A new survey from the American Automobile Association lists Honolulu as the most expensive city in the United States for vacationers.

The average price for meals and lodging for two adults per day, at least according to AAA’s 2008 Annual Vacation Costs Survey? $673.

That’s more than second place New York City, which AAA estimates at $606 per couple, per day; and third place Miami at $370 a day.

Of that $673 per day spent in Honolulu, AAA says $546 goes to lodging and $127 on meals.

As longtime residents, we know that Honolulu (and Hawaii, in general) can be pricey. Still, AAA’s numbers seemed hard to believe. There are lots of places to stay for under $546 a night, and we could eat pretty well on $127 a day.

The numbers don’t match Hawaii’s own surveys, given to all visitors leaving Honolulu International Airport. Couples reported spending an average $368 per day on Oahu, in 2007. That number included not just lodging and food, but activities, shopping and ground transportation.

So how the heck did AAA get its figures, which were widely reported? 

The good news for everyone—except, perhaps, AAA members—is that the company’s numbers are sort of bogus.

Spokesperson Marie Montgomery told us that AAA’s Annual Vacation Costs Survey is based solely on numbers provided by hotels and restaurants requesting to be included in AAA’s diamond rating program or 50-state TourBook series. The company did not have a breakdown of how many Honolulu-based hotels and restaurants reported numbers to them, but said that it currently tracks more than 100 of each throughout Hawaii.

This methodology—which is skewed by a large number of luxury properties seeking AAA’s potentially lucrative five-diamond rating—leaves out many hotels and restaurants in Honolulu. It also doesn’t include condos, timeshare rentals and bed-and-breakfasts.

Further, AAA seems to be averaging high-end suites (of which there are only a few) in with standard hotel rooms (of which there are plenty) at each property, in order to come up with its $673 figure.

“I believe that most seasoned travelers realize, ‘Gosh, I don’t have to pay that much.’ By the same token, it would be nice to have a more realistic average,” said AAA’s Montgomery. “It’s just these are the numbers that the hotels themselves give us. They don’t give us the average rate that all of their customers paid for a room in a year. They just give us the rate that they want us to publish in the TourBook.”

State of Hawaii tourism liaison Marsha Wienert found the AAA survey hard to believe.  

“I thought, ‘How could (visitors) spend that much money?’ That makes no sense to me. Not when I know what they really spend. The (actual) numbers don’t come anywhere close to what AAA is saying.”

Of course, if you’d like to spend $673 a day here in Honolulu, that’s fine with us. We’d opt for a cheaper room and really live it up in the restaurants, however.

What do you think of AAA's numbers? Do you spend as much as $673 per day on just room and meals in Honolulu?

  

Longtime Honolulu-based Hawaiian fashion, gift and souvenir retailer Hilo Hattie was sold today to a California company.

Hilo Hattie’s seven stores on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island—as well as its online retail store—will continue business as usual.

The 45-year-old company—and self-prolaimed “Store of Hawaii”—was purchased for an undisclosed sum by TOC Inc., which also owns the Hawaii franchise of Fantastic Sams hair salons.

"I have the utmost confidence in TOC Inc's ability to successfully grow the company," said Jim Romig, Hilo Hattie’s longtime chairman, in a statement. Romig founded the company as Kaluna Hawaii Sportswear on Kauai in 1963, moving to Oahu two years later to manufacture Hawaiian fashions.

The company changed its name to Hilo Hattie in 1979—in honor of Hawaii musician Clarissa Haili, who took her name from the 1932 hapa-haole song, “When Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop.”  The company has grown into one of the largest and most world-recognized retail brands of Hawaiian-themed apparel.

TOC Inc. principal Ted Nelson said in the statement that he would continue building and expanding the Hilo Hattie brand. Hilo Hattie has two stores in Southern California, and will open a new 20,000 square-foot flagship store at Waikiki’s Royal Hawaiian Center in 2009.
  

On a cold spring evening last month, Chicago warmly welcomed Hawaii ukulele phenomenon Jake Shimabukuro to the stage of the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Shimabukuro, 31, played two shows at the renowned music school—one sold out, the one I attended a near sell out. I couldn’t see any flip-flops. But the audience was full of aloha shirts. I felt as if I were back in Hawai’i. 

Shimabukuro became legendary early in his career for his ukulele “fireworks”—rapid-fire strumming inspired by legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. On recent recordings, however, Shimabukuro has focused on showing off the quieter side of his instrument.

His CDs always display meticulous musical craftsmanship—a precision I wondered if he'd be able to maintain in concert.

I left amazed by the range, depth and emotion of his ukulele-playing throughout the 11-song set. Between songs, he’d tell warm stories of their creation, and talk about the family members, friends and heroes who have inspired him.

