Travel Information for Hawaii Hotel Guests
If you are searching for an inn, hotel, motel or resort near an Hawaii attraction, amusement and theme parks, or close to shopping, cultural events, historic sites, museums and performing arts centers, or nearby zoos, a festival, a golf course, an Hawaii state park, this is where you will find it.
The moment you arrive in HAWAII, with its own language, distinctive music and hula, the Polynesian magic and its warm, friendly people take over. Hawaii is famed for its dazzling beaches, unrivaled for surfing and windsurfing, and its golf courses (eight Hawaii courses can be found in Golf Magazine’s list of Top 25 U.S. Golf Resorts). Beyond the great beaches and outdoor adventures, there are hundreds of cultural attractions, events and performances.
BIG ISLAND has its deep-blue ocean and sandy beaches, its rainforest hikes and the active Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the number one visitors attraction in Hawaii.; it is the Earth’s longest- ever recorded continuous lava eruption; Kilauea Visitor Center, located just inside the park entrance, offers visitor information and exhibits; Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, about three miles from the park entrance, offers earth science displays and features murals depicting Hawaiian culture. On the slopes of Kilauea, Akatsuka Orchid Gardens has one of the largest collections of orchids in Hawaii. Attractions at HILO include Rainbow Falls, one of the Big Island's loveliest waterfalls, and the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory which offers tours of the acadamia nut factory and orchards; located on the outskirts of Hilo the Nani Mau Gardens provides visitors with 20 acres of garden experiences including fruit orchard with coffee, macadamia nut and chocolate trees. Visitors can see the Kamehameha Statue, the original statue of Hawaii’s first ruler, at KAPAAUK, in North Kohala, Kamehameha’s birthplace; replicas of these statues are also on display in Hilo at Wailoa Park and on Oahu in front of Iolani Palace. LAPAKAHI STATE HISTORICAL PARK was once an ancient Hawaiian fishing village; now this swimming and snorkeling spot offers lessons in Hawaiian history and archaeology, and a fine marine preserve to explore. Hawaiian natural and cultural history is on permanent display at The Lyman House Memorial Museum. Visitors can discover the colorful paniolo (cowboy) heritage of Waimea at PARKER RANCH, the largest private ranch under single ownership in the United States; find out about the ranch's history, visit the museum, tour the two historic homes and enjoy a wagon ride. Up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu or one of the ancient laws against the gods could avoid certain death by fleeing to the PUUHONUA O HONAUNAU place of refuge. North of the town of Honokaa, WAIPIO was once the home of kings of old Hawaii.
KAUAI island is remarkable for its spectacular and widely varied landscape from Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific," to the Napali Coast, with cliffs rising 2,700 feet and more than 40 white sand beaches. The COCONUT COAST Is an ideal area to experience the beauty of Kauai, especially with a visit to the Wailua area and the dramatic 80-foot Wailua Falls, Nounou Mountain resembling a reclining giant, and the Wailua River, a favorite for kayaking and boating and the only route to the Fern Grotto. The Kauai Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the culture of Kauai and features cultural exhibits as well as the work of local artists. Cliffs rising as high as 4,000 feet are accessible along the beautiful Kalalau Trail on the NA PALI COAST; hiking, helicopter or rafting trips offer spectacular views of the region. The National Tropical Botanical Garden in LAWAI aims to preserve tropical-plant diversity and provide research and education. POIPU BEACH has some wonderful beaches, and the Spouting Horn where water, forced into a lava tube by the surf, gushes into the air making an eerie hissing noise. PRINCEVILLE is home to some of Hawaii's finest resorts, golf courses and restaurants; it is the site of three beaches, Pu'u Poa (thumping point), Kenomene Beach, and Kaweonui Beach. There are lagoons, exotic birds, a train ride through a rain forest, a Polynesian village, a Japanese island and a Filipino village at Smith’s Tropical Paradise. Described by Mark Twain as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", Waimea Canyon stretches 10 miles and offers scenic hiking trails, camping, fishing and bird-watching. Wildlife Refuges include the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge where the opening scenes of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" were shot, and the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, a refuge for nesting seabirds and an isolated promontory where the lighthouse sits.
