* The humpback whales are back in Hawaii. The first sighting of the season was yesterday, October 8th, near Maui. Congratulations to Jil Long who is the winner of our annual arrival prediction contest. Though the thick of whale season begins in January, you might see some of the early arrivers if you’re visiting before then. Learn more about when and where to see humpbacks in Hawaii.
* LivingSocial has a nice deal for the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel starting at $139 per night for a partial ocean-view room. For $57 more per night, you can book an “oceanfront” room. (We put oceanfront in quotes because this hotel is across Kalakaua Avenue from Waikiki Beach, but it does have direct ocean views.)
* Norwegian Cruise Line is offering free or reduced airfare for up to two guests on Pride of America from over 100 airports across the U.S. and Canada flying to to Honolulu for one of their Hawaii cruises. See this USA Today article for a good summary about this offer.
* The only road west of Hanalei on Kauai’s northern shore is still under reconstruction following record-setting storms earlier this year. Some officials are even speculating that the road may not be reopened until the second half of 2019 per this article from The Garden Island. We’ll keep an eye on the developments.
Sheila Beal
