Inter-Island Travel

Starwood is offering an unbelievable deal right now for anyone who is signed-up as a preferred guest. A Starwood preferred guest can gain access to any of the 11 resorts throughout Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island and get cheap hotel rates at all of them. You can also enjoy access to beautiful hotel destinations in Tahiti or Bora Bora.

Here is the deal. Go to SPG.COM and sign-up as a preferred member. If you are already a preferred member then great! Sign-up is pretty fast, and yes it is of course free. Once you have signed up you will have access to this great deal, along with future deals from Starwood and the hotels they represent.

Right now the deal includes…

-50% off of room rates.

- Breakfast for two on Maui and the Big Island.

- 35% off dining on Oahu and Kauai.

You can book these rates and deals online or you can call (866) 716-8141 and request rate plan SPG50SPC. This rate plan is good for travel through December 31^st, 2010.

Hotels Represented by Starwood include Meridian, Westin, Sheraton and St. Regis.

If you are looking to discover some outdoor fun and adventure on Oahu – or any of the neighbor islands, then Outrigger Hotels in Hawaii is whom you want to book with. Right now Outrigger Hotels is offering some killer rates in all their hotels.

Outrigger has a selection of hotels to choose from on every island. Whether you want to see beautiful Maui, or go and check out the Volcano on the Big Island, Outrigger Hotels wants you to let them be your guide.

Right now Outrigger and OHANA are setting the pace for fun and adventure in the islands. Great rates are available on every island.

- Oahu rates start at $79
The Oahu Outrigger hotels include some choice locations in Waikiki on the South Shore. You can get away from it all while laying by the pool at the Outrigger Reef or cook up something great at the Shorebird while surfers head in at some of the local surf breaks.

- Maui rates start at $119
Maui is the spot to be, tourists love it, and staycationers (those kama’aina that want to get away while not heading all the way to the mainland) love to head over for the weekend, if not just for some Krispy Creams. All up and down the coasts of Maui are great Outrigger locations.

- Kauai rates start at $159
Kauai is the getaway. Although it can be rainy (check out our Kauai rainy day activities section) you won’t care when you’re relaxing on this secluded island. Just be aware of all those roosters.

- Big Island (Hawaii) rates start at $129
The Big Island of Hawaii, with Mauna Kea (tops off-road Hawaii spots), Lava flows and tons more going on, can give you a little taste of everything in Hawaii. Drive through the lava fields on your way back to Waikoloa or take a trip to Captain Cooke Monument.

Get in on the fun and adventure and book your hotel room or condo right now!

For available hotels and rates visit here.

As part of its new “Fall Into Winter” promotion, Prince Resorts Hawaii is offering special room rates and credits. These rates and specials will be valid from October 1^st to December 22^nd.

The specials will include…

Hawaii Prince Hotel in Waikiki: Rates will start at $179 per night for an Oceanfront Vista room and a daily $50 resort credit.

Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel: Rates will start at $239 per night for an ocean-view room and a daily resort credit of $50.

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel: Rates will start at $409 per night for a Mountain View room and a daily resort credit of $100.

The resort credits can be used for just about anything resort related. Dining, golf, tennis, massages and more. These rates are a steep drop from the normal rates. If you’re looking for a short getaway, then this would be something to look into.

For reservations, bookings and more information call 866-PRINCE-6 or visit www.PrinceResortsHawaii.com.

Whether you are coming to Hawaii to visit – or you are a Kama’aina looking for a relaxing getaway, right now the Aston Pacific Monarch in Waikiki is offering its newly renovated getaway condos for 40% off.  To get this price you must book your dates by August 23^rd, though the deal is good on dates booked up to December 24^th.

The website has more information you will need, but to get to the point, you can enjoy beautifully renovated vacation condos for an excellent price. If you happen to be a Kama’aina, then you may even get a lower rate! This is perfect for a weekend getaway to another island. Don’t delay, book now!

This sale is part of a larger hotel sale on 22 Aston resorts on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. So you may want to head over to their site and check to see if there are any additional options on places to stay on some of those outer island Aston Properties.

Lihue airport will be the first airport in the state to utilize full-body image scanning as part of its security process. The new advanced imaging devices can look through passenger’s clothes to produce full-body images. Other Hawaii airports are suppose to follow with this equipment in the coming months as well.

While the new technology is very advanced, many passengers fear it because they say it allows people to view them naked, and in turn, those images could fall into the wrong hands. Another major problem is the situation that occurs when the device produces a false positive. This happened to a passenger who was carrying a wad of napkins in his shirt pocket. The machine registered it as a threat, so he was forced to undergo a full-body pat down.

