Press Releases

JUNE’S SIZZLIN’ NEWS FROM HAWAI‘I’S BIG ISLAND

06/03/2008

Come to the Big Island and explore Hawai‘i’s Island of Adventure

Hawai‘i’s Big Island (June 2, 2008) – June brings the arrival of summer, and Hawai‘i’s Big Island has an agenda of non-stop summer fun in store for travelers all year long!

ADVENTURES, ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Seen the new blockbuster, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull yet? Harrison Ford isn’t the film’s only big star – Hawai‘i’s Big Island has an action-packed role, as the location of a seat-clenching chase scene that races through the lush rainforest and remote coastal areas on private land in the Puna District. For details on how to experience a “vacation on location” and stay where the stars slept, click here: media.bigisland.org/press-releases/454/hawaiis-big-island-stars-in-new-indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull-motion-picture Indiana Jones Press Release.

Indiana Jones is a local! According to Vanity Fair magazine, Indiana Jones was “born” on Hawai‘i Island. In 1977, during the premier of Star Wars, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg escaped to the Big Island, and while relaxing in the sand at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, started the brainstorm that would become the Indiana Jones legacy. The “new” Mauna Kea reopens in December 2008. Reservations begin this month, (866) PRINCE-6, www.princeresortshawaii.com/mauna-kea-resort-hawaii.php

Alaska Airlines announces a new daily direct flight between Seattle and Kona International Airport, to start Nov. 17 on a year-round basis. Seattle-Kona flights will depart at 8:40 a.m. Pacific time, and arrive at 1 p.m. Hawaii time. Return flights depart at 2 p.m., arrive in Seattle at 9:40 p.m. Pacific time. The new flights will be aboad Boeing 737-800s, with 16 first-class seats available, and 141 in the main cabin. For reservations, go to www.alaskaair.com, or call (800) ALASKAAIR.

Saddle up for this year’s Great Waiomina Celebration and Year of the Paniolo Festivities. While most events happen in August, *Hawaii Volcanoes National Park*’s annual cultural festival on July 12 will highlight the Park’s long heritage of Park horses, local ranchers, and cowboys (paniolo). Held at the Park’s new Kahuku location. And from Aug. 16, in Waimea, the heart of paniolo country, numerous celebrations, trail rides, parades, rodeos and more are scheduled. For the full range of fun, visit www.nps.gov/havo and www.paniolopreservation.org

Keauhou Resort was lauded recently for the restoration of Hapaiali‘i Heiau (temple). Thought to be more than 600 years old, Hapaiali‘i is built on the ocean’s shoreline and completely surrounded by water at high tide. Hapaiali’i was rebuilt in just over a year, and the restoration of nearby Ke‘eku Heiau has begun. Keauhou is a 2,400-acre fully-integrated destination community located five miles south of Kailua-Kona and includes Keauhou Beach Resort, Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, Keauhou Shopping Center, two golf courses, and resort condominiums and residences. www.keauhou-resort.com

“Mantastic” News! The Manta Pacific Research Foundation reports increasing numbers of manta rays are being seen in Kona waters, with a record number of 36 of the charismatic creatures sighted on Kona Honu Diver’s popular night dive May 19. Visit www.mantapacific.org or www.konahonudivers.com to book a dive.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and Hawai‘i Forest & Trail introduce a new eco-tourism adventure, the “*Waterfall HeliHike*.” Blue Hawaiian flies guests in a state-of-the-art ECO-Star to Kohala’s windward coast for breathtaking sea cliffs and cascading waterfalls. At a private landing site, guests join their HF&T naturalist on a 6-wheel-drive Pinzgauer and a two-mile hike, enjoying waterfalls, plunge pools, and ancient terraces. Includes lunch and a dip in a mountain stream with waterfalls overhead. Reservations/info: (808) 961-5600. $425 per person or child (8-12), plus tax and fuel surcharge.

BIGTI Tours’ new Makai to Mauka Deluxe Excursion leaves Honokōhau Harbor (makai means ocean) for a four-hour dolphin odyssey. After a light lunch back at the harbor, it’s off to the upper slopes of Hualālai (mauka means mountain) to Mountain Thunder Coffee Farm, the largest organic coffee farm in the U.S. Includes stops at Living Stones Church and King Kamehameha’s last resting place. $225 per person, www.bigti.com or call (808) 331-0733.
08-331-0733 808-331-0733

Vavoom Volcano Tours offers guided tours of Kīlauea volcano and other unforgettable sights of East Hawai‘i. The volcano tour includes lunch at Volcano House and may include hiking across a volcano crater floor, a trip to Jaggar Museum, a flashlight hike through a lava tube, or a rainforest hike. The Summit to Sea Adventure includes all of the above, plus a trek to Kalapana to see lava cascading into the ocean. www.vavoomhawaii.blogspot.com

A new partnership of public and private landowners has been created to protect watersheds and natural resources across more than one million acres on Maunaloa, Kīlauea and Hualālai on the island of Hawai‘i. The Three Mountain Alliance will focus on management of upland forests to protect native habitat and species and benefit the community by providing essential groundwater, water filtration, and flood reduction. The Three Mountain Alliance is one of nine watershed partnerships throughout the State. www.hawp.org

Looking for more to do? Click www.BigIsland.org/calendar for detailed information about additional Hawai‘i Island events, and make sure you don’t miss these:

