Hawaii Vacation Gifts by Double Brush-Hawaiian Gifts & Blog

How Green is Your City? Honolulu, Hawaii Ranks #1

How green is your city? Honolulu, Hawaii ranks number 1 in terms of air quality, but drops to number 15 in the overall ranking for cities according to the SustainLane 2006 report.

This is the nation's most complete report card on urban sustainability for the 50 largest cities in the United States. Using categories such as housing affordability, metro public transit, renewable energy, local food production and more, this information forms a picture of a city's ability to limit or intensify negative economic and environmental impacts of fossil fuel dependence.

The top 15 Green Cities are:

1. Portland, OR
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Chicago, IL
5. Oakland, CA
6. New York, NY
7. Boston, MA
8. Philadelphia, PA
9. Denver, CO
10. Minneapolis, MN
11. Baltimore, MD
12. Washington, DC
13. Sacramento, CA
14. Austin, TX
15. Honolulu, HI
16. Milwaukee, WI
17. San Diego, CA
18. Kansas City, MO
19. Albuquerque, NM
20. Tucson, AZ

For more information and details on each city, and the complete list of the 50 top green cities in the USA, visit SustainLane.

Hawaii Superferry is Almost Here

People in the islands are getting very excited about the Hawaii Superferry which will begin service late this summer. There has never been a ferry service inter-island like this before.

I pictured a big uninteresting ship with rows of plank like seating (sort of like the one I was on to see the Statue of Liberty years ago) but it is anything but that. The superferry's interior is so luxurious. There are several types of seating areas, and the seats look plush and comfortable, more like airline seats. The inside of the ship looks like a nice hotel lounge or lobby. There will also be a keiki (children) area for the kids to play.

The ship is currently being built in Mobile, Alabama and will get to Hawaii via the Panama Canal, with a short stop in Los Angeles to refuel. After that daily service from Honolulu, O'ahu to Kahului, Maui begins, and service 6 days a week from Honolulu, O'ahu to Nawiliwili, Kauai begins. One way passage will take approximately 3 hours from either island.

Service to the Big Island of Hawaii will not begin till 2009 after a second ferry is added. And as my luck would have it, they will only be going to Kona, and NEVER plan on stopping in Hilo, the reason being it would take too long to go around the island to get to the east side. As it is, from Honolulu to Kona will take 4 1/2 hours.

At least we would be able to pack up our car, drive to Kona, and then drive right onto the ferry with all of our bags, omiyage gifts, and ice chest packed with food. That would be difficult to do if you were flying, which up till now has been pretty much the only option. Also, you don't have to rent a car when you get to another island if you bring your own.

To make reservations, see the picture gallery, routes, ticket prices and everything you want or need to know about the superferry, visit their site HawaiiSuperFerry.com

Of course you won't find any negative information about the superferry on their site. But just to let you know, there has and continues to be opposition to the superferry with regards to environmental concerns such as not disturbing the humpback whales during the season when they come to Hawaii to rest and give birth.

So, are you for or against the Hawaii Superferry and do you plan to use it? Please leave your comments below.

Travel Search Made Easy

If you find it tedious entering your same travel information over and over and logging in to travel site after travel site when searching to find a flight, hotel, car, or package deal online, try our handy booking wiz search widget. It's easy, enter your information once and the top deals from the major online travel search sites come up for you.

Saves you time and waiting as you can compare all of the offers at one time, from usually three to six top well known travel companies. Travel search sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, HotWire, Priceline and Cheap Tickets, will each open in a separate window display so you don't have to toggle back and forth between browsers. And who opens up six browsers at one time anyway?

Try it now! It is free and and it easy. Also available are up to the minute top travel deals. Compare Travel Sites and Save Big!

And don't forget to bookmark the page.

Where to eat in Hilo Hawaii?

Hilo is a small but growing town with old established long time eateries, and newer trendy restaurants. If you plan to visit Hilo, or already live here and drive by restaurants wondering if the food is any good, help is on the way.

James and his wife frequently dine out, camera in hand, and shares with us what they ate, how much it cost, and usually has mouth watering photographs of their meal. They have a wide variety of tastes from local food to pizza and beer. They also review other restaurants on the Big Island.

There is a search feature so you can quickly find out if he has reviewed a restaurant you heard about, or you can scan the archives. If you don't find what you are looking for, send him an email request. His blog is called Big Island Grinds with the word "grinds" meaning food in local slang.

Ha, Ha, Ha, Happy Hawaiian Tomatoes

The ha, ha, ha, happiest Hawaiian tomatoes are grown by Hamakua Springs Country Farms by Richard Ha and his family right here on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have been buying his delicious tomatoes at our local KTA supermarket for years.

