When you visit Oʻahu, there are those iconic restaurants you have to stop by (we’re looking at you, Helena’s Hawaiian Food and Rainbow Drive-In). But every year, a new crop of chefs and restaurateurs pop up with their own riffs on favorite Island dishes and cuisines. Here are six places that opened (or re-opened in […]
Itching for a weeklong getaway after one too many winter days trapped inside, I found myself scanning flights in search of somewhere warm. My interest was immediately piqued when I stumbled upon a nonstop round-trip flight to Oʻahu on Hawaiian Airlines. I spent much of 2019 flying back and forth between the East Coast and
For years, on my birthday, I would book a room in the historic wing of the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa in Waikīkī. It was my splurge—a quiet night in the original hotel built in 1901, decades before Hawaiʻi, then a U.S. territory, became a state. That year, then-President William McKinley was assassinated
While each Hawaiian island is as beautiful and postcard-perfect as the next, each has its own distinct personality—and its own nickname, too. But, if you’re unfamiliar with each island’s individual history and peculiarities, it might be a mystery as to why Lānaʻi, for example, is called The Pineapple Island. So let’s dig in! Oʻahu (The
I spend most of my free time in the mountains on Oʻahu. And I can honestly say, there’s no better way to experience the natural beauty of the island than by hiking any of roughly 50 state-run trails. Hiking is something I do even when I’m traveling outside the Islands. Not only do they help
Updated May 4, 2021: Starting May 4, Maui County added a new requirement: All trans-Pacific travelers participating in the state’s Safe Travels Program will be subject to an additional rapid COVID-19 test upon arrival at Kahului Airport. While a vacation to Maui can be the trip of a lifetime—and it’s pretty hard to have
This is no way the end-all, be-all list of happy hours on Oʻahu. With hundreds of restaurants spanning the island, that would be nearly impossible—at least impossible for our small team to manage. (Doing the “research” isn’t the problem!) So we’re listing popular (and some of our personal favorite) happy hours here—a list that will
On their steady march to episode 100, Cat and Kevin reconvene on the mics to answer your questions. Picked out from emails, Facebook comments and Instagram inquiries, the duo discusses a wide range of topics, like why subscribers are now receiving HONOLULU Magazine, what the “best” time to visit Hawaiʻi is and how locals feel
Unlike O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and even Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i’s youngest island is also the biggest in the state. And that’s very exciting. Those with a sense of wanderlust, who love exploring unmarked dirt paths, who are always searching for the next best thing, will find solace on Hawai‘i Island. Calling the island and its beaches, businesses and boroughs hidden is almost
On a crisp Saturday morning, people begin arriving to rural Pukalani for the weekly open-air Upcountry Farmers Market. Here, rain showers often yield morning rainbows, adding to the breathtaking view that spans lush Haleakalā and the serene Maui coastline. Family and community are central to this market, with children proudly manning stalls alongside their parents and greeting
O‘ahu has a few coastal communities where you can shop, eat and hit the beach all in the same day—and without a car. But Kailua, the once-sleepy community on the island’s Windward Side, is arguably the most diverse, with art galleries, hip coffee shops, beachy boutiques, world-class beaches and the largest wetland in the Islands—all
If you miss the turn, you’ll miss the entire town of Hanapēpē. And, trust us, you wouldn’t want to. Hard to believe but this quaint town just west of Kōloa was one of Kaua‘i’s busiest communities from World War I to the early 1950s. Today, Hanapēpē—affectionately known as Kaua‘i’s Biggest Little Town—hasn’t changed much, with
