When I heard the Four Seasons Resort Oʻahu at Ko ʻOlina was offering a brain massage, I knew I had to check it out. With a rambunctious toddler at home and a demanding full-time job, my current wellness plan involved hours of reality TV and bottles of wine. This sounded a lot … healthier. In December […]
Since it opened in December 2016, Senia (pronounced SEN-ya) has been one of the hottest restaurants on Oʻahu—and arguably in the state. It’s garnered rave reviews on food blogs and social media platforms and earned a number of awards, most recently the 2019 Hale ʻAina Award for Best Tasting Menu (Gold) and O‘ahu’s Best Restaurant (Silver).
I grew up eating malasadas—after surfing, at the office, on Fat Tuesday (like today)—but it wasn’t until I was working as a food writer that I realized their Portuguese origins aren’t so clear cut. These deep-fried, sugar-dusted doughnuts were brought to Hawaiʻi with the 1878 arrival of Portuguese plantation laborers from the Madeira and Azores islands.
“This is so good, it’s dangerous.” I’m intrigued—but since this woman is also handing out shots of alcohol, I’m also concerned. Kalei fills up my small glass with a ready-to-drink cocktail that combines pineapple and passion fruit purée with premium Kōloa Kaua‘i white rum. I consider her first statement as I easily down the cupful.
For the first time in nearly two years, Nāhuku, more commonly known as Thurston Lava Tube, is open today at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The lava tube was closed due to the unprecedented and destructive Kīlauea eruption in 2018 that forced the longest shutdown in the park’s history (134 days). Nāhuku was closed for even
Traveling can be expensive. And a vacation in Waikīkī can definitely add up. Fortunately, the HAWAIʻI Magazine team has spent its fair share of time in the buzzing visitor hub of Oʻahu, and know a few cheap(ish) options when it comes to food, activities and museums. Here are a few ways to enjoy Waikīkī without spending more
For more than three decades, the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows on the Kona-Kohala coast of the Big Island has been a mainstay and oasis in the middle of the lava landscape that makes this island such a draw. It’s secluded and tranquil, with a gorgeous stretch of coastline that faces the sunset. Management
Every time I visit Hilo, I’m amazed by how much the sleepy town on Hawaiʻi Island has changed—and how much is hasn’t changed at all. The little town on the northeastern side of the Big Island has seen a lot of changes. It was first settled around A.D. 1100 by Polynesians, who established agricultural and
When Oʻahu-born chef Mark “Gooch” Noguchi attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, he was horrified to find the bakery at this prestigious school served a pineapple-laden pizza and called it Hawaiian. “I made a compelling enough argument in my first year there,” Noguchi says. “They pulled it off the menu.” The Hawaiian
Maui-based mental health therapist-turned-writer Toby Neal, whose series of Hawai‘i-based crime and romance novels are hugely popular, penned a memoir called “Freckled” about her wild childhood on Kaua‘i. More than 35,000 copies of her self-published book have already been sold since January 2019. Now splitting time between Pukalani and Northern California, Neal is still writing
Built in 1975, the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikīkī, one of only four U.S. Armed Forces Recreation Centers in the world, has catered to millions of guests who are eligible through their military service—active or retired—or Department of Defense or Coast Guard status. (See the hotel’s eligibility requirements here.) Starting in January, though, the hotel,
About five years ago, the iconic Matsumoto Shave Ice shop in Haleʻiwa expanded, more than doubling its size and its offerings. (It’s still in the same spot in Haleʻiwa—it’s just a lot bigger.) SEE ALSO: 5 Changes We Love About Oʻahu’s New Matsumoto Shave Ice Store Now you can find more than 30 designs of