On “Me and Shirley T,” Shimabukuro talked about how the song was written as an homage to childhood trips to an Oahu restaurant with his parents, where he often consumed too many “childrens’ cocktails.” The audience especially appreciated snippets of other songs he infused in the song’s crescendo—in particular, The Champs’ “Tequila,” which brought a roar of approving laughter.

During “Blue Roses Falling”—an original song, played as a tribute to a friend’s late grandmother—and Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” you could hear each pluck of Shimabukuro’s four-string Kamaka brand uke.

The concert ended with Shimabukuro’s cover of the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”—which has become something of a YouTube phenomenon, and was praised by George Harrison’s widow Olivia—and his own “Third String” composition.

Topping it all off post show? Shimabukuro happily signing autographs and posing for photos with fans.

Such a great night in Chicago. My first Jake Shimabukuro concert won’t be my last.

Jake will be touring Mainland U.S. cites from May 25 through July 1. Click here for a complete tour schedule.

Read about Kamaka Ukulele—and Jake's fondness for their instruments—in our May/June 2008 HAWAII Magazine cover feature "15 Things We Love About Hawaii," now on sale in bookstores nationwide or in our digital edition here.

  

I love getting dim sum. If you like seeing food before you order it, there’s no better way to dine out.

And Mei Sum Chinese Dim Sum Restaurant is the place to have it when you’re in downtown Honolulu’s Chinatown district.

Carts of Hong-Kong-style dim sum are rolled around the restaurant right to your table. If you like what you see on the cart, just ask your server for it. Don’t like what you see? Wait for the next cart to come around. Instant gratification!

Going to a dim sum restaurant requires little prior experience or expertise in Chinese cuisine. If you’re unfamiliar with what’s on the cart, most restaurants have a menu with pictures and the names of each dish. If you’re still unsure about an entrée, you can always ask your server.

In addition to Mei Sum’s dim sum, you can also order entrées or starch dishes like noodles and fried rice. But most of the fun comes from checking out what’s on the carts.

We ordered pretty much everything we saw: from char siu bao (barbeque pork manapua), spareribs with black bean sauce, shrimp dumpling and shrimp pork hash (pictured above) to pot stickers, barbeque pork pastry and cold jellyfish (pictured to the right).

That’s right, cold jellyfish, which I was curious to taste. It was a bit chewy, and definitely an acquired taste.

A must-try though? The deep fried taro (pictured left).

The best thing about eating at Mei Sum is that it’s affordable. The price for each dim sum entrée depends on its category: small dishes will cost you $2.15, medium dishes are $2.55 and large dishes are $3.35.

Mei Sum is open for lunch, dinner or takeout. Reservations are highly recommended for large groups.

You’ll find Mei Sum at 65 N. Pauahi St. (on the corner of N. Pauahi and Smith St.). Call (808) 531-3268 for hours and more menu information.

  

Here’s something we're looking forward to. 

The 27th Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival will work its Maui magic from June 26-29 this year.

The three-day festival is presided over by Master Sommelier Fred Dame—who we enjoy for his genial wit, as well as his palate.

It kicks off Friday with chef demonstrations and a grand tasting with 100 wines, exceptional pupu and a Kapalua beachfront sunset. 

It ends Sunday with the Seafood Festival, a bounty of Island seafood, prepared by star chefs, with, of course, plenty of wines.

In between, there are tastings, cooking demonstrations, dinners and a guest appearance from Chef Frank Ostini, whose Hitching Post Restaurant had a starring role in the film Sideways.

Perhaps our favorite moment.  A seminar Sunday morning called “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” featuring Bloody Mary recipes from the star sommeliers.  Perhaps the seminar should be called, “Hair of the Dog.”

If you love food, wine and Maui (and it’s a short list of people who don’t), you can make reservations here, or (888) 665-9160.
 

Couldn’t make it to Kokua Festival last month?

The entirety of festival co-founder and headliner Jack Johnson’s performance is now online at MSN Music’s IN CONCERT site.

Free.

The bad news? None of the much-buzzed-about set by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, nor any other acts are included.

But you won’t have to endure long waits in line for organic cotton Kokua Fest shirts, pricey beer or veggie wraps. And Matthews and Reynolds make an appearance late in Johnson’s set on a cover of Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks at 40.”

So make yourself a sandwich, pour a cold one and click here for Jack’s entire 23-song performance from the Waikiki Shell.

If you find yourself needing a break from all the mellowness, check out our on-the-scene posts from Kokua Festival 2008 here.

  

The May/June 2008 issue of HAWAII Magazine features a story on cartoonist Robert Ripley’s fascination with our Islands. Ripley created Ripley’s Believe It or Not! —the strange-but-true trivia-filled newspaper cartoon series. And, reports writer Greg Daugherty, he visited Hawaii four or five times during his brief, illustrious life.

The “believe it or not” Ripley nuggets you’ll find in our story include:

• How the amateur anthropologist—portrayed as a hardy world adventurer—actually preferred to travel in the lap of luxury.

