The Hawaii Traveler

In about an hour, I saw two crabs battling it out, a million green-lipped mussels, and tens of black echinoid-like creatures that looked like black urchins wearing a coat of smooth armor called shingle sea urchins. A wave brought me tiny little fish that glimmered in the sun, and then the next wave took them all away.
I saw all these little gems in one Big Island tide pool the size of a cereal bowl; it was carved into a huge slab of lava near Pu’uhonua o Honaunau. (Or, if you get tongue tied with all those syllables, just call …read more

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If you’re one of the 43 million U.S. travelers who is ecologically concerned, you’re probably looking for ways to minimize your impact on the environment when traveling. This is an important consideration for Hawai’i vacationers, since the islands are such a far-flung destination for just about everyone who doesn’t already live on-island.
For starters, the average cross-country commercial flight burns about 100 gallons of fossil fuel and creates nearly 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per passenger, according to Expedia Travel Trendwatch.
To help offset that kind of an ecological impact, you may want to buy carbon credits when purchasing your tickets. …read more

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The sun had been up for hours when I opened the glass door between me and the rooster on our back patio at the Pali Ke Kua condominiums in Princeville, Kaua’i, hometown to the spectacular Princeville Resort. I said, “Dude, it’s almost noon. We’re up already.” It seems an unlikely association, but since then, I’ve come to relish all the crowing, in odd accompaniment to the Hawaiian surf and waving palms.
Understanding that our backyard rooster was there first, and that we were leaving our unit to head down the cliffs to Hideaways Beach anyway, we embraced the aloha spirit and …read more

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I was recently discussing accommodations in Hawai’i, and we both decided that if you’re from the school that says there are no bad accommodations, only bad bank accounts, you’ll agree: Whether you’re in a beach front mansion or camping out, you’re still in Hawai’i. As the kids say, it’s all good. This is especially true if you’re lucky enough to bag a night or six on Ka’anapali Beach, the queen mother of Maui beaches.
Ka’anapali has been crowned America’s Best Beach, and I’m in full agreement. It’s not so crowded that a couple can’t share a romantic moment …read more

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