Let’s go to O’hau and Maui………

O’hau

O’ahu will continually surprise you with all she has to discover. Hawai’i's “Gathering Place” is for visitors who want to indulge their senses and still be able to feel the throbbing heartbeat of Hawai’i's resort excitement.

O’hau is an island of contrasts, a cosmopolitian city back-dropped by two magnificent mountain ranges and home to Diamond Head and the beach that first made these islands famous – Waikiki.

O’hau has more restaurants than all the other islands combined. Picking and choosing is not an easy task, but for fast food that doesn’t taste like fast food, head to the Diamond Head Market & Grill, just outside of Waikiki.

If you have ever visited a Whole Foods Market – located throughout the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom – you’ll feel right at home at Diamond Head Market & Grill.

You can grab gourmet items – both inside at the deli or outside at the counter – before you embark on the day’s adventures. Kapi’olani Park is nearby and perfect for a picnic.

Chef and owner Kelvin Ro has assembled a stellar menu…but, craved-after items include blueberry cream-cheese scones and an irresistible portobello mushroom burger perfectly grilled.

Open Daily 7 Days a Week

Hours of Operation: Market/Bakery/Deli: 6:30am-9pm

Grill/breakfast:  7:00am-10:30am  Grill/lunch & dinner: 11:00am-9pm

Please note: breakfast ends 10:30am & lunch begins at 11:00am

3158 Monsarrat Ave. Honolulu, Hawaii 96815

(808) 732-0077  fax (808) 732-0088

Maui

When readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure magazines were asked to name the “best island destination in the world,” they chose Maui. Not once, mind you, but seven years running.

It’s really no wonder that this island’s sun blessed beaches, her “golf coasts” and scenic small towns nestled at the base of volcanic summits have captured the hearts of those who know her.  Maui, the second largest island in the Hawaiian chain, is many destinations in one.

Here you can golf, tennis, hike, bike, windsurf, snorkel, luxuriate in five-star comfort or kick back in a country bed and breakfast.

Only on Maui could the excitement of historic Lahaina Town with its trendy Hawai’i Regional Cuisine eateries give way to the solitude and serenity of a sumptuous sunrise at Haleakala crater.

No visit to Maui would be complete without a drive “upcountry.” Upcountry is a state of mind as well as a region that begins at about 1,000 feet above sea level at Pukalain and climbs up the slopes of magnificent Haleakala to the ranchland communities of Makawao, Kula, Keokea and ‘Ulupalakua.  This is home to Maui’s oldest and largest ranches, where paniolo, as Hawaiian cowboys are called, still ride the Maui range.

If you happen to find yourself “riding the range” in your rented 4-wheel drive jeep, head for Kula. Flower farms flourish here, where the upcountry climate provides a congenial home for protea, carnations, bird of paradise and orchids. Farms here also grow sweet Kula onions and giant strawberries as well as the exotic produce served in many of Maui’s best restaurants.

It’s no wonder that French native Thierry Michelier has lived on Maui for close to 30 years and says he “knows what locals like.”

At his Kula restaurant, La Provence, you can get tropical scones, apple turnovers, quiches, tarts, and croissants from Wednesday through Sunday (the only days they are open). But on Saturdays and Sundays, a full breakfast menu is served, including the ever popular salmon and spinach crepe.

Don’t ask for muffins or donuts. Chef Michelier won’t make them…

La Provence is located in Kula, in Maui’s Upcountry, high on the slopes of Haleakala (House of the Sun), overlooking Maui’s Central Valley.

To get there from Kahului, take Highway 37 up Haleakala until you get to Kula Hardware, at the corner of Highway 36 and Kaa Street.

Turn left on Kaa Street, then right on Lower Kula Road. La Provence is about 1/4 mile down Lower Kula Road, at 5355.
Hours of Operation

La Provence is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Don’t forget…tell them I sent you. Thanks so much!

