Airbnb, the loved and hated marketplace for sharing space across the globe, continues its launch of City Hosts. This new website offers a unique localized perspective of the city. In other words, Airbnb is trying to tap a trending tourist market, where tourists don't want to be tourists. Currently, City Hosts is under beta testing. This means you have to be invited … [Read more...] about Airbnb Launches City Hosts
Trip Reports
Wineries: Cable Bay Vineyards Waiheke Island
On the island of Waiheke (a 7 minute helicopter ride from Auckland), we made a stop at Cable Bay Vineyards. … [Read more...] about Wineries: Cable Bay Vineyards Waiheke Island
Dining Review: Star Noodle
If you've been following along with my Valentines weekend trip to Maui, you'll know that we stayed on the Wailea side of the island. Unfortunately we weren't able to make it into the Lahaina/Kaanapali area this time around. However, the previous two time we were on island we did make it a point to get out to Maui's west side. We weren't staying out that side, but I made it a … [Read more...] about Dining Review: Star Noodle
Andaz Maui Dining
The Andaz Maui is a nice resort with great rooms on a beautiful beach. But what sets the Andaz Maui apart from many of the other properties around it is it's dining. Andaz Maui dining has a more local focus than other resort restaurants, though only at its own dining outlets. In total, the Andaz Maui has 5 dining venues: Ka'ana Kitchen Lehua Lounge Bumbye Beach … [Read more...] about Andaz Maui Dining
Ali’i Kula Lavender
When we arrived at the Andaz Maui in Wailea we were informed that our room wasn't ready yet. Rather than wait around for an undisclosed amount of time, the wife and I decided to head out. Not wanting to be gone too long we simply headed to Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm on the slopes of Haleakala. The final couple of miles to Ali'i Kula Lavender are really windy and narrow … [Read more...] about Ali’i Kula Lavender
New Zealand – Lake Tekapo
On our journey from Wanaka to Christ Church, we stopped at Lake Tekapo. I mentioned in our Queenstown - Things to Do post that if you want to do some star gazing then Lake Tekapo is your spot. However, the Lake is beautiful during the day as well. … [Read more...] about New Zealand – Lake Tekapo
Cinnamon’s at the Ilikai
Hawaii has an obsession with breakfast and brunch. Why? I don't really know. What I do know is that some of our favorite dishes are primarily breakfast foods. Think local style (Japanese-based) fried rice, loco moco, and corned beef hash. And one of the very first restaurants dedicated to brunch was Cinnamon's in Kailua. Nearly two years ago Cinnamon's opened a second … [Read more...] about Cinnamon’s at the Ilikai
Ko Olina Dining Guide
Ko Olina Resort is a great place to stay if you want to kick back and relax. It's far from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki and Downtown Honolulu, which is both good and bad. Positive points of staying in Ko Olina are the lack of crowds, congestion, noise, etc. But with that serenity comes a negative; Ko Olina lacks shopping and has limited dining options. While greater … [Read more...] about Ko Olina Dining Guide
Aulani Dining
In my last post I went over Aulani's Accommodations, mainly the Disney Vacation Club villas, so this time around I'll be covering Aulani Dining. Why? Well, despite the perception that there's few options, Aulani does have a TON of different dining options ranging from quick-service to upscale fare. 'Ama'Ama To me the best and only sit-down restaurant at Aulani is … [Read more...] about Aulani Dining
Hawaiian Airlines SEA-HNL
At the beginning of our PNW Adventure, we flew Hawaiian Airlines HNL-PDX, which was an afternoon departure with late night arrival. For our return trip home we flew Hawaiian Airlines SEA-HNL, which was an early morning departure with a midday arrival. This meant an EARLY start to our day and a pre-dawn Uber ride from our hotel out to SEA. Hawaiians ground staff at SEA are … [Read more...] about Hawaiian Airlines SEA-HNL