What's New in the Islands of Aloha – July 2006
For the ninth consecutive year, Hawaii was rated first among the world’s 10 best honeymoon destination in a survey of 6,000 travel agents conducted by Modern Bride magazine. The Grand Wailea on Maui, was lauded for having the best resort spa, and the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Kaupulehu on Hawaii’s Big Island also received special mention. For more information, visit Brides.com/ModernBride.
Golf Digest selected included The Prince Course, Kauai on its list of America’s Greatest 100 Golf Courses. Four Hawaii sites also made the 100 Greatest Public Courses list: Mauna Kea Golf Course, Hawaii’s Big Island; The Challenge at Manele, Lanai; Kapalua Golf Course, Maui; and Kauai Lagoons Golf Course, Kauai. For more information, visit GolfDigest.com.
Tennis Resorts Online announced the results of its annual survey, naming Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island fourth in a list of the country’s top 10 tennis resorts. Results were based on an annual survey of the site’s users. For more information, visit TennisResortsOnline.com.
Mobil Travel Guide’s 2006 edition awarded four stars to the following Hawaii spas: Hualalai Sports Club and Spa at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii’s Big Island; Spa Grande at Grand Wailea Resort, Maui; Spa Suites at The Kahala Hotel and Resort, Oahu; SpaHalekulani at Halekulani, Oahu; and The Spa, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. For more information, visit MobilTravelGuide.com.
Travel+Leisure’s annual reader survey listed Hawaiian Airlines as its top ranked Hawaii airline for the eighth consecutive year. Hawaiian was also ranked fifth best domestic airline. The results are based on cabin comfort, food, in-flight service, customer service and value. For more information, visit TravelandLeisure.com.
Conde Nast Traveler compiled a list of the 100 best golf resorts in 2006 and with 15 selected courses, Hawaii was the destination with the most winners. The list included: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Kaupulehu, Hawaii’s Big Island; Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea; Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay; Lodge at Koele, Lanai; The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Maui; Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Kauai; Mauna Lani Resort, Hawaii’s Big Island; Grand Wailea Resort, Hotel & Spa, Maui; Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui; Princeville Resort, Kauai; JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina, Oahu; Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii’s Big Island; Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, Hawaii’s Big Island; Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii’s Big Island. For more information, visit Concierge.com.
Six Hawaii beaches made Discovery Travel Channel’s list of Best Beaches for Summer, making the state the single destination with the most noted beaches. Included were Honaunau Bay, Hawaii’s Big Island; Kapalua, Maui; Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s Big Island; Poipu Beach, Kauai; Waikiki Beach, Oahu; and Wailea, Maui. The Travel Channel’s editorial staff selected the winning beaches for their beauty and available activities. For more information, visit Travel.Discovery.com.
According to a recent Gallup Panel poll, Americans selected Hawaii as their most preferred travel destination when asked where they would go on a dream vacation. For more information, visit Poll.Gallup.com.
TripAdvisor.com announced that Maui’s Hana Highway ranks ninth among the top 10 attractions in the United States, based on traveler popularity. Alongside Hana Highway were the Grand Canyon, Cirque du Soleil and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. For more information, visit TravelAdvisor.com.
The Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui; Halekulani, Oahu; and the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Kaupulehu on Hawaii’s Big Island were among winners of travel website Luxury Link’s 2006 World’s Best Hotel Awards. The site’s travel editors selected the winners, based on service, facilities, location, uniqueness of property, and overall levels of luxury. For more information, visit LuxuryLink.com.
Hamura’s Saimin Stand on Kauai was recently honored as one of America’s Classics, according to The James Beard Foundation. The local eatery was selected for its excellence in preserving America’s culinary heritage and diversity. For more information, visit www.JamesBeard.org
George Naope, a kumu hula (hula teacher) who co-founded the Merrie Monarch Festival, was honored with the National Heritage Fellowship, which is the National Endowment for the Arts’ highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Naope is one of 11 recipients in nine different states and will receive $20,000 for his contributions to hula. For more information, visit NEA.gov.
The Beach Village on Molokai Ranch has been named a top family-friendly campground by Cookie, a Conde Nast publication for parents. The Beach Village is an eco-adventure resort located along the Kaupoa Beach at the site of a former Hawaiian fishing village. For more information, visit MolokaiRanch.com.
According to a recent travel survey conducted by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, Orlando, and Yankelovich, Inc., the Hawaiian Neighbor Islands and Honolulu are among the top five specific destinations of greatest interest to Americans. Among U.S. states, Hawaii ranked third as the destination most interested in visiting. For more information, visit YPBR.com.
