A HAWAII magazine reader asked us for some tips on buying one of Hawaii’s most iconic instruments:

Where can we find ukuleles and banjo ukuleles (new & used) being produced or sold in Kauai?

You ask, we answer. And we answered the question for all the Islands, not just Kaua‘i.

Standard ukuleles are far easier to find than “banjo ukuleles.” A banjo ukulele, or banjolele, has the small scale, tuning, and playing style of a ukulele but, not surprisingly given the name, is constructed like a banjo. Banjo ukes are not commonly used in Hawaiian music, so most music stores here would have to special order one.

We found one Hawaii crafter who builds both banjo ukuleles and standard ukuleles. Bonus? He’s on Kauai—Thomas Owen of Kapaa, Kauai-based Wailua Instruments. Click here for his contact info.   

Unlike the banjo uke, the standard ukulele is synonymous with Hawaiian music and culture. You’ll find the instruments for sale on all of the major Hawaiian Islands, not just Kaua‘i, in places ranging from music stores to department stores to Waikiki convenience stores.

As with most musical instruments, you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for an inexpensive music-making memento of your Hawaii trip, for less than $20, you can find ukuleles at most local flea markets and retailers specializing in Hawaii souvenirs. 

Most music stores in Hawaii carry quality new and used ukuleles from reputable crafters. Things can get a bit trickier for consumers hoping to buy an authentic “made in Hawaii” instrument, though.
 
The price of a quality Hawaii-made ukulele is usually based on the type of wood. An ukulele made of Hawaii koa—a highly prized wood endemic to the Islands—will cost you upwards of $650. A Hawaii-crafted ukulele made of mahogany, on the other hand, can cost between $50 to $80.

 

HAWAII magazine reader Brookelynn Morris wrote us with a question about surf lessons:

I’m heading to Honolulu for vacation soon, and I want to learn how to surf. Can you tell me the best way to learn?

You ask, we answer.

Oahu’s shores—as with all of the other Hawaiian Islands—offer wave action for a variety of skill levels, from professionals to beginners.

For beginning surfers, we recommend sticking to the south shore of Oahu—specifically, the beaches of Waikiki. Wave heights on the south shore are consistently smaller making it the easiest and safest surf to learn on. Another plus to learning in Waikiki? The large amount of surf schools offering short term and long-term lessons.

Why lessons? Because simply renting a board and winging it anywhere in Hawaii isn’t a good idea even with the most innocuous-looking surf. There’s more to surfing than just learning to paddle into a wave, stand on a board and ride. A qualified instructor will also tell you about surfer protocol, how to read ocean and wave conditions, and equipment you must have, among other things.

Most surf schools offer private, semi-private, and group instruction. Call in advance and make sure that your instructor has their “blue card”—also known as their surf instructor license. Licenses are issued by the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources. A license assures that an instructor has passed a series of qualification tests to teach, and is certified to administer both first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

 

Barbecue sauce in Hawaii is not the same as barbecue sauce in the Mainland U.S.

Order a barbecue mixed-plate lunch at a casual Hawaii eatery and it’s doubtful you’ll get a heaping helping of smoked chicken or ribs slathered with sweet-and-tangy reddish-brown sauce. And don’t expect corn on the cob, coleslaw, baked beans or rolls on the side either.

What you will get, probably piled on a bed of white rice and accompanied by a scoop of macaroni salad or tossed salad, is a large platter of grilled meat or chicken, sweet-and-tangy from a marinade of shoyu (soy sauce), sugar, and fresh garlic and ginger. It’s often called Hawaiian barbecue sauce—or teriyaki sauce—on the Mainland.

Done right, neither sauce is a cut above the other. But the thick, smoky-spicy-tangy variety isn’t the kind of barbecue sauce a number of HAWAII Magazine readers have begged us to find them a great recipe for.

We’ve finally got one—straight out of a new book called Kau Kau: Cuisine and Culture in the Hawaiian Islands. “Kau kau” is the go-to Hawaii pidgin word for food, likely derived from the Chinese phrase “chow chow.” Kau Kau, the book, is all about Hawaii food. In particular, the astounding mix of foods first brought to the Islands by multi-ethnic immigrant sugar and pineapple plantation laborers more than a century ago that are still popular Hawaii comfort foods today.

The book, by Hawaii writer Arnold Hiura, covers a good deal of the history and stories of favorite Hawaii foods (from entrees to snacks to desserts). Hiura speaks with chefs, foodies and farmers about local cuisine and includes lots of great photos of the Islands’ most beloved foods.

