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Very few people have the willpower to resist a candy shop. Anyone with curiosity about the candy making process will be drawn to Big Island Candies with the big picture windows into their production room. Their small batches ensure fresh shortbread cookies and chocolate truffles are distributed to their resellers and customers. The shortbread comes in several Hawaiian flavors like macadamia nut, pineapple, and kona mocha. There are so many chocolates to choose from, but my pick is the Hawaiian macadamia nut caramel cluster, with a side of milk chocolate macadamia nut toffee, and a last course of dark chocolate covered whole Kona coffee beans. If your candies make it home, they will be the perfect gift for friends and family.

Both of Waikiki’s Outrigger hotels are a good value, but this one is a little bigger and a little quieter. It’s right on the beach, just north of the main resort cluster, and though a short walk to the middle of the action, far enough to feel out of the fray. The hotel itself is a quintessential Hawaiian family resort—big and friendly, with an unmistakable good-time vibe, old-school Polynesian decor throughout, and any number of activities on offer. The pool is set back from the beach and nothing fancy (no waterslides, no swim-up bar, and up against a giant wall), but it’s large enough for a serious game of Marco Polo, and there are plenty of lounge chairs to go around. Perhaps the best reason to stay here is the beach—a fairly narrow but sparkling white strand with more elbow room than its sister beaches; the rocky bottom may have something to do with that, but it’s a good place to learn to surf and a great place to catnap in the sun. One warning: the hotel lobby may feel overly commercial to some, what with a row of gift shops and a hard-to-miss timeshare desk, but it’s easy enough to ignore, if you wish.

Cooks and foodies shouldn’t miss the International Home of Cooking in Brussels. Here you can find every gadget and gizmo you’ve ever wanted for your kitchen (and some you didn’t even know you wanted). You can find everything from high-quality chef’s knives to small appliances, baking supplies, and a vast array of cookbooks (although many are in French or Dutch). There are goodies for foodies too (cupcake workshop anyone?). Choose from two locations - one on the prestigious Avenue Louise and the other just steps from the Galeries Royale, near Grand Place. The shops often have live demos of appliances and cooking techniques, so you can pick up some handy tips and tricks while you shop.

Catch a glimpse of what Hawaii looked like before European contact. An unmissable destination for culture buffs, this sacred area stretches along the lava flats of the Big Island’s western coast. Behind a massive wall stands an ancient pu’uhonua (place of refuge)—where defeated enemies and those who violated the kapu (laws) could seek pardon. The park also shelters the Royal Grounds, a residential and ceremonial epicenter, and the 1871 Trail that takes in the shoreline. Tip: This is a religious site, so be respectful and don’t smoke, picnic, play sports, take wedding photos, or carry beach equipment (including towels) here. Just north of the boat launch outside of the park you can find Two Step, a phenomenal scuba and snorkeling spot.

The 112-room Surfjack Hotel channels 1960’s Hawaii, with vintage upholstery on the headboards, reed ceilings, and midcentury modern furnishings. The onsite Swim Club, with its outdoor pool bar, hosts music events and movie nights. Don’t miss a meal at Mahina & Sun from celebrated Honolulu-born chef Ed Kenney, whose menu showcases island cuisine and ingredients, or a trip to the Olive & Oliver boutique, whose clothing and accessories line are inspired by Hawaiian culture.

The Samoa Cookhouse has been serving all-you-can-eat family-style meals since 1890. It used to be just for the loggers who worked in the company town of Samoa, just outside of Eureka, but since the ‘60s it’s been open to the public, for people like me who don’t work nearly as hard as a lumberjack but can still eat like one. There’s a set menu for every meal. Breakfast on a Sunday means sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuits, and gravy, and best of all, thick slices of French toast made from enormous loaves of just-baked bread. The waitresses are as friendly and energetic as you’d expect of people who have to serve a room that holds hundreds at huge tables covered in red-gingham vinyl tablecloths. Giant saws hang on the walls, and there’s a little museum off the dining room full of old mill equipment and great old photos. Hearty food, nice people. This place is good for your soul.

On the North Shore of O‘ahu, Turtle Bay Resort is the only hotel of its caliber on this less developed part of the island. Set on a 1,300-acre property—half of which has been set aside permanently for conservation—the 408 rooms and suites all have ocean views and a neutral/blue palette inspired by the surrounding area. The resort’s commitment to environmental sustainability is palpable: Meals are prepared with leafy greens, beets, and other crops from the resort’s own Kuilima Farm, a plot of land five minutes from the hotel with a farm stand and “you-pick” self-harvesting days for locals. Meanwhile, the 18-hole golf course is maintained with gray water treated by the resort’s own plant.


