Why here?
In addition to stunning scenery, Hawaii offers adventurous outdoor activities; fresh cuisine drawing on numerous cultures; and varied, incredible properties, like the new Four Seasons Ko Olina (pictured) on Oahu's west shore -- secluded far from the bustling resorts of Waikiki.
NEW FLIGHTS
• Virgin America now offers daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Maui, Honolulu and Oahu.
• Hawaiian Airlines has resumed seasonal nonstops between Kona and Oakland, Calif., and Kona and Los Angeles, during peak season (May through September).
• Island Air now offers six daily roundtrip flights between Honolulu and Kauai, and five daily roundtrips between Honolulu and Kona.
DINING COMPANIONS
Perched on lava cliffs, the Sheraton Kona's Rays on the Bay restaurant offers more than just beautiful views: It's the only eatery in Hawaii where you can watch manta rays swim below as you dine.
#HAWAII
The Hawaii Tourism Authority's new GoHawaii app features weather, info on activities and local sites of interest, and -- most importantly -- Hawaii-inspired emojis. (Yes, Spam musubi is one of them.) The app is available for iPhone and Android.
MAUI
Local Update
• The 806-room Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa has transformed several of its event spaces. The 18,000-square-foot Monarchy Ballroom now divides into seven breakout rooms and features improved lighting and open-air prefunction space; a former garden has been converted into a new 9,500-square-foot event space overlooking Ka'anapali Beach; and a new 3,333-square-foot club lounge offers breakfast and light refreshments throughout the day. The property features over 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space.
• The 200-room Residence Inn Maui Wailea -- the first of the extended-stay brand to open in the state -- debuted in September. The property has 1,760 square feet of indoor meeting space, including a 410-square-foot boardroom.
• The 759-room Westin Maui Resort & Spa Ka'anapali has completed a $70 million renovation of all 553 guest rooms in the Ocean Tower. The property has 46,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, five pools and a spa. A luau accompanied by Hawaiian and Polynesian songs takes place three nights per week.
Meeting Hotels: Properties on the island include the 759-room Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali; 543-room Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa; 508-room Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa; 463-room Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua; 450-room Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui; 383-room Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea; and 297-room Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort.
Airport Transit: Kahului Airport is about 33 miles from Kapalua. Transfer cost by taxi, $100; by shuttle, $79
Wailea is about 20 miles away. Transfer cost by taxi, $51; by shuttle, $43
Taxes: Room tax, 9.25%; sales tax 4.16%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13.416%
Group Venue: The Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, a Mediterranean-style former home designed in 1917, is set on a 25-acre site of one of Maui's earliest sugar mills and is rich with avocado trees, native Hawaiian flora and views of the West Maui Mountains. It features various indoor and outdoor event spaces, including a solarium, a reflection pond and a lawn, for up to 250. Nonprofit pricing is available. (808) 572-6560
Contact: Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, (808) 923-1811
ISLAND CULTURE
The youngest U.S. state, Hawaii has a rich and unique history of its own. The
Hawaii Convention Center, which offers a $2.5 million collection of local art, recently unveiled three new cultural exhibits to highlight the state's unique culture and bring a Hawaiian sense of place into the convention center halls.
Honoring the Hawaiian slack key guitar
Dating back to the 1800s, when Spanish and Mexican cowboys brought guitars to Hawaii, slack key guitar uses tunings and techniques to mimic ancient chants common in Hawaiian singing. The artifacts and instruments in this exhibit were shown earlier this year at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
Paging the Beach Boys
The story of how Hawaiian surfers brought their surfboards and lifestyle to California is told in this exhibit, which includes rare and vintage surfboards, oil paintings and other surf memorabilia.
Ahu'ula o Kekuhaupi'o
This exhibit honors Kekuhaupi'o -- an influential yet little known Hawaiian chief, martial arts master and warrior -- with a newly commissioned replica of the vibrant feather cloak ('ahu'ula) and helmet worn by the chief.
ROLL YOUR OWN
Groups big and small can experience private sushi-making lessons at the Hyatt Regency Maui's award-winning Japengo restaurant. Attendees learn knife skills, how to properly cook sushi rice and other techniques while preparing maki sushi and hand rolls. As a bonus, attendees are given recipes to take home.
OAHU
Local Update
• The world's largest Hilton Garden Inn, the 623-room Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach, opened in June. The property is just two blocks from Waikiki Beach and near popular shopping, dining and entertainment areas.
• This past summer, the 1,000-room Sheraton Princess Kaiulani in Waikiki conducted a soft refresh of all 280 guest rooms on the top 10 floors of its Ainahau Tower. The upgrade includes new furniture, artwork and other decorative accents, along with fresh carpets, linens and mattresses.
• The Pacific Beach Hotel is undergoing a $115 million revamp and will become the 839-room Alohilani Resort at Waikiki Beach, opening in fall 2017. Two new restaurants created by famed chef Masaharu Morimoto will be added to the property, which will pay homage to Hawaii's heritage and the state's last reigning monarch, Queen Lili'uokalani. It remains open during the transformation.
Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 2,860-room Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort; 1,636-room Sheraton Waikiki; 426-room Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach; 359-room Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa; 353-room The Modern Honolulu, and 311-room Ambassador Hotel Waikiki.
Convention Center: Hawaii Convention Center; exhibit space, 204,249 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 49. (808) 943-3500
Airport Transit: Honolulu International Airport, eight miles west of the Hawaii Convention Center. Transfer cost by taxi, $35
Taxes: Room tax, 9.25%; sales tax, 4.712%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13.96%
Group Venue: Since 1850, the Kualoa Ranch has hosted events for up to 12,000 people -- plus a few dinosaurs when the place was used as a filming location for Jurassic Park. The 4,000-acre reserve includes the Ranch House, a pavilion overlooking Kane'ohe Bay that seats up to 250 people, and the white-sand beach of Secret Island, which offers kayaking and beach volleyball and seats up to 400 in dining tents. For functions with smaller groups, the Dupree Cottage seats up to 50 people and the Hale Nanea open-air pavilion seats 90. (800) 231-7321
Contact: Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, (808) 923-1811