I’m not too surprised to hear that vacancy rates in Honolulu have not recovered to where they should be. A Punahou School graduate, I now live in Australia and we have two choices to travel: Hawaiian Air or Qantas/Jetstar. Hawaiian has a reasonable baggage policy provided you do all of your transfers on the day of arrival. If you want to spend a couple of nights in Honolulu before, say, flying to the mainland, you pay baggage fees, which can total over $100 for a couple. If you go same day, no charge.

With regard to hotels, we’ve stayed in the Kaimana Beach Hotel for some 30 years. The cost is still pretty reasonable, but last time, we were unable to book the Hau Tree Restaurant where we wanted to take local friends. We discovered that the restaurant is no longer owned and managed by the hotel, so hotel guests are treated no differently from anyone else. To find an alternative restaurant is an effort since there are few options within walking distance. Not only that but wine by the glass started at $18 and the glass came one-quarter full. When I pointed these issues out to the hotel management, there was no response. I hope I’m atypical but I doubt it.

Michael Clarey

Pyrmont, New South Wales, Australia

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