Prince Winter Escape free nights offered

Prince Resorts Hawaii photo

Sunset at the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort, one of three Prince Resorts offering a winter escape package.

Prince Resorts Hawaii is offering a “Prince Winter Escape” free night promotion, valid through March 31, 2013, for those seeking to escape to Hawaii’s sunny beaches and balmy weather.

Enjoy a complimentary night at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island, and at the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki and Golf Club on Oahu. Prince Preferred Members also receive 2,500 bonus HawaiianMiles when booking this promotion with a five-night stay.

Promotion details are as follows:

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel: “Prince Winter Escape” rates start at $499 per night for a Mountain View room and offers a fourth complimentary night when guests book a stay of three consecutive nights. The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel was developed by famed financier Laurance S. Rockefeller who is reputed to have said, “every great beach deserves a great hotel” and built the Mauna Kea overlooking the best beach in the state of Hawaii. The Mauna Kea also features Robert Trent Jones, Sr.’s award-winning 18-hole golf course that recently completed updates and beautification by Rees Jones.

Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel: The special rate begins at $465 per night for a Partial Oceanview category room. When guests book two consecutive nights, they receive a third night free and a daily $100 resort credit. Resort credit may be used for golf, dining, and more. Sharing the 1,800-acre Mauna Kea Resort in Kohala with its sister, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel provides guests with contemporary comforts amid a serene Hawaiian ambience. The hotel recently completed a room renewal. Among its many guest amenities is an 18-hole Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay designed golf course.

Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki and Golf Club: “Prince Winter Escape” room rates start at $295 per night for an Oceanfront Marina category room and guests receive a free third night when booking two consecutive nights. The hotel’s exceptional Hawaii Regional and authentic Japanese cuisine make it a popular gathering place for visitors as well as locals.

Note: Black out dates and restrictions may apply. To book, visit www.PrinceResortsHawaii.com/Winter or call 1.866.PRINCE.6 (1.866.774.6236).

Malulani Pavilion open to special events at Holualoa Inn

Holualoa Inn

The new Malulani Pavilion at Holualoa Inn on Hawaii Island.

Holualoa Inn recently unveiled Hawaii's newest events venue, Malulani Pavilion. The open-air Malulani Pavilion offers a beautiful, tropical setting for hosting weddings, receptions, parties, events, corporate gatherings, fundraisers, family reunions and more.

Accommodating up to 120 guests and showcasing stellar views of the Kona Coast, Malulani Pavilion features an upscale gathering space highlighted by open-beam vaulted ceilings, a bar area and an enclosed commercial kitchen. The lawn fronting the Pavilion can be tented for additional space.

Surrounding the Pavilion, lushly landscaped tropical gardens are illuminated by tiki torches and romantic outdoor lighting. Available for day and evening events, the Pavilion can also be rented in conjunction with the main residence, which features six rooms and suites and comfortably sleeps 12 guests.

Additionally, Holualoa Inn's network of local vendors can provide an array of services, everything from event planning and facilitating to catering, florals, live music, photography, videography and traditional Hawaiian cultural experiences. For smaller gatherings, the Inn also features a poolside gazebo and additional niches on site.

Hibiscus Room at the Holualoa Inn.

Situated in the heart of Kona Coffee country on Hawaii's Big Island, Holualoa Inn is a prime destination for romantic getaways, honeymoon retreats and tropical vacations in paradise. Surrounded by bountiful gardens, tropical landscaping, orchards and ancient Hawaiian trails, Holualoa Inn is located within walking distance of the shops and art galleries of Holualoa Village, and is a 5-minute drive from downtown Kailua-Kona. Guests will enjoy farm-to-table gourmet breakfasts made with ingredients grown on site, as well as 100-percent Kona Coffee harvested from the property.


At 76-5932 Mamalahoa Highway. Call 808. 324.1121.

Maui Beach Hotel introduces B&B package

The Maui Beach Hotel is offering a "Bed and Breakfast" package through Dec. 31, 2013, with rates starting from $119 per night for a standard room.

