest’s nine days of activities, parades, coffee picking contests, farm tours, coffee competitions and, of course, multitude of Kona coffee tastings.

Festival events begin on Fri...

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii snacks: Our HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

<a href="mailto:derekp@hawaiimagazine.com">Derek Paiva</a> — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:54:34 GMT

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii snacks: Our HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

Lately, we’ve been asking our HAWAII Magazine Facebook fans about a few of their favorite things.

A few of their favorite “Hawaii” things, that is.

If you're one of those fans, perhaps you've seen our “What’s your favorite Hawaii _______?” poll questions on our HAWAII Magazine Facebook fan page.

We're seriously impressed! You’ve been voting and sharing some great "favorites" with us and other HawaiiMagazine.com readers.

So we knew we’d get some interesting answers from our Facebook o...

End of an era: Maui Land & Pineapple closing its pineapple operations

<a href="mailto:derekp@hawaiimagazine.com">Derek Paiva</a> — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:07:11 GMT

End of an era: Maui Land & Pineapple closing its pineapple operations
Maui Land & Pineapple, Inc., announced Tuesday that it would shut down all pineapple operations by the end of the year, after a century of growing the signature Hawaii fruit on the Island.

The Kahului, Maui-based land, resort and ag holding company said its Maui Pineapple Co. subsidiary would cease new planting immediately, and end its fresh pineapple harvesting and distribution operation by the end of the year. Maui Land & Pineapple is currently the largest pineapple grower in Hawaii. The company harvested more than 92,000 tons of pineapple in 2008, primarily retailing the fruit in stores and onl...

Hawaii’s Saint Damien celebrated. Relic now on permanent display here.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:26:45 GMT

Hawaii’s Saint Damien celebrated. Relic now on permanent display here.
After a long journey across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the relic of Hawaii’s Saint Damien last week finished its three-week journey—from the Vatican City, through Michigan and California and, finally, to the Hawaiian Islands.

Saint Damien de Veuster cared for the people who suffered from Hansen’s disease (leprosy) in Hawaii for 16 years on the island of Molokai’s Hawaii’s Father Damien was at the center of international interest earlier this month when he was canonized a saint by the Catholic Church in ceremonies at the Vatican.

Those ceremonies and celebrations in Rome are now over. But a tour of a Damien relic concludes in Hawaii this week, accompanied by many events happening at neighborhoo...

Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in Hawaii. Here’s where Guy Fieri dug in.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:38:06 GMT

Food Network’s <i>Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives</i> in Hawaii. Here’s where Guy Fieri dug in.
The "train to Flavortown" has finally made a stop in Hawaii.

Food Network personality Guy Fieri has been busy running around Oahu this week, filming segments for his popular show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It’s the show’s first visit to the Islands.

On Diners, the ebullient Fieri—known more, perhaps, for his over-the-top antics at the DD&Ds he visits and spiked bleach-blonde hair than culinary chops—takes viewers on a continuing gastronomic road trip across America, showcasing dozens of casual eateries and dini...

Savin’ the Ditch. Where can I get a Kohala Ditch t-shirt?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:37:37 GMT

Savin’ the Ditch. Where can I get a Kohala Ditch t-shirt?
HAWAII Magazine subscriber Donald Hinds of Florida recently called us to ask:

“Is there any way I can purchase a t-shirt to help generate money for the Kohala Ditch restoration effort? I was on the Flumin’ Da Ditch ride two months before the earthquake hit, that damaged it.”

You ask. We answer.

There's good news for Donald, and anyone else who wants to help restore the ditch. The Kohala Ditch Steering Committee would be more than happy to sell you a t-shirt.

The Big Island of Hawaii non-profit organization printed the shirts to raise funds and public aware...

Help! I need a good Mai Tai mix! Right now!

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:58:59 GMT

Help! I need a good Mai Tai mix! Right now!
HAWAII Magazine reader Raymond Bertrand of Grapevine, Texas, sent us an e-mail with the subject line: “Help! Help!”:

While in Hawaii, I really like those mai tais. However, I cannot seem to find a decent mai tai mix here in Texas. Could you help us? I've looked on Google, but I'm not sure which one of those mixes are good or not. Your help in finding a mai tai mix that's not all corn syrup (I'm allergic to corn, by the way) would be greatly appreciated.

You ask, we answer.

We’re pleased to have discovered on our last trip to Kaua‘i an excellent mai tai mix bottled by Ha...

Hawaiimagazine.com | HAWAII Today

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii beaches: HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii beaches: HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

How to buy an ukulele from Hawaii

How to buy an ukulele from Hawaii

What's the best way to learn how to surf in Hawaii?

What's the best way to learn how to surf in Hawaii?

How to make Hawaii-style barbecue (teriyaki) sauce. A recipe.

How to make Hawaii-style barbecue (teriyaki) sauce. A recipe.

Restaurant Week Hawaii offers great Oahu dining deals all this week

Restaurant Week Hawaii offers great Oahu dining deals all this week

New luxury Trump Hotel opens today in Waikiki. A photo tour.

New luxury Trump Hotel opens today in Waikiki. A photo tour.

Be here now! Sort of. Hawaii panoramas added to Google Street View

Be here now! Sort of. Hawaii panoramas added to Google Street View

HAWAII Magazine guide to watching the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

HAWAII Magazine guide to watching the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

Hanalei for the holidays? Kauai resort offering room deals, free nights

Hanalei for the holidays? Kauai resort offering room deals, free nights

Alaska Airlines expanding Hawaii routes again. Intro fares at $169

Alaska Airlines expanding Hawaii routes again. Intro fares at $169

VIDEO: HAWAII takes a glider ride over Oahu's North Shore

VIDEO: HAWAII takes a glider ride over Oahu's North Shore

Kona Coffee Cultural Festival begins. The schedule. Best 4 events to check out.

Kona Coffee Cultural Festival begins. The schedule. Best 4 events to check out.

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii snacks: Our HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

Your Top 5 favorite Hawaii snacks: Our HAWAII Magazine Facebook poll results

End of an era: Maui Land & Pineapple closing its pineapple operations

End of an era: Maui Land & Pineapple closing its pineapple operations

Hawaii’s Saint Damien celebrated. Relic now on permanent display here.

Hawaii&rsquo;s Saint Damien celebrated. Relic now on permanent display here.

Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in Hawaii. Here’s where Guy Fieri dug in.

Food Network&rsquo;s <i>Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives</i> in Hawaii. Here&rsquo;s where Guy Fieri dug in.

Savin’ the Ditch. Where can I get a Kohala Ditch t-shirt?

Savin&rsquo; the Ditch. Where can I get a Kohala Ditch t-shirt?

Help! I need a good Mai Tai mix! Right now!

Help! I need a good Mai Tai mix! Right now!

Hawaii’s Saint Damien celebrated. Relic now on permanent display here.

Food Network’s <i>Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives</i> in Hawaii. Here’s where Guy Fieri dug in.

Savin’ the Ditch. Where can I get a Kohala Ditch t-shirt?