Big Island, Hawaii Promotes Health & Wellness Travel

By Adam Singleton

Because of the rise in wellness tourism business owners on the Big Island of Hawaii have got together to promote a travel initiative that they collectively hope will prove so successful that it will eventually be adopted by the rest of the state.

The Hawaii Island Wellness Travel Association, composed of 120 business owners and holistic professionals, has set up a meeting with both the Big Island Visitors Bureau and Hawaii County officials to take the initiative further at which they hope to agree marketing strategies, develop effective packaging and adopt a set of rules for health and wellness travel to Hawaii, which they regard as a booming business.

As recently as 2005 almost $50,000 was set aside by Hawaii Tourism Authority to be used to quantify how well wellness tourism could be developed in the archipelago. A leading research company was approached to produce a comprehensive study of the health and wellness tourism market for the state of Hawaii. However, significant progress stalled once the report had been produced, and only now, some two years later, is the idea being re-launched.

One of the most vociferous proponents and advocates of wellness tourism Lew Whitney, co-founder of the Kokolulu Farm and Qigong Center based in North Kohala said: "We've been trying for years to persuade the Hawaii Tourism Authority that this (wellness) offers a great opportunity for the whole state of Hawaii and not just the Big Island." Over the last nine years the Center has offered a range of cancer retreats and meditative healing programs and Whitney admits that it has been a struggle getting the message across to tourism chiefs. However, Whitney highlights that the Center, located on the northern tip of the Big Island, has been successfully trading for almost 10 years, and with little promotional help from the Hawaii Tourism Authority has managed to remain in business, albeit with the help of some charitable contributions.

Indeed, leading research group Mintel produced a comprehensive Market Research document which looked at wellness tourism being offered throughout the world in places as far flung as Japan, Hungary, India, Austria and Thailand. It concluded, amongst other things that markets were expanding as more and more people, of all ages, made their vacation choices based on health and wellness travel demonstrating that that the sector had a bright future.

As more people take to using alternative and natural remedies, tying wellness into hotel deals in Hawaii could herald a bold new initiative that in the long run may well add an extra string to the already well developed tourism bow for the state.

Rejection Of Goods In Hawaii Under The Uniform Commercial Code

By Philip R. Brown

Under the Uniform Commercial Code UCC, a breach of a sales contract may occur when a seller delivers non-conforming goods to the buyer. It is the buyer's burden of proof to establish this breach once goods are accepted. H.R.S. 490:2-601. Upon delivery and acceptance of goods, the buyer is obligated to pay the contract price to the seller. H.R.S. 490:2-401. Specifically, tender of delivery requires that the seller place and hold conforming goods at the buyer's disposition and give the buyer any notification reasonably necessary to enable him to take delivery. H.R.S.
490:2-503.

Upon delivery of a non-conforming good by the seller, the buyer has three options;
1) reject the goods,
2) accept the goods,
3) accept any commercial unit and reject the rest. H.R.S. § 490:2-601. For a buyer to adequately reject the goods, the goods must be truly non-conforming or the rejection will be considered wrongful and may give the seller “immediate remedies for breach.” H.R.S. §490:2-602 including comments.

A buyer may reject goods if they “fail in any respect to conform to the contract.” (H.R.S § 490:2-601) But that rejection “must be within a reasonable time after their delivery or tender”, and the buyer must “seasonably notif[y] the seller.” H.R.S. § 490:02-602. The importance of this provision cannot be overemphasized. A buyers failure to timely reject nonconforming goods has been found to constitute a waiver of the right of rejection. Also to be effective, a rejection requires a “clear and unequivocal act,” and not merely a request for cure. Matrix v Jolie, 2005 WL 1074774 at 6 (N.Y.City Civ.Ct., 2005), citing Hooper Handling, Inc. v. Jonmark Corp., 267 A.D.2d 1075, 1076 (N.Y.A.D. 4th Dept., 1999); Sears Roebuck & Co. v. Galloway, 195 A.D.2d 825, 827 (N.Y.A.D. 3d Dep., 1993).

