National Hawaii Day is today, July 5. To mark the occasion, yours truly, a 35-time visitor to the islands, is offering up some thoughts on special hotels and resorts you should consider for your next trip. Remember to visit responsibly and respectfully. Side note: Travel + Leisure came out with their list of the top 20 resorts of Hawaii on Tuesday, July 9. I believe eight of their top picks are on my list below. O’AHU Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina: Resting alongside the Aulani Disney resort outside of Honolulu, this is a chill spot overlooking a pretty Read more
Four Seasons Hotels
The cheapest cities to visit in Europe, Canadians in love with Japan, top summer travel spots for Americans and a facelift for the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. I also have items on Via Rail, a new tourism campaign for Canada, and honours for the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. A look at what’s new in the travel and tourism world today. CHEAPEST CITIES TO VISIT IN EUROPE Europe is the favorite overseas getaway spot for American and Canadians. But it can get expensive. Yahoo and Insider Monkey have a nice list of the cheapest places to visit in Europe this summer. Read more
I’m heading to the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Lana’i next week, with five days scheduled for Molokai and three on Lanai. (Also perhaps four days on Maui to report on how things are going as they recover from the dreadful fires). I love both Molokai and Lana’i. Both are laid-back and super quiet, but they are quite different in many ways. Molokai is larger and has a good deal more geographic variety, including a moist east side, towering mountains, and the world’s tallest sea cliffs. About 7,400 people live on the island. Lanai is about one-half the size of Read more
Porter Airlines today announced it’s adding Calgary to its growing network, with flights between Toronto Pearson and Calgary International Airport. The route will be served with Porter’s new, state-of-the-art Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. Porter is taking its service further into Alberta, as Calgary marks the airline’s second destination in the province. Edmonton was previously announced this week. Travellers will enjoy an elevated economy travel experience at highly competitive fares. All passengers enjoy no middle seats, free, fast Wi-Fi, complimentary beer and wine served in real glassware, and premium snacks. The initial flight schedule starts on February 22, 2023, with two daily Read more
Travel + Leisure this week came out with its annual list of top destinations and hotels around the world. Among the featured lists was a gathering of the top 20 resorts in Hawai’i, a place I love dearly. Here’s there list, along with a few suggestions of my own. Hotel Wailea, Maui Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani, O’ahu Four Seasons Resort, Maui (great food, beautiful beach and a terrific spa) Prince Waikiki, Honolulu, O’ahu Montage Kapalua Bay, Maui (only walked past it, but a stunning hotel with wonderful views and one of the best beaches on the planet.) Mauna Lani, Auberge Read more