Whenever we're stressed and have to go to our happy place, we picture the beaches of Hawaii. But now, probably thanks to how hard the recession has hit tourism to the islands, everyone has a chance to actually go there, thanks to Travelzoo's $499-for-five-Hawaiian-nights package.

The deal includes round-trip airfare to Honolulu, where you'll be greeted with a lovely-smelling lei and thus the right to brag that you got "lei'd" in Hawaii, like tourists do for days after their arrival. Your accommodations will be at the Castle Ocean Resort Hotel Waikiki. And if you want to upgrade to an ocean-view pad, the hotel gives you the option for $25 and up per person. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-10-23T09:14:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/22/162455/92

Adventure travel company Incredible Adventures has been letting customers pilot high-altitude fighter jets for years. Now the Florida-based company is going from soaring through the air to "flying" under the sea, teaming up with California's Sub Aviator Systems to let people navigate the oceans in company's winged submarine. The Super Aviator looks much more like a jet than it does a sub, and apparently it feels that way too. Per the website blurb, it's a "totally new dimension of flight."

To handle the unique sub you'll need to go to Hawaii this February and be able to hand over between $3,350 and $8,650. But if you're willing to do that they're willing to train you and take you beneath the waves. The Super Aviator runs on battery power but it runs fast—in contrast to a normal submersible where you can stand up and walk, zooming around in this jet requires Indy-500 style seat belts.]]> Omri 2009-10-22T16:38:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/19/8924/8805

There’s trouble in paradise now that go! and Mokulele Airlines have merged. Within the last couple of weeks the two airlines have shacked up in hopes of doing some damage to the market share owned by Hawaiian Airlines. The new combined airline aims at bringing low cost cutthroat interisland fares for tourists and locals looking to hop islands for different adventures or just to get to work. Well, things have been a little bumpy as the new combined service tries to work out all the kinks quickly.

The combined effort go! Mokulele reported a lot of minor delays, and most of them were related to passengers that they couldn’t talk to about schedule changes. There were a couple travelers that complained about waiting a couple hours to take-off even though they spoke with the airline regarding schedule changes. Apparently the law says until a merger is complete, you can’t share passenger information. So they only had a few days to cut and paste all those new reservations into the new systems. It didn’t help much that the combined airline now only uses go! planes, as the old Mokulele jets aren’t going to be used in the islands. ]]> kjb 2009-10-19T11:23:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/15/101830/77

No matter what donut is your donut—we know many people who can't go without ordering a Boston Creme or strawberry frosted—when you're in Hawaii, you've got to get down with the local flavor. In Honolulu, the donut of choice is Portuguese confection called the Malasada, first cooked up at Leonard's Bakery after it opened in 1952.

While they are very similar to the Polish pączki in that they are sweet, filled donuts traditionally consumed on Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, a true Malasada however is not supposed to have any filling. It is a solid ball of fried dough, coated in granulated sugar and fed to the drooling patrons who flock to Leonard's. Because of the popularity of the Malasada in Hawaii, Leonard's has also begun serving Pao Doce (Portuguese sweet breads) and Malasada puffs. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-15T11:23:38-05:00 21.2849040 -157.81330 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/14/14817/340

Every few months another one of these "vacation deprivation" studies comes out and promptly gets picked up as Science! by the same tourism boards that commissioned it. The term seems to go back to a contest for free hotel rooms that Hyatt ran in the mid-1990s, and it's been circulating as this kind of pseudo-scientific fake medical term ever since.

The latest version puts everything in terms of economic productivity, because that's what people care about right now. If people cared about something else, that's what vacations would be good for. And so, we are stuck with this drivel: ]]> Omri 2009-10-14T15:48:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/13/143047/98

A scene from Noriben, playing at this year's Hawaii International Film Festival.

Though the time for Tribeca, Cannes, and Toronto has come and gone, the film festival circuit hasn't screeched to a halt. There's Sundance to look forward to, of course, but a welcome alternative to similar large-scale hype galas are festivals held far away from Los Angeles, New York, and other metropoles.

Hawaii may not be Hollywood, but there's still creativity abound on the big island. And while it may not attract as much attention as, say, Berlin, the Hawaii International Film Festival has earned a well-respected reputation among cinema's inner circle, with people like Roger Ebert praising its East-meets-West sensibility. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-13T15:38:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/6/81737/3585

Cold Canadians have had their prayers answered. Just in time for the long cold winter ahead, WestJet has announced some new routes to Hawaii. It’s pretty much seasonal service for the snow season, but at least it’s a new option to escape to paradise when you need it most.

For those sick of shoveling snow in Calgary there will be non-stop routes to both Honolulu and Maui. Starting in March there will be an escape route flying once a week. The introductory rates will start at $329 CAD each way not including taxes, fees, and anything else they want to throw at you. If Maui is more of your style, getting there will set you back about $40 CAD more each way. ]]> kjb 2009-10-06T08:43:55-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/