Stay five nights, get two free -- that's a hefty discount. Napili Kai, which is on one of my favorite bays in West Maui, rarely puts on such good offers. I love the place and its a great family spot.…

Love this tour. Hope this lady gets very lucky on her honeymoon. This gives you a great idea of what the renovated rooms look like. Also love this hotel -- probably a top honeymoon choice for those who want…

Turn down soundtrack on this and ignore the people pics but this is the best photomontage I've seen yet of Grand Wailea. It gives you insights as to why Hawaii's resort properties are looking dated, in many cases. The…

This is a pretty good slide. I wouldn't recommend for kids -- kinda dark. But the Hyatts all have great pools in Hawaii. Enjoy the lad behavior, as well..…

I love Napili Beach. It's not a secret but its not totally blown, either. There are no major hotels on this gem of a bay, just south of Kapalua Resort. It's ringed by condos but none are taller than…

Curator Julie Cline has turned the Four Seasons in Wailea into perhaps the leading showspace for contemporary art in Maui and possibly in Hawaii overall. She has a beautiful whitewashed canvas. What's more, she regularly runs tours of the…

Hulopoe Beach on Lanai is one of the best places in the islands to swim with spinner dolphins. It's also got a fun surf break, excellent snorkeling, and you can camp there if you don't feel like paying Four…

This is the best hotel pool in Hawaii and among the best in the world. It's almost a water park. Kids force their parents to spend exorbitant sums to stay at this hotel primarily to have easy access to…

After my post earlier this week, these nice folks dropped me a line to say, hey, come stay on the Friendly Isle -- we got your back. Not endorsing this service but good to know. One question to ask them,…

After losing money for several decades, the Molokai Ranch announced it would close, laying off 120 workers and effectively boosting the Friendly Isle's unemployment rate to 12%. The Ranch was one of the largest employers on the island. It also…

Aloha, Bruce here from Hawaii-Aloha.Com. I am a travel agent who specializes in helping folks plan their Hawaii Vacations. I contribute to Hawaiirama by doing hotel reviews and this week I am reviewing the Wailea Marriott Resort and Spa on…

Aloha, Bruce here from Hawaii Aloha Travel. I am a travel agent who specializes in helping folks plan their Hawaii Vacations. Have you ever been bitten by an elephant? What about hippopotamus? How about a mosquito? Of course you have,…

Gotta love this one. Destination Resorts Hawaii, which has a collection of condos and vacation rentals in Maui, is offering a low-low rate of $90 per person per night for a mystery accommodation on Maui. As in, they won't tell…

I am reviving the long dormant "Ask Hawaiirama" feature on this blog. Send me questions. I'll tell you no lies. The latest comes from Cindi. "Hi, Hawaiirama: My husband and I will be on Maui the first week of March…

Sigh. Yet another piece of writing about Hawaii from a Mainland journalist that, to be fair, hits many notes but also falls totally flat on others. For someone purportedly writing about the cultural side of Hana on Maui, you'd think…

Upate on the Maui County B&B and vacation rental crackdown. Most of the rentals and B&Bs operating on the three islands in Maui County (Maui, Molokai, Lanai) have shut down under threat of $1,000 per day fines. No word on…

I have not really been loving the travel deals for Hawaii posted on Travel Zoo of late. They've been pretty much same old, second-tier properties, or, worse, not really great deals. Here's an example. Pay $148 per night for a…

The deeper I dig into this Maui vacation rentals stuff, the more confusing it gets. First, there is the problem of even figuring out which of the handful of vacation rentals that claim to be permitted truly are. Maui County…

I love Lahaina. What's not to love? It's got a bit of history, from the whaling days. There are great eats (David Paul, Malo's, I'o). Most of the people seem like they are having a really good time. There's pretty…

Earlier this month Maui County authorities announced a crackdown with hefty fines on vacation rental owners who were letting their properties out without county approval. This caused most vacation rentals and the majority of B&Bs to stop taking visitors and…

Around Hawaii a dispute has been bubbling between vacation rental owners and their neighbors in residential neighborhoods. The rentals create noise, traffic and crowds, according to the opponents. On Maui, which has perhaps the greatest percentage of rentals in the…

Earlier this week I wrote this post about an article in Hawaii Business Magazine outlining public opposition to a proposal to build out luxury homes at Lipoa Point. The post drew a quick reply from Maui Land & Pineapple, the…

