Readers of the Aloha Friday column often share insights that may improve your next trip to the islands, but not everyone has time to track every comment. Sifting through a year's worth of online remarks, we thought these 25 tips from 2009 had the most useful additional advice for fellow travelers. (Occasionally, they're contradictory, but to each his own—especially when it comes to eating.)
Comments have been edited for space, grammar and clarity, but you can follow the links to the source materials to see the original context, as well as kudos, critiques, clarifications and corrections. For even more travel tips and cultural notes, check out the Hawai'i Insider blog, especially this recent post on water safety. And don't forget to update SFGate readers with feedback from your Hawai'i travel experiences in 2010. Mahalo!
Must-see sights:From "Big Island cascades," June 5:
On the Big Island, Chain of Craters Road is unbelievable, and driving towards Waimea is the only place I have ever seen a "moonbow" — a rainbow made from the light of a full moon. It's silverish and you can just make out the colors in the silver light. Lie on a hill when there is no moon, look up and unfocus your eyes, and the whole universe is there, all the way to the horizon. The Milky Way is so bright you think you can reach up and touch it. Or park on Mamalohoa Highway near the turnoff to Waikoloa village and watch the moon rise up the shoulder of Mauna Kea. It's pretty spectacular. —bayareaartist
From "Polynesian palaces," April 10:
The Queen Emma Summer Palace has an extraordinary collection of Hawaiian quilts and kapa moe. The quilts, I believe, are on display year round. There are displays of Hawaiian kapa (cloth from pounded bark), feather capes, children's clothes ... all just amazing. If you go, be sure to take a docent tour. — sockmonkey
From "Restaurants that wow foodies," Jan. 30:
On Maui, the best burgers and people watching are at Leilani's in Ka'anapali. — writernan
From "Upcountry pleasures," Nov. 13:
Upcountry Lana'i is one of my favorite destinations. Eat loco moco at Blue Ginger, go to Mass at Sacred Heart, feel and be treated like a local instead of a tourist. If you just want to be a tourist on a beach or in shops, go to any other island. — julietteh
Fine-dining findsFrom "Restaurants that wow foodies," Jan. 30:
On Kaua'i, having some sushi and a mai tai in the Library at the Hyatt it a good place to warm up for Dondero's. But I also love the Beach House just down the road. It is right on the beach and the food is also wonderful. — georgedb
Chef Mavro occupies a spot on an uninspiring street (most all streets in Honolulu are uninspiring) but he knocks it out of the park, repeatedly and regularly. — TikiPundit
If you want a meal to die for in Hawai'i, go to Le Bistro on the other side of Diamond Head from Waikiki. — peteantonson
Many fine places on Maui: Mama's Fish House, Milagros, Charlie's (owned by Willie Nelson) and my brother-in-law's Las Pinatas of Maui. — souldogdave
From Big Island bounces back," Oct. 16:
Sushi Rock in Hawi is perhaps one of the best sushi restaurants in all of Hawaii. Inventive rolls, great main dishes, always fresh local ingredients, including fresh wasabi... heaven! —katieminkus
Local-style food and drink From "Beach-bound Obama," Dec. 11:
On O'ahu, Leonard's malasadas, manapua from Libby's, burgers from Kua Aina, and the chili burritos from Zippy's are a must. But don't forget the Kahuku sweet corn, and the best watermelon in the world is from Moloka'i. — barefootrobin
Champion's malasadas is actually better than Leonard's, in my opinion. And there are lots of great places for manapua, including Kaimuki Chop Suey. — gerrrg
Sorry kids, the best manapua in the known universe comes from Libby's Manapua Shop on Kalihi Street, bar none. — jimmyjazz
From "Restaurants that wow foodies," Jan. 30:
Try Barbecue Kai in Wai'anae by Pokai Bay. I dare you! — fob
From "Chocolate farms," Oct. 30:
If you want a true taste of Hawai'i, why not go for some confections that the locals themselves cherish ("When in Rome . . ."). Crackseed, shave ice with azuki bean, mochi and malasadas capture the true taste of the islands and its multiethnic culture. — bvh94117