Thanks for your time. If you have plans to visit Hawaii some day in the near future, I’m here to help. I am proud to say, I’ve been a Hawai’i Destination Specialist since 2005. Being a “specialist” gives me the ammunition to “make all your Hawaiian travel dreams come true!”

Please call me at 931-484-8228 or Email Me

In the words of Julia Child – “bon Appétit!”

That’s all well and good you say. But how do you find those out of the way places frequented by the locals?

I travel alone most of the time and have been able to develop a nonchalant attitude of bellying up to the bar at a local hotel, pub, or restaurant and getting into conversation with the person next to me. This person is usually a long-time resident and will more than likely know every hot spot in town that is worth a visit. He or she have probably been there, done that. If not, they know someone who has…

As I’m writing, something just came to mind….I have a message for all you single ladies who may be reading this. Come to think of it – married ladies as well… I’m not suggesting taking the “someone” you just met along with you – unless you want to.  I’m only saying it’s an effective way to get inside information about where you happen to be at the moment. Believe me – if he’s tall, dark and handsome and wearing an Armani suit and Gucci loafers – he’s probably married!

Here’s a tip: have a pad and pencil in hand while enjoying your beverage of choice…start jotting down notes to yourself and you’ll look the part of a professional writer out on the prowl for new material. Most folks love to brag about their surroundings to strangers…

Guess I got off the beaten path here…sorry Charlie. Let’s give this another try and take off for Hawaii.

Where the locals eat in Hawaii!

When you’re away from home and visiting the islands of Hawaii, where do you go for a good meal? Here are a few suggestions of how you can “immerse yourself in Hawaiian culture.” You’ll just have to guess at my sources…

Lana’i

Lana’i is a world apart from its neighbor islands of Maui and O’hau. It’s 13 miles wide and 18 miles long and is truly “Hawai’i's Secluded Island.”

Remote from the pressures of the outside world – relaxation is the name of the game.  Even though Lana’i is fast earning a reputation as a hideaway for the rich and famous, it’s still a place where you can sit back and enjoy the wonders of what was once the “pineapple paradise” of the Hawaiian island chain.

Lana’i may be small, but guests enjoy the best dining experience of two worlds. The elegance of award-winning resort dining or the casual comfort of family-run restaurants in Lana’i City. Here, “drive-in” meals or picnic spots can be created anywhere your four-wheel drive can take you.

May we suggest: Pele’s Other Garden…

By day, it’s a New York-style deli. By night, it’s an Italian bistro. Pele’s Other Garden is also the only restaurant on Lana’i – outside of the hotels – that has a liquor license.  For lunch, order the French dip sandwich. For dinner, start with the bruschetta and save room for the chicken parmesan.

License plates decorate the walls. Owners Mark and Barbara Zigmond hung up their old New Jersey plates when the restaurant opened in 1996. (Now you know why they have a much coveted liquor license. No Jerseyite worth their salt would operate a restaurant without one! – You’ll never guess where I once owned two restaurants…)  Anyhow, patrons from all 50 states have shipped the couple their own license plates.

As usual, if you do happen to stop by, please tell them I sent you! Thanks so much…

How do you get there? Well, all flights into the island of Lana’i connect from either Honolulu, O’hau or Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Lana’i is best explored with four-wheel drive vehicles. Dollar Rent A Car is most popular.

Hawaii’s Big Island

There is something sacred about Hawaii’s Big Island. Its sheer size, along with a landscape created by one of nature’s most powerful forces – volcanic eruptions – make this island both inspiring and awesome to behold.

If you find yourself in Hilo on Wednesday or Saturday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. you may want to stop at the Hilo Farmer’s Market for a quick bite. Here you can try tropical fruits that you never knew existed, such as mangosteen, white pineapple, rambutan, lychee, soursop, and durian.

Be prepared, though. You just might spend more than a few minutes cruising the aisles of over 200 vendors showing their wares – produce, crafts, and gift items. Best of all, this is where the locals shop. So go ahead…mingle through as if you’re a resident. Never know – the day may come that you are a resident!