The idyllic Northwest corner of Maui is home to the super-rich resort Mecca of Kapalua. There are several beautiful beaches, some of the country's best golf courses, a Ritz-Carlton, and a new super-upscale timeshare on the way. Plus the local…

For centuries, Molokai wielded fierce magic to keep the marauding armies of other Hawaiian chiefs at bay. Apparently the magic is still working, as Molokai has been left virtually untouched by the tourism frenzy that's transformed the other islands. That's…

This came in via comments a few weeks ago from Kay and I'm only now getting back around to it.Kay, sorry for tardy reply. "We are traveling to Honolulu and having a ceremony to intern my father’s ashes on…

Want to stay in Wailea? Prepare to pay. The big, luxe hotels charge $400 per night and up. There are a number of condo options in Wailea, though. The Wailea Ekahi Village is one of the better ones (this offer…

The Four Seasons group took over the only two resorts on Lanai last year and sunk big bucks into renovations. The resorts -- one located on stunning Hulupoe Bay, the other in the crisp, green upcountry above Lanai City --…

While most of the readers of Hawaiirama have families, some people want to go on kid-free vacations. Thus, the presence and popularity of resorts in the Caribbean where children are banned. Hawaii does not have any truly child-free resorts. But…

The Royal Lahaina Hotel has the dubious distinction of being among the oldest resorts in Kaanapali. TripAdvisor's thundering horde rates it #33 out of 36 resort in Lahaina (they lump in Kaanapali with Lahaina for some reason). Considering that virtually…

Lanai is the private island, the one that food magnate David Murdoch owns virtually in its entirety. It's also where Microsoft founder Bill Gates went for his wedding. Lanai is home to two lavish Four Seasons resorts, the Lodge at…

Dear Diane at Ridge Realty: I am not sure if you are aware of this yet but you are definitely costing your company, Ridge Realty, significant chunks of cashola. Let me introduce you to TripAdvisor.com. I have a love/hate relationship…

All the major travel mags have written off Lahaina. It's too touristy. It's cheesy. It's crowded. True, true, true. Which clearly explains why everyone is fleeing Las Vegas. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's cover why…

More than once I've bagged a hotel steal online and arrived at the property to check in -- and realized that extensive, noisy and dirty renovations were underway. Hotels go out of their way to minimize these events, booking rooms…

The Basics: This retro resort is composed of 163 units spread throughout a clutch of two-story buildings with vaguely Polynesian accents tucked into a corner of Napili Bay, one the best unsung bays on Maui. The units are spread over…

View from the 4th Floor of Building 6 at the Sheraton Maui in Kaanapali. Beyond the swaying palms, the island of Molokai is visible. Image via Flickr/anasofia…

The Basics: Built in the 1920s, this classic Wailuku home with gabled roofs and Queen Anne detailing was restored by Janice and Tom Fairbanks to perfection in 1998. Decorated with period piece furniture and themed after the whimsical verse of…

Last fall Four Seasons Resorts took over management of the two big resort hotels on Lanai, the Lodge at Koele and Manele Bay Hotel. Both had gotten, shall we say, a little tatty around the edges. The owner agreed to…

Our second installment of this (soon to be) never-ending Q&A on Hawaii honeymoons. As we've said before, help us help you save your honeymoon. We have a question from Grace, who resides in coastal Maine with her husband who…

I'm introducing a new feature that will be a regular fixture on Hawaiirama. John Clark, the noted Hawaii beach expert and all around beach nut, will be feeding us his extremely informed take on best beaches around the Aloha…

We left Charley's and Paia town to drive up to our digs in Huelo. It's not really a town as much as a place. There is no center and its mostly rural homelots and gentlemen farms spread above and…

Hawaii cruise includes oceanview room, 7 nights accomodations plus dining, and airfare from LAX or SFO. Add another $100 to $400 for airfare from other U.S. airports. A very cheap and fun way to see the islands.…

We blew across the isthmus through Kahului on our way to Paia from Wailea, driving from the southern side of Maui to the northern side between the great basin formed by the West Maui Mountains on one side and…

$1111 Maui Ritz Carlton - 5 nts, Air, Car, from LAX Travel dates: Sept 6 thru Dec 7 on Tue, Wed, Thu. This is a total steal, even if you are in the lamest garden view room. The Ritz…