Paradise in Pictures

I wanted to share a few of my favorite shots from my recent vacation to Hawaii - more to follow this week.

Lagoon and Diamond Head

The View from Diamond Head

Feeding the Penguins!

Hello from Sydney!

My vacation is flying by and Hawaii has come and gone.  I'm in Sydney right now catching up with friends and family and it has been great - the weather has really been in my favor.  Hot sunny days, balmy summer nights, and minimal rain in between.  I'd forgotten how wonderful Sydney is in the summertime, especially when you have wonderful people to share it with.

I have a ton of photos and experiences to share from my recent trip to Hawaii.  We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa, and let me just say it was nothing short of spectacular.  From the room to the food to the hotel services and activities, everything was just fantastic.  Lots more to come on this shortly - once I find the cord to my camera amongst all my luggage.  But now, off to Sydney Fish Market! 

Can't Decide on a Hawaii Hotel?

I listened in on a very interesting conference track yesterday at Blogworld hosted by John Forrest Ales, who leads communication strategies for Hilton Hotels and Resorts.  He explained some great dos and don'ts for travel bloggers who are looking to pitch travel brands, especially for free hotel stays and other activities as part of a trip you may be planning.  One key piece of advice I did like was to ask for something that you may not have otherwise been able to experience while on your trip, instead of expecting that a brand will comp your entire stay.  These companies still need to make money!

With that said, I am booked and heading to the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the next few weeks for vacation.  I always use my vacations to gather more content for my blog, and this one is no exception.  We are planning on attending the Waikiki Starlight Luau during our stay, and I have seen the penguins, flamingos and swum in the super pool so many times that I plan to email John Forest and find out what else I might be able to do during my trip.  Maybe there is some secret tour at the Hilton that I don't know about?  Or maybe I can get a room upgrade so I can have uninterrupted views of the crystal clear Hawaiian waters.  Stay tuned, I'm excited to hear what he says!

In any case, I will be doing a full review of our stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village so watch this space for more information over the next couple of weeks.

A New Maui Luau

The Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on the south side of Maui is adding a luau to its plethora of activities. The “Te Au Moana” luau celebrates the island of Maui with contemporary songs and hula.

The luau show is to be held at the resort every Monday, Thursday. Friday and Saturday evening starting at 4:30 p.m, where guests will witness the unearthing of the imu, or underground oven, used to steam a whole pig for the traditional luau dish of kalua pork and be offered a buffet of luau staple. The hour long show will follow the dinner. YUM!

Kamaaina rates (rates for residents of Hawaii) are $75 for adults and $38 for children (6-12 years) with free admission for children under 5 years. Regular prices (for visitors to Hawaii) are $98 for adults and $53 for children (6-12 years).

A luau (in Hawaiian, lū‘au) is a Hawaiian feast, featuring food such such as poi, kalua pig, poke, lomi salmon, opihi, haupia, and beer and with entertainment such as Hawaiian music and hula. Among people from Hawaii, the concepts of "luau" and "party" are often blended, resulting in graduation luaus, wedding luaus, and birthday luaus.

In addition to this luau in Maui, O'ahu offers many different luaus, including the Waikiki Starlight Luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which I am planning on going to later this year.  I'm looking forward to the food and to learning more about Hawaiian culture in general.  Another good Luau option in on O'ahu is Paradise Cove, although sources tell me it is not as authentic as others on the Island.

Hilton Hawaiian Village - Even More Rooms!

I am still having trouble deciding on where to stay during my next trip to Hawaii.  We visit Hawaii so often that it makes sense to find a hotel chain and stick to it. We haven't done that in the past because we haven't found a hotel that we really loved, but we are getting close to making that decision.

Speaking of hotels, the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki has just announced that they will begin construction on two new vacation timeshare towers in 2013, launching an aggressive expansion that will add 550 units to the resort’s timeshare holdings by the end of the decade.  They will also be doing some renovations to the existing Rainbow Tower as well as building some new swimming pools (finally an adults only pool!) as well as a new bar/restaurant.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village’s total lodging capacity currently comprises 3,627 guest rooms, timeshare units and suites in seven towers.  The good news is that these new towers will create more jobs and offer more options for visitors to the Islands.  The photo below (courtesy of Hilton Hawaiian Village) shows the entire site with the new towers once they have been built.