Included in the price is hot breakfast for two in the Rainbow Terrace Dining Room (guests receive one breakfast credit for two people, per day) and free parking.

The 147-room Maui Beach Hotel, an Aqua Hotels & Resorts property, and longtime kamaaina favorite, features guest rooms with private lanais and refrigerators. Other complimentary amenities include fitness center access, fresh water swimming pool, high speed Internet and free airport shuttle service.

Rate quoted is based on best available rate, single or double occupancy plus taxes, and cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion. Blackout periods apply.  For reservations, book online at www.mauibeachhotel.net or call 808.924.6543.

 At 170 Kaahumanu Ave. in Kahului.

Whale watch season begins

Atlantis Navatek Cruises

The beginning of winter coincides with Whale Watch Season in Hawaii. Each year between November and May, as many as 10,000 humpback whales make their annual 3,000-mile-long journey from the North Pacific to Hawaii to mate and give birth to their calves. While visiting the islands, the cetaceans—which can weigh up to 45 tons—are often seen just off the Maui coastline. The fifth largest of the whales, the humpbacks are seen breaching, spouting, and slapping their tails.
For tips on viewing the winter whales, visit wikiwikihawaii.blogspot.com/p/winter-whales.html

Here are a couple of recent offers:

Shutterstock.com courtesy Outrigger Hotels

Outrigger Hotel and Resorts' Maui condominiums: Guests staying at the Outrigger Royal Kahana and Outrigger Napili Shores have a front-row seat in viewing humpback whales as they complete their winter migration to the Valley Isle. Rates starting at $195 per night for an ocean-view room.
For reservations or information, call a travel professional or Outrigger Hotels and Resorts at 1-866-956-4262 within the U.S., Guam and Canada. For online information or reservations, log on at www.outrigger.com.

Atlantis Navatek Cruises: Offers the rare opportunity to see the humpback whales as they swim, play and care for their young along Oahu’s south shore.
Navatek’s SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) technology and unique, double-hulled design lifts the passenger-carrying compartment above the ocean’s surface, limiting wave action against the vessel as guests are carried past Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head and along the East Oahu coastline.
The innovative design allows Atlantis to carry guests closer to the prime viewing locations for humpback whales in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary off East Oahu.
During the tour, an onboard naturalist provides insightful commentary about the whales’ characteristics and behavior. (If the naturalist does not see a humpback, all guests are offered a complimentary return whale watch cruise with the buffet available for an added fee.)
The 140-foot Navatek comfortably seats 300 guests and features upper and lower observation decks that are perfect for seeing the humpback whales in action, along with two air-conditioned dining rooms with large picture windows.
>> Atlantis’s Whale Watch Lunch Cruise: Offered through April 14, 2013. Navatek departs from Pier 6 at Aloha Tower Marketplace at 12:15 p.m. and returns to port at 2:30 p.m. Cost is $79 for adults and $42 for children (ages 7-12). Children 6 and younger are free. The all-you-can-eat buffet features teriyaki chicken, fresh catch of the day, dessert, and soft drinks. Complimentary round-trip ground transportation from Waikiki is provided.
>> Whale Watch Morning Cruise: Offered through April 7, 2013. Departs from Pier 6 at 9 a.m. and returns to port at 11 a.m. Cost is $54 for adults and $30 for children (ages 7-12). Children age 6 and younger are free. Free soft drinks, guava juice, coffee and tea are provided, with breakfast items and snacks available for purchase. Complimentary round-trip ground transportation from Waikiki is provided.

For more information or to book a tour, call (800) 548-6262 or visit www.atlantissubmarines.com.

Spend new year on Kauai

Aqua Hotels & Resorts photo

Aqua Hotels & Resorts Kauai Sands Hotel is offering a "Kamaaina Special" available through Jan. 31, 2013.

The oceanfront property is offering rates starting at $75 for a deluxe pool view room, $85 for a deluxe ocean view room and $95 for a junior suite with kitchenette. Kamaaina booking the special also receive free daily parking, free 10 a.m. early check-in and free 3 p.m. late check-out.

