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Kauai

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

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Trip Advisor has a top ten beaches of the U.S. list out, and Florida has been knocked out of the top spot. Hapuna Beach, located on the north Kona coast on Hawaii Big Island, takes the top spot this year, while Siesta Key in Florida took the silver medal. Casey Brogan, senior communications specialist at Tripadvisor, told CNBC that a Florida beach had finished first in the last eight polls. “So for Hawaii to pass it, this is actually the first time Hawaii has had the number one beach in the U.S. since 2014,” he said. (EDITOR’S NOTE: DO YOU Read more

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This story originally appeared in Today’s Bride magazine. The Hawaiian islands are justifiably known as one of the most romantic places on earth; a land with deep green, jungle-clad mountains, golden beaches and sunsets in shades of pink and orange that don’t need any help from Photoshop. But which one is right for you? Read on for some tips from a travel writer and Hawai’i lover who’s been more than two dozen times. MAUI Sunsets are romantic just about anywhere in the world, but they’re especially dramatic on the west side of Maui, where puffy tropical clouds add just the Read more

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Two well-known spots in Canada have made the top 10 of a new list of top natural world wonders. The folks at Kuoni Travel said they conducted a study using eye-tracking technology to find out the most “eye-catching” natural wonders on the planet. Coming in at the top of the podium was Peyto Lake, just north of Banff, Alberta. Sixth was Niagara Falls. Scoring two places in the top 10 is pretty impressive, I have to say. Great Britain scored two in the top seven, with the Jurassic Coast of England placing third and Snowdon, Wales coming in seventh. The Read more

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Hawai’i lovers are beginning to flock back to the state. But there have been a few changes. “Well, we straightened the famous Road to Hana,” a tourism representative from Maui told me on Wednesday. “You can do the trip in 30 minutes now.” That, of course, did NOT happen; the famous road still has hundreds of curves and twists and turns and delightful ocean views and tumbling waterfalls. But there IS now a recommended code of conduct. In a new age of travel, Maui officials are asking folks to think a little more about others on the road. For example, Read more

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