Maui Soap Company makes tropical-scented bath and body care products. You may come across them when you shop for souvenirs in Hawaii as their products are stocked in many stores around the islands in addition to their online store. Maui Soap Company handcrafts a lovely selection of Hawaii-scented products with fragrances like coconut, gardenia, mango papaya, plumeria and more. The ... Read More »

Mahalo to James Brogan of Shutter Force Photography for sending this amazing rainbow photo to us for Aloha Friday Photos.  James shared this almost miraculous story of how he captured this photo: This rainbow appeared over the Hawaii Kai Marina about a month back. I was headed out to run some errands and was eyeing it wishing I had my camera. ... Read More »

Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk offers great amenities and value for a Waikiki vacation. A full, cooked-to-order breakfast and evening cocktail reception is always included in the nightly room rate off this all-suite resort. Location Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is located at 201 Beach Walk in Waikiki. (See this Google Map link to explore the area.) Restaurants, shops and, ... Read More »

Mahalo to Pam Wright for sending this lovely sunset photo to us for Aloha Friday Photos. Pam took this photo from Duke’s Waikiki on the final evening of her recent Oahu visit. She tells us that she likes to call this view “great front row seats to a breathtaking sunset.” That’s an excellent description! Happy Aloha Friday! Read More »

As I write today from my North Carolina home, we’re experiencing an unusual cold spell. It’s 19 F  at noon, which is probably considered warm-ish for many colder climes in North America and beyond. One cure for the winter blues is to think warm thoughts. And, so our thoughts turn to tropical Hawaii… * Check out the current list of ... Read More »

I’ve been writing about Hawaii travel since 2006 and I’ve heard almost every misconception about Hawaii that’s out there. A common one that I often hear about Oahu is that it’s over developed, touristy and too citylike. If Oahu was only Waikiki and the city of Honolulu, I could see how people might get that impression if they’ve mostly seen ... Read More »

Mahalo to Tom Sakiyama for sharing this beautiful photo with us for Aloha Friday Photos. Tom took this photo from Tidepools restaurant at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu, Kauai. We’ve dined here and can attest to the fact that it is a very romantic restaurant surrounded by gardens, waterfalls and tidepools. We recommend Tidepools on our Kauai restaurant list. With ... Read More »

Spending an entire day driving the road to Hana is both exhilarating and exhausting. If you don’t have full day to dedicate to this drive and/or you don’t believe you have the endurance for this entire drive loaded with hundreds of curves and many one-lane bridges, you can get a great taste of the road to Hana without driving to ... Read More »

Mahalo to Julie and Richard Cyburt of Owosso, Michigan for sharing this nice Hanalei Bay Beach photo with us for Aloha Friday Photos. Julie and Richard visited Kauai in July 2014 for their wedding. They told me that they loved Kauai and wish they could have stayed longer than a week. We know that feeling, don’t we? Hanalei Bay is ... Read More »

“I’d love to go back to stay at the Montage Kapalua Bay.” I’ve probably said that at least a dozen times since our stay in October 2014. There are so many reasons why I’d like to return, but if I had to describe it in just a few words, I’d say that this residence-style accommodation provided all the conveniences and ... Read More »