Marriott is rewarding its loyal travelers with up to 15 percent off fall and winter weekend getaways across the United States and Canada.
08.10.2024 - 13:35 / lonelyplanet.com
Oct 8, 2024 • 7 min read
One of the joys of visiting Hawaii is the islands’ pervasive laid-back culture – the lack of pre-planning and freedom from everyday worries is delightful.
Still, you'll have a better visit if you take a few details into consideration before and during your stay. From when to visit and how much to budget to the etiquette surrounding the islands' best beaches and surf breaks, here are some key things to know about traveling to the 50th US state.
You can visit Hawaii anytime – the weather is agreeable year-round. It may be a bit rainier in winter and a bit hotter in summer, but there are no extremes because cooling trade winds blow throughout the year.
Although winter (mid-December through mid-April) is the busiest tourist season, that has more to do with the climate elsewhere, as many tourists are snowbirds escaping cold weather back home. Crowds of families take summer vacations from June through August, and rooms are scarce and prices can spike around holidays, especially Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and spring break/Easter.
For the budget-conscious, the slowest times are mid-September through mid-November and the weeks from just after Easter until Memorial Day at the end of May, and you’re more likely to find good deals then on accommodations and airfare. Surfers will find the largest waves in winter, while optimal windsurfing conditions are during summer. Whale-watching tours usually depart between January and March only.
Although Hawaii’s hang-loose attitude extends to most facets of life – including making extensive plans in advance – you might want to book ahead in a couple of instances. For top Honolulu restaurants popular with residents, reserve a table before you arrive in the islands. The free tickets for the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor are scooped up quickly. Reserve online up to 60 days before your visit. The popular snokeling spot, Hanauma Bay, can only be visited with an advance reservation. Spaces are released two days ahead of access and are often snapped up quickly.
Evolving from ancient Polynesian traditions, Hawaiian culture was attacked and suppressed in the two centuries after the arrival of British colonizer Captain Cook in 1778. But beginning with the Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970s, a rebirth of Native Hawaiian cultural and artistic traditions has taken hold.
Across the islands, both Hawaiian culture–focused charter schools and public schools' Hawaiian-language immersion programs are popular, and traditional arts are experiencing a revival. Ancient heiau (temples) and fishponds are being restored, native forests replanted and endangered birds bred and released back into the wild.
Today Hawaiian culture is about much more than just
Marriott is rewarding its loyal travelers with up to 15 percent off fall and winter weekend getaways across the United States and Canada.
This summer, I traveled from the UK to spend 10 days road-tripping around Utah and Arizona.
At the Lodging Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, Larry Cuculic, the CEO of BWH Hotels, leaned forward, his West Point-honed posture softening as he warmed to his subject.
Large swaths of Florida were recovering on Friday after Hurricane Milton swept through as a major storm with airports and theme parks starting to reopen.
Nonstop travel options between Texas and Tokyo are about to get interesting. On Thursday, low-cost carrier ZIPAIR Tokyo announced a major new route linking Houston with the Japanese capital.
Oct 8, 2024 • 13 min read
Photograph from the U.S. Coast Guard Crown Princess Rescue. (Photo Credit: The United States Coast Guard - Hawaii Pacific)
Over the past decade, four airlines have dominated in the U.S.: United, Delta, American, and Southwest. Now, Alaska Airlines is making a run at the incumbents—by joining forces with Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines.
Vacation days are sacred . Since I'm married with two children, it might be easy to assume that I spend all of my time off with them, but I've found that I spend almost as much time off on trips with my girlfriends. That's not to say that I don't love time with my husband and kids, but I would never see my best friends if I didn't make an effort to see them.
I've spent the last 26 years traveling by train all along both US coasts, through the Midwest, and across the UK.
The Scenic Drive at Nevada's Red Rock Canyon will now require reservations.
Frontier Airlines is celebrating older travelers with a huge 55 percent discount for passengers 55 years old and older.