now that Southwest flies to Hawaii...

... where are you going to stay?

Today, Southwest Airlines launched its long-awaited service to Hawaii with the departure of Flight 6808 from Oakland, California (my home airport) to Honolulu. Passengers were greeted with leis both on boarding and upon their arrival into HNL. Service will continue to expand with a second OAK-HNL flight on March 24th, flights to Maui on April 7th, and service to Kona on May 12th.

These will be no-frills flights with nothing but Coach seats to be had for the long 5 1/2 hour flights. Neither will full meals be available. By adding seats to the Oakland-Hawaii market, the price of coach seats will likely come down. On the other hand, I highly recommend flying First Class on Alaska or Hawaiian. Pricing is surprisingly affordable, and both airlines offer comfortable First Class service and full meals. Some Hawaiian Airlines planes even have lie-flat sleeper seats.

Where to stay in Hawaii? I've listed my favorite hotels, and Ourisman Travel offers you added value by providing free breakfasts, $100 hotel credits, upgrades, and more — all at the same regular prices you're seeing online.

Honolulu
The Kahala Resort
Halekulani
The Royal Hawaiian
Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina

Maui
Four Seasons Maui
Andaz Maui
Fairmont Kea Lani
Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Bay
Montage Kapalua

Kona
Four Seasons Hualalai
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Fairmont Orchid
Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resort

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Honolulu | warm weather winter getaway

Waikiki Beach panoramic shot — double click for full size

Dreaming of a warm weather winter getaway? Does the dirty snow, grey skies, and cold temperatures of winter get you down? Honolulu is one of many antidotes to your winter problem. It is the destination in Hawaii with the most non-stops flights from cities in the US, Canada, and even Asia. And here are the two best vacation spots near Honolulu.

The Kahala Resort is just 15 minutes away from Waikiki Beach with its restaurants, shopping, and night life... and those 15 minutes make all the difference. Enjoy a secluded beach in a luxurious five-star resort with gorgeous guest rooms, play golf next door, and even swim with the dolphins, if that's something you'd enjoy. I've stayed twice and wish I were at The Kahala right now! The resort offers complimentary scheduled shuttles from Kahala to Waikiki to shop and dine, so you get the best of both worlds!

For a complimentary daily buffet breakfast for two, book through your Virtuoso travel consultant. You'll also receive a $100 spa credit and room upgrade on arrival, subject to availability.

If you prefer the hectic excitement of Waikiki Beach, Halekulani is where you'll want to stay. It is a secluded resort at one end of this world-famous beach (at the far left of the panoramic picture above). My clients have raved about the service at Halekulani, and it's convenient to shopping and night life. As with any of the 975 Virtuoso hotels and resorts world-wide, your best deal at Halekulani is to book through your Virtuoso travel consultant for a room upgrade at the time of booking, daily buffet breakfast for two, and $75 resort credit.


Virtuoso travel consultant (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

The Kahala Resort | 7 Day Sale

The Kahala Resort on the island of Oahu is one of my favorite beach resorts in Hawaii. In fact, the banner picture across the top of this blog was taken from its beach one morning at sunrise.

What do I like about the Kahala? It's not on Waikiki Beach, for starters. While Waikiki is perhaps the most famous beach in the world, it's in the busy downtown of Honolulu (population about one million) on a busy street lined with shops, bars, restaurants, and the ubiquitous ABC Stores. If you want nightlife and non-stop action, Waikiki is your destination. But if you want a beach vacation in a secluded tropical paradise... I recommend the Kahala.

For a limited time, the Kahala is on sale (through Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010). Guests staying a minimum of 4 nights receive:

• A $200 Air Credit
• Every 4th night free
• Full buffet breakfast for two daily in the Plumeria Beach House
• Alamo full size car rental per day.

Rates begin at just $339.50 per room per night including tax. Book from Oct. 18 - Oct. 24 and travel from Jan. 3, 2011 through Dec. 23, 2011. Blackout dates are Jan. 9-12. There is a minimum 4 night stay. Contact me for a quote - or for other vacation ideas in Hawaii.


Kahala Resort (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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luxury tropical resorts

Winter is upon us with a vengeance, and parts of the country are already enduring frigid temperatures and driving snowstorms. Even here in Berkeley, California where I live, this week has seen unseasonably cold temperatures with a slight accumulation of snow on Monday and temperatures in the 30's. It's enough to make a winter-weary traveler start thinking about warm-weather getaways to luxury tropical resorts in Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

I am most familiar with Hawaii, being based on the west coast. Non-stops are available from SFO and LAX, as well as many secondary airports, to the major Hawaiian islands. Step on the plane at 8 a.m., and by 11 a.m. you'll find yourself in the warm, sunny tropics.

Where to stay in Hawaii? There are lodging options to match most budgets, but these are my choices for the best of the best.

Big Island — Four Seasons Hualalai. Land in Kona, drive a few minutes through the lava fields that remind one of a lunar landscape, and you will find yourself in this lush tropical resort that is the epitome of what a luxury vacation should be. No high-rise towers here — just two story buildings around four crescents, each with its own lawn and pool. Rooms are large and comfortable. Choose a second floor room for the best ocean views or, as many guests prefer, a ground floor room with its own outdoor lava shower.