Honolulu ranked high on a list of cities ideal for relaxation based on a new survey called the Chill Index, developed by Sperling’s Best Places. The formula calculated the numbers of bars, coffee shops, parks, sporting events, restaurants and beaches, and also took into consideration commute times, and average work hours. For more information, visit BestPlaces.net.
Maui’s D. T. Fleming Beach Park took the number one spot in the recent unveiling of the 16th annual Top 10 Beaches rankings by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman a.k.a. Dr. Beach. Two other beaches in Hawaii made the list: Hanalei Beach, Kauai and Hamoa Beach, Maui, making Hawaii hands-down America’s best state for beaches. For more information, visit DrBeach.org.
The Big Island’s Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Kaupulehu ranked sixth on Travelers Advantage’s list of Top 10 U.S. Golf Resorts. Resort golf is rapidly increasing in popularity and according to the Travel Industry Association, about 17.3 million travelers played golf on a trip within the past year. For more information, visit TravelersAdvantage.com.
Honolulu’s Chinatown has been designated as a Preserve America Community Neighborhood. The distinction recognizes exceptional efforts to use cultural and natural resources to promote tourism, revitalize the community, create jobs, and educate the public. For more information, visit PreserveAmerica.gov.
Town, a new addition to Honolulu’s culinary scene, made the Hot Tables List in Conde Nast Traveler’s 10th annual May "Hot List" issue. The guide focuses on the newest, hottest, sexiest hotels, restaurants, spas, and nightclubs that opened all over the world in the past year. For more information, visit CNTraveler.com.
EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS
The Aloha Festivals will celebrate its 60th anniversary on August 25. The only statewide festival in the country, the Aloha Festivals is a celebration of Hawaii’s unique island culture and will feature more than 300 events over two months. The events, ranging from hula to Japanese Bon Dance, demonstrate the Pacific, Asian and Western influences that fused to create Hawaii’s local culture. Each island hosts a block party and a parade, but also features its own unique events. For more information, visit AlohaFestivals.com.
PBS’s most-watched television series "Antiques Roadshow" is coming to the Hawaii Convention Center on August 26. The show, being sponsored by the HVCB, will have experts examine and critique a variety of Island objects and collectibles. For more information, visit PBS.org/roadshow.
The Spa at the Westin Maui Resort has introduced luxurious new services that cater specifically to the increasing number of male guests visiting the spa. Treatments include the Heavenly Golfer’s Massage, Gentlemen’s Revitalizer, and the Volcanic Men’s Pedicure. For more information, visit WestinMaui.com.
Halekulani, Waikiki’s most upscale resort, announced a new series of events and programs that appeals to guests’ emotions and senses, taking luxury to another level. The series, called Halekulani Living, will encompass three categories: Halekulani connoisseurs, Halekulani wellness and Halekulani masterworks. The programs will include events such as cooking lessons with chefs, a literary club, meeting with local artists, a filmmaker series, and skincare and beauty seminars featuring organic products. For more information, visit Halekulani.com.
Mauna Lani Resort, in partnership with Sunset Magazine, is offering a three-day program, "Sunset’s Gardens in Paradise Getway," September 14-17. Guests will be treated to a private weekend with Kathleen Brenzel, Sunset’s Senior Garden Editor and author of the Western Garden Book. Brenzel will lead tours and comment on the expansive resort grounds. Weekend highlights include lunch at a private boutique farm featuring lunch made with fresh ingredients and a cooking demonstration with recipes from the resort. For more information, visit Sunset.com/paradise or MaunaLani.com/sun.
Outrigger Reef on the Beach, located on Oahu, is offering a new, free activity for its guests that feature a two-hour cultural walking tour of Waikiki. Led by one of Hawaii’s master storytellers, Na Alii will share stories about Hawaii’s alii (king) and information about Waikiki’s history and cultural points of interest. For more information, visit Outrigger.com.
The fourth annual Maui Sugar Plantation Festival will be held on August 5 at the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum. The event celebrates the cultural mixing fostered by the plantations, featuring cuisine, arts and customs from various local cultures. This year the festival will include live cultural music and dancing, demonstrations of past times and traditions, historical photo exhibits, field equipment displays, plantation camp maps and mini reunions. Other highlights include fresh Portuguese malasadas (doughnuts) and kalua pig from an authentic Hawaiian imu (underground oven). Admission is free. For more information, visit www.SugarMuseum.com
NEW DEVELOPMENTS
The renovation of the Ala Moana Hotel on Oahu is nearing completion and the property will soon be repositioned as an upscale option for travelers. By this fall, room upgrades will include new beds and furniture, stainless-steel refrigerators, flat-screen TVs, microwaves, marble bathroom accents and high-speed Internet access. The hotel will also boast a new fitness center and a renovated pool deck. For more information, visit AlaMoanaHotel.com.
