[ISLAND HOPPING]
Tops in Travel +Leisure
The 243-room Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on the Big Island received the highest rating for Best Hotel Hawaii and World's Best Hotel Spas in Travel + Leisure magazine's 7th annual World's Best Awards. The resort also ranks No. 14 in the Top 100 Hotels Worldwide.The results of the survey, featured in the magazine this month, were selected by the magazine's readers through an on-line subscriber questionnaire.
The resort in historic Ka'upulehu-Kona, is located along the North Kona Coast. For information and reservations, call 808-325-8000 or toll-free 888-340-5662.
STAR-BULLETIN
A Hawaiian print ID will have you flying through checkpoints. Aloha!
Have ID will travel
Without an ID, you're not going anywhere these days. Travelers know you have to show your ID at least three times before boarding planes -- maybe more if you're odd-looking.Wabi-Sabi offers a solution, with a $6 Hawaiian print "Have ID Will Travel" holder that can be worn around your neck like a lanyard. Show your ID, and you'll avoid the hassle of pulling your wallet out and stowing it away again and again.
Once security is satisfied that the mug on the ID is yours, you'll fly through checkpoints.
Wabi-Sabi is at 1223 Koko Head Ave. No. 4. The Kaimuki shop also carries all sorts of edibles and omiyage by local crafters. If it's more convenient, you can also check them out in Booth 73 at the Made in Hawaii Festival that runs Aug. 16-18 at the Blaisdell Center.
Elvis on the Big Isle
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island commemorates the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's passing during Elvis Week this month.The hotel pays tribute to the King with two of his favorite things -- food and rock 'n' roll -- with a clambake Aug. 17 and Sunday brunch Aug. 18.
The "Blue Hawaii" clambake takes place 6 to 9 p.m. on the 17th, followed by a performance by the Ho'oku "Lonely" Street Band and an Elvis impersonator.
Then, Mauna Kea adds some of Elvis' favorite Southern foods to its 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. "Love Me Tender" brunch on the 18th, which will include another Elvis sighting.
"Elvis was the best," said the hotel's general manager Charles Park. "We want to honor that memory not in a sad way, but in a way that's fun, that celebrates who he was to all of us."
Presley was born in 1935 in Mississippi and officially "left the building" on Aug. 16, 1977. Since then, Elvis Week has been celebrated annually at Graceland, his last home, in Memphis, Tenn.
For more information about the Big Island events, call 808-882-5810.
