Heeia Kea Pier
Today we talk about a off the beaten path experience at Heeia pier. This small pier in Kaneohe on the island of Oahu doesn’t get a lot of publicity. For years it mostly serviced tour companies who take tourists to the famous sandbar located half a mile offshore. The pier is also home to the only commercial fishing boat in the area. A couple years ago some local businessmen took over the general store, rebuilt built it, and turned it into a delightful place to eat and enjoy the day. We talk about some of the fun experiences there and give you some tips how to get to this unique spot,
Geeks Eat Oahu
We’ve been scanning a few restaurants this past week in preparation for Geeks Eat Oahu. This is an annual event put together by Mike Prasad which pulls together great food and fun for people who are passionate about food. On Thursday we had the opportunity to sample the tastes of a new restaurant in Kailua. It’s called Prima and we were fortunate enough to sample almost the entire menu. I share some of my favorite dishes they are including their Crudo which is raw fresh Opakapaka mixed with pepperoni chips and basil.
Waikiki Sand Myth
We got a interesting question from Melanie who said she heard that the sand on Waikiki Beach actually came from Australia. While I’m not a historian I don’t think that that is true. The early Hawaiian settlers used the beaches in Waikiki for their livelihoods however, over the years the beach has eroded and there is a project slated for next year dredged sand back to the area near the Sheraton Waikiki.
Since 2006 Bruce has been writing and producing Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast and the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. His postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible. The tone is anecdotal, breezy, and devoid of any commercialism.
Don’t make it a big if you can help it!
Today we touch a little bit on having the right hotel etiquette when vacationing in Hawaii. We talk about not letting little things bother you too much because in the end it’s probably not worth the trouble. Very often when people are on vacation expectations are raised and things might bother us that normally we would just brush off. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying choose your battles, this applies when your on vacation too.
Old Hawaii lives
If you really want a taste of what old Hawaii was all about, we highly recommend you check out te "House Without a Key" at the Halekulani. On most days you’ll find Kanoe Miller, oneof the most respected Hula dancers in Hawaii. It’s a beautiful atmosphere on the ocean underneath an amazing game tree that you’ll never forget.
Outrigger Waikiki Renovations
Today we got a question from Carol who is asking about renovations at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. This popular hotel will be going through an extensive renovation from March to June. During that time some of the public spaces will be closed including the pool. As a result the hotel will be offering some discounted construction rates starting at $169 a night.
Winter Hawaiian Weather
Louise wanted to know what the weather is like in December and January in Hawaii and whether or not it’s possible to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The weather only changes about 10° between summer and winter in Hawaii. It’s for that reason that you enjoy water sports all year round. You can also see whales during this time as they come to Hawaii for their mating season.
Since 2006 Bruce has been writing and producing Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast and the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. His postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible. The tone is anecdotal, breezy, and devoid of any commercialism.
There’s so much see and do on Oahu. We’re surrounded with stunning vistas and miles of incredible coastline created by volcanoes. You can pretty much see and do anything outdoors you can imagine. Sometimes it’s hard to forget just how treacherous these same beautiful places can be when water comes crashing in from the Pacific after traveling miles across the Pacific. Last Friday three people lost their lives in accidents along the shores of Oahu. We talk about this and remind folks the importance of never turning your back to the sea.
Our Facebook friend Carol who wants to know what the meaning of "Kamaaina rate" is. This is a special rate people from Hawaii get mostly in hotels but also local businesses. These are the lowest rates available from Hawaii hotels and are very often cheaper than travel agent rates. We explain that it’s only available to people that have Hawaii State ID or driver’s license.
Larry, a podcast listener is coming to Oahu and wants to sample a micro brew and needed some ideas. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of choices. We suggested Sam Choy’s Big Aloha Brewing Company. It’s located in the restaurant of his same name on Nimitz Highway not too far from downtown Honolulu. Another very popular micro brew is the Kona brewing Company. If you just want to taste some great beers the best place to go is Murphy’s Bar and Grill in Chinatown.
Today we reflect on the passing of Steve Jobs. He took podcasting to the next level with iTunes and made doing this show something they never could have produced few years ago. Locally many tourists visited the Apple stores leaving leis and notes of condolences to this great man. He will surely be missed and if there’s a heaven he will probably revolutionize the by creating iWings.
Since 2006 Bruce has been writing and producing Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast and the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. His postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible. The tone is anecdotal, breezy, and devoid of any commercialism.
Hawaii Music Scene
The music scene in Hawaii is as eclectic and multicultural as the islands are themselves. Almost every genre of music be be heard in many venues across the state. Popular spots for larger concerts/shows include the Blaisdell arena, the Hard Rock Cafe and Waterfront at Aloha Tower. There are other smaller venues with regular nightly music including several places in Chinatown in the Art District we recommend Triple Door, Soho’s and Netdoor. In Waikiki there is entertainment nightly in many hotels and restaurants, we like Tiki’s at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and Lulu’s at The Park Shore Waikiki for folks staying on the Diamondhead side of Waikiki.