Kau Kau, the book, also shares some of the best family recipes for favorites like adobo, chop steak, fried rice, saimin (fried and in broth), beef stew, manapua, shrimp curry, laulau, local-style soybeans, Portuguese bean soup.

Kau Kau: Cuisine and Culture in the Hawaiian Islands won’t be in bookstores or online retailers until January. But you can order a copy direct from the publisher, HAWAII Magazine sister company Watermark Publishing, here. Regularly priced at $32.95, Watermark is offering a special pre-order price of $30 and express holiday shipping until December 15.

On the following pages you’ll find an excerpt from Kau Kau about Hawaiian-style barbecue (teriyaki) sauce, followed by a terrific family recipe for the marinade that you can make at home.

 
 

Dining out on Oahu this week? Prepare to eat well.

Restaurant Week Hawaii celebrates the Islands' diverse dining scene, wealth of superb locally-grown ingredients and the world-class chefs who bring all of it to dining establishments on Oahu. This second-annual edition of the Hawaii Restaurant Association-sponsored event happens today through Sunday, Nov. 22.

What does this mean for you? Dining deals and lots of them. More than 60 restaurants on Oahu are participating—rolling out exclusive dishes, discounted prix-fixe menus and other promotions all week.

A three-course meal at Nobu Waikiki, complete with sushi and miso soup, for just $40? How about a petite filet mignon with sides and dessert at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, also for $40? We’re so there.

Sure, we find it a bit odd, too, that an event called "Restaurant Week Hawaii" features primarily Oahu restaurants—the exception being Maui and Big Island locations of Ruth's Chris and Romano's Macaroni Grill. Still, the week seems an ideal one for trying out new Oahu restaurants or revisiting old favorites.

From casual eateries (Hank’s Haute Dogs, L&L Drive-Inn) to special-occasion establishments (Roy’s Restaurant, Orchids at Halekulani, Azure at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel), we found something on Restaurant Week Hawaii's participating restaurant list for just about every palate.

Click here for the list.

We suggest contacting the establishments in advance to confirm their Restaurant Week Hawaii specials, and to ask if reservations are recommended.

Restaurant Week supports our next generation of Hawaii chefs. A portion of the proceeds raised will support the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Honolulu's Kapiolani Community College, the state’s premiere cooking school. The institute also offers cooking classes to casual foodies.

For more information about Restaurant Week Hawaii, click here or call (808) 734-9539.

 

The Trump International Hotel Waikiki opens quietly today, across the street from Waikiki Beach. It’s the first luxury property to open in Waikiki for decades.

The 38-story tower has 462 studios and suites, though how many will available in the hotel pool is not yet fixed, since most are privately owned.

John Votsis, the hotel’s director of marketing, took HAWAI‘I Magazine on an exclusive preopening tour. Not every area of the hotel was complete when we arrived, but we saw a sampling of finished studios and suites.

All the units had luxury touches—stunning marble bathrooms, at least minimal cooking facilities. The “studios” were small. Unless you live in Manhattan, think hotel room, not apartment.

Some of the suites were breathtaking. We saw a 3-bedroom duplex suite on the 35th and 36th floors. It had all the amenities of a luxury home—kitchen, laundry, entertaining space—plus two walls of breathtaking two-story, wall-to-ceiling windows offering a view across the south shore of O‘ahu to the Wai‘anae Mountains.

Many more amenities have opened since our tour, including the sixth-floor lobby with its expansive views, infinity pool and cascading waterfall. 

Three of the four food-and-beverage outlets are open: Wai‘olu Bar, the pool bar, and In-Yo, which offers American and Japanese food at breakfast and lunch, and Italian and Japanese cuisine at for dinner. Laurent Tourondel’s BLT Steak will not open until mid-December.

The property includes a luxury spa, a fitness center and even a library. But insists Vostis, the real attraction will be the Trump Attaché service. “We will be more than concierges,” he says. “We won’t wait until you ask us for something, we’ll call and find out your needs, and on your return, we will have noted your preferences and taken care of them.”

For reservations, visit www.trumpwaikikihotel.com.

There was some media concern in July about whether the project would continue to bear the Trump name, since the building was developed by a non-Trump company, Irongate Capital Partners. 

Those concerns turn out to be false since the operation of the hotel will be in the hands of the Trump Hotel Collection, which is run by Trump’s children, Ivanka and Donald Jr. The newly formed corporation will manage Trump hotels in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas, with locations from New Orleans to Dubai on the way.

