Hawaii Vacation Deals & News Roundup: July 31, 2009

Well, happy Aloha Friday, dear readers! It’s been a while since I’ve written a roundup. I have a confession to make. I’ve been away on a vacation to…wait for it…you’re not going to believe this…but. I’ve been on vacation to Alaska. Okay, now that’s out of the way, let’s look at the latest Hawaii vacation news.

– Thanks for voting for Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome’s next destination. Hawaii won the vote and the Roaming Gnome arrived in the Aloha State on Wednesday. He posted the photo on the right showing off his pineapple picking skills on Oahu. He likes Hawaii so much that he’s created a special $75 off savings code for five-night flight and hotel packages booked on Travelocity

to Hawaii. The promotional code is HI75GNOME and it expires on August 7, 2009.

– Mauna Lani Bay Resort on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast announced that it will be closing on September 1st for hotel “refreshment” in the guest rooms and common areas. The resort is due to reopen on November 1, 2009.

– Freshly renovated rooms at the Aqua Waikiki Pearl are being offered from $79 per night for stays through December 25, 2009.

– Waikiki’s Ilikai Hotel has been through some ups and downs recently, including a brief closure and then new management. (Note that the Ilikai Hotel was made famous in the television show Hawaii 5-O) To celebrate its reopening under Aqua management, Ilikai Hotel is offering a rate of $50 for the first night plus 50% off the daily parking rate. The best available rate (starting at $125 per night) will apply after the first night and you must stay a minimun of three nights. Reservations must be booked by September 30, 2009 for stays through December 31, 2009. For more information, see this link

– Go Visit Hawaii was recently honored as a finalist in the Tripbase Travel Blog Awards in the  Americas blog category. Go Visit Hawaii was identified as a travel blog “chosen for the overall combination of style and substance that interact in such a way so as to each create a unique blog that readers will want to return to time and time again. Judges looked for content that was both interesting and informative, but also noted if the blogger could back up written content with visual media such as maps of the Americas or of their respective travel routes and destinations, as well as videos and pictures to accompany their travel stories or information.” Thank you, Tripbase

, for recognizing Go Visit Hawaii!