While these concerns are legitimate concerns for passengers here and around the nation, it is not as big of a concern as keeping the country safe from possible terrorists attacks. There have only been 125 installed around the nation so far, but Suzanne Trevino – spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, says, “We expect 500 by the end of 2010, 1,100 by the end of 2011.”

For those of you inter-island travelers, you probably kept tabs on the merger between Go! and Mokulele Airlines. And you’ve probably wondered if it was going to mean higher fares for your weekend trips to the outer islands or back to Oahu. Well, it looks like for now, Go! Airlines is sticking by their $39 one-way tickets by offering the cheapest flights to the island of Lanai we’ve seen in a while.

It looks like the newly merged airline will offer ticket prices between Honolulu and Lana’i for $39 if you travel between May 20th and August 31st. The only blackout dates are Fridays, so if you’re going for the weekend, you gotta start earlier it looks like. Nice! Aloha Thursdays. Tickets must be purchased by April 16th.

The airline will be offering two flights daily roundtrip from Honolulu to Lanai. A great boost for those that thought the added ticket price, to the already pricey stay at the Four Seasons Hotels on Lanai was just too much.

For all HawaiianMiles members who fly interisland now through the end of 2009 they can earn discounted or free  flights to the mainland.  For every qualifying round trip interisland flight members can earn a 10% discount on a future flight to the mainland.  Members can earn up to two free roundtrip tickets each to any of the 10 West Coast cities Hawaiian Airlines flies.

When booking interisland flights members will simply enter their HawaiianMiles number and Hawaiian will automatically track discounts.  The earning periods for interisland travel are August 3, 2009 to December 31, 2009.  Booking and travel to the mainland using the discounts must be during August 3, 2009 to June 15, 2010.  Qualifying interisland flights must be prior to 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. in a fare class that is eligible for HawaiianMiles earnings.

For more information visit Hawaiian Airlines website at www.hawaiianair.com.

As if the airline industry in Hawaii could get any more complicated.  With the closing of Aloha Airlines last year, the continued price wars between those remaining, and the economy weakening day after day, the inter-island travel industry just got another jolt.

go! Airlines and Mokulele are merging under Mesa Air Group to form go! Mokulele. This undoubtedly means higher prices for flights between the Hawaiian islands. Yuk! This comes at a time when Maui, Kauai, and The Big Island have all seen huge economic losses, and could mean further losses from those kama’aina that like to travel inter-island on a weekend getaway.

The new airline, only has to compete with Hawaiian Airlines, whose known for having higher priced tickets with it’s larger airplanes and higher carrying capacity. Only time will tell whether or note the price of your flight to Maui will increase, but we think it most likely has to.

For those of you with tickets on either go! or Mokulele, your tickets will still be valid and you can continue to book with either company, which will eventually become one seemless company as the merger continues.

Who will be the next airline to try and take a stab at inter-island travel?

Saturday October 17 2009 from 3PM to 5 PM folks will get a chance to immerse themselves in Hawai’i’an Culture at the Schaefer Gallery at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center when four master story tellers take center stage, sharing tales of Pele and Hi’iakaikapoliopele as found throughtout the isles, stories including Kamapua’a, Lohiau, Hopoe, and others, with at least one tale told in Hawai’i’an and English.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center at One Cameron Way, Kahului, Maui (96732) brings together four brilliant storytellers.  Kalama Cabigon is the most contemporary combining elements of hip-hop, reggae and rock into his Hawai’i’an Music with the group ‘Kupa’aina’ yet he remains rooted in local experiences, a truly diverse talent Kalama Cabigon is a chanter, storyteller, slam poet, musician, actor, who has toured with Ka Halau Hanakeaka doing Hawai’i’an language plays and for the past several years and he has presented stories in Hawaiian and English at the Mary Kawena Puku’i Storytelling Festival at the Bishop Museum.

Nalani Kanaka’ole is a delightful storyteller whose history and that of her family is intertwined with Hawai’i’an history.  The daughter of Hula Master / Chanter Eddie Kanaka’ole (1913-1979), Nalani and sister Pualani are the inheritors of Halau ‘O Kekuhi, founded in 1953 by their mother.  Nalani is a Kumu Hula (Hula Master), “Based in Hilo, on Hawai’i Island, they are looked to as guardians of the hālau’s distinctive ‘aiha’a style which is vigorous and low to the ground, its bent-knee stance personifying power emanating from the earth and its elements. Hālau ‘O Kekuhi is recognized as the guardians of Pele-related hula, carrying hundreds of years of knowledge within the seven-generation hālau. Nālani is a Kumu Hula, artist, designer, writer, and educator. Nālani emanates generations of connection to the past and blends that with today while taking it all into the future.”