Tender loving care and clean hydroponic (growing plants in water and fertilizer instead of soil) conditions make his tomatoes on the vine, beef tomatoes, cocktail tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes, simply the best and will make your tastebuds burst with happiness. Famous chef and restaurateur (this is the correct spelling) Alan Wong agrees and serves their produce in his fine restaurants.

If you are not fortunate enough to live in Hawaii or visit Hawaii to try his special tomatoes and other produce, try these award winning Hawaiian recipes with your favorite local brand of tomatoes: Hamakua Style Tomato Pie, Tomato Chutney or Crunchy Lomi Salmon.

Visit Hamakua Springs for the recipes and more information, and make sure you read their wonderful blog.

A True Maui Girl at Heart

She wasn't born on Maui, but since her honeymoon, she and her husband have been to Maui over 20 times! Maui Girl will personally tell you how they have a great time on a budget by staying in condos -- she tells you where they like to stay and why -- where to eat at restaurants and where to shop if dining in, and the myriad of activities available to explore Maui. Her writing is equal to the beautiful photographs of Maui that she shares.

Read her complete post on Maui, The Valley Isle

Have fun browsing through our best Maui Activities available, and reserve online or by phone. Activities have complete descriptions with photographs and real customer ratings for each activity.

Virtual Reality Hawaii Panorama Photographs

This is the most amazing site with hundreds of panorama photographs with a 360 degree view of popular and secret places in Hawaii. The virtual reality is like you are standing in one of your most favorite spots in Hawaii, and can see in front, left, right and behind where you are standing...all by moving your computer mouse over the picture!

This is just a quick (not complete) run down of places you can visit on each island.

Big Island Virtual Tour

Hamakua Coast (5)

World Botanical garden (7)

Akaka Falls (7)

Hawaii Botanical Garden (8)

Hilo Side (9)

Hawaii Volcanoes (17)

Kalapana Trail (7)

South Shore (8)

Place of Refuge (9)

Kona Coast (10)

Kona Coast 2 (10)

Coffee tour (10)

Kailua Kona (14)

Waikoloa Hilton (6)

Puukohola Heiau (5)

Kohala Area (14)

Mauna Kea (13)

Kaumana cave (5)

Maui Virtual Tour

Haleakala Crater 1 (12)

Haleakala Crater 2 (11)

Upcountry to Hana (15)

East - Hana to Kipahulu (8)

Twin Falls (4)

South Maui (15)

Maalea to Kaanapali (14)

Kaanapali, Kahalukoa (10)

Lahaina City (9)

Central Maui (7)

Tropical Plantation (5)

Iao Valley (9)

Kauai Virtual Tour

North Shore (14 )

North Shore cont. (11 )

Kilauea Lighthouse (6 )

Limahuli Garden (8 )

East Side (17 )

East Side cont. (11 )

South Shore (16)

Tropical garden (5 )

Russian Fort (4 )

West with Waimea VR (21)

Oahu Virtual Tour

North Shore(30)

South Shore (26)

Windward Coast 26)

Leeward Coast (13)

Metro Area (29)

Waikiki (67)

Diamond head (8)

Koko Head area (33)

Makapu Lighthouse (7)

Sea Life Park (10)

Bishop Museum (12)

Pearl Harbor (19)

Foster Botanical garden (8)

Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden (7)

Koko Crater Botanical Garden (14)

Lyon Arboretum (9)

Olomana Garden (4)

Ala Moana Center (6)

Ko-Olina Resort Marina (10)

Maunawili Trail (8)

Lantern Floating Hawaii(11)

Aloha Tower(5)

Kualoa Ranch (13)

Polynesian C.C.(27)

Chinatown (11)

Honolulu Downtown (15)

My_Ryang-Sa (13)

Punchbowl Memorial(11)

Ualakaa Park(19)

Object VR (4)

There are also virtual tours of Lanai and Molokai.

Dream, re-live or share memories of your favorite places in Hawaii with someone by visiting Virtual Tour of Hawaii.

McDonalds Fast Food in Hawaii goes Local

There are how many McDonalds fast food restaurants in Hawaii and they serve what???!!

The Hawaii state boasts McDonalds eateries on all of the main islands of Oahu, the Big Island, Maui and Kauai. There are currently 83 McDonalds restaurants gracing the Hawaiian islands.

What makes McDonalds in Hawaii unique from the rest of the McDonalds in the world is their additional fast food items that target local tastes. Food such as portuguese sausage, eggs and rice for breakfast, haupia (coconut pudding) turnovers for dessert, and fruit punch as a soft drink selection. You can also snack on a hot cup of noodles in broth called saimin, an island favorite.

What local food item would you like to see at McDonalds?

How much is Electricity on the Big Island?

The cost for electricity or electrical service on the Big Island of Hawaii depends on what kind of usage you are talking about. I will focus on residential usage since I am assuming that is what most of my readers are interested in.

