- Best products: Luana Spa in Hana. That lemon grass body scrub? Oh my.
- Best meal: Chef Mavro in Honolulu. Fireworks for the mouth. Wow.
- Best smoothie: A tie! The hippies on the road to Hana or the Vietnamese guy in the Honolulu Chinatown market.
- Best bathrooms: Molokai Ranch. Deep claw foot tubs and big showers, nice fixtures. Not fancy or overdone, just well thought out.
- Best local advice: The channel crossing can be really rough between Maui and Molokai or Lanai. If you get seasick, fly.
- Best lunch: Grinds, out there on the highway towards Eleele. Homemade bread for the sandwiches, tasty baked goods, real food. Honorable mention to Kalaheo Cafe, also on Kauai. Oh, yeah, and Lava Java in Kona.
- Best place to not buy a ukulele: (No really, you should buy one.) A tie! The Ukulele Gallery in Holualoa or Scotty’s Music on Kauai.
- Best uke I did not buy: Kanile’a. Wow, these are gorgeous, have great action, and sound incredible. (Hint, hint, my birthday is coming.)
- Best night out: The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key. The locations and artists change, but if you’re in the islands, catch a show. We saw the always wonderful Led Ka’apana – it’s awesome to hear the sound of slack key in an open-sided tent with the sound of the rain and the ocean for backup.
- Best shuttle driver: David, who drives the Lanai shuttle. Full of useful information, funny as hell.
- Best shopping for souvenirs: Kitchy, ovedone, made outside Hawaii, fabulous. Hilo Hattie’s. I am deeply flawed, I love Hilo Hattie’s.
Photo: Rainstorm arriving in Halawa, Molokai
- Best island vibe: Molokai. Hang loose, cousin.
- Best all in one experience: Kona Village Resort. Gorgeous location, comfortable and charming individual grass shack inspired “cabins”, good food, helpful staff, did I mention the location? Yeah, it’s expensive, but if you can afford it you will not be disappointed.
- Best ice cream: Dave’s – we got ours at the Kamo’i Snack-n-Go on Molokai, but you can get it in a couple of different places.
- Best lookout: Kalalau Viewpoint – all the way at the end of the road past Waimea Canyon, Kauai.
[tags]Hawaii[/tags]
Great list! (And beautiful photo.)