For my Big Island Bird-Watching Adventure, I chose to rent with Avis Car Rental Hilo. Why? Price, of course. I would've much rather gone with Alamo, which, spoiler alert, was confirmed by this experience, but Avis was much cheaper for my dates. So, Avis, it was. … [Read more...] about Review: Avis Car Rental Hilo
Trip Reports
Review: Tali’s Bagels and Schmear
Recently, I had a hankering for some bagels & lox. Since we were in the area, I decided to check out Tali's Bagels and Schmear and Ward Center. This is the second bagel shop that's popped up in recent years, the other being Montreal-style bagel spot Empty Elle's in Kailua. … [Read more...] about Review: Tali’s Bagels and Schmear
Review: Obake Honolulu
The loss of Kaimuki's HeiHo House was a gut-punch to me. There, they served up quirky, unique, yet insanely delicious food and drink, by some of the best people in the industry. So I was elated to hear that the team would be back together at a completely different concept: Obake Honolulu. … [Read more...] about Review: Obake Honolulu
Review: Hawaiian Airlines 212 HNL-ITO
As I mentioned in my introductory post, I chose not to fly Southwest Airlines to Hilo because of the poor timing. That's how we found ourselves on Hawaiian Airlines 212 - the first time I've purchased an inter-island flight on Hawaiian in nearly a decade. … [Read more...] about Review: Hawaiian Airlines 212 HNL-ITO
Alaska Air 837 SJC-HNL
Bringing my Living It Up In California series to a close is a final flight review. In this case, it's Alaska Air 837 SJC-HNL. I really wished Alaska would've had better options, or at least better timing for our return flight. Alas, this wasn't the case, which is why we ended up staying close to the airport on our last night. … [Read more...] about Alaska Air 837 SJC-HNL
Review: Hyatt House San Jose Airport
For our final night in the Bay Area, I wanted to book a hotel close to our airport, especially since we weren't flying in and out of San Francisco. After much research, I settled on the Hyatt House San Jose Airport. … [Read more...] about Review: Hyatt House San Jose Airport
Review: Topogato
The very last thing we did in San Francisco was to hunt down Topogato - a boutique chocolate maker specializing in gourmet truffles, chocolate bars, and more. I had actually tried to order online from them and ship it home a while back, but shipping charges to Hawaii were so high that I decided to wait until we were in the area. … [Read more...] about Review: Topogato
Review: Dim Sum at Yank Sing
During our last visit to the Bay Area, we checked out the phenomenal take on Chinese dim sum - Mister Jiu's. But as much as we loved that restaurant, we wanted to try something more traditional, so I booked a brunch reservation for dim sum at Yank Sing. … [Read more...] about Review: Dim Sum at Yank Sing
Review: The Progress SF
Do you know what's more difficult than choosing a hotel in San Francisco? Picking a dinner spot. With just two nights to play in the city, I had to pick carefully. As such, I decided to book a table at one of the hottest restaurants in the Bay Area: The Progress SF. … [Read more...] about Review: The Progress SF
Review: Hyatt Regency San Francisco
After our too-brief stay at the Alila Napa Valley, it was time for us to head into the city. I long vacillated over what hotel to stay at and eventually settled on the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on Embarcadero. … [Read more...] about Review: Hyatt Regency San Francisco