That’s all for now folks!    to be continued….

Thanks for your time. If you have plans to visit Hawaii some day in the near future, I’m here to help. I am proud to say, I’ve been a Hawai’i Destination Specialist since 2005. Being a “specialist” gives me the ammunition to “make all your Hawaiian travel dreams come true!”

Please call me at 931-484-8228 or Email Me

Food for thought…

This is jackfruit. According the Wikipedia, jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. Native to the South and Southeast Asia, the fruit can reach up to 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior of the fruit is brownish-green or yellow when ripe. The sweet yellow bubble gum flavored flesh encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. The seed is 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. There may be 100 or more seeds in a single fruit. Jackfruit is something of an acquired taste, but it is very popular in many parts of the world. Some says that the sweet yellow flesh taste like bubble gum, pineapple & banana or even cantaloupe. Jackfruit can be found, just about, year round at the Hilo Farmers Market especially on Saturday. Some vendors may have the fruit already cut ready to eat, other may have the whole fruit. One fruit can be a feast for the whole neighborhood.

If you are an avid cruiser, you are well aware of how ships are growing in size from one year to the next.  The bigger they get, the more people they hold. The more people they hold, the longer the lines are for food service in the buffet, getting into the theater, waiting for a drink, and getting on and off ship while in port.

Once you’re off the ship, it’s than another set of lines waiting to get you on and off sightseeing motor coaches. Sort of like herding sheep. Trying to find the right coach for the right tour is yet another challenge. Cruising is not for wimps…

Relief is on the way!

Any cruiser will tell you that shore excursions are an integral part of the cruise experience. They give you a taste of the destinations beyond port attractions and open up a world of possibilities for enjoyment beyond the decks of the ship.  But, as many experienced cruisers will tell you, the excursions offered by the cruise companies are getting stale. Intimate on-shore excursions are in demand – especially for “foodies” looking for new wine and food experiences.

Thanks to companies like ShoreTrips, you can have a broader range of shore excursions than ever before including culinary adventures.

Founded by former travel agents Barry and Julie Kemp, ShoreTrips offers tours that last just long enough for the average port dockage – with a few key differences.  They offer the same things the ships offer, but offer it in a smaller way with companies that are passionate and with guides that are trained to be ambassadors of where they live.

ShoreTrips’ goals are simple: to provide a unique and authentic experience of each port in an intimate setting – a drastic contrast to the hundred-person shore excursions offered by most major cruise lines.

One of ShoreTrips’ biggest assets is the thoughtfulness of its founders, who’ve devised exciting excursions based on their love of travel and knowledge of the destination. In Nassau, for example, the Kemps found that clients who didn’t want to spend the day at Atlantis had little else to do during their day at port.  So they found a great little hotel called Graycliff, a Relais & Chateaux property that’s within walking distance from the port, and put together a package. For $119 you tour the wine cellar, the third largest in the Caribbean. You then have a multi-course lunch with wine in one of their beautiful dinning rooms. It’s then off to another portion of the building extension that has a cigar rolling factory.

These are experiences most cruiser don’t know about. For passengers looking for a more value-added experience, it’s a winning combination. Instead of racing around the island, you have this tour that’s wonderful, relaxing and affordable.

In Costa Maya, every cruise company has a trip to the ruins. But because ShoreTrips doesn’t require its tour operators to accommodate cruise ship-sized groups, it’s able to give clients a more intimate experience of the attraction. They use two locals who live in the village. They go to the village, meet with the villagers and the kids, and learn to make tortillas. They then sit down to lunch with everybody…

Now…that’s the way to experience a destination.

You can book directly online with ShoreTrips. They are but a click away. Tell them I sent you!

Better yet, you can let me book your cruise and take care of your shore excursions all at the same time. Call me, Elaine Johnston, Culinary Cruises & Tours, at 931-484-8228 or Email Me . I make booking your next vacation easy as pie – even if baking a pie is not one of your favorite things…

Thanks for your time. Have a great day!

elaine