• How most of his “Believe or Not” items were actually uncovered by an associate combing the shelves at the New York Public Library.

• How he saw water falling “uphill” in Oahu’s Nuuanu Valley.

• How he discovered the “House of Everlasting Fire”— better known to most of us as Kilauea volcano’s Halemaumau crater.

You’ll find the full text of Daugherty’s story—along with vintage cartoons and photos from Ripley’s Hawaii sojourns—in the current issue. Here's an excerpt:

When Robert Ripley arrived in Hawaii for the first time in 1922, the young “Believe It or Not!” cartoonist recorded a couple of surprises in his dispatches home. First was the genuine friendliness of the Hawaiians who greeted his ship. Second, the hula turned out to be less risqué than he had expected—or maybe hoped.

From his first trip to the Islands, Ripley was amazed by their natural wonders, which would figure in his cartoons for decades to come. Many he sketched at the actual sites, later transforming the sketches into finished artwork at his drawing board in New York.

Ripley's interest in all things Hawaiian went so far that he hired a well-known Chinese-Hawaiian author, actress and lecturer named Li Ling Ai and gave her the fancy title: director of the "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" Far Eastern Department.

You'll find HAWAII Magazine in most bookstores nationwide. In addition to print subscriptions, we now offer digital subscriptions and single copies as well.
 
 

You ask.  We answer.

HAWAII Magazine reader Dorci Whittington writes:

In the early part of the ’90s, I went to see a dinner show at the Maui Tropical Plantation starring Buddy Fo. It was the most fun show I have ever been to. We went every time we were on Maui. When we came back and the show was no longer going, I only got blank stares when I asked about Buddy. I hope you can find some information. Is he still going strong and entertaining people?

At 75, Buddy Fo is still going strong.  We just talked to him on the phone.  He sounds great, and he and wife Sammi perform Monday nights at the Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island.

Fo was tickled that you remember his Hawaiian cowboy show at the Maui Tropical Plantation, Dorci. It was just one step in a legendary career.

After World War II, Fo put together the Invitations, the first Hawaii vocal group to land a national recording contract. Their Liberty Records album, RSVP, was named by HONOLULU Magazine as one of the 50 Greatest Hawaii Music Albums.  Unfortunately, it’s no longer available. Here's what they looked like, in red shirts and white pants they bought from Liberty House.

After the Maui shows, Fo retired—only to be dragged out of retirement by his friend Don Ho. Fo’s memories of playing with Don are captured in the new biography, Don Ho: My Music, My Life.

Here’s a little bit of Fo’s sophisticated sound.

 

And now, today’s moment of zen.

24 actress Elisha Cuthbert was snapped frolicking in the waters off of Maui’s Wailea resort area on Monday with her boyfriend Dion Phaneuf.

Phaneuf—whose bare-chested-ness we’ve included here, you know, for gender balance—is a defenseman for the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames. Cuthbert was taking a perhaps much-needed break following a no doubt taxing photo session for the cover of this month’s Maxim Magazine.

There were slightly saucier photos than these—if you’re curious, either let your imagination run wild or visit our friends at Google search.

But while we're on the subject of photos … Ever take a photo of a celebrity hanging out in Hawaii? How about a Hawaii shot perfect for our HawaiiMagazine.com Photo of the Week contest?

Send either to us along with a story of your photo. We’ll post the best ones on our site, and give you all the credit for it.

 
   

You ask. We answer.

We got a question from HAWAII reader Lisa Marie McCormick about road construction on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway on the Big Island.

My husband and I come back each year for a week or three. We stay at our time share in Waikoloa and travel into Kailua-Kona early to dive. On our January visit, the last eight miles between the airport and Kailua-Kona took over an hour. And that was at 6:30 a.m.!
 
I was told by some local friends that they already built a section wrong, and had to rip it up and start over. What is the timeline for completion, and how far will the construction reach?

First, the answer to the first half of your question, Lisa Marie: Unfortunately, not any time soon.

Widening the main highway into Kailua-Kona from Keahole Airport from two to four lanes was slated for two phases. Construction of the first phase—from Kailua-Kona to Kealakehe Parkway—began in July 2005. It was slated to end more than a year ago, in April 2007. After delays, state officials are saying it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas this year for completion.

The second phase of construction, from Kealakehe Parkway to Keahole Airport, could then begin as early as spring 2009, with completion—cross your fingers here—in spring 2011.

That's just under six years to build eight miles of road—two years more than it took to build San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

Your local friends were correct. According to a December 2007 West Hawaii Today story, a new section of the highway was torn up and laid again last year after the grade of a slope was built incorrectly.

After phase two of construction reaches the airport, then phase three begins—on the highway into Kailua-Kona from the south. 

But that’s a whole other traffic jam, Lisa Marie.