Loco moco and spam musubi are "good eats" only if you've never ventured outside of Hawai'i. And Lion Coffee and artificially flavored/colored shave ice are godawful. The sad thing is that Hawai'i has the potential to produce great food, but this will only come from influence and critique from the outside. There are a lot of bright spots: Leonard's malasadas are very good, O'ahu-grown chocolate is excellent and the Kapi'olani Community College farmers market continues to grow and thrive. — Oahu_boy
Sustainable shoppingFrom "Chocolate farms," Oct. 30:
Sweet Paradise Chocolatier creates gourmet artisan confections from premium chocolates, including those made in Hawaii, along with the islands' bounty of fruits, nuts and spices. Its two stores are in Kailua on O'ahu and in Waikoloa Beach Resort/Kings Shops on the Big Island. — hawaiichocolate
From "Green souvenirs," Sept. 18:
Nothing is greener or sends more aloha than fresh fragrant flowers from Hawaii. Go to Maunakea Street in Honolulu Chinatown. A heavenly fragrant single strand tuberose lei is less than $3. You can splurge by buying a double strand threaded with roses. They travel very well in a plastic bag, involve no agricultural inspection complications, and will retain their color and wild fragrance for days. — bvh94117
Visit the Made In Hawaii Festival Web site. Most of those vendors have some form of Web site or phone number to contact them. You can also look for a sticker that says the item is "Made In Hawaii." One to notice is rainbow colored. There are organic labels on farmer's market produce with the acronym HOFA. The state of Hawaii does have strict guidelines on what you can say is made in Hawaii. Unfortunately, a lot of products are made in Asia (China, Indonesia, etc.) because it is cheap and that's what the average tourist/consumer wants. If you truly want "made in Hawaii" products, you're going to have to do some research and be prepared to pay for it. — brew2day
From "Farm-friendly restaurants," Sept. 4:
If you're making your own food, shop at the farmers' markets, not the grocery stores. At least when I was there, nearly all the stores' produce came from the mainland. —PermieWriter
From "New coffee regions," April 24:
Hawaiian coffee can be quite good. We lived there for a couple of years, and our favorite was the stuff that they grew on Moloka'i. The stuff from the Hamakua coast of the Big Island was also excellent; when you are in the little town of Honoka'a, stop in at Tex's for a superior malasada (Portuguese donut-like thing with no holes). — vandenbong
Big Island agriculture is epic. Taro, oranges, papayas, plums, rambutan, strawberries, breadfruit, aquaculture, grass-fed beef, wild and farmed pork, ginger, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, tea, kava kava, da kine... When those folks aren't trying to feed you, they're trying to give you a buzz. Ka`u coffee and Puna coffee are both worth finding. —jimmyjazz
The small coffee farmers in Ka'u, Puna and Hamakua districts on the Big Island take pride in the product they grow and it definitely shows in the cup. Hilo Coffee Mill is one of a very few places where coffee from all over the state is sold, instead of just one district. It's a very beautiful farm, and the friendly and knowledgeable staff understand that the best coffee is "the one you like." — pumehana11
Caring for the environmentFrom "Hawaii's threatened animals," Oct. 2:
On my most recent visit to the islands, we saw sea turtles, nene and monk seals — just beautiful. I was happy to see that the other visitors who were admiring these animals stayed a respectful distance away. — Dawn Davenport
From "Holiday gift to Hawaii", Dec. 25:
The American Bird Conservancy is putting a lot of work into saving Hawaii's endemic and highly endangered birds; please check out their Web site. The ABC considers Hawaiian birds to be its most urgent mission at this time. I like the palila, a ground-nesting bird on the Big Island, which is having trouble nesting due to the wild pig population. — jarana
If we all just cleaned up after ourselves, then we wouldn't need to go on a volunteer "vacation" to help clean other places up. We need more trash cans and more recycling cans, and to be taught how to use them. — NeighborAide
Jeanne Cooper is the former Chronicle Travel Editor and author of SFGate's Hawaii Insider (www.sfgate.com/blogs/hawaiiinsider), a daily blog about Hawaii travel and island culture.
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