Next page: Photos from our pre-opening tour of Trump International Hotel Waikiki

 

Google has taken to the streets of Hawaii to put you in Hawaii even when you can't be here.

The ever-expanding lead Internet search engine recently included Hawaii in its Street View feature. An extension of Google’s popular Google Maps navigation service, Street View offers up 360-degree, ground-level panoramas of cities, neighborhoods, and other notable landmarks across America and around the world.

With the addition of Hawaii, Google Street View panoramas are now available from all 50 U.S. states.

So far, only Oahu and select Maui streets are part of Google Street Views Hawaii. You'll find panorama views from almost every street, highway, freeway and cul de sac on Oahu. But Maui views are so far limited to major sections of south, central and west Maui.

Lahaina, Kapalua, Wailea, Kihei and Kahului? Got it. Makawao, Paia, Upcountry Maui, the Mount Haleakala Highway and famously scenic drive to Hana? Not yet.


Also not covered by Google Street View Hawaii yet? Any street panoramas from Kauai, the Big Island of Hawaii, Molokai or Lanai. For now, Google is mum on when street-level views from the other Hawaiian Islands will be included in the service.

The Street View navigation service is the second of two major Hawaii-related innovations from Google this year. In August, Google added a search engine interface to accommodate the Hawaiian language, designed by a team of Hawaii-based translators.

 

Hawaii’s big wave season is here!

High surf advisories have been issued for Oahu’s North Shore this week, just in time for the start of the 27th annual Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. The three event competition is the professional surf world’s most well-known and prestigious competition. And this year’s record $1 million Triple Crown total prize purse has attracted more than 150 surfers from 17 nations.

Take a drive up to Oahu’s world famous North Shore surf spots over the next month and you’ll find crowds of media and spectators lining the beaches, watching the surfers and the monster waves they ride—some of the latter, on a particularly wild day, topping 50 feet in height.

Triple Crown participants must compete in all three events, each held only when sustained wave heights top 15 feet or more. The competition is actually comprised of six separate events—three for women (one of these held on Maui) and three for men. Click here for a list of all the events.

Each event crowns an individual champion. The male and female surfers who gains the most points over all three of their events takes the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing overall championship. Last year's overall champions, Australians Joel Parkinson and Stephanie Gilmore, will be in the water again this year to defend their titles.

Mother Nature willing, the first men’s event of the Triple Crown, the Reef Hawaiian Pro, is scheduled to start today at 8 a.m.

If you’re planning a road trip to any Triple Crown event over the next month, keep in mind that competition dates are never guaranteed because big waves are required for big surfing. Click here to check on the status of daily events, or call (808) 596-SURF. All events run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What else will you need to know if you go? Here’s where we come in.

On the following pages, you’ll find our HAWAII Magazine Guide to the Beaches and Events of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing—with tips on getting to each, where to park, bathroom availability and food and beverage concessions. We also tip you off on the defending champion to watch for each event, and the surf perils and pitfalls each beach is most famous for.

All Vans Triple Crown of Surfing events are free and open to the public. Arrive early to beat traffic and get the best spots on the beach. Keep our Triple Crown guide bookmarked on your smart phone in case you need it.

  

Will it be a Kauai kind of Christmas? A Happy New Year's Eve in Hanalei?

The Hanalei Colony Resort’s “Hanalei Holiday Special” sounded to us like a great trade off for the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day. "Bye, bye" cold winter weather with a chance of snow! "Aloha" warm white sands and the sound of lapping waves on Kauai’s picturesque north shore!

The 48-unit, all-vacation condo property is offering 25 percent off on all room categories for minimum three-night stays between Dec. 20, 2009, and Jan. 4, 2010. Stay a week, and the seventh night is free.

It’s a good deal during a couple of Hawaii's busiest travel weeks, when room rates throughout the Islands—even in a tough economy—are generally higher.

The five-acre low-rise resort—first-opened in 1969 and located in Haena on beachfront overlooking Hanalei Bay—is a laid back, unstuffy getaway-from-it-all spot. There are no TVs or telephones in any of the resort’s two-bedroom, two-bath, lanai and fully-equipped kitchen condos—the only floor plan throughout the resort. The nearest shopping and sundries are in Hanalei, five miles away.

Complimentary high-speed Internet access for your laptop is available in a single hotel “hot spot,” the Makana Room, open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Makana room is oceanfront so you’ll at least have a view while you work.