The notice of rejection must be "clear and unequivocal". A buyer's “mere complaints” about the goods were not sufficient notice of rejection. If the buyer does not reject the goods pursuant to H.R.S. §490:2-602, then the buyer is deemed to have accepted the goods. H.R.S. §490:2-602.
Moreover, the buyer’s use of the goods and failure to return the goods regardless of his “mere complaints” constituted acceptance. Maggio Importato, Inc. v Cimitron, Inc. 189 A.D.2d at 664.
Mere complaints also are ineffective in revocation of acceptance. Swift Spinning Mills v. B&H Apparel, 2003 WL 942610 at 2 (S.D.N.Y., 2003) (“Although [buyer] may have informed [seller] that the denim streaked, there is no evidence that it revoked its prior acceptance. All denim has defects, and if a buyer wants to revoke acceptance of a fabric, it has to involve more than merely complaining of those defects.”).

This rule is also supported by H.R.S. §490:2-605 which requires a buyer to “state in connection with rejection, a particular defect” or risk waiving his objection to acceptance.

The UCC is a road map for buyers and sellers to follow in the event they have a dispute involving a contract for the sale of goods. A buyer or seller should state their objections to a transaction clearly, unequivocally and in writing. If it is cost efficient, consult with your attorney before proceeding. Retain copies of everything. These days, copies of email communication can be as valuable as any other writing. If you have any doubt whether it should be saved, print it out and show it to your lawyer.

Hawaii trial attorney Philip R. Brown has over twenty years experience in civil litigation. Mr. Brown has the highest legal ability/ethical rating in Martindale-Hubbell and may be found in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers under the subject matters Civil Trial Practice, Commercial Litigation, and Personal Injury. His website is http://www.hawaii-attorney.net

Hawaii Vacation

By Lauren Ashe

I have been thinking about taking a vacation to Hawaii this year since our plans for Europe fell thru. I wanted to ask travelers that have been to hawaii to get a first takers account of the Hawaii experience. I jumped on my computer and googled "hawaii vacation" the results that showed up were less then spectacular, "orbitz, travelocity, and expedia" all in the top ten?
C'mon now I think the results should reflect more peoples content then the advertisers ads.

As I got to the third page of the google results I finally found a website that would offer me some real information on Hawaii. The website was northshore.com, I have heard of the famous north shore of Hawaii when I was a kid. Lots of movies and films have been made depicting the popular surf and world class waves of Hawaii. I decided that I will take my vacation there on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

When planning activities to do on my trip, since I have a 12 year old and a 6 yr old. I decided to take the free Arizona memorial tour. This is the tour of the remains of the historical WWII pearl harbor attack. My next activity and all the rest of them will be scheduled on the north shore.
Polynesian cultural center is the number one paid activity and I will definitely be taking my family to that attraction. Snorkeling, bottom fishing and horseback riding are the other activities that I will enjoy.

The northshore.com website is great as I was able to download coupons for all of my activities and also local information on things to do and places to eat. I actually found our place to stay on the northhshore.com website, we are staying in a vacation rental for a decent price.

Hope our trip goes well, I will write about the whole thing and report back. Our trip is in a couple of weeks.
http://www.NorthShore.com

Hawaii Christmas - Oahu Events, Holiday Airfares

By Cindy Blankenship

Christmas in Hawaii this year is as festive as ever, and some very well priced, holiday airfares can be found (at last check as low as $300 from US West Coast). Whether your vacation is budget or extravagant, you can create some beautiful holiday memories on Oahu.

Hawaiian Christmas memories are among my favorite remembrances of living in Hawaii.
Listening to the children belt out their favorites like "Here Comes Santa in a Red Canoe," and the Hawaiian version of "The 12 Days of Christmas," and hearing "Silent Night" sung in English and Hawaiian by an angelic choir on a balmy evening under the stars with palm trees swaying are experiences not to be missed.Just walking downtown is a delight during the holidays.

And I'll never forget arriving at the Honolulu Airport for the first time during the holiday season and being in awe of the towering tree all decked out with huge, lauhala woven pineapples and golden lights.