Tom Cummings is a master storyteller having learned from his mother Kahili Long Cummings, he weaves tales as an ‘offering’ a ho’pkupu’ to future generations, which Tom has been doing for forty years.  Uncle Tom has traveled extensively throughout Hawai’i and the American Mainland, and other places, mainly sharing tales about ‘folks,’ real and mythical, of Hawai’i and Polynesia, incorporating images & objects, inviting audiences to join in with singing and dancing, further enchanting them with puppets and other objects.

Kekuhi Keali‘ikanaka‘oleohaililani whose roots are intertwined with Hawai’i’an history and culture is a renowned recording artist educator composer, who serves as a living repository of traditions & tales, a bridge to future generations.  A mesmerizing speaker whose presentations often induce that delightful sensation of ‘chicken skin.’

As part of this epic storytelling there will be an exhibit of artwork by Iao Intermediate School 7^th Graders inspired by several of the tales to be presented, those images will be on display in the Alexa Higashi exhibit rooms.  Kumu Hula and MACC Cultural Programs Director Hōkūlani Holt will host the event from 3PM to 5PM.

Thanks in part to an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the County of Maui and Kauahea, Inc, this event is FREE, yes, FREE.  What a deal, do yourself a favor and run away to Maui!

It is officially Roctober on Maui, one of the true greats of Rock n’ Roll, Aerosmith will perform at the War Memorial Stadium (click here for directions to the stadium, gates will open at 4PM for the 7 PM show. This settles several years of wrangling when some strange Universal force cancelled a previously scheduled concert two years ago. In a phone conversation with promoter Tom Moffat, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler expressed his enthusiasm about the upcoming show saying that he was “feeling great and everything is back to normal,” and that the band has been looking forward to performing in Hawai’i since 1976, giving out a shout of “Mahalo” to local fans for making this gig possible, adding to the lingo by adding, “I’ll be mahallerring my ass off on stage.” A final request was made for fresh poi in the star’s dressing room.

For those who have been hovering under a rock for the last thirty years or so, Aerosmith burst onto the scene in the 1970’s with a blustering combination of swagger, ‘dirty’ blues, and power driven vocals and superb musicianship and unlike so many of their contemporaries they have neither faded away nor have they burned out, remaining fresh and vital to the end of the decade of the double zeros. Their current line up has remained consistent over the years, fronted by Steven Tyler whose vocals would be enough to cement stardom yet his energy is such that he is as likely to grab a set of maracas as he is to pound the piano or caress the keyboard and in keeping with blues driven rock Tyler’s harmonica is more than a fashion accessory. Equally energetic Joe Perry plays lead and rhythm guitar as well as singing, the silent one in the band is Brad Whitford who is heard only through his impressive lead and rhythm guitar prowess. Another member contributing vocals to solid musicianship is bassist Tom Hamilton. Adding voice to the controlled mayhem, anchor and fan favorite, is drummer percussionist Joey Kramer.

Through the decades Aerosmith has sold more than one hundred and fifty million albums, snagging four Grammys, eight American Music Awards, six Billboard Awards, and a slew of other awards. Their concerts are legendary for excitement and thrills, the band bringing verve to a variety of tunes no matter how familiar or known though naturally audiences scream loudest for their favorites; “chart topping hits like: “Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” “Rag Doll,” “Janie’s Got a Gun,” and “Walk This Way.” 

A new generation of fans will greet Aerosmith with enthusiasm, fans of the 2008 release of the ‘video’ game ‘Guitar Hero; Aerosmith Edition.’ The game chronicles the band from their early shows at Mendon Nipmus Regional High School in 1970 to their triumphant half time appearance at Superbowl XXXV in 2001.

Tickets for this eagerly awaited show; “Ticket prices are $125 and $85 for reserved seating and $65 for General Admission/Bleacher Seating (plus applicable fees). Tickets will be available first to Maui Arts & Cultural Center ’s Annual Donors starting 10 am on Saturday, September 26. MACC Annual Donors will have early ticket-buying privileges until Thursday, October 1, when tickets will go on sale to the general public. If you are not an Annual Donor of the MACC, you may join now and enjoy the benefits of early ticket purchase immediately. Visit www.mauiarts.org/donorbenefit for more information and how to easily become a MACC Annual Donor online.

Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.mauiarts.org, in person at the MACC Box Office, by phone at 242-SHOW (7469). Box Office hours are 10 am – 6 pm Monday through Saturday. (Ticket limits based upon level of donor-ship apply with an 8 ticket maximum limit.).

Do not miss this opportunity to run away to Maui to see one of rock’s true living legends perform.