“Gokurosama: Contemporary Photographs of the Nisei In Hawai‘i,” by photographer Brian Y. Sato, on display Aug. 15-Oct. 15 at Hilo’s Lyman Museum, (808) 935-5021, www.lymanmuseum.org
Hawai‘i Slack Key Guitar Festival – Kona Style, Sun., Aug. 31 at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free, with special rooms packages available. www.slackkeyfestival.com and www.SheratonKona.com

HOTELS, RESORTS AND B&Bs

B&B&B. A trio of Hawai‘i Island’s most luxurious bed and breakfasts, Waianuhea, www.waianuhea.com (888-775-2577), Kalaekilohana, www.kau-hawaii.com (888-584-7071), and Ka‘awa Loa Plantation, www.kaawaloaplantation.com (808) 323-2686, offer a new Triple Stay & Play package. Three diverse locations, three distinctive inns, three nights to enjoy each. Drive less, and see more. Indulge in a gourmet breakfast daily, and receive a gift at every stop. Book this nine-night package with one call to any of the three inns. $849 per person, double occupancy. Price does not include tax or gratuities. Travel agent commissionable.

Earn $200 resort credit at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai‘i to splurge on spa, dining, recreation and more at this luxury oceanfront Kohala Coast resort with a minimum three-night stay through Dec. 20. Learn more at www.fairmont.com/orchid or call toll-free (800) 845-9905.

Kona Village enhances travel agent relationships. The “almost-all-inclusive” resort will include the meal plan portion of every guest’s stay in the paid commission for new reservations, in addition to the room portion. With room rates including meals and activities for two beginning at $660 per night, commission pay-out can mean at least $27 more per night to agents who book the resort’s iconic thatched-roof bungalows. Furthermore, Kona Village is guaranteeing 2008 pricing for 2009 for reservations confirmed no later than Sept. 30, 2008. www.KonaVillage.com

Waipi‘o Wayside Bed and Breakfast Inn is celebrating 20 years in business with a 10 percent discount or a one-room complimentary upgrade from its anniversary date June 6, to Dec. 6, 2008. Relax on the inn’s lanai and enjoy amazing Waipi‘o Valley minutes away. The Inn provides a “green” environment and organic breakfasts. Rates from $110 to $190 per night. Email info@waipiowayside or visit www.waipiowayside.com

ResortQuest Hawai‘i Extends Fourth Night Free, in time for summer travel to Waikoloa Beach Resort! The ResortQuest Shores at Waikoloa offers one-bedroom deluxe units from $240/night, two-bedrooms from $280/night. ResortQuest Waikoloa Colony Villas start at $301/night for a two-bedroom villa, and $376/night for a three-bedroom. For valid travel dates and more information, visit www.ResortQuestHawaii.com or call (866) 774-2924. Taxes/fees not included in rates.

At Mauna Lani Resort, newlyweds can keep their post-nuptials stress-free with the Honeymoon Over Hawai‘i package. Includes a welcome bottle of champagne, couple’s massage, a sunset or snorkel catamaran cruise and a $100 dining credit at the oceanside CanoeHouse restaurant. Package rates start at $605 a night, three-night minimum. Some restrictions apply, valid through Dec. 23, 2008. Visit www.maunalani.com.

Enjoy endless summer days and nights at the newly renovated Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, starting from $219 per room, per night from now through June 15. From June 16 to Sept. 6, the rate starts from $239. For reservations, visit www.waikoloamarriott.com or call toll-free (800) 228-9290 in the U.S. and Canada. Restrictions: advance purchase only, garden/mountain view per room, per night, subject to availability, blackout dates, and non-refundable rate.

Castle Resorts & Hotels makes Hawai‘i travel affordable with Summer on Sale. Whether visiting the Kohala Coast, Maunakea, or Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Castle is everywhere you want to be on Hawaii’s Big Island. Hilo accommodations from 52 percent off, starting at just $101 per night with five-night minimum. Kona accommodations from 50 percent off, starting at $111 per night with four-night minimum. Rates subject to availability now through Sept. 5, restrictions may apply. Visit www.CastleResorts.com or call (800) 367-5004.

The Shops at Mauna Lani welcomes Peter Lik Gallery, the most awarded photographer in history. In addition to galleries in Australia, this marks the third Peter Lik Gallery in Hawai‘i and the 11th in the U.S. Specializing in stunning landscapes, each fine art image comes in several different sizes and clients are able to choose the frame and liner for their piece. www.shopsatmaunalani.com

TASTY TIDBITS

Saturday Night Fever has struck Daniel Thiebaut restaurant! Each Saturday night, a different band will get guests hoppin’ on the dance floor with a variety of music, ranging from jazz, pop, rock ‘n’ roll, and other classic eras. 8:30 p.m. to midnight. (808) 887-2200.

Orchid Marketplace, formerly Orchid Cafe, has opened at Hilton Waikoloa Village alongside the Kona Pool. This newly renovated restaurant offers convenient and family-friendly dining choices for take-out (both made-to-order and grab-and-go selections) or dine-in poolside seating. Orchid Marketplace has a quick-service design, with multiple menu options for every age, and a stone deck pizza oven where chefs prepare personalized pizzas. The Orchid Marketplace is one of nine restaurants at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. www.HiltonWaikoloaVillage.com

NOTE: BIVB recognizes the use of diacritical markings, i.e., glottal stop (‘), macron (ā), in place names of Hawai‘i, such as Kīlauea. However, BIVB respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses.

Big Island Visitors Bureau Media Contact:
Jessica Ferracane, Irondog Communications, (808) 895-5740, jessica@irondogpr.com