31 Oct, 2009
Beaches Hawaii Style that Californians Love
We Californians love our beaches…but we also love Hawaii’s beaches, and sometimes it’s nice to get away to islands to enjoy the beaches, food, shopping, weather, and entertainment. One of my favorite hotels for family vacations is the Honolulu Hilton Hawaiian Village shown in photos. There’s a Friday night fireworks show over the ocean that makes for a spectacular start or end to a vacation. Many of the hotel room balconies overlook the display. One of the hotel’s best features are its swimming pools. Five pools include Waikiki’s largest Super Pool and separate pools at Ali’i Tower and Kalia Tower with exotic wildlife and botanical gardens. I checked out room rates and found a room for $160/night on Nov. 24-25, 2009.
I receive news briefs on the islands regularly and often include them in my other publications focused on international travel. Here are some of the latest items California beach lovers will enjoy:
Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Honolulu, O‘ahu completed a $65 million renovation with the $2 million addition of Altitude@37, the hotel’s newest private entertainment venue. Located on the 37th floor, the meeting space offers
a luxurious setting for private meetings and special groups with sunset hues offset by rich, dark wood and complemented by spectacular views of Waikïkï Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
Benchmark Hospitality International has taken over management of the Maui Prince Hotel and renamed it Makena Beach and Golf Resort after its location on the southwestern coast of Maui. The resort remains a secluded retreat with quiet stretches of sand and an Asian meditation garden featuring waterfalls and streams.
Hulihe‘e Palace in Kona on Hawai‘i’s Big Island has completed $1.5 million in renovation work following a series of October 2006 earthquakes that damaged the property. The restored palace was once a vacation home for Hawaiian ali‘i (royalty) that now serves as a museum of beautiful furniture and artifacts dating back to the late 1800s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum is once again open to the public for self-guided tours from 10 a.m.
– 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Atlantis Submarine’s new sub tour and snorkel package. The Maui Adventure Cruises’ Lanai Dolphin Adventure departs from Maui’s Lahaina Harbor on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays headed for the best snorkel sites near Läna‘i. AtlantisSubmarines.com/Hawaii.
The Shops at Mauna Lani on Hawai‘i’s Big Island will soon be offering two new entertainment options beginning in November. The Great 4-D Movie Ride is a new 24-seat theater playing 4-D films and simulated rides on a 19-foot
widescreen. The features are synchronized with full-range motion seats, surround sound, and more 4-D effects including blown air and water spraying. For a more cultural experience, visitors can enjoy “Hula Moon at Mauna Lani”
every Monday at 7 and 8 p.m. The free 30-minute hula performance features hapa haole (Hawaiian Caucasian mix) melodies from the 1920s to the 1950s in a tribute to the pre-statehood Hawai‘i era. ShopsatMaunaLani.com.