But if the goal of your north shore Kauai vacation is getting away from work and distractions, you're set.

The “Hanalei Holiday Special” also includes 15 percent off all dining at the resort’s Mediterranean Gourmet Restaurant, 10 percent off all treatments its Hanalei Day Spa and 10 percent off food & beverages at nearby Na Pali Coffee House & Art Gallery.

Want to go now? The Hanalei Colony Resort is already offering a similar deal for minimum two-night stays.

Click here for “Hanalei Holiday Special” reservations, or call (800) 628-3004.

We found rooms on the resort’s online reservation system as low as $180 per night for garden view rooms (regular holiday season rate: $250), $236 for oceanfront rooms (regular holiday season rate: $345) and $281 for just-off-the-sand oceanfront rooms (regular holiday season rate: $420). Rates were about $20 per-night  higher on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

 

Fresh from inaugurating brand new routes from Oakland to Maui and Kona this week, Alaska Airlines will further expand its California–Hawaii service in March 2010.

Three-times-weekly San Jose-Kahului, Maui service begins March 11, and four-times-weekly San Jose-Kona, Big Island of Hawaii service on March 12. Alaska Air will also add daily flights between Sacramento and Kahului, Maui beginning March 26.

An introductory $169 one-way fare is being offered on all three routes, but tickets must be purchased by Nov. 24.

Flight days and times for the new routes are:


• San Jose, Calif.-Kahului, Maui

Departure: 7:30 a.m. (West coast time)
Arrival: 11:05 a.m. (Hawaii time)
Flight days: Tues., Thurs., Sun.

• Kahului, Maui-San Jose, Calif.

Departure: 12:05 p.m. (Hawaii time)
Arrival: 7:15 p.m. (West coast time)
Flight days: Tues., Thurs., Sun.



• San Jose, Calif.-Kona, Big Island

Departure: 7:30 p.m. (West coast time)
Arrival: 11:20 a.m. (Hawaii time)
Flight days: Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat.

• Kona, Big Island-San Jose, Calif.

Departure: 12:20 p.m. (Hawaii time)
Arrival: 7:35 p.m. (West coast time)
Flight days: Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat.



• Sacramento, Calif.-Kahului, Maui

Departure: 8:15 a.m. (West coast time)
Arrival: 10:50 a.m. (Hawaii time)
Flight days: Daily

• Kahului, Maui-Sacramento, Calif.

Departure: 11:50 a.m. (Hawaii time)
Arrival: 8 p.m. (West coast time)
Flight days: Daily


Tickets may be purchased at alaskaair.com, or by calling (800) 252-7522.

Alaska Airlines is relatively new to the Hawaii market, having launched service here in October 2007 with routes to Oahu and Kauai. But it has quickly become a major player.

The Seattle-based carrier immediately ramped up its Hawaii flight schedule a week after the March and April 2008 closures of Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines. After adding more Mainland U.S.-Hawaii routes through 2008 and this year, Alaska Air now claims 73 round-trip flights to Hawaii a week.

 

In the November/December 2009 issue of HAWAII Magazine, we take you with us on a glider flight above Oahu’s scenic North Shore.

With pilots Steve Wood and Meagan Nauman of Original Glider Rides at the controls, I got a chance to sit in the forward cockpit seat of a motorless glider for a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the North Shore coastline.

Short of sprouting wings of our own or hangliding, riding in a glider is the closest to being free as a bird that most humans are likely to experience. If you’ve watched a seabird soar—ascending, descending and circling for minutes on end without so much as a flap of its wings—you’ve seen the flight principles that keep gliders aloft.

A single ride wasn’t enough for me. We made a couple of runs east to west along the north face of the Waianae Mountain Range, from the agricultural fields just outside the former sugar plantation town of Waialua to the windswept sand dunes of remote Kaena Point.

After you read about my glider flight in the HAWAII Magazine feature “Into the Wind,” check out the video below for cockpit views of my takeoff and landing, and some views of Oahu’s North Shore from above.

Watch as our glider actually lifts off from the Dillingham Field runway before our tow plane does, and, at the end of one of our flights, descends 1,500 feet—partially over ocean—to a soft landing on the coast-hugging runway in just two minutes.

Can't wait to go up again.

The Original Glider Rides, Dillingham Field, 68-780 Farrington Hwy, Waialua, Oahu, (808) 637-0207, www.honolulusoaring.com.