I love the location of the Hilton; its next door to the Hale Koa hotel which has my favorite bar - The Barefoot Bar! Can't wait to see Rex and crew when we go back!

Favorite Family Resort? Hilton Hawaiian Village

The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa has been selected as one of the 10 best family resorts in the United States and Caribbean, according to Parents Magazine. The survey results, which will be published in the magazine’s March issue, were released yesterday.
The Hilton Hawaiian Village ranked 8th overall in the best-resorts survey, which was conducted among family travel agents and tourism boards.

Evaluation criteria included range of family activities, quality and uniqueness of supervised children’s programs, size and quality of rooms, safety factors such as lifeguards, fun features for parents, and overall financial value.  Sadly, there is a lack of presence in the top ten for west coast resorts, and many resorts selected were in overseas locations, which can make it tough if you don't have a passport.

The top 10 resorts for families according to the magazine are:

1) Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas

2) The Franklyn D. Resort, Runaway Bay, Jamaica

3) South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, Florida

4) Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Florida

5) Beaches, Turks & Caicos

6) Loews Coronado Bay, San Diego

7) Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Ixtapa, Mexico

8) Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii

9) Winnetu Oceanside Resort, Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard

10) Wild Dunes, Isle of Palms, South Carolina

For those with families, where do you like to stay in Hawaii?  Is the Hilton Hawaiian Village on your list of top hotels?  I've always loved the Hilton, not only for the location but their gorgeous wedding chapel and super cute penguins!

Waikiki Starlight Luau - Hilton Hawaiian Village

The latest luau on the scene in Waikiki is thanks to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Waikiki Starlight Luau® is the only outdoor luau in Waikiki with spectacular entertainment and dining under the stars. You can expect to experience the colorful heritage of the Pacific Islands and join the excitement of the celebration with live music, drums and the drama of traditional Hawaiian, Tahitian and Samoan dance - so get ready to hula!

In addition to the entertainment, you will be able to indulge in a feast of Hawaiian foods, made with traditional island ingredients.

The Waikiki Starlight Luau is on every Sunday – Thursday, 5:30 pm – 8:15 pm (weather permitting) on the rooftop of the Mid-Pacific Conference Center.

Reservations are needed, so if you are interested please call the Hilton Hawaiian Village luau desk at 808-941-LUAU (808-941-5828), or you can book on their website. Prices start at $US95 for adults and $US47.50 for kids.

Unfortunately, I won't have time to fit this in on my next trip (18 sleeps to go but who's counting)! If anyone has had the chance to experience this, please let me know whether it's worth putting on the itinerary for next time. Although this is great that the Hilton is offering a luau, from what I hear, nothing beats a Hawaiian luau hosted by a Hawaiian family!

Jimmy is Getting Married!

Our good friend and long time drinking buddy, Jim Long III popped the question to his girlfriend Sammi a couple of months ago - and so - they are getting MARRIED! Congratulations Jimmy, we are so happy for you!

Johnny and Jimmy have been friends for quite some time, and I think when I showed up in Hawaii that made it hard for the two of them to share the love. I was the third wheel.... but now - its looks like we can go on double dates! When we move back to Hawaii that is!

The top 3 experiences I remember with Jimmy are:

1. 'Live Nudes' walking along Kuhio Ave (not actually real live nudes - just Jimmy screaming out for some)

2. Drinks/photos at the Barefoot Bar - there were too many funny times to share them all here - but Jimmy has an obsession with cameras and taking photos - especially of himself!

3. Going on the submarine ride at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where I almost died from being in a confined space and Jimmy and Johnny tried to comfort me (while laughing at me together)

We love you Jimmy - and can't wait for the wedding on February 14, 2009.

Here's some pics of the good old days!




Jimmy and the camera



Good times at the Barefoot Bar