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 […]
The sound of strumming ʻukulele was missed at Kapiʻolani Park last year, as the ʻUkulele Festival Hawaiʻi was forced to cancel for the first time in its long, storied history. Put on annually by Roy and Kathy Sakuma—Roy was recently interviewed by HAWAIʻI Magazine on the “Have Aloha Will Travel” podcast, which you can see here—the
If you’ve spent any time on Oʻahu—or have hiked around the Islands—then you may have heard of the Koko Crater Railway Trailhead. The hike is a brutal uphill challenge that visitors and locals love—to the detriment of the trail itself. As the years have gone by, and hundreds of thousands of hikers reached the summit,
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
The Outrigger Reef Waikīkī Beach Resort is slated to reopen in late April 2021—after closing in early March 2020 due to COVID-19—with a slew of new amenities and renovations. The resort, known for its idyllic location on the sands of Waikīkī Beach, has converted a five-story oceanfront building—now known as the Diamond Head Tower—into 23
Turning food purple is just one thing ube does. This starchy root vegetable, also known as purple yam, has seen a rise in popularity over the past few years. A common ingredient in many Asian and African cuisines, ube is extremely versatile in both sweet and savory dishes. Whether you’re in the mood for soft
You may have walked past this small, gravel lot in Waikīkī, tucked away between Kūhiō Avenue and Ala Wai Boulevard and surrounded by condos. It was mostly used as a staging area for construction vehicles. I’ve often wondered about this three-quarter-acre parcel. Who owned it? What was there before? And why isn’t there a hotel
It had been a week of staying indoors and no amount of Netflix or Magna-Tiles was staving off cabin fever. So I grabbed my 3-year-old son, packed enough snacks to feed an entire soccer team, and made the hourlong drive to Waimea Valley on O‘ahu’s North Shore. I grew up going on school field trips to the
It was called the Hau Tree Lānai when I was growing up, an open-air, oceanfront restaurant right on Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī. It was the spot for bridal showers and brunch with friends. And because of its location—on the ground floor of the iconic New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel—many visitors to Oʻahu have fond memories
There was something great that happened in 2020. A new Hawaiian monk seal was born. And this month that pup (RM90) got a name. It’s Mele, the Hawaiian word for “song.” The pup, who was born in either late spring or early summer on Oʻahu, was given her name by a group of third graders
Growing up in Kailua on O‘ahu’s Windward Side, Ryan Katsuno would go to Agnes’ Portuguese Bake Shop at least once a week, stocking up on sweet bread, pastries and—the bakery’s signature treat—malasadas. Malasadas are Hawai‘i’s quintessential comfort food. They’re basically deep-fried, sugar-dusted doughnuts, brought to Hawai‘i with the 1878 arrival of Portuguese plantation laborers from the Madeira and Azores islands. And
(Editor’s Note: Mochi Do Hawaiʻi closed in 2021.) If you haven’t heard of mochi doughnuts, maybe you haven’t been to a bakery or farmers market lately. These chewy versions of the fried dough confection, made with sweet rice flour (mochiko), is popping up everywhere, from Seattle to Houston to Canada. In Hawaiʻi, several bakeries have
