tamara catz resort collection

 

if you are lucky enough to be spending your winter holiday in hawaii, then you have to take a peek at the latest from maui designer tamara catz. the 2007 resort collection features tamara's trademark beachy bohemian vibe that can go from sightseeing around the island to lounging on your lanai.

her designs have been featured in vogue, in style, and have even made the pages of the sports illustrated swimsuit issue yet curiously she has received relatively little press in the islands and only a handful of local boutiques stock the collection. that doesn't seem to matter to those in the know who adore the hand done embellishments that are tamara's signature.

this more cosmopolitan tropical style may not be typical of hawaii and can be traced to tamara's stops around the world on her way to maui. she grew up in buenos aires and later moved to nyc to train at the fashion institute of technology in nyc (alumni include calvin klein, carolina herrera & michael kors). one day she moved to the islands, found love, and established her business in upcountry maui.

to see more stop by the online shop, use the store locator to find the stockist near you, or hit the eponymous boutique in paia when you are on maui.

island nomad

luana spa retreat

a few years ago i read a very evocative story in the newspaper about living in a yurt (the article is long gone but you can read this one to get a sense of what it is like). the coziness of the round structure and the thought of gazing at the stars through the skylight completely captured my imagination. sigh.

lucky me, it turns out there are a handful of yurt vacation rentals around the islands! the luana spa retreat in hana has a yurt located on its property with a panoramic view of hana bay. it sounds like a romantic getaway especially when you consider that there is a separate bath house (complete with outdoor shower) and that you can indulge in a massage at the spa which is just steps from your hideaway.

click here to read the reviews on tripadvisor before you go.

there is also this fabulous yurt nestled on the grounds of the kona kine coffee farm on the big island. it is luxed out with all the modern amenities you could want and features a wraparound deck with views of the pacific and nature as far as the eye can see. take a peek at the photo gallery for a little tour.

kona yurt

there is a three night minimum so do double check your dates on the availability calendar, but that just means you will have more time to lounge on the deck and soak up the view while you enjoy the complimentary organic coffee grown by the yurt's owner.

4 & 3 . . . reading, writing 'n houses

 

let the kokua countdown continue . . .

no. 4 - hawaii literacy
there is nothing like getting lost in a good book . . . especially when you're growing up on an island far from the rest of the world. and even if you are not a bookworm, well, you probably never realize how much easier reading makes your life (filling out paperwork, navigating a street map, reading your favorite blog, etc).

hawaii literacy runs classes where volunteers work with adults who need help with basic reading & writing skills. they also operate the bookmobile which brings books to kids living on the west side. me - i'm gathering up books to send home to stock the bookmobile with a complete set of my beloved childhood series, betsy-tacy (which just happens to be one of island girl bette midler's favorites too).

and if you are weeding out your bookcase before the end of the year, before you take everything to goodwill remember that most libraries welcome book donations to stock the sales run by the friends of the library.

no. 5 - habitat for humanity
well, if you are celebrating the holidays in the warmth of your home remember that the recent housing crunch has pushed far too many local families out to the beachparks (check out the "homeless on the waianae coast" series at the honolulu advertiser).

i sometimes wonder what the impact would have been had all the people who bought & sold vacation homes in their island paradise & the real estate agents who love them had made a 1% donation to the habitat chapter on the island where the property is located. food for thought.

whether you want to donate cash, building materiels to the re-store, or a little sweat equity, here's a list of habitat chapters around the islands:

• big island - hilo & kona | kauai | maui | molokai | oahu - honolulu & leeward

9-8-7 . . . the kokua countdown continues

well, you may have noticed that i fell behind on the kokua countdown over the weekend. i will refrain from blaming holiday shopping in the real world or snuggling in to watch the charger game last night and just get on with the good stuff.

no. 9 - alu like
provides a multitude of services for native hawaiians from keiki to kupuna. i especially like that they understand the importance of being financially literate and offer classes to native hawaiians to help them take control of their financial future. alu like also runs ulukau and the hawaii digital library which gives everyone online access to hawaiian & english materials written in the 19th & 20th centuries.

no. 8 - lanakila
focuses their efforts on providing assistance to those in the community with cognitive, physical, social or age-related challenges. in addition to adult day services, lanakila also has a program to train folks with a disability who want to join the workforce, a center for the blind, and operates meals on wheels for those who are homebound.

no. 7 - christmas wish program
which is run entirely by volunteers on a mission to bring xmas & a little stability to big island keiki and their families whose only home may be a shelter or one of the many tent cities that have popped up around the islands in the last few years. they have a pay pal donation option and have also posted a gift card wish list of island stores where the organization can stock up for their gift giving events.

no.11 - microloans on maui

so if you tune into the news, you may have heard that this year's nobel peace prize was given to dr. muhammad yunus of grameen bank which is working to pull people out of poverty via microloans. if you're not familiar with this concept, the idea is ingenious in its simplicity since basically it is a small loan given to a person who wants to start a business and who the mr. potters of the world consider too insignificant to help. it's a hand up instead of a hand out and since the repayment rates on microloans are very high the cycle can continue on to help more people.

in a developing country, as little as $20 can turn someone into an entrepreneur overnight but in the states it takes a bit more. maui economic opportunity (which also has branches on lanai & molokai) helps fill that need in hawaii with their business development corporation. the program launched in 1997 and has since helped create over 500 businesses in the islands. the average loan is $3881 but loans as low as $500 are available to recipients.

something as simple as a loan to kickstart someone's dream has a tremendous trickle down effect when you take into consideration the impact it has on the business owner's family, new employees and the community at large.

meo does lots of other good things like running maui's head start program, providing down payment loans to maui residents, operating housing for the disabled & aids survivors, and teaching financial literacy to island teens.

click here to learn how you can make a difference!