The beautiful island of Maui was devastated by fires in August of 2023. An estimated 102 people were killed in the lovely, historic city of Lahaina. In March of this year, powerful rainstorms overpowered communities, especially on Maui and O’ahu, with torrential, record rains. Now along comes Hurricane Lowell, which did tremendous damage to the island of Kaua’i this week, uprooting entire builidings and wiping out popular spots, including the waterfront restaurant at the lovely Sheraton Hotel/Resort on Po’ipu Beach. The latest reports show extensive damage in Hanalei town and on the south coast, including Poipu and Waimea, home to Read more
Kauai
Travel and Tour World has a new list out of the top 30 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean for beach lovers. I would perhaps argue that a few of the placements are a tad off-base, but it’s a pretty solid list. Here’s what they came up with, along with a note or two from yours truly. Mexico (I haven’t seen enough of the country to say, but I’ve been to fine beaches on the Riviera Maya and in Los Cabos) USA (It’s hard to dispute a country that offers up Hawaii, Florida, California, Oregon, the Carolinas, Puerto Rico, Read more
Canadians claim to be the best hotel guests in the world. But they’re still swiping the odd hotel bathrobe or smuggling food from the breakfast buffet. A study by Hotels.Com found that 88% of Canadians consider themselves considerate guests, and that 44% of Canadians voted themselves the most courteous guests in the world, while ranking Americans as the rudest hotel guests (42%). Yet 27% of Canadians admit they sometimes smuggle food from the breakfast buffet or swipe hotel bathrobes and slippers. How Canada Ranks the World’ Most Polite Guests, by Country Canada – 44% Japan – 22% Sweden – 11% Read more
Canadians have easier ways to get to great European and Asian destinations this summer. Starting in June, passengers from Montreal will be able to fly direct on Air Canada to Nantes, an historic city on the Loire River in the Normandy region of France. It’s the first time Air Canada will fly to Nantes, which also is served by Air Transat. Air Canada next month also will begin flights from Montreal to Palma de Mallorca in Spain, and Catania, Sicily. TravelPulse Canada reports customers in June also will be able to fly direct from Toronto to Shanghai, China, resuming flights Read more
USAToday this week published a list of the top beaches in the United States. It’s a good list, but they missed some great spots and overvalued some others. Here’s a rundown of their top 17, with my thoughts on places I’ve visited. Siesta Key, Florida: A fine, white sand beach that stretches on nearly forever. Maui,. Hawaii: Why they lumped all of Maui’s beaches into one entry is bizarre. That really diminishes the island’s offerings, as if they’d been listed individually you would probably see three or more Maui beaches in the top 15. Given you’re talking about the entire Read more