Holidays in Hawaii, especially Christmas are widely celebrated. This is a very churched community,but even many of the Buddhist families participate in Christmas traditions, especially the Japanese-Americans who come who have a reputation for loving to give gifts.
If you're visiting the islands for the holidays, you will find a myriad of Christmas events on Oahu, actually on all the islands, but more so on Oahu.

In Hawaii, Santa gives his reindeer a Christmas break and arrives in a canoe, barefoot, tanned and with his red furry pants rolled up. On Oahu, his first stop is, as it is for most of Hawaii's visitors, Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Keiki (children) visit their Hawaiian Santa at various cities on Oahu throughout the season.

While at Christmas time, many of the islanders enjoy watching the visitors in awe of this warm, friendly climate in the dead of winter, they also enjoy imagining what a white Christmas would be like. You'll hear many of the traditional mainland songs, like "Winter Wonderland" and "Jingle Bells."

Some Hawaiians though do have a white Christmas, that is if they're on the Big Island (island of Hawaii) and drive up above the tree line to the 10,000 foot high snowcapped peaks of Mauna Kea, transforming their boogie boards into sleds and building snowmen! With the current, cheap airfares from between Oahu and Neighbor Islands,a side trip from Oahu to the Big Island is more affordable than its been in a long time.

It's fun swapping tropical and white Christmas stories with locals. For us visitors it's especially fun to write home about how we spent our Christmas day on a beach! Some newcomers to Hawaii will even bring miniature trees down to the beach, although Hawaii has plenty Christmas trees. On Oahu,as on the other islands, trees from the mainland are sold. And, Hawaii has its own Christmas tree: the island Norfolk Pine. The tree doesn't have the spicy pine scent, but its largely spaced branches are wonderfully easy to decorate.

Hawaiian Christmas tree decorations are found everywhere. Craft fairs are great for finding local style ones: coconut frond woven ornaments, kukui nut and tapa cloth angels, Santas on surfboards in canoes and riding dolphins; along with beautiful wreaths made of island flowers and greenery.

Many of these craft fairs are events in themselves, complete with Hawaiian Christmas entertainment and food. You'll find many of these listed along with other holiday Oahu events in newspapers and free magazines at the airport.

Some of my favorite Oahu events at Christmas are the light displays in Honolulu and the music – choirs, orchestras and local style bands are found everywhere with free concerts at malls and on the beach. Adding to the holiday fun, many of Hawaii's most popular musicians like the Brothers Cazimero and Don Ho perform regularly in Waikiki.

The Honolulu City Lights (the city was given permission by Keola and Kapono Beamer to use the name of their all time hit song) is a spectacular display throughout Honolulu, including Waikiki, making Oahu a good pick for a Hawaiian holiday vacation.

The month-long, traditional festivities begin with the Kawaiahao Church Service in Honolulu (This was the first Christian church built in Hawaii and is extraordinary), the lighting of the City's 63-foot Norfolk Pine at Honolulu Hale (City Hall) and an electric parade and concert on December 3; however festivities continue throughout the holiday season.

For example, the Honolulu City Lights Trolley Tours run from December 8 to 30. The $2.50 fare (under age 4 free) benefits the Hawaii Food bank. For details, visit Honolulu Hale If you go, be sure to check out the other Oahu event calendars mentioned above as well as this one's. And check out the holiday airfares at places like Hawaiian Airlines and Hotwire.com.
Mele Kalikimaka!

Using online calendars and many other resources, plan a 2006 Hawaii Christmas vacation and/or learn about Christmas and other holidays in Hawaii with The Coconut Roads Guide to Hawaiian Holidays

Learn about the Hawaiian islands and culture and how to plan a vacation in Hawaii (especially budget and/or eco travel) at Coconut Roads Articles and photos at CoconutRoads.com are created by a long-time Hawaii resident and award-winning journalist.

9 Great Golf Courses in Hawaii

By Sunil Tanna

The United States is blessed with many beautiful public courses, and Hawaii, despite being a relative small state, is blessed with more than its fair share. In this article, we will review some of beautiful public golf courses in Hawaii, and what they offer.

