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.
  

Last January, subscriber Karen De La Vina of Phoenix, Ariz., read in HAWAI‘I Magazine that we’d redone our web site.

Propped up in bed with her laptop, she decided to check us out. On the Web site, she took note of a chance to enter our “Shop A Le'a” sweepstakes, celebrating the opening of a whole new retail area in Ala Moana Center, including Hawaii’s first full-service Nordstrom department store.

The sweepstakes prize?  Round-trip tickets from Hawaiian Airlines, seven nights in oceanview room at the Ala Moana Hotel, and a $500 shopping spree at Ala Moana Center.

More than 7,300 people entered. Karen was the winner.

“I can’t believe I won,” said Karen, when we caught up with her last night at one of the opening parties.  “I love Hawaii, I love shopping, I was just here last November, when I subscribed to HAWAII Magazine.”

Karen had been in the Islands since Monday—and had spent everyday shopping, except for some time she took for a lomilomi massage. “I needed it because I’d been on my feet and carrying lots of shopping bags,” she laughed.

The party last night was a chance to shop first in a dozen or so new stores, complete with special Shop a Le'a martinis made with Ocean vodka, desserts from award-winning Honolulu restaurants and special offers from the stores. It was a great night, even if you weren’t shopping. But I may have been the only one not doing that.

Congratulations Karen.
  

Karen De La Vina of Phoenix, Ariz., come on down! To Hawaii, that is.

Karen is the winner of HAWAII Magazine’s 2008 Shop a Le’a trip for two to Hawaii, plus a shopping spree.

What does Karen get?

• A round-trip for two to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines.
• A $500 Ala Moana Center shopping spree, and VIP gifts and tickets to the opening night gala and preview of Hawaii's first Nordstrom store.
• Seven nights in an ocean-view room at the newly-renovated Ala Moana Hotel.

Congratulations, Karen! And mahalo from us to the 7,300 HAWAII Magazine readers who entered Shop a Le’a.

 

If you’re on Oahu, it’s multicultural party time.

Get yourself to downtown Honolulu’s Chinatown Arts District today.

It’s First Friday, with all the galleries open, bars packed, the young and trendy packing the sidewalks, and serious revelry.

Not enough? Tonight’s also the official Chinese New Years street party. There will be firecrackers and lion dancers up and down the streets of Chinatown, food booths and decorations, plus a festival at the Chinese Cultural Plaza. 

Still not enough? The Follies will put 60 showgirls on stage at Hawaii Theatre, and there will be free bands at Smith-Beretania Park.

In other words, it’s the biggest street party Chinatown’s seen in a long time.

Not the last party, though. There’s more Chinese New Years celebrating on Saturday, and then on Tuesday, the good times roll. Mardi Gras shuts down Nu‘uanu Avenue with beads, bands and food, plus Brazilian carnival and a Caribbean style costume and float contest.

It doesn’t end there. Friday, Feb. 8, is Double 8 on the Chinese calendar. “It’s an auspicious day, all 24 hours, for weddings, businesses,” says Sandy Pohl of Louis Pohl Gallery.That evening, 26 merchants, restaurants and galleries will give patrons li-see—all of which will contain a surprise, some of which will contain money.

It’s a multicultural party marathon. Most of it free, all of it fun.

Just take a look at the celebration last year.
 
 

Now that we’ve got your attention, click here to win free airfare to Honolulu, a week in an ocean-view hotel room and a $500 shopping spree.

On us! And Ala Moana Shopping Center.
 
UPDATE, 2/20: The contest is now closed. The last day for entry was Feb. 18, 2008.