In 2006 the average price paid in cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) was 31.03 Compare this to what you are currently paying and you will understand why islanders joke about the "paradise tax", meaning anything that cost more in Hawaii than the mainland, or most anyplace else.

The following is press directly from the Hawaiian Electric Company.

Rates are not the same for all categories of customers because the rates are based on the cost of serving each category. It costs more on a cost per kilowatt-hour basis to serve residential and small business customers than it does to serve business customers consuming large amounts of electricity.

The cost of electricity in Hawaii is higher than on the U.S. mainland because the electrical systems on each island are independent. There are no neighboring utility companies from which to draw power in the event of a problem with the generation or distribution systems.

To minimize the risk of not being able to deliver electricity to our customers, we must have reserve generating capacity and multiple distribution routes. Additionally, our state's remote location adds to the cost of doing business. And in 2006, higher fuel costs also caused the average cost per kilowatt-hour to increase.

And there you have it, one example of the paradise tax in Hawaii.

Please leave a comment to share how much you are paying in your city and state.

Graduation Season Hawaii Lei Tradition

Here in Hawaii, it has become a beloved tradition to give a lei to "the graduate." Whether that person is graduating from high school, college, completing a course or workshop--any achievement is worthy of being acknowledged and celebrated with a lei.

What is the proper way to give a lei in Hawaii? The proper and traditional way to give a Hawaiian lei is to place it over the person's head so it hangs around their neck, then give him or her a kiss on the cheek. Of course if you have a closer relationship with that person you can kiss them on the lips.

May and June is known as the graduation season in Hawaii. Graduates from all over Hawaii are heaped with leis from family, friends, and other well wishers.

On the mainland your graduate will really stand out from the crowd wearing a fresh hawaiian lei direct from Hawaii. Your lei will also convey love, aloha, and your affection for the graduating person on their special day.

Please visit our fresh hawaiian lei page for a selection of authentic beautiful leis direct from Hawaii. Our flowers are grown right here on the Big Island, and your lei is sewn up fresh on the day that it is shipped. Other leis can be bought online, but many leis are actually imported to Hawaii from Singapore and Thailand, and then reshipped to you. (How fresh can that be?) Most consumers don't know this and think they are buying leis with flowers grown in Hawaii and sewn into leis here on the islands.

Mahalo for supporting Big Island Hawaii flower farmers!

See our Hawaiian leis blog category for more interesting articles about leis in Hawaii.

The Secret fact if Moving to Hawaii, the Big Island

If you wait until you move to Hawaii Island (the Big Island) to find out the secret, you will be shocked and annoyed when you realize this fact. Let me save you some grief, read on and I promise to reveal the secret to you.

For the past several years the Puna district in Hawaii has experienced a tremendous amount of growth. People from all over the world are attracted to living a more rural life style in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Yes it is wonderful to live in fresh air surrounded by trees and ocean, but rural also means not all areas have telephone or cable service, electricity, municipal water, garbage pick up, US mail delivery (UPS and Federal Express will come), or paved roads.

If you are planning to move to Hawaii, I could blog more about any of the above if there is any interest-- meaning leave me a comment!

All of this brings me to the secret I promised to tell you.

You probably will need to get a Hawaii post office box at your local US post office. Ours is at Keaau, where the problem is that most people who move here are surprised to learn that they have to wait for approximately one year until they can get a P.O. box of their own! Meanwhile you can have general delivery service where they bundle up your mail for you, and you go to the post office and stand in line to receive your mail during their open hours. At least this service is free.

The other option is to get a po box at another post office such as the main post office at the Hilo Airport.

The newest alternative is "Mailbox and Ship Etc." which just opened last year in Keaau. Also at the Prince Kuhio Mall in Hilo is a place called "Post Net". These are way more expensive than the Hawaii post office boxes.

I will be happy to answer any comments about this post.

Please feel free to send this article to anyone you know moving to Hawaii!

Best Guide to Airports around the World

We want to share a site featuring the best guide to over 250 major airports around the world on five continents, and some islands, for example Honolulu International Airport on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

Feel more confident when you get to your airport with maps, transfer options, nearby hotels, driving directions, parking, rental car companies, facilities for disabled travelers, shopping, dining, and more at the World Airport Guide.

Also don't forget to check out and bookmark our handy dandy free travel search feature for great travel deals.

Snakes on a Plane - I meant Seats on a Plane

This post is not about snakes on a plane, but seats on a plane--namely how to get the best airline seats. How would you like to know in advance (for free) exactly what your airplane seat will look like and what amenities are offered when you fly on any of the major airline carriers? Also what seats are considered good, the ones to be aware of, and which seats are considered poor.

Cabin diagrams (listed by aircraft for 30 carriers) show the seating arrangements, galley, exit locations, lavatories, power port and more. Also a icon list of amenities such as audio, video, AC power, internet, food and if there is a baby changer available for infants. Bookmark Seat Guru before you book your next flight.

