The name may not be familiar to you, but Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is the company that operates twelve of the premier hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties in Hawaii.

Starwood conducts its business both directly and through its subsidiaries. In Hawaii, Starwood operates under five of its major brand names: Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, and Westin.

Find our more about the Starwood Hotels and Resorts of Hawaii.

_{Photo of the Sheraton Maui Resort by John Fischer, licensed to About.com}

As part of our 2008 effort to keep you advised of excellent accommodation bargains in Hawaii, I've just been advised of the following spring specials at Castle Resorts & Hotels. Castle offers a variety of accommodation choices, amenities and price ranges.

I have stayed at several Castle Resorts & Hotels over the years and always found them to be great values. While not offering many of the amenities of the larger resorts, they are always clean, safe and the staff is always friendly and helpful.

For travel now through June 25, 2008 on the island of Oahu and until June 5, 2008 for Kauai, Hawaii and Maui, Castle Resorts & Hotels is offering "SPRINGtacular Savings" at participating properties. The following hotels and resorts offer savings off the published rack rates, based on a minimum night stay. Read more...

Uncle's Fish Market & Grill, an establishment run by fish wholesaler, Fresh Island Fish, opened its doors for dinner on May Day, Thursday, May 1st, 2008. Uncle's will be open daily for lunch and for dinner service Tuesday through Saturday nights until 9:00 p.m.

Uncle's is located at Pier 38 off Nimitz Highway in Honolulu.

Uncle's Fish Market & Grill was just recently recognized by Food & Wine Magazine as "One of the World's Best Restaurant Guide: 293 Outstanding Places To Eat In 40 Cities." With its "freshest fish in town" promise, Uncle's is garnering a lot of attention with its loyal local customers as well as first time visitors. Read more...

AAA has released their Annual Vacation Costs Survey. Guess which city in the United States has the highest average published prices for meals and lodging for two adults per day?

It's Honolulu, Hawaii at a staggering $673.13 per day. That's $66 per day more than New York City's $606.38 and over $300 more than third place Miami-Miami Beach which comes in at what seems like a bargain price of $370.29. Read more...

If, like me you've always wanted to feel like it is to hang from a parachute but had no desire to jump from a plane or soar off a mountain top, there's a way that you can experience all the thrill but feel totally safe in doing so. That way is to parasail. One company that does a superb job is UFO Parasail at Ka'anapali Beach on Maui.

Find out how you can have this once in a lifetime experince with UFO Parasail on Maui.

Parasail Photo by John Fischer

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video of Hawaii is worth much more. Check out our videos of Hawaii which will help you plan your next Hawaii vacation.

• Tour Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
  See the best vantage points, sites, and stops in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island in Hawaii.
• Tour of the Hamakua Coast on Hawaii's Big Island
  Tucked off the beaten path, the Hamakua Coast is a hidden treasure on the Big Island of Hawaii.
• Tour Historic Downtown Honolulu and Waikiki Beach
  Join me on a tour of historic downtown Honolulu, Hawaii and nearby Waikiki Beach where hundreds of thousands come to play each year.
• Tour of Chinatown in Honolulu
  Take a tour of Chinatown and taste Honolulu, Hawaii's urban nightlife.
• Vist Oahu's Hale'iwa
  Hale'iwa, a small, quaint town on the North Shore of Oahu, welcomes visitors with spectacular beaches, great surfing, fragrant pineapple fields, and Hawaii's ubiquitous delicacy, shave ice.
• Hawaii's West Maui
  Snorkeling, surfing, sailing, and sun - see what makes Hawaii's West Maui shine.
• Ensure your Maui, Hawaii Trip is Your Best Vacation Ever
  Tour Maui's best beach and ocean activities and ensure that your trip to Hawaii is your best vacation ever.
• Celebrate May Day as Lei Day in Hawaii
  Experience Hawaii's annual celebration of the lei, Lei Day, held on May 1st when much of the rest of the world celebrates May Day.

The nine Marriott Resorts in Hawaii are the perfect hosts for the ultimate family vacation. Located on O'ahu, Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island, the oceanfront hotels and vacation resorts offer entertaining programs and activities designed for the young and young-at-heart.

What better way to enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian Islands than with your loved ones?

Read more details of what's available for families at the Marriott Resorts of Hawaii as well as our reviews of several properties.

_{Signature Circular Pool and Pool Deck at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa - Photo by John Fischer}

Visiting Kalaupapa you here the voices of thousands of Hawaiians, now silent, who were taken from their homes and brought to this desolate place. Their crime was that they suffered from leprosy, now called Hansen's Disease.

Ignored and abandoned for many years, they found hope in a Catholic Priest and Nun who showed them compassion and kindness. Reminders of Father Damien and Mother Marianne, both on the path to sainthood, are everywhere on Kalaupapa.

We hope you enjoy our 127 photos taken on Molokai's Kalaupapa Peninsula. View the photos...

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii. It's a day of color, celebration, flowers and aloha. In this feature we take a look at the origins of Lei Day and how the holiday is celebrated throughout the islands. Read more about the history of Lei Day and how it is celebrated on each of the Hawaiian Islands in our feature Lei Day in Hawaii

View our gallery of Photos of O'ahu's Lei Day Celebration.

View our new travel video Celebrate May Day as Lei Day in Hawaii.

It is, unfortunately, rare today to find a restaurant that has been in business for 40 years and still thriving. I'm sure we all have had a favorite restaurant close their doors when a new, snazzier competitor opens up just down the street.

Set back from the road and easy to miss as you drive down Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii's Big Island, you'll find Huggo's restaurant and its casual sidekick eatery, Huggo's on the Rocks. It was 40 years ago this week that Hugo and Shirley von Platen Luder opened a "casual gathering spot where you could get a good steak, a slab of fresh fish and pile it on at the salad bar."

Find our more about Huggo's restaurant in Kailua-Kona and check out the recently retired Executive Chef Cliften "Loetree" Berry's recipe for Maui Onion Crusted Ahi Steak with Mushroom Ragout.