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Climate:
Prices
The highest prices directly relate to school holidays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and Summer. October, early November, and May can be the best to avoid crowds and high costs. Most condos book Saturday to Sunday for the best deals. While you can shop prices online, most hotel concierges can beat them as they know local vendors and have relations with them that a visitor could never achieve... They are the hidden jewel of Hawaii...
Tipping:
It is customary to tip housekeeping staff when you stay at hotel/resort/inn/lodge or B&B if daily housekeeping is provided. The average rate is $2.00 per day per person in the room. Simply leave the tip on the counter when you depart. A note of thanks is always a nice touch.
Shoes:
Remove them if you enter a private home, or B&B (because it is a private home). Simply leave your shoes by the front door. They will be there when you depart. This is a Japanese custom that has been adopted by the local culture. It’s root can be traced to when Japanese laborers came to work the sugar cane and pineapple fields.
Being Pushy or Demanding:
Might get you what you want in New York City, but will get you nothing but “stink eye” (dirty looks) here in Hawaii. It’s all about the Aloha. Show patience, kindness, and consideration and the world will be at your feet, plus you’ll enjoy your tip even more.
Aloha:
The word to live by in Hawaii. Show it and Share it. Don’t rush to be first in line, let others in ahead of you. Always let anyone older than you do or go before you. Smile. Be aware of your impact on others; is where you’re standing blocking someone’s view? Did you take the last of an item on the buffet? Is your cell phone on? Be aware and be courteous, and say Mahalo (thank you) a lot – pronounced ma-ha-lo (not ma-ha-low).
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Marriage requirements:
Events & Tourism:
Other resources:
The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, the state's tourism marketing agency for North America, can be found online at GoHawaii.com
Each major island (Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii's Big Island) has its own dedicated visitors bureau.
Guidebooks
- The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook;
- Hawaii The Big Island Revealed;
- Maui Revealed;
- Oahu Revealed
ALL by Wizard Publications, Inc.
These books are somewhat controversial, as some people disapprove of the fact that these books truly reveal Hawaii. This includes hiking trails on private land, and places sacred to native Hawaiians. However, these books are a rich, biased resource for information on Hawaii.
- Frommers Hawaii 2006 , by Jeanette Foster
- Lonely Planet Hawai' i: The Big Island , by Luci Yamamoto
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