Families will appreciate the complimentary kids program, and adults will enjoy the challenging 18-hole championship golf course as well as Hualalai's renowned spa (with both indoor and outdoor options for relaxing massages).

Oahu — The Kahala Resort. I love this hotel. There's a warm, relaxing, and comfortable feeling to this resort. 15 minutes away from the hectic, crowded madness of Waikiki Beach, I much prefer walking down the nearly empty beach in Kahala. If you're an early riser, you'll enjoy the beautiful sunrise (which is pictured at the very top of this blog as well as on my website).

Kauai — St. Regis Princeville Resort. Recently renovated and now under the management of St. Regis, one of my clients who just stayed at Princeville reports that the property is stunning and has a great general manager. Once this newly re-opened and re-branded hotel gets its service organized, this will be the luxury choice on Kauai. My favorite part of Hawaii - and a great destination for active travelers - Kauai is small enough to explore the entire island ... and varied enough to maintain your interest. Hike the Waimea Canyon (the "Grand Canyon" of Hawaii) or the beautiful Napili coast (wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy). Visit colorful botanical gardens or gaze at Kawaikini, the highest point on Kauai at 5,243 feet and the wettest spot on earth.

Maui — Four Seasons Maui or Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. These properties will appeal to different families. The Ritz-Carlton, in the Napili area of Maui, is a large resort set on an immense property. If you want lots of space, acres of green lawns, a beautiful beach, an award-wining children's environmental education program, and a challenging golf course, consider the Ritz-Carlton. Or, for a more compact setting with a complimentary kids program, you can't go wrong with the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea.

Enjoy value added amenities at any of these properties simply by booking through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner or Virtuoso luxury travel consultant. You will receive complimentary daily breakfasts, room upgrades if available, and other amenities that can include free lunches or spa credits.



luxury tropical resorts (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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last minute Hawaiian vacation

When life gives you a lemon... turn it into a Mai Tai! Along with thousands of other travelers this Christmas, inclement weather forced us to make some last minute Christmas vacation plans. We had been planning to visit family who live near Portland, OR. Severe winter weather made that visit impossible. Horizon Air cancelled our flight, and even if we could have made it, Hertz could not have provided the (required) chains. Every car rental agency in Portland was sold out of 4x4s.

So I found myself on the morning of Dec. 22 with my long-planned Christmas vacation snowed out. My mission was simple, to find...

• a desirable location (i.e., with better weather than Northern California)
  
• reachable via non-stop flight from Oakland or San Francisco
  
• flight availability the next day
  
• last-minute availability at a Virtuoso hotel during Festive Season

Phoenix was out — too cold (60º) and rainy. Maui, Kona, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta had no non-stop availability. That left Honolulu with its 80º temperatures and sunny skies at the top of my list.

I got extremely lucky and booked a room at The Kahala Resort. I had stayed here several years ago and really love this property! In fact, the banner at the top of every Travel Horizons page is a photograph I took during my former visit to the Kahala — a sunrise seen from their beach. The lead picture for this article — three fishermen at dawn — was photographed on the same beach. And check out my website for another sunrise shot from The Kahala. Clearly, this is a photogenic place to stay!

What do I like so much about the Kahala? It's a mid-size resort with a few more than 300 rooms. The Kahala offers a casually elegant and relaxing ambiance. The rooms are spacious (550 square feet) and have been newly renovated with a beautiful color scheme and carpeting replacing the old parquet wood floors (although I actually preferred the funky old parquet!). The bathrooms are large with two separate vanities, a soaking tub, a glass-enclosed shower, and two closets. We were upgraded to a lanai room with a large balcony overlooking the mountains; we kept the lanai doors opened and the air conditioning off and enjoyed the tropical breezes.

Best of all, service at the Kahala is genuine and personable. On Christmas morning, every guest room had a Christmas stocking hung outside its door with a few surprises within. This is typical of the warmth and friendliness of this very Hawaiian resort. Be sure to book through a Virtuoso luxury travel consultant to receive a complimentary buffet breakfast for two daily ($60 value) and free parking.

While in Honolulu, I had a site inspection of the other Virtuoso property, the Halekulani (seen at the far left of the row of hotels in this picture). An urban beach resort, the Halekulani has created a secluded and quiet oasis within the excitement and bustle of Waikiki. The rooms are not as large as those at the Kahala, although every room has its own balcony. Virtuoso clients receive an upgrade at the time of booking from Partial Ocean View to Ocean View — or from Ocean View to Ocean Front. This amounts to a very nice discount, and Virtuoso clients receive free parking and a free breakfast buffet in addition!

Waikiki or not? Oahu has a lot to offer vacationers — the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, world class waves on the north coast, great snorkeling at Hanauma Bay Park, and beautiful, sunny weather most of the year. If you like the excitement of a vibrant urban shopping mecca with upscale stores, a vast variety of restaurants, and lively nightlife, you'll enjoy Waikiki Beach. (Keep walking east on the beach till you're beyond the crescent of hotels and you'll find a park-like setting where the beach is much less crowded.) If, on the other hand, you want quiet and seclusion, you'll love the Kahala — a great family destination resort where your kids can swim with the dolphins!


The Kahala Resort (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2008 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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