hawaiian style rugs

fish school

i am loving this whimsical rug spotted in the local artists collection at hanalei bay designs and the colorful zoom (featured below) which reminds me of maori tattoos.

in addition to collaborating with artists from hawaii, the company also works with artisans in nepal who hand-knot the designs for each rug in the traditional tibetan weaving technique. it's a time consuming process which would take one artisan three months to create a 6x9 rug (no worries, they work in teams so it's not quite as time intensive).

zoom

you can check out hanalei bay designs at details gallery in chinatown, at their showrooms in maui and kauai, and at the occasional costco roadshow around the islands.

honokaa hideaway

for those of you thinking of heading to the big island with the latest airfare deal, avoid the overpriced, tourist-filled resorts and go explore one of my favorite places on earth: the hamakua coast. the proprietors of waianuhea offer all the comforts you would expect from a small b+b inn like homemade breakfasts and afternoon wine tastings, but non-luddites will appreciate rooms stocked with modern luxuries like dvd players and lcd tvs.

the inn is also off the grid, powered solely by solar panels, so you know that you are treading lightly while visiting one of the most beautiful spots in the islands. the reviews over at tripadvisor are stellar and, more importantly, the tex drive-in is down the road which means the best malasadas on the island are just minutes away.

beat that waikoloa!

$29 airfare deal extended!

haleakala

in a definite sign that the slow season has officially arrived, the airlines have kicked the quickie airfare sales to the curb and extended the $29 o/w sale until october 1st.

fyi - go's website is presently showing a $39 o/w fare (for bookings made 6 months in advance), but when you fool around with the reservation system the $29 fare will pop up if seats are available.

details:

• book it: sun, oct 1st
• fly: now to oct 1st

fly, fly, fly . . . aloha airlines | go! | hawaiian airlines

{photo credit: hawaii tourism & convention bureau}

jack johnson 101

the kids are back in school which means it's time to endure yet another off key attempt of "in the mood" from your favorite band geek. if you would prefer a little more "mudfootball" in your life, grab a copy of the jack johnson anthology filled with guitar tabs and piano accompaniments from brushfire fairytales, in between dreams, and on and on.

your ears will be happier and your aspiring musician can impress their friends with their, ahem, artistic take on "sitting, waiting, wishing".

who is h. maloha?

i stumbled upon this website the other day and am loving the brilliant marketing strategy and beautiful packaging of maloha and the story of its mysterious founder, a purveyor of foodie treats from hawaii à la j.peterman.

if you have been searching for a fresh take on island goodies then check out maloha's selection of teas (palaunu sounds delish - a coconut/chocolate/vanilla/rooibos black tea blend) and flavored macadamia nuts (waikiki cajun, anyone?). and, yes, they also stock 100% kona coffee.