Here’s TV’s ‘Fantasy Island’ in Real Life on Kauai

Nostalgic TV fans may recognize this view of Allerton Garden as the home of Ricardo Montalban and friends on Fantasy Island. In real life, these beachfront acres were the home of John Allerton,… Continue reading

Hiking Hawaii: What you need to know to not screw up

To stay safe, even fit, experienced trekkers need a crash course on trail hiking in the mountains and jungles of Hawaii. First of all, even popular trails are going to have rough patches.… Continue reading

The wild side of paradise is hidden on the Big Island

Between the tourist buzz of Kailua-Kona and the destination resorts of South Kohala is … well a whole lot of nothing—or, rather, nothing man-made. On this run of wild coast are some of… Continue reading

This is why Kauai is called the Garden Island

All the Islands have lush pockets, but Kauai—the farthest north and by far the oldest—is entirely a green landscape, with jungled ridges cleaved by streams that open to verdant fields.  This vista of… Continue reading

Trick or Treat: Maui’s north shore is a mixed (scary) bag of goodies

Once past the Ritz Carlton Resort headed north from jammed-packed Kapalua on Maui, the scene instantly changes to a rural highway hugging the coast for about 30 miles—all the way around to Wailuku… Continue reading

Kauai’s Coconut Coast is where Hawaii’s first Royalty chose to live.

The Coconut Coast of Kauai, its east shore, is cleaved by the Wailua River, by far the largest in the state, and it was chosen above all other locales in the Islands to… Continue reading

The Big Island’s Hamakua is like Maui’s Hana Highway without the hassle

Maui’s Hana Highway hugs a jungled coastline, crossing mossy one-lane bridges, botanical gardens, and umpteen spewing waterfalls. The Big Island’s Old Mamalaoha Highway on the Hamakua (northeast) coast does pretty much the same… Continue reading

Everybody’s gone surfin’ at Waimea Bay

The North Shore of Oahu boasts the Mt. Rushmore of pro-surfing venues—Pipeline, Haleiwa, Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay—where real-life beach boys and girls ride unreal waves. The shore also has a few dozen… Continue reading