Donald Trump and Irongate principals Jason Grosfeld and Adam Fisher announced the development of Trump International Hotel and Tower at Waikiki Beach Walk. The site will include a 350-foot tower, and 460 luxury hotel-condominium units. Construction will begin in early 2007 and is slated for completion by 2009. For more information, visit WaikikiBeachWalk.com.
The Coral Reef Hotel will undergo a $7 million renovation and will be renamed the Aqua Waikiki Wave at the Marketplace later this fall. It will be managed by Aqua Hotels & Resorts and will be included in Aqua’s collection of Aqua Boutique Hotels. For more information, visit AquaResorts.com.
Alexander & Baldwin recently gave land appraised at $775,000 to the non-profit group Heritage Hall for a double-museum honoring the history and culture of Portuguese and Puerto Rican emigrants. The museum will be built across Paia Mill on Maui and will also include two resource centers with libraries of children’s books written in Portuguese-English and Spanish-English. For more information, visit AlexanderBaldwin.com.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has announced a $2 million grant to restore Bishop Museum’s Hawaiian Hall, which was built in the late 1890s. The project is the first major renovation of the Hawaiian Hall complex. Founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the museum houses millions of exhibit items, many of which are some of the finest examples of Hawaiian artifacts in the world. Renovations are scheduled for completion in summer 2007 and the building will be opened to the public in 2008. For more information, visit BishopMuseum.org.
President George W. Bush established a national monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, prohibiting all commercial fishing and taking of marine life. The area will be the largest marine reserve in the nation and the largest marine protected area in the world, providing refuge for over 7,000 species, a quarter of which are found only in the Hawaiian archipelago. Among the protected are the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and the green sea turtle. For more information, visit FWS.gov/Pacific.
Hilton Grand Vacations recently began development of The Grand Waikikian at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa on Oahu. The project, when completed, will be Waikiki’s largest and most luxurious timeshare resort, featuring a shopping arcade, beachside restaurant and a super pool with three slides and a "lazy river" theme designed especially for families. The top five floors will be designated as penthouse levels with three-bedroom suites that feature panoramic ocean views. The 38-story timeshare is scheduled for completion in late 2008. For more information, visit HiltonHawaiianVillage.com.
The W Honolulu – Diamond Head recently announced plans for major renovation, which will include a new fitness center with massage cabanas and a yoga area, a new business center, room upgrades and renovations to the lobby, entryway, restaurant and lounge. For more information, visit StarwoodHotels.com.
The Lodge at Koele on Lanai will receive a $50 million renovation in August that will refresh the hotel but avoid any drastic changes to appearance. Rather than receiving the typical Four Seasons look, the Lodge will maintain its quaint hunting lodge atmosphere, with fireplaces in the grand hall, a trophy room and a croquet lawn. For more information, visit LodgeAtKoele.com.
A new "Made in Hawaii" program was launched by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to highlight Hawaii’s high-quality, locally-grown and processed agricultural products. The "Hawaii Seal of Quality" label will certify products coming from the Islands. So far, 12 companies have signed up to license the label including Greenpoint Nurseries, Manoa Honey Co., and Alii Kula Lavender. For more information, visit www.HawaiiAg.org/Add
ResortQuest Hawaii’s famed Waikiki Beach Hotel will undergo a $13 million enhancement program. The project, which is projected for completion by October 2006, will not impact hotel operations or guest comfort. Hawaii’s trendiest hotel will see all of its 644 guest rooms upgraded with new wallpaper, carpet, beds, credenzas, flat screen televisions, art work, extra pillows as well as closet doors, which will replace the existing beaded curtains. For more information, visit ResortQuestHawaii.com.
Ala Moana Center, the world’s largest outdoor shopping center, has added four new tenants to its premier shopping destination. L’Occitane, featuring bath and body products from Provence, has opened its first Hawaii store on the mall level. Luxi, an upscale Nike boutique for women, has also opened with Clarks footwear and Marble Slab Creamery slated to open in later this summer. For more information, visit AlaMoana.com.
Airports statewide will receive $2.3 billion for improvements over the next 12 years. Upgrades to the state’s airports will include both short and long-term renovations. Plans include ticket lobby expansion, new air conditioning, new gates, more ramp space, and expanding parking facilities. For more information, visit Hawaii.gov/dot/airports.
Norwegian Cruise Line America made U.S. maritime history by christening Pride of Hawaii, the largest, most luxurious and most expensive U.S.-flagged cruise ship. Pride of Hawaii is the company’s third cruise ship built for the Hawaii market. For more information, visit NCL.com.
ResortQuest Hawaii, formerly Aston Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, recently completed the $380,000 renovation of the rooms at the Aston Honolulu Prince Hotel in Waikiki. The hotel is continuing with renovations to the lobby and front desk areas, aiming to finish the project by the end of the year. For more information, visit ResortQuestHawaii.com.
