* The new Disney resort on Oahu has a name and a Web site now. The Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is due to open in the Ko Olina area of Oahu in the fall of 2011. The name Aulani means “the place that speaks for the great ones,” or “the place that speaks with deep messages.” (Source)
* Shape Magazine is offering a Hawaii vacation sweepstakes for a two-night stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Enter to win here. Though it’s only a two-night stay, you could make a bigger vacation of it and take advantage of this deal at the Keahou Beach Resort for a partial ocean view room and free breakfast for two at a rate of $139 per night.
* The next Pirates (of the Caribbean) movie will be filmed on Kauai and Oahu this summer and will premier in the summer of 2011. (Source)
* In other entertainment news, rumors are surfacing again of a Hawaii Five-O remake. (Source)
* The OHANA Waikiki Malia has completed a $6.6 million renovation and to celebrate it they’re offering introductory rates starting at $79 per night. For more information, see this link.
* Valentine’s Day isn’t too far away, in fact, it’s less than a month away. We all know that Hawaii is a very romantic place to celebrate love. If you’re going to be in Waikiki for Valentine’s Day, check out this special spa treatment at the Na Ho’ola Spa at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort . They’re offering “a lovers’ delight with the Valentine’s Day Chocolate Body Scrub with Rose Body Butter Massage package. The two-hour package is available throughout the month of February for $249. To find out more, or to make a reservation, please call Na Ho’ola Spa at (808) 237-6330 or visit www.nahoolaspa.com.” Oo la la!
* Guess what? Go Visit Hawaii is listed among the top 100 independent travel blogs per Travel Blog Sites. We actually rank as the 20th best independent travel blog. I’m excited about that ranking, especially considering the site only focuses on a single destination. Thank you for reading and helping us achieve this high rank!
* Andy and I are back home from our 17-night trip to Lanai and the Big Island. This trip was one of our best yet. I have so much advice and information to share with you. I just don’t know where to start. Any requests?
Sheila Beal
8 comments
this isn’t a Hawaii question, more of a travel question. We are very fortunate to be going to Oahu in a couple of weeks. Husband and 3 kids. What is the deal right now with carry ons and new travel restrictions? Thank you so much for your help!
Are you sad to be home? 17 nights is a good long get away.
Janet – We’re actually happy to be home, but can’t wait to go back. Fortunately, our weather back in Raleigh has been in the 60’s so we’ve not had a harsh return back to winter weather.
Regarding carry ons, we did our normal travel with only 2 carry ons per person on this last trip. (Yes – even for 17-nts!) and didn’t have any problems. Everything was as per usual. Probably one of the biggest things you need to do is to keep your carry on liquids under 3.4oz and they must all fit in a quart-sized ziplock bag. See this link about the liquids: http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm Also, it might be helpful to have a spin around the TSA site for travelers as a whole: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm
Hope that helps & have fun!
Thanks Sheila,
That is nice that you could ease back into your weather with out it being so cold and nasty.
Thanks for the links. I have heard they weren’t allowing the wheeled carry ons. Glad to hear you didn’t have any problems.
Why was this trip the best you have taken so far? Time to relax, knowing what to expect and plan because you have done this before? Can’t wait to hear all about it. Start at the beginning! I am one of those detail kind of people. ha ha!
Janet – Andy and I just traveled with our wheel-aboards on Sunday with no issues. Tons of other folks were too. I wonder where that information came from? Maybe it applies to folks traveling from outside of the US?
Your guess on why it was one of the best trips was right on target. I forced myself to relax and enjoy this time. I took pressure off myself to constant be on the go gathering information. I had gotten into the habit of having no relaxation time in Hawaii. I’m glad I was able to put an end to that…at least on that trip. 🙂
Maybe you are right Sheila and that was for international travel not domestic. I can see how you can GO to Hawaii with only carry ons, my question is how do you come back with only carry ons?? :>) Maybe you have already purchased enough t-shirts, aloha wear etc. etc. that you don’t feel the need to have another whole checked bag just for your “goodies” you are hauling back home? :>) Will try to keep in mind that good advice and just relax and enjoy!
Ah, Janet, you bring up a great point. We came up with a great trick on this trip…I’m hoping to write about it next week. Have you noticed those USPS commercials for the flat rate boxes? The slogan is “If it fits, it ships”. Well, this last time we bought a bunch of mac nuts and Kona coffee bags and put them in the large-sized flat rate box and mailed them home to us. It cost $14.50, box (free, provided by the post office) and all. It saved so much aggravation and it was a nice treat to receive our package from Hawaii. We mailed them last Friday and received them on Tuesday — even with the Holiday weekend.
Thanks for the Valentine’s day advice. Any ideas or advice on visiting Hawaii on a tight budget? From a past trip, we know that parts of Hawaii are very expensive, while others not so much. Are there any really good deals out there?
Bryan – three of the least expensive areas of Hawaii are as follows:
1. Waikiki on Oahu – can find decent rooms for under $80. Aqua resorts has one property going for $55 per night.
2. Kona on the Big Island – King Kamehameha Resort and Royal Kona have undergone some renovations and offer relatively low rates, particularly in comparison to the Kohala Coast resorts just 30 minutes up the road.
3. Kapaa and Lihue in Kauai has some nice places that won’t break the bank.
Always consider finding a condo or villa – https://govisithawaii.com/2008/01/30/why-staying-in-a-condo-on-a-hawaii-vacation-is-a-savvy-choice/