WHAT’S NEW IN THE ISLANDS.
Fewer migratory humpback whales may be frolicking in Hawaiian waters this spring, apparently due to warmer Alaskan seas, but human visitors have other reasons for a repeat visit. Here are a few highlights of new developments:
Marine life
The Maui Ocean Center in Maalaea has a new observation platform overlooking the harbor with free telescopes and visits by naturalists to talk about the humpback whales who did make the trans-Pacific trip. It’s also opened its first satellite location, the Hawaiian Marine Life Hale at the Sheraton Maui, where a naturalist is on hand from 9 a.m. to noon daily. Sea stars and sea cucumbers are also part of the display; www.mauioceancenter.
Sea Life Park Hawaii on Oahu’s Windward Side has dramatically expanded its Touch Pool, which features green sea turtles, rays and sharks in juvenile stages and other small creatures found in Hawaiian waters. The park’s $40 admission ($25 for ages 3 to12) now includes round-trip transport from Waikiki; www.sealifeparkhawaii.com.
The state’s premier manta ray expert, James L. Wing, gives free talks to the public twice weekly at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island, where manta rays typically gather at night. He also leads frequent night snorkels for guests, limited to six people ($95, including gear); www.maunakeabeachclub.com.
New hotels
After months of being closed for remodeling, Larry Ellison’s Four Seasons Resort Lanai reopened Feb. 1 with high-tech splashes, such as in-room iPads and 75-inch TVs, and literal ones, in the redesigned pool with adult-only grottos. Rates for the luxuriously upgraded rooms are also on the high side, from $1,375; www.fourseasons.com/ lanai. Meanwhile, the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina, a transformation of the former JW Marriott Ihilani, opens May 27, with rates from $525; www.fourseasons.com/oahu.
The Hyatt Kaanapali Beach, a Hyatt Residence Club, opened in December with 121 one-, two- and three-bedroom ocean-view units with full kitchens and access to services at the Hyatt Regency Maui next door. Rates start at $805; www.kaanapalibeach.hyatt.com. On the Big Island, Hilton Waikoloa Village has debuted Hale Ike (“House of Senses”), its name for the 395 soothingly renovated rooms and suites in its Palace Tower, which includes torch-lit paths and digital check-in. Rates begin at $269; www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com.
Want something more affordable? After a makeover, the 216-room Aston Aloha Beach Hotel in Kapaa, Kauai, will re-emerge in mid-April as the Hilton Garden Inn Kauai Wailua Bay. Rates start at $135; www.hilton.com.
New dining and nightlife
Also in Kapaa, on the oceanfront lawn of the Kauai Shores hotel, the long-awaited Lava Lava Beach Club now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with indoor-outdoor seating, full bar and live entertainment; www.lavalavabeachclub.com/kauai.
Blue Note Hawaii, the latest outpost of the international jazz club, features twice-nightly performances of elite jazz and island artists at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. The 300-seat club plans to host late-night jams on Fridays and Saturdays as well as Sunday gospel brunches; www.bluenotehawaii.com.
More than three years after a fire shut down Hula Shores, the Hotel Molokai’s restaurant, Hale Kealoha debuted in November on the oceanfront site with an island-inspired, locally sourced menu, serving three meals daily. The bar (a rarity on Molokai) is open till 9 p.m.; www.hotelmolokai.com.
On the Big Island, bacon-loving chef Allen Hess is now serving dinner Thursday-Saturday at Mai Grille, his recently opened clubhouse restaurant at the Kings’ Golf Course at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. Reservations are required for dinner, with drop-ins welcome for daily breakfast and lunch, Sunday brunch and lunch; www.maigrille.com. Those who like a sunset chaser to their artisanal cocktails should check out the stylish oceanfront hBar at Huggo’s in Kailua-Kona, which also hosts live entertainment; www.huggos.com/hbar.