The sale of the Courtyard by Marriott Kauai at Waipouli Beach was completed in June. The 10.4-acre resort was purchased by RREEF Global Opportunities Fund II, a private real-estate fund, and will be operated by ResortQuest Hawaii. The 311-room hotel will be rebranded as ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa. For more information, visit ResortQuestHawaii.com.
Lahaina Gateway, a new "lifestyle mall" on Maui, is being constructed between old Lahaina Town and the world-class Kaanapali Resort. Situated on more than 11 acres of land, the mall will feature 145,131 square feet of building area and parking for 725 vehicles. For more information, visit LahainaGateway.com.
Hilton Grand Vacations Company announces its official Grand Opening of its Bay Club at the Waikoloa Beach Resort on Hawaii’s Big Island. With 120 spacious two-bedroom, condominium-style units, the new property is conveniently located within the Waikoloa Beach Resort, near the Hilton Waikoloa Village. For more information, visit HiltonGrandVacations.com.
Built on the site where the very first bomb landed on December 7, 1941, the Pacific Aviation Museum – Pearl Harbor will tell the story of World War II as well as the Korean War, Vietnam War and Cold War. The $50-million museum, planned to encompass 16 acres, will include the renovation of three historic hangars and the old control tower, a flight simulation center, and a children’s interactive flight education center. For more information, visit PacificAviationMuseum.org.
Halekulani Corp. has signed a deal with renowned chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa to open Nobu Waikiki on the ground floor of the Waikiki Parc Hotel. The restaurant, which includes new dishes created especially for Waikiki, is set to host a grand opening in December. For more information, visit WaikikiParc.com.
The first Wyland-themed hotel is scheduled to open in July. The Wyland Waikiki Resort & Spa, the former Ohana Waikiki Surf, is in the last stages of a $10 million transformation for the 404-room hotel. There are plans to launch a least a dozen such hotels over the next few years.
AIR LIFT UPDATES
Vancouver-based Harmony Airways will launch non-stop service between Edmonton and Maui from December 13 through April 2007. During that period, the airline will fly a 171-seat Boeing 757 to Kahului, Maui once a week. For more information, visit HarmonyAirways.com.
Aloha Airlines is extending four weekly flights from Honolulu to Oakland. Along with changes in their transpacific schedules, Aloha has added earlier and later flights to its interisland service for the summer. For more information, visit AlohaAirlines.com.
WestJet Airlines announced schedule enhancements effective September 7 through October 29. Service between Vancouver and Maui and Vancouver and Honolulu will increase to one non-stop flight per day. For more information, visit WestJet.com.
Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. launched go! as its new Hawaii interisland airline on June 9. Go! will feature service between Honolulu and Kona, Lihue and Kahului with 32 flights per day. The number of daily flights increased to 62 as service was added to Hilo from Honolulu on June 30. The airline also announced that it will offer special fares for military personnel, their spouses and dependents. The fares will extend beyond September 30 and do not include a charge for changing tickets. Military rates must be booked through a toll-free reservation number at 1-888-IFLYGO2. For more information, visit www.IFlyGo.com
United Airlines’ Hawaii service from the U.S. Mainland includes 21 more daily flights compared to 2005. The airline added two weekend flights and three daily flights, including new services from San Diego and Seattle to Honolulu. With the two additional routes out of these West Coast cities, United offers customers the choice of six mainland destinations to and from Hawaii. Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco are the other four cities with service to the Aloha State. For more information, visit United.com.
This fall, Hawaiian Airlines will be adding four Boeing 767-300 jets to its fleet. Along with the fleet expansion, the carrier is also increasing its service to Hawaii from San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento and Los Angeles.
Starting September 6, Hawaiian is expanding its daily nonstop San Diego-Maui service to be year-round.
On October 13, Hawaiian is increasing both its nonstop Seattle-Maui and Portland-Maui flights to daily service.
Beginning November 19, Hawaiian is adding four weekly flights to its nonstop Sacramento-Honolulu daily service and expanding its Seattle-Honolulu service with three additional flights per week.
For interisland travel, Hawaiian has added extra evening flights to its schedule. For more information, visit HawaiianAir.com.
ATA has added two additional daily flights, except on Tuesday and Wednesday, from Los Angeles to Honolulu. The new flights are part of its recent expansion of flights between the West Coast and Hawaii. Currently the only airline to provide nonstop service between Hilo and the Mainland, ATA is offering 75 weekly nonstop flights between Hawaii and five mainland cities, including Oakland, Ontario, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. For more information, visit ATA.com
July 24, 2006
Posted in: Hawaii