Located on the Coconut Coast in Kapaa, the island-style Kauai Sands Hotel sits on 6 acres of lush lawns and tropical gardens with a private oceanside jogging path and two outdoor swimming pools. The Kauai Sands Hotel is an easy 10-minute walk to the Coconut Marketplace and Kapaa town.

The ‘Kamaaina Special” is available now until January 31, 2013 (blackout periods apply). Rate quoted is based on best available rate, single or double occupancy plus taxes, and cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion. Blackout periods apply.

A valid Hawaii I.D. is required at check-in. For reservations, book online at www.kauaisandshotel.com or call 808.924.6543.


420 Papaloa Road,  Kapaa. Call 808.822.4951.

Outrigger helps couples renew vows

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts photos

A kahu presides over guests' beachfront vow renewals at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach.

Maybe you didn't make plans, but caught up in the romance of paradise, you feel compelled to tell the world about your continuing love story.

Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach makes it easy to share your romance with the return of its free, beachfront vow-renewal ceremony, which invites couples to recommit to one another in a Hawaiian ceremony on the hotel’s oceanfront lanai fronting iconic Waikiki Beach and the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. The vow renewal ceremonies for guests of the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach are available at 7:45 a.m. every Monday and Thursday.

More than 9,000 vows have been exchanged since the program launched in 2003 providing guests a memorable and distinctive Hawaii experience. The non-denominational Hawaiian ceremony is conducted by a Hawaiian officiant and begins with a traditional Hawaiian welcome chant. Couples are then treated to a hula and serenaded with Hawaiian song before being blessed with a gentle sprinkling of sea water and reciting vows in the Hawaiian language.

More than 9,000 couples have renewed their vows through the 

Outrigger Hotels & Resort's free vow renewal program.

The ceremony concludes with a performance of the beautiful "Hawaiian Wedding Song," accompanied by a hula. A commemorative certificate is presented to each couple at the conclusion of the ceremony to remember the day.

Vow-renewal ceremonies also take place every Tuesday and Friday at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach. Couples must sign up at their respective hotel’s concierge desk by 3 p.m. the day before the ceremony. In addition to Waikiki, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts offers free vow renewal ceremonies to guests on the islands of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii Island. Each vow-renewal ceremony was created with the guidance of a Hawaiian cultural expert to provide a distinctive and culturally-rich experience to help couples celebrate their love as well as the history and heritage of the island.

Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach offers rates starting from $259 per night (plus tax) and commands one of the best locations on Waikiki Beach, at 2335 Kalakaua Ave. Reserve by calling toll free 1-(800)-OUTRIGGER (1-800-688-7444) within the United States, Guam and Canada. Elsewhere call direct to (303)-369-7777 (long distance charges apply). Or, visit www.outriggerwaikiki.com or e-mail reservations@outrigger.com.

Aqua Lotus gets a facelift

Aqua Hotels & Resorts photo

The Aqua Lotus guest rooms get a clean, sleek makeover.

Guests checking into Aqua Hotels & Resorts 51-room Aqua Lotus Honolulu will find a fresh new look awaiting, with the recent completion of guest room renovations and upgrades totaling $2.5 million.

The boutique Aqua Lotus Honolulu was transformed under the direction of Kory Wong-Oglesby of deZigns Interior Planning, which took a minimalist approach with the use of clean sleek lines. A darker wood finish was utilized to help accentuate the white walls and cool color tones, with subtle tropical patterns on the upholstery and bedding.

Custom artwork of local artist/photographer Kaypee Soh compliments both the in-room aesthetic and the sweeping views of Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean. Guest rooms also received 42-inch flat-screen LCD HDTVs, as well as upgraded bedding and linen.

For reservations within Hawaii, call Aqua at (808) 924-6543, or dial toll free at 1-(866) 406-2782. Located at 2885 Kalakaua Ave., the hotel enjoys a tranquil and quiet setting within walking distance to the Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Aquarium, Kapiolani Park and Waikiki Shell.

More information: www.aqualotus.com

The new guest bathroom.