*This web story was originally published in November 2020, and updated in March 2026. The short list was included in our FALL/WINTER 2025 issue. The best lū‘au in Hawai‘i will serve the authentic stuff: succulent kālua pig, creamy haupia and, of course, poi. So if you are lucky enough to get handed that perfect plate, here’s what you’ll be eating: From […]
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Bianca McKee has been a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines for 10 years. Here, she shares what drew her to a career in the clouds and provides some insider tips for folks traveling to the Islands. What first drew you to being a flight attendant? I was attracted to working at Hawaiian
*This story was originally published on Feb. 3, 2025, and updated in January 2026. February is Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Language Month, and it’s now more important than ever to celebrate this living language by learning, embracing and respecting it. Three years after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, the Hawaiian language was
*This story was originally published on Dec. 24, 2024, and updated in December 2025. With its year-round tropical climate and an endless-summer energy, it’s no surprise snowbirds flock to Maui every winter. But that doesn’t mean the island lacks holiday spirit. Across the Valley Isle, you can enjoy festive celebrations throughout December. From
*This story was originally published on Nov. 8, 2023, and was updated in November 2025. While traveling in the winter anywhere else in the world may subject visitors to colder weather, snow and darker days, Hawaiʻi sees tropical weather and perfectly sunny weather even in December and January. Sure, it may rain a bit
*This story was originally published on Oct. 31, 2024. Years ago, I went on a ghost tour with Native Hawaiian storyteller Lopaka Kapanui, visiting haunted spots on Oʻahu. It was early evening, the sun had long set. We were standing in a remote area on the windward side of Pali Highway. And this is
*This story was originally published on Jan. 25, 2020, and updated in October 2025. What’s in an outdoor name? Many people know the story of how Diamond Head got its English-language name—19th-century British sailors initially mistook calcite crystals on its slopes for the precious stone. The Oʻahu volcanic crater’s original name, however, was Lēʻahi,
*This story was originally published on Sept. 17, 2024. Today is World Manta Day, a day to celebrate these majestic marine creatures and raise awareness of the threats they’re facing. Swimming with manta rays on Hawaiʻi Island—specifically off the Kona Coast—is on a lot of travelers’ bucket list. It’s one of the most unique
*This article was originally published on Aug. 29, 2018. You can get a Hawaiian food plate lunch almost anywhere in the Islands, with nearly all of the required fixins (kālua pig, laulau, lomi salmon, etc.). But if we were to craft the best Hawaiian plate ever, here’s where we’d go. 1. Haupia: Yama’s Fish
*This story was originally published on Dec. 11, 2019, and updated on Sept. 1, 2025. It’s pretty hard to have a proper road trip in Hawaiʻi. Driving from Oʻahu’s central city of Honolulu to the North Shore, for example, takes less than an hour (without traffic). This is not the case on Hawaiʻi Island, which
*This story was originally published on Aug. 5, 2021. From her shaded treehouse bakery, Auntie Julia watches the cars roll by. Her establishment is quaint, a small green treehouse perched along Kahekili Highway, located in the hard-to-reach town of Kahakuloa, but her product—succulent loaves of homemade banana bread—is famous. When people ask where the