1. and 2. Lanai offers two high-quality golf courses. Perhaps the better known is "The Challenge at Manele", which was designed by Jack Nicklaus, and is a course set among lava outcrops and overlooks, from the top of steep cliffs, the Pacific Ocean. The second of Lanai's courses is very different: "The Experience at Koele" winds its way through the island's tropical uplands.

3. and 4. Kapalua, which is on the northwest coast of Maui, offers two superb golf courses, "The Bay Course" and "The Plantation Course". The Plantation Course is home to the PGA TOUR Mercedes-Benz Championship in January of each year, and features many spectacular and beautiful landscapes.

5. The Kiele Course at Kauai Lagoons Golf Club is one of 14 golf courses (spread through British Columbia and Hawaii) owned by the GolfBC Group. The course was created by Jack Nicklaus, and features stunning cliffs, 40-acres of fresh water lagoons, and even a wedding chapel just off from the 17th tee.

6. Ko'olau Golf Course, on eastern Oahu, is known for having one of, if not the toughest, golf course in country. The course is spectacularly set beneath the Ko'olau Ridge mountain range.

7. Poipu Bay Golf Course is known as a unique and exciting course, that is home to many native species including seals, sea turtles, geese and even humpback whales.

8. and 9. Princeville overlooks Hanalei Bay on Kauai. The area is home to a hotel, a spa and two very different golf courses ("Prince Golf Course" and "Makai Golf Course") that were designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Perhaps the most noteable, Prince Golf Course, features a challenging rolling terrain landscape, and has deservingly been named by Golf Digest as the best course in the state.

For information on 100 public golf courses in the USA, and a detailed guide to family-friendly golf vacations in the USA, please visit http://www.guide2golfvacations.com/

For a guide to improving your golf fitness, please visit http://www.guide2golffitness.com/

If you have a golf web site, click the "Affiliates" link at the bottom of the page to earn great commissions promoting either of these guides.

Ever Considered Christmas In Hawaii?

By Gabriel J. Adams

Mele Kalikimaka is the traditional Hawaiian greeting of Merry Christmas. Native Hawaiians had some difficulty with their pronunciation of the English version and nowadays Mele Kalikimaka is bandied about with delight every December, accompanied by popular Christmas carols and an original blend of Hawaiian style Christmas decorations. Santa is frequently spotted in Hawaiian gardens lounging about in an outrigger canoe, cocktail in one hand and toy sack in the other.

Palm trees are decorated with tinsel and Christmas stars, restaurants play Christmas songs and offer Christmas fare on the menu, and locals celebrate the festive season as they celebrate everything else in life, with enthusiastic abandon and faultlessly stylish hospitality.

Christmas only arrived in the islands along with the Europeans. Prior to that time, around December, Hawaiians gave their traditional thanks to mother earth for providing them with food (Makahiki) so Christmas festivities became an extension of their own celebrations. In those days the party lasted for around four months, which was quite useful as during the festivities wars were strictly prohibited and islanders minded their p’s and q’s somewhat. Sort of a friendly Hawaiian version of an ASBO.

With the arrival of other nationalities at Christmas, Hawaii began to include guests’ traditional delicacies and treats in the Christmas menu, adding sushi, lumpia, tamales and even coconut pudding to the selection.

At Christmas you might find yourself invited to a lu’au in your neighbour’s backyard, where they might offer imu – a pig roasted in an underground pit – not the sort of thing you would serve on toast one supposes! Imus continue far into the night, lit by the Hawaiian version of Christmas lights and rocking to the sound of ukuleles and guitars.

Sounds great doesn’t it. And the best thing about Christmas in this part of the world is the clement weather, so the kids can still spend time on the beach, the sand and surf is still on offer and there are still loads of things to do during the day. In Hawaii, Santa arrives in a canoe, barefoot, sun lotion in hand, and with his trousers rolled up. Well why not?

Take a look at villa rentals for a select choice of Christmas beach house villa rentals