* Evelyn posted the latest Carnival of Aloha that has an exceptionally good line up of posts this month. It even includes my post on coco puffs at Liliha Bakery. 

* There’s a couple of excellent Hilton deals for Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and on the Big Island at Hilton Waikoloa Village. The Hilton Summer Escape packages are designed for the family vacation. The escape includes great freebies like seventh night free, free luau admission, free breakfast for the kids, and golf and spa discounts. Click on the previous links for more information on saving up to $500.

* What’s the average going rate for a hotel room in Hawaii? According to the most recent (April) analysis, here’s the average nightly rate per island:

• Oahu – $148
• Maui – $240
• Kauai – $189
• Big Island – $197

* The National Parks service is offering three fee-free weekends this summer at more than 100 national parks, including  Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island as well as Haleakalā National Park on Maui. The fee-free dates are:

• June 20-21, 2009 (Father’s Day weekend)
• July 18-19, 2009
• August 15-16, 2009

* Microsoft just launched a new travel search site, www.bing.com/travel/ that’s getting good reviews from travel experts. One of the best features is the integration of Farecast which gives an intelligent guess about when you should purchase airfare.