aloha spirit

Should Oahu Be Part of Your Hawaii Vacation?

It happens. The old standby gets accused of being trite, boring, no longer fashionable.

Compared to the other islands, Oahu is still holding its own, but now it seems to be cool to downgrade it. Waikiki is too “touristy.” Honolulu is a big city now, with the inevitable traffic, industrialization and loss of the Aloha Spirit.

Okay. Maui has been called “the world’s greatest island.” It has the amazing Haleakala, the charm of Hana, the history of Lahaina, the lure of the Iou Needle and the resorts of Kaanapali.

Kauai has an abundance of natural wonders and great resorts. The Big Island has its volcanic action, enormous variety and even greater resorts. Molokai and Lanai have their intimacy and peace.

They’re all terrific. But never shortchange Oahu. Oahu is a big island, too, stretching ‘way beyond Waikiki and Honolulu. And Waikiki and Honolulu embody most of the things you envision when you first consider Hawaii for a vacation.

Waikiki is where the action is. The entertainment is first-class. A lot of the acts have been at it for a quarter of a century; newer ones are laced with high tech and imagination. World-class performers appear in Waikiki or Honolulu regularly. The beaches in Waikiki are everything you’ve seen and read about. The shopping is top-drawer.

Honolulu is almost as historical as (and perhaps more interesting than) Boston or Philadelphia. Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial should not be missed if you’re going to come to Hawaii.

The outer areas — the North Shore, Windward Oahu, East Oahu and the emerging West Coast with its “Second City” of Kapolei are all worth your time.

Seasoned visitors to Hawaii would offer you a suggestion like this:

On your first visit, do Oahu. If you have time, then take in a neighbor island or two. On your next visit, do a day or two in Waikiki to see what’s new, then do the neighbor islands.

When you consider the entire picture, spending your entire vacation on a neighbor island can be restricting. Think of a smorgasbord and spending the entire evening at the salad bar. However much you might love salads, there’s a whole lot more for your table.

Posted by Jim Winpenny

Published by Bruce Fisher

Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.

Add comment February 2nd, 2009

What Locals Like About Hawaii

At the end of their visits, vacationers generally agree about the things they liked about Hawaii. Not surprisingly, those ‘likes’ include our magnificent weather, the beaches, the unique attractions regardless of island, the prevailing Aloha Spirit, the accommodations, the courtesy of our service people, and the huge variety of menu offerings — especially their ethnic diversity — at our restaurants.

If you’re going to be vacationing in Hawaii, you’re sure to encounter local people who will ask you if you’re having fun and what you’re enjoying in particular. Chances are, you won’t get around to asking THEM what they like about living in Hawaii.

Our likes, for the most part, aren’t the same as yours will be. To begin with, we pretty-much take the weather for granted. It’s always "nice.’" Given the exceptions of long rainy spells or the rare hurricanes, the weather comes and goes day after day. We can go to the beach any time we want. We can play golf, hike, walk our dogs or tend to our gardens year-round.

We do cherish the Aloha Spirit, although we don’t generate it consciously the way a concierge or a waitperson might. We just sort of expect each other to be warm and welcoming. We’re eager to help each other out, to entertain each other, to meet each other’s friends, to share our food and drink.

We do not take the scenery for granted. Some of us rise before dawn just to see the sunrise or plan our meals around the sunsets. Many of us have private scenic spots where we go for solitude, to just think. We have favorite areas in which to walk, or drives we look forward to. (On Oahu, driving east on a usually-busy Kalanianaole Highway, the full moon will hover — larger than most humans ever have seen it — just to the left of Koko Head and it inspires awe.)

Those of us who live in metropolitan areas enjoy occasional visits to town for shopping and visiting; if we live in the city, we like to go into the country for the change. If we’ve lived on one island for a few years, we have no desire to be on another island unless there’s good reason to go. We don’t get rock fever, regardless of what you might imagine or have heard. When we take trips, we’re really glad to get home.

While we eat out often and enjoy the variety, we tend to stick with our favorites. We love and appreciate each other’s cooking; and, boy, do we share! In every office, someone, almost every day, brings in home-made mango or banana bread, chili, chutney, a chicken or fish specialty or an original desert.

We love to exchange lei and give far more to each other than we do to arriving visitors.

We enjoy exploring, but in a different way from the way a tourist explores. We may have heard of a special place from a friend, or we might pass a road that leads to an area we’ve never seen. Even though these are tiny islands in the great scheme of things, there’s always something new to discover on every one of them.

We will visit most of the sights and attractions you will encounter only if and when we accompany you. The ‘important’ ones are seen by our kids during school hours.

When we hear or read about racial strife in other places, we reflect proudly and gratefully on our diversity and our mutual tolerance.

We recognize how important your visit is to our economy, and how important your word-of-mouth review will be when you return home. We try to treat you accordingly while you’re here, and we genuinely look forward to your return.

Posted by Jim Winpenny

Published by Bruce Fisher

Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.

2 comments January 29th, 2009

Hawaii Tops Satisfaction List

People who vacation in Hawaii almost always place “the people” really high on their lists of things they enjoyed about their visits. They mention the prevailing aloha spirit. They rave about the friendly service and how warm and helpful everyone is.

Apparently there’s a logical reason for that. Those of us who live here really like it.

A study called The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index shows that Hawaii is tops in the whole country — at eighty-two percent — when it comes to having the highest number of people who are satisfied with their standard of living. Local residents seemed to be worried about the economy getting worse … but not as concerned about it affecting their standard of living. Surely one’s own sense of well being would be reflected in the way he or she relates to others. We’re happy … and we want you to be happy, too.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is the most recent indication of the satisfaction of Hawai`i residents. Recent reports have also reflected successful efforts by the Lingle-Aiona Administration in seeking an improved standard of living.

This is the first time the Well-Being Index results were given for states. Previously only numbers for the nation as a whole were announced.

Published by Bruce Fisher

Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.

Add comment December 15th, 2008