Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ALOHA WEAR
The best place for aloha wear is
Sig Zane Designs,
122 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo
(
&
808/935-7077
). The store is awash in aloha shirts, pareus, muumuus, and
T-shirts. High-quality, made-in-Hawaii crafts and works of art, like gleaming
woods, lauhala mats, and accessories (handmade house slippers), are also avail-
able. They all center on the Sig Zane fabric designs. Sig and his staff take time
to talk story and explain the significance of the images, or to simply chat about
Hilo, hula, and Hawaiian culture.
BABY & PRESCHOOLER CLOTHES
Probably the best clothing store for kids is
Giggles,
with two locations: 78-6831
Alii Dr., in Kona (
&
808/329-7763
); and in the Kings' Shops in Waikoloa
Beach Resort (
&
808/886-0014
). Giggles is a clothing boutique just for kids
with not only clothes but also Hawaiian gifts, toys, books, puppets, kites, and
much more.
BOOKS
You could spend a week browsing through Hawaii's bookstores. There's every-
thing here from the big chains,
Borders Books & Music,
with two locations at
75-1000 Henry St., Kailua-Kona (
&
808/331-1668
) and 310 Makaala St.,
Hilo (
&
808/933-1410
); to the amazing
Kohala Book Shop,
Highway 270
(Akoni Pule Hwy.), a block from the Kamehameha statue, Kapaau (
&
808/
889-6732
). The largest new- and used-book store on the Big Island is worth the
drive to North Kohala to see a priceless collection that includes out-of-print first
editions, the $22,500 set of
Captain Cook's Journals,
and a copy of
The Morals of
Confucius
(dated 1691 and priced at $350). Popular fiction is available as well,
The Big Island's Best Luau
The longest continuously running luau on the island,
Kona Village Luau,
in Kona Village Resort (
&
808/325-5555;
www.konavillage.com), is still
the best—a combination of an authentic Polynesian venue with a menu
that works, impressive entertainment, and the spirit of Old Hawaii. The
feast begins with a ceremony in a sandy kiawe grove, where the pig is
unearthed after a full day of cooking in a rock-heated underground
oven. In the open-air dining room, next to prehistoric lagoons and
tropical gardens, you'll sample a Polynesian buffet: poisson cru, poi,
laulau (butterfish, seasoned pork, and taro leaves cooked in ti leaves),
lomi salmon, squid luau (cooked taro leaves with steamed octopus and
coconut milk), ahi poke,
opihi
(fresh limpets), coconut pudding, taro
chips, sweet potatoes, chicken long rice, steamed breadfruit, and the
shredded kalua pig. The generosity is striking. The Polynesian revue, a
fast-moving, mesmerizing tour of South Pacific cultures, manages—
miraculously—to avoid being clichéd or corny.
The luau begins Friday at 5:30pm; reservations are required. Admis-
sion is included in the full American plan for Kona Village guests; for
nonguests, admission is $76 for adults, $46 for children 6 to 12, and
$22 for children 2 to 5. American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and
Visa are accepted.
