Hawaii Vacation Blog

It is unmistakable when you arrive in Waimea Kauai. The lush greenery of the town dramatically changes into a landscape dominated by red dirt and dry conditions. This distinct change epitomizes the historic town on the island’s western side. The name “Waimea” translates to “red water”. A meaning that becomes vividly apparent after a rain […]

“Can we bring our dog/cat along on a Hawaii vacation?” It’s a question Hawaii Aloha Travel gets frequently from people planning a visit to the Aloha State. The short answer is “yes”. The longer, more detailed answer is, “Yes, but it takes a great deal of time, research, preparation, patience, and, especially, a lot of […]

I’m a lifelong Hawaii resident who is not inclined to sign up for a guided Oahu snorkeling tour. I know the best places for exploring the reefs that ring Oahu. Grew up doing it. I certainly wouldn’t pay a stranger to show me around places I’ve been. Much less on a chartered tourist catamaran. But […]

Maui is burning. That’s not hyperbole. Dozens of homes and businesses in Historic Lahaina Town have been destroyed, and wildfires across the Valley Isle have closed multiple highways and roads, grinding traffic and commerce to a dead stop. High winds and drought conditions turned much of Maui into a disaster area. Acting Governor Sylvia Luke […]

There is a construction staging area for roadwork projects in and around Honolulu below the HAT Blog Home Office, and it’s busy. It’s got us thinking about getting around on Oahu and choosing the best way to get to where you want to go and avoid the frustration of snarled Oahu traffic. Across the street, […]

We made a trip to the Hawaii Theatre Centre with some of the HAT Blog ohana recently and I was struck anew by the splendor of the 100-year-old edifice and its remarkable history as the “Pride of the Pacific”, named as such by the papers here and abroad at the time of its September 1922 […]

A recent visit to Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii Kai at Koko Marina Shopping Center on Oahu was remarkable for a few reasons. First among them was realizing it was just my second time at the brewpub since its opening in 2003 (I grew up in Hawaii Kai, but I have been a Honolulu Downtowner […]

Over the past couple of weeks here at the HAT Blog, we’ve had the impetus, if not the time, to think about living and dying in Hawaii. Two friends, in the same age cohort, have passed away. Both fought their battles with pancreatic cancer to a draw. After all, the cancer within them died with […]

As July approaches, so does the peak of Hawaii mango season. With it comes an endless supply of mango bread, mango chutney, pickled mango, mango salsa, mango smoothies, and every other imaginable culinary iteration of the sweet tropical fruit. It’s also harvest season for a variety of other endemic Hawaii fruits. Hawaii is a tropical […]

The Hawaii summer solstice has come round again (and for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere). Surely many in the Southern Hemisphere will be celebrating the return to longer days of sunshine (it’s their Winter Solstice). Here in the North Central Pacific, the summer solstice means that beach days will be getting shorter for the next […]

Glutted with an overconsumption of news, local, national, and international, I recently surrendered and retreated to the beach to read a book. It was the perfect salve for a chafed disposition. And it has prompted me to offer some tips about Oahu beach reading. I’ll note first that I greased up properly with reef-safe sunscreen […]

Well, that escalated quickly! Instantly and explosively, Halema’uma’u Crater at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island roared back into the international spotlight in the predawn hours of June 7. The Kilauea volcano eruption will attract visitors to the park in huge numbers. Residents and visitors are already thronging to the park, […]