aqua waikiki wave

on our last trip home, we considered staying in waikiki for a night until hotel sticker shock nudged us back to hale ohana. my inner circle knows that the w hotel is more my style (if not always in my budget) but even after attempting to find more reasonably priced accomodations that wouldn't creep me out via priceline, i abandoned my search and opted to take a day trip to kaua'i instead.

we may have carried on with our waikiki plans had i known that the aqua waikiki wave (formerly the aston coral reef) was undergoing renovations to transform itself into a modern boutique hotel. the updated rooms feature a flat screen television, dvd player, stainless steel mini-fridge & microwave making the rate (as low as $109 a night) a downright bargain considering the hotel's central location on kuhio behind the international marketplace.

recent tripadvisor reviews have been positive although do keep in mind that a few amenities like free wi-fi (sweet!) are not available yet and the spa & fitness center won't be ready until the end of december.

lily lotus lifestyle

ripple dye + kuan yin

looks like lily lotus is expanding their line and taking their serene yoga style beyond the mat. now you can slip into your oh-so-comfy lifestyle gear to kick it around town and avoid the guilt trip when you never make it to the gym.

online shopping isn't available yet but lily lotus can be found at yoga studios around the islands as well as at a few spots on the mainland & in japan.

hawaiian vanilla company

it's the secret ingredient at some of the most notable restaurants in the islands so, if you love to bake, you may want to stock up on premium vanilla beans & extract from the big island's hawaiian vanilla company which has the distinction of being the one and only vanilla farm in the states.

even if you're not into cooking, hawaiian vanilla has partnered up with other local companies so your tastebuds will be the happy recipient of estate grown 100% hawaiian vanilla coffee, roselani ice cream, and other goodies.

you can even take a culinary tour and discover all things vanilla at an upcountry tea, luncheon or tasting (reservations required) at hawaiian vanilla's vineyard on the hamakua coast.

big mahalos

i just wanted to say *aloha* to everyone who has been stopping by from hawaiirama! alex wrote a very nice post about l'il ol' h|h so do share the love and click over to find out everything that's island fresh, served daily.

also, my very tardy thanks to jeela at quadmag who summed up h|h much better than i did. i am now going to describe myself to everyone i meet as an "island girl abroad" and invite all "homesick hipsters" to join the fun!

hidden jools

the september issue of lucky gave some love to jools, a jewelry line created by island girl and current l.a. resident sybil shimazu. her romantic victorian bohemian collection is just the thing for fall with its lacy filigree designs in unexpected jet black (gothy and fabulous, wouldn't you say?).

if you simply cannot live without a splash of color, jools has many pretty and bejeweled pieces to adorn you like these lovely dark blue quartz earrings and this seriously show stopping coral/olive quartz/peridot pendant. fair warning: you may experience sticker shock but in a very good way.