We could see it far below; a thin crescent of ashen sand that split the emerald green valley from the azure blue ocean. The views from Hawaii’s Waipio Valley overlook are satisfying enough that there really wasn’t much need to climb down the roughly 1,000 feet to the valley floor. But we had never seen a black sand beach before and wanted to take a closer look.
Akaka Falls State Park, Hawaii
These are just a few of the numerous waterfalls that grace Hawaii’s Big Island. We found these particular cascades just a short distance from the city of Hilo near Mauna Kea.
Delicious handmade Japanese noodles from Marukame Udon in Waikiki for as little as $3.75 per bowl.
Hawaii is an expensive travel destination, or so we’ve been told. And before arriving we fully expected to shell out a ton of cash on food. Needing to buy three meals per day, every day, at high-priced restaurants and cafes in this island paradise can really dent your wallet. But it doesn’t have to.
Here are the strategies we used to survive three weeks on the island and a lifetime on the road while still eating well and saving a fortune.
It’s good to be the king.
When David Kalakaua ordered a new palace built in 1879 in Honolulu, the Hawaiian kingdom’s capital and an increasingly important hub for international trading, the monarch mandated that no expense be spared. The building was intended to impress, lest overseas VIPs think his realm in the middle of the Pacific was a backwater.
Iolani Palace was decked out with cutting-edge amenities like indoor plumbing, a telephone, and electric lighting, which it had before the White House or Buckingham Palace. Constructed in a unique architectural style, the building melds European-inspired features with traditional Hawaiian elements such as wide, wrap-around lanais.
The only official state residence in the U.S. once occupied by royalty, Iolani Palce looks like the domain of an Italian duke rather than a dwelling in the tropics. While admiring the architecture and décor is reason to visit the residence, it’s more than just a pretty façade. Roaming its gilded rooms with a self-guided audio tour reveals intriguing stories about what played out within them, well before Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state.
A brief stop on the “Garden Isle,” the oldest and northern most in the Hawaiian chain, had us hankering for a hike. With rainforests, cliffs, canyons, and coast to choose from, we had a hard time narrowing down the list of options. Ultimately, we settled on two moderate jaunts that covered some of Kauai’s most iconic landscape.
Everywhere Once 