Here's one of my favorite beaches in the islands for kids. Shallow waters in the near shore area, clear and cool, sandy bottoms are nice on the footsies. The far side of the beach is pretty much isolated with…

I posted a video of the pool at the Grand Wailea a bit back and it is the reigning champion of Hawaii hotel pools. The Hyatt runs a close second. It's more sprawling and more jungle like, with three…

Sales of single family homes on Kauai for June 2008 are well down from comp numbers in 2007. Sales prices managed to skitter upwards. I'd say that won't last long. Bargain hunters, book your Hawaii tickets. We're heading for a…

I wish I were this young again. Yes, this is why you have to come to Hawaii to learn to surf.…

This post is sponsored by Microsoft Mobile. You see the icon, you know I'm not at my desk. Microsoft Mobile lets you post on the go. Thanks, guys. Here's another pic from my recent trip to Kauai. I stayed…

This is a mobile post sponsored by Microsoft. When you see the icon, you know I'm posting amok. Anyway, today am coming at you from Anini Beach on the magical island of Kauai. Anini is one of a number…

And here's the after image. This is what the rooms will look like at the Princeville after all is said and done. They will also have LCDs in the bathrooms, which is much for my taste but whatever. At…

This post is underwritten by Microsoft, which took me this time to the Garden Isle of Kauai and the paradisical little town of Hanalei. Here's a treat for Hawaii hotel freaks -- a before and after series. Here's the…

Aloha from Maui. Here's another Microsoft Mobile Post, on the go from the most beautiful island in the world and underwritten by Microsoft (literally). Thanks, Steve! Three years ago our neighbor's son Sage Spalding moved to Maui with a…

And I totally agree with him. This article is beyond predictable, beyond trite. I have no idea why National Geo would pay megabucks to get this sort of tripe but hey, it's a plum gig. Here's what Andy has to…

Andy Kass over at the Kauai hiking blog does a great write-up of an excursion in to Kipu Kai, a totally untouched cluster of beaches hemmed in by mountains on a private ranch along Kauai's sunny South Coast. This…

From the Honolulu Star- Bulletin. "Kauai dog owners are incensed at the county's plan to ban dogs along the new $50 million, 16-mile coastal path set to link Lihue and Anahola." Can't blame them. Can't we all get along?…

Kauai hiking blogger Andy takes us on a (semi) harrowing trip (not) to a monstrous waterfall glimpsed from GoogleEarth that's apparently a stone's throw from Wailua Falls. Andy, you can't put this kind of stuff on the Innernut, my friend!…

When Varsity Theater closed last year, that left Doris Duke Theatre as the last art house standing. Honolulu Academy of Arts film curator Gina Caruso (pictured here) is going full steam with innovative programming. On Feb. 8 she launches Friends…

According to the beloved TripAdvisor.com, the Top 3 on the Garden Isle the Hukilau Lanai, Mermaids Cafe, and Shrimp Station. Say what? Roy's Poipu, Blossoming Lotus, Tidepools -- which are much better joints than the top troika - all come…

This is the home break of Andy Irons, perhaps the greatest contest surfer in the world today. It's also a legendary spot on Kauai. The footage here is of a smallish day when the wave looks mellow. It's really…

I was struck by the abundance of good Italian offerings on Kauai last night as I and the other members of our party at Casa di Amici reached across the table to fork from one anothers' plates bites of seafood…

The Garden Isle has some good restaurants but generally lacks fine dining. Might come with the lack of development. Whatever the case, Hawaii farm-fresh-to-table savant Peter Merriman will be opening a new joint near Poipu as part of a massive…

More Xmas lights fare from around the islands. The Kauai Festival of Lights starts on Dec 7 with an unveiling of Lihue's main drag bedecked in the sparkly stuff. Opening night has visits to Santa's Workshop as well. Here's a…

This is a dive I've always wanted to do. It's a serious haul to Niihau from the Kauai. This is the "Forbidden Island," a semi-desolate redoubt off the West Coast of the Garden Isle owned by the reclusive Robinson Family…

A bartender named Harry Yee at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (now Resort and Spa) was petitioned in 1957 by beverage company Bols to craft a novel libation containing the company's just-introduced Blue Curacao liqueur. Yee brainstormed the Blue Hawaii. Here's…

The Garden Isle is still a country cousin compared to the other three major Hawaiian Islands and its signature festival, the Mokihana Festival, is practically a backyard hoedown compared to Oahu's extensive and extremely crowded Aloha Festivals. The weeklong fest…

The controversial Hawaii Superferry will resume voyages to Kauai from Oahu on September 26. The U.S. Coast Guard has vowed to arrest protesters, which could make for excellent political theater. The ferry returned some of the stranded cars from aborted…

The lastest twist in the Byzantine saga of the much maligned Hawaii Superferry, a Kauai judge decided that the big boat could operate out of Nawiliwili Harbor while the company, the state, and a passle of lawyer-backed protesters work out…

As if the Hawaii Superferry didn't have enough problems with environmental permits pending, rough cross-channel rides, high fares and stiff fuel surcharges. Now the surfers are going after the big boat. Hundreds of them paddled into Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai…