Don't miss our next post, the one site for the most complete info on all of the world's major airports.

Wild Pigs on the Big Island Hawaii

Wild Pigs on the Big Island--cute or a menace? Well it depends on who you ask. I will give you some tips on attracting or repelling these wild creatures.

Wild or feral pigs are attracted to a food source. So if your property has--cultivated or wild--trees or plants such as macadamia nuts, pineapple, guavas, avocados...they may pay you a visit. If you have marijuana growing illegally or legally on your land, be warned wild pigs like to get high!

Our neighbor up the street said she had a cute mama pig and her piglets coming through her property. My neighbor down the street shot and killed a wild pig that "trespassed" onto his property.

To hinder feral boars from entering your property, you can put up a fence. This is the best but most expensive way. They do this at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park here on the Big Island.

The next suggestion is to get some dogs. Over the years we have found that the more dogs you have, the wider the berth pigs will travel to avoid your place.

The last thing which I have heard of but not tried is to put a barrier of human hair on the ground around your property. They do not like our smell.

I saw this being done in the movie "The Rookie" with Dennis Quaid, only it was deer that they were trying to keep out of a field with newly planted tender grass shoots -- and of course it worked in the movie!

Please share your wild pig stories by leaving a comment below.

Kona Coffee Sucks & Is Over-Rated

If you tried Kona coffee from Hawaii before and you think it sucks, more than likely you drank a Kona coffee blend. Companies cash in on the hard earned reputation of pure Kona Coffee by using the name Kona and selling it as a blend with only 10% Kona coffee beans, and 90% mystery (cheap imported) beans.

Adding the 10% disclaimer label doesn't always protect the kona coffee name as some restaurants and hotels serve a blended kona coffee but call it kona coffee.

The hardworking Hawaii coffee farmers in Kona are trying to change this with current legislation that in order to sell a Kona coffee blend, it has to be at least 75% kona instead of the current 10%. This would support the Hawaiian coffee farmers and Kona's reputation.

This has been an ongoing battle between the people farming as a way of life, versus companies who have a vested interest in the production of blended products. Using less kona coffee while using the kona name means higher profits for the companies but at the consumer's expense. Get what you think you are paying for.

To support the farmers and find out more information visit the Kona Coffee Farmers Association

And if you are in need of some good PURE Kona Coffee, try our Farmer's Choice brand at Hawaii Vacation Gifts.

Starbucks Coffee in Hawaii & Kona Coffee

There are how many Starbucks in Hawaii and their best seller IS NOT Kona Coffee?

The first Starbucks coffee store opened at Kahala Mall in Honolulu on the island of Oahu on December 12, 1996. Their opening day sales broke the previous worldwide opening day record, and they still hold the title! This is quite a feat considering there are more than 11,000 Starbucks locations worldwide with annual revenue of about $6.4 billion dollars. (Business 2.0 Oct. 2006 issue)

Hawaii java junkies have now brought up the Starbucks Coffee Store count in the islands to 66 (updated to 79--see below) stores. For locations on Oahu, the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai, visit starbucks hawaii

According to the manager at the local Hilo Starbucks, in the Hawaiian islands the best selling coffee is NOT Kona because of the expense, and it is not offered in their stores everyday. Only at the Kona Starbucks location is it brewed and sold everyday.

If you are in need of a good cup of reasonably priced pure kona coffee, try our Farmer’s Choice brand, direct from the Big Island where it is grown, and delivered fresh to your doorstep.

UPDATE:  July 17, 2008

Starbucks will close five stores in Hawaii -- three on Oahu and one each on Maui and the Big Island -- as part of its recently announced initiative to shut down 600 under-performing stores across the country.

The Hawaii stores are at Waiakea Center in Hilo, Maui Marketplace in Kahului and in Honolulu at 120 Sand Island Access Road, in the Victoria Ward Center and at the Hokua condominium at 1288 Ala Moana Blvd.

The closures will begin this month and continue through the first half of fiscal 2009.

On July 1, the Seattle coffee giant (Nasdaq: SBUX) said it would close 600 "underperforming" stores in the U.S. Approximately 70 percent of them opened since the beginning of fiscal 2006, Starbucks said.

With the closures, there will still be 79 Starbucks coffee shops in Hawaii, where the company employs about 1,600 people.  BizJournals.com

New Hawaii Vacation Gifts Blog by Double Brush

Aloha and E Komo Mai! In Hawaiian that means Hello and Welcome!

Thanks for visiting our new Hawaii blog. This is our first time blogging and it is very exciting. We invite you to take the journey with us and welcome your comments. Please let us know what topics you find interesting, or what you think would be a good topic to blog about.

And please visit our sites HawaiiVacationGifts.com and DoubleBrush.com

A Hui Hou or Until we Meet Again