Ahi Poke
Renna Facebook friend asked us if there was one Hawaiian staple food we had to choose what would it be. While we’re not foodies we love to talk about it. It really is a tough choice because there are so many great dishes in this question gave us a chance to discuss some of the favorite Hawaii foods. Yelling and I agree that Poke was an absolute must if you had to try one staple from Hawaii. Ahi Poke is the freshest raw IE mixed with onions shoyu, sesame seed oil and Hawaiian sea salt. It’s served chilled and there are many variations to this amazing dish.
We produce a Hawaii vacation connection every Friday live on our website beginning at 10 AM Hawaii time. If you’d like to join in please click here and if you have a question you’d like us to answer feel free to write us here
Since 2006 Bruce has been writing and producing Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast and the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. His postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible. The tone is anecdotal, breezy, and devoid of any commercialism.
More Buses to come to Oahu
Riding the bus is an excellent way to get around the island of Oahu. You can get to just about anywhere on the bus including most beaches shopping centers restaurants and museums as well as all the major attractions of Oahu, Recently some federal funding was granted to Hawaii to purchase a new turbine electric buses. The new buses will allow for more routes around the islands for people visiting here on Hawaii vacations.
Aloha Festival Floral Parade
The Aloha Festival is in full swing and this weekend there will be aloha festivals floral Parade in Waikiki. To be here this weekend this is a wonderful opportunity to see one of our favorite parades. They’ll be wonderful booths made from Hawaiian flowers marching bands and hula Halau. The parade will start at all the while the park and end Kapiolani Park.
Traveling to Kalaupapa onMolokai
Chris and his wife are traveling to Hawaii on the cruise ship the Golden Princess and want to visit Molokai to see where Father Damien spent his time in Kalaupapa leper colonies ministering to people who suffered from this illness. We offer them some advice about a structured tour that they can take that includes ground transportation the flight to Molokai and the tour. Our understanding is that this happens Monday through Friday depending on demand but they only need three people to make the tour happen.
Surfing on Maui
Bobby wanted to know where the best place on Maui is to catch some waves for surfing. Well now is not considered to be the surfing island, there are some great breaks off of Kahului. One of the most popular surfing spots is Honolua Bay on the northwest side of the island near Kapalua.
Since 2006 Bruce has been writing and producing Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast and the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. His postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible. The tone is anecdotal, breezy, and devoid of any commercialism.
Hawaii Food Tours
We got some excellent questions from Facebook and twitter users which we answer on today’s show. First up was Carina who wanted to know if we could recommend a culinary Hawaiian tour for her upcoming visit to Hawaii. There is no question that the islands have an eclectic mix of foods because of the many cultures which are fused together here in the islands. We offer some advice which included checking out the University of Hawaii culinary Institute of the Pacific. They have many programs and tours for folks interested in Hawaiian cuisine. You can even take a four hour dim sum breakfast for and sample some of the best that Hawaii has to offer. They also have cooking classes for tours and more.
Uncle Billy’s in Hilo
Angelica is getting ready to go to the big Island and is thinking about staying in Hilo and remembers that many years ago she stayed at Uncle Billy’s. She was asking our advice on whether we recommend the property or not. We don’t offer Uncle Billy’s because we haven’t had very good feedback from customers however, I do know that the one in Hilo is much better than the one in Kona. We usually recommend the Hilo Hawaiian or the Naniloa on the Hilo side of the island. Keep in mind that there are really no high-end resorts on that side of the Big Island.
Activity Ideas for Oahu
Bobby wanted to know if we had any suggestions for things to do on Oahu. They already planning a circle island tour, Pearl Harbor, and the luau wanted our suggestions for some ideas for the remaining time while visiting the island. While there are so many things to do we offered this suggestion is to go swimming with the dolphins on the Dolphin Adventure. This is different than the prearranged tours and only give you a limited time with these amazing creatures. With this tour you actually swim with dolphins in the wild. We also recommended writing horseback on Polo Ponies and visiting the Honolulu Academy of arts.
If you’d like us to answer a question drop us a line at bruce@hawaii-aloha.com or on Facebook or Twitter. If you’d like to join us live we do our show every Friday at 10 AM Hawaii time, please join us!
Since 2006 Bruce has been writing and producing Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast and the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. His postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible. The tone is anecdotal, breezy, and devoid of any commercialism.
Heeia Kea Pier
Written by Bruce Fisher
There’s so much see and do on Oahu. We’re surrounded with stunning vistas and miles of incredible coastline created by volcanoes. You can pretty much see and do anything outdoors you can imagine. Sometimes it’s hard to forget just how treacherous these same beautiful places can be when water comes crashing in from the Pacific after traveling miles across the Pacific. Last Friday three people lost their lives in accidents along the shores of Oahu. We talk about this and remind folks the importance of never turning your back to the sea.
Hawaii Music Scene
More Buses to come to Oahu
Hawaii Food Tours