LANAI island has miles of tropical and mountain landscapes offering several attractions; Mt. Lanaihale is a vantage point from which all of Hawaii's islands except Kauai and Niihau can be seen. One of the most unique villages in America, LANAI CITY, was built in the 1920's by Dole Pineapple Company, with plantation houses painted every color of the rainbow.
Ringed by 120 miles of coastline, MAUI island boasts over 30 miles of beaches and has a wealth of fun and cultural attractions; including Bailey House Museum where the treasures of ancient Hawaii are set out for visitors to this missionary home where the Kings of Hawaii once lived. HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK is the site where the demigod Maui captured the sun and held it captive to give his mother more daylight hours so her kapa cloth could dry; a public observatory stands on the rim of the volcano’s crater. Hana Cultural Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of HANA through artifactS, documents, photographs. The Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center has art education programs for adults and children, art exhibits, and a gift shop, on an historic estate on magnificent grounds in Upcountry Maui. IAO VALLEY STATE PARK was once the site of bloody battles; it now includes the Kula Heritage Gardens and the Kula Botanical Gardens. KAANAPALI is home to a perfect three-mile white sand beach, impressive hotels, fine restaurants and shopping, and two ocean view championship golf courses. LAHAINA TOWN was the Royal capital of the islands until 1845; its many attractions include the Whalers Village Museum which recounts the history of Lahaina's whaling era from 1825 to 1860 through the eyes of the ordinary sailor; see Historic Lahaina Town and the Lahaina Kaanapali and ride the Pacific Railroad sugar cane train. The Maui Ocean Center is a 3-acre, state-of-the-art aquarium and marine park located at Ma'alaea Harbor Village. Acres of Hawaii's most popular commercial crops and exotic flowers are grown at Maui Tropical Plantation. The Pacific Whale Foundation is a marine research, education and conservation organization; its eco-adventures offers whalewatches, wild dolphin encounters and snorkel cruises. Nestled along 1.5 miles of Maui's spectacular southern coastline, WAILEA is one of the world's leading luxury destinations, with a host of outstanding shopping, dining and recreational amenities.
MOLOKAI island may not be a large island, but it offers infinite variety in its terrain from bleached white to jet black beaches, rugged sea cliffs, lowland desert, rain forest, bogs, fern forests, grasslands, and lowland forest. On the eastern tip of the island is the Halawa Valley, a pristine gorge that follows waterfalls and pools down to the sea. Kalaupapa is a national historical park preserving the history and lessons to be learnt of the isolated community where Father Damien once ministered; access is by air or mule train down a 1,700ft. switch back trail. In Palaau State Park, overlooking the Makanalua Peninsula and Kaluapapa 1,600 feet below, a trail leads to Phallic Rock, a natural formation that became a shrine where island women prayed for fertility.
OAHU is the most diverse of the Hawaiian islands with a dazzling array of beaches stretching over 112 miles, attractions, activities, and venues. Cosmopolitan HONOLULU showcases the best museums and arts & culture exhibits in the State including the Iolani Palace, the official residence of King Kalakaua and his Queen, Kapiolani, from 1882 until the King's death in 1891; this National Historic Landmark is the only royal palace under the American flag; Bishop Museum has exhibits exploring the people, places and events of Hawaii's past; at Pearl Harbor the USS Arizona Memorial, above the sunken battleship, is a tribute to Americans killed during the attack on December 7, 1941; the USS Bowfin, a restored World War II submarine, is on exhibit next to the Arizona Memorial; across the Arizona Memorial, at Ford Island, is the Battleship Missouri, the warship where the Instrument of Surrender, ending World War II, was signed. The Polynesian Cultural Center is Hawaii’s favorite visitor attraction, showcasing seven Pacific Island villages on 42 tropical acres. History, culture, nightlife, and beach activities are just some of the many exciting experiences available in WAIKIKI; attractions include the Waikiki Aquarium, the third oldest public aquarium in the United States. Formed by violent steam explosions 300,000 years ago, Diamond Head is now recognised as a National Natural Landmark, offering a spectacular 360-degree view of Honolulu and the coast.
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