As the Outrigger Reef on the Beach completes its $110 million renovation, it opened its new poolside Kani Ka Pila Grille. We got there on a recent Sunday to hear Brother Noland sing up a storm, debuting his new CD, Hawaiian Man. Noland Conjugacion is one of the innovators in contemporary Hawaiian music, having had […]
This weekend the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel celebrated its reopening after a $150 million renovation, with not one but two nights of parties. The elegant first night featured dignitaries, including former vice president Dan Quayle, speeches, and the traditional Japanese ceremony of breaking open a taru (wooden sake barrel). Not to mention a concert by
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel got a glorious day for its official reopening, sunshiny, 79 degrees, with pleasant trades. Things are quiet here in the hotel lobby. Everyone seems to be down enjoying the hotel’s most prominent amenity, its crescent white sand beach. Things will light up tonight with a “Cuisines of the World” food
Hawaii tourism officials and the state’s Lt. Governor, Duke Aiona, are publicly protesting today—about how offensive they found a Saturday Night Live skit that featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and cast member Fred Armisen as hula-dancing waiters, insulting visitors in a hotel bar. The skit continues the long tradition of Mainlanders making up nonsense about
Last night was the grand opening of Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber, his new restaurant in the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. It’s hallowed ground since the location once housed the Don Ho show. At the VIP opening, the Land Shark beer (Buffett’s brand with Anheuser-Busch) and the margaritas (with Buffett’s licensed Margaritaville tequila) flowed freely.
I recently had breakfast with Lost actor Daniel Dae Kim—and well-known Hawaii restaurateur, DK Kodama—at their new Hawaii restaurant. The two are partners in The Counter, a build-your-own burger place in Kahala Mall (a sizeable neighborhood mall in East Honolulu that also houses a Whole Foods, and an Apple store, among other retailers). What was
We like reading what writers from somewhere else write about Hawaii, but we sometimes have to shake our heads. Today we read an article in Canada’s National Post newspaper titled “Kauai: The Anti-Hawaii.” Why is Kauai the “anti-Hawaii”? Because, writes the Post, “This quiet island is blissfully free of Oahu’s casinos and shopping.” Shopping malls,
You ask. We answer. HAWAII Magazine reader Marilyn Keithly emails: I am trying to locate an article I read in HAWAII Magazine, about an outing where you could spend the day with a local couple and experience the local food by eating in homes. I can’t even remember what island but I am thinking it
All of Hidden Hawaii is not geographic. Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time. The First Friday evening of every month is the time to see Honolulu’s Chinatown Arts district—filled with theatres, galleries and trendy nightspots. On a recent First Friday, photographer David Croxford and I hit the streets
You ask. We answer. Reader Ken Steller e-mailed: I just received your new state quarters and would love to know the meaning of the phrase UA MAU KE EA O KA AINA I KA PONO. Please help. The phrase means, “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” It was first uttered by King
Congratulations to Honolulu chef George Mavrothalassitis. In addition to being named one of the 40 best restaurants in the United States by Gayot, Chef Mavro, his small 60-seat Honolulu restaurant, has won an AAA Five Diamond award. His is the only independent restaurant in Hawaii to be awarded Five Diamonds, and one of the few
This month we again bring you Hidden Hawaii. Last issue, photographer David Croxford and I visited the small Big Island towns of Hawi and Kapaau. This month we hit the road to Western Kauai. Many visitors, especially those staying in popular Poipu, drive up to Waimea Canyon. But they often speed through the charming towns