The resort doubles as a wildlife sanctuary. A birding experience via electric golf cart led by Captain Scott Sundby, who runs Shaka Kayaks and has lived on the North Shore for 20 years, offers a glimpse at some of the wild residents. They include the ‘alae ‘ula, or Hawaiian common gallinule, which according to Hawaiian legend got its fiery red forehead from the gods, and Hawaiian monk seals, one of the world’s most endangered seal species. The coastline here is set within the Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, extending more than 1,200 nautical square miles; in the winter, it’s the site of humpback breeding, calving, and nursing.

A trip on Oahu’s windward side to the North Shore is not complete without a stop at the yellow Shrimp Shack. Two wonderful women operate this truck and serve up locally sourced fresh shrimp and other delicious food. As a warning, the meals are usually loaded with garlic and spice, but oh so wonderful. Instruction are painted on every yellow table top: “Suck, peel, dip, and EAT.” Drinks (and other convenience-store items) are available at Ching’s Store next door. The truck is bright yellow and impossible to miss on the North Shore. Be sure to stop in and say hi and indulge in some amazing spicy shrimp!

From cooking classes to high tea, and from pedicab tours to sidecar excursions, some experiences just shouldn’t be missed in China’s capital city.

Shopping in Guadeloupe is a thrill. On the one hand you get the best of French goods, from perfumes and beauty products to trendy beach apparel, and on the other you get Guadeloupean arts and crafts. On Grande Terre, Sainte-Anne’s artisanal fabrics will have you renewing your beach closet, while the colorful markets of Pointe-a-Pitre are ideal for stocking up on cooking spices. Guadeloupean rhum—which also comes in delicious fruit flavors—and cacao are sold island-wide, while the shopping malls house French designer brands. The best packing advice for Guadeloupe is to save plenty of luggage space.

There’s so much more to Buffalo’s food scene than chicken wings. With creative chefs, farm-to-table restaurants, and craft cocktail bars galore, the city is quickly making a name for itself as a culinary capital. Much of its success is thanks to large refugee and immigrant populations, who continue to infuse the city with international ingredients and cooking techniques.

Provence may be known for its sleepy villages, Roman ruins, and endless fields of lavender, but it’s also home to Europe’s Grand Canyon, a famed antique market, and a moving Holocaust memorial. Come for the impressive restaurants and delightful hotels, stay for the truffle hunts, cooking classes, and small-but-mighty museums.

A pioneer of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, chef Mark Ellman showcases his thoughtful approach to cooking at Mala Ocean Tavern, a harbor-front eatery with dramatic sunset views. Come here for well-executed fusion fare like ahi bruschetta, whole wok-fried Hawaiian fish, and a vegan mushroom Bolognese pasta with local shiitakes, as well as signature cocktails like the Spa Day (cucumber, vodka, fresh watermelon juice) and the LBC (gin, passion fruit, basil simple syrup, fresh lime, and soda). Party animals will be happy to learn that the restaurant also offers a late happy hour each evening from 10 p.m. to midnight, plus live music and DJs spinning vinyl on Friday nights.

Only kahuna (priests) and alii nui (chiefs) were eligible to visit the Heiau (temples) at Puukohola. The site was dedicated in 1791 before the kapu (taboo) system that included human sacrifice was dissolved in 1819. Now a National Historic Site, visitors can find stone monuments at the site where Hawaii’s sometimes violent history played out. The temples were destroyed in 1819 with the end of the organized worship of the Hawaiian gods and only platforms remain. The surrounding area was used for farming and settlements.

Kona coffee is famous around the world as one of Hawaii’s best known products. The relatively small coffee growing area on the Big Island of Hawaii produces only a small fraction of the world’s coffee beans. The limited production makes Hawaii Island’s caffeinated product like liquid gold for Kona coffee lovers. Among the hundreds of coffee farms on the Big Island, Country Samurai Coffee Company operates a lush and green outfit on the Kona slopes and still grows their coffee trees in a natural and traditional method that enables them to grow tall—up to 18 feet. Harvesting requires ladders and can be time-consuming, but the trees are able to develop a larger root system, pull in more nutrients from the volcanic soil, and produce more coffee berries. To try these distinctly grown beans, visit the family owned Country Samurai Coffee shop in Kailua-Kona. The shop sells several other items including chocolate covered coffee beans and macadamia nuts and Hawaiian teas.