Get Al Gore off your case for taking that private jet to Hawaii and stay at the AHU POHAKU HO'OMALUHIA. This is a spa/retreat/vacation home rental on the North Kohala Coast of the Big Island. The main rental house has…

Grantham Resorts is running a $79 construction Garden Isle. The offers warns about noise and construction inconvenience during the day but notes that evenings and Sundays are quiet. This is more an offer for people who want a rack to…

The Garden Isle on Kauai has an article about the famed Kalalau Trail, a trek along the base of the sea cliffs on the uninhabited northern side of the island. No roads there but plenty of waterfalls. Access comes…

Water, water everywhere. Tinkling, dripping, flowing. The Allerton Garden (Lāwa`i-kai) is all about the water. This is one of four National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Hawaii. It resides in lusher than lush Lāwa`i Valley, on the South Shore of Kaua`i…

HEADING OUT TO SEA The next day, the troop gladly traded its hiking boots for swimsuits and snorkeling masks. Hopping aboard high-speed boats, the Scouts set out to see Na Pali at sea level. Along the way to the snorkeling…

Editor's note: This is an article I originally wrote for Scouting Magazine in 1999. It was a lot of fun to research and write. On the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Scouts from Troop 451 moved in single file along a…

I've always loved going to Poipu / Koloa on Kauai. There are a lot of condos and a smattering of big hotels and it felt a bit crowded but the place managed to retain its small town charm. The…

King Kamehameha I, who unified the Hawaiian Islands with an iron fist, failed not once but twice in his attempts to capture Kauai. That rebellious spirit lives on: By Hawaii standards, Kauai is still more than a bit untamed…

This wonderful little beach park is often overlooked by tourists but that's their loss.Lydgate is a county park so there are bathroom facilities, showers, parking and lifeguards (one of the few beaches on Kauai that does). There are two wading…

This property in the Wailua / Kapaa District is a beachfront bargain that was recently renovated. The region sometimes has sun problems -- as in, not enough of it -- but Kapaa is comparatively hopping these days with plenty of…

According to this story in Hawaii Business Magazine, SoCal developer Mike "Big Mike" Harrah is bringing the first boutique Harley Davidson themed hotel to the islands. Harray is also a stunt pilot who has flown choppers in a number of…

Offered by packager Pleasant Hawaiian, this one includes r/t airfare from Newark, daily breakfast and 6 nights stay at one of Hawaii's most iconic resorts. The Hyatt in Poipu is airy, sprawling, and has an amazing pool. Total runs $3600…

I've long been a fan of the New York Times' travel section. It's both literate and fun. Their coverage of Hawaii has been excellent. The most recent offering, which came out on May 4, covered Kokee State Park on Kauai.…

The view from the lobby at the Princeville Resort is perhaps one of the most iconic in Hawaii, with the broad crescent of Hanalei Bay unfurling and waterfall-flecked Mount Waialeale in the distance. The rooms, on the other hand, have,…

I wrote a trend piece earlier this week on standup paddle surfing. Lo, what appears in my inbox but a note from a local PR firm pointing out that instructructors at Action Sports Maui ($109 per person for two hours…

This little-known and lightly visited beach sits just below Princeville Hotel and has the Hawaiian name Pali Ke Kua. The trail access to the beach is located just before the Princeville Hotel gatehouse running alongside the tennis courts of…

Locals and lifeguards call it "Luma-die Beach" after the high rate of drowning and the treacherous near shore waters pounded by surf and vicious currents. In other words, swim at Lumahai at your own risk and only in the summer.…

Star-Bulletin reporting. That makes six in the past four years. One dead, four injured. This was a 20 year-old helicopter with a six-year-old air worthiness certification from the FAA. With all these crashes, could it be possible that flying birds…

Three dead tourists plus the pilot. No obvious causes. No obvious signs of malfunction or trouble before takeoff. Just a radio distress call, a precipitous decent, and a crumpled whirlybird on a grassy field near the runway of the…

I'd been hearing rumors about a great new place to eat in Hanalei for six months now. Something about tapas, which seemed incongruous as Hanalei is the ultimate country town. Not to say unsophisticated but, rather, the peeps sack out…

I am not sure who wrote the rulebook on vacation rental / B&B decor in Hawaii but they clearly had no taste. The vast majority of rentals and B&Bs are loaded with frilly junk, forlorn furniture, really lame artwork…

The Kalalau is one of the most storied hiking trails on Earth. In fact, the whole Na Pali Coast, along the western shore of Kauai, is recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage site. The cliffs basically…

Two hikers from California perished on the island of Kauai today after they plunged hundreds of feet from a steep and at places treacherous trail leading to the base of Opaekaa Falls. This tall waterfall is a popular tourist attraction…

I love buying handmade merchandise whenever possible, and Etsy—an online marketplace that showcases the wares of crafters and artisans from around the world—is the best website for finding such goodies. The recently updated version of the site allows viewers to…

On Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. Kauai lights it up with grand opening of the Festival of Lights. The festivus tropicus starts with joyous caroling by the Kauai Chorale and the Kapaa Middle School 8th Grade Choir. Santa crash lands…