Oahu Halloween Events and Activities

Halloween Events on Oahu include Hawaii's Haunted Plantation in Waipahu, the Haunted Lagoon Ride at the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Haunted Village Night Walk and Show at the Hokulani Imaginarium in Kaneohe, a huge Halloween music and arts street festival in Downtown Honolulu, adults-only Halloween parties at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, a gay-friendly "Man in the Mirror Hulaween" party at Hula's Bar and Grill, Halloween costume parties at many other night spots, a "Silent Scream" screening of the silent film "Phantom of the Opera" accompanied by live organ music, and as always, plenty of costumed revelers parading up and down Kalakaua Avenuer in Waikiki. For more information see Halloween on Oahu. For information about Other Halloween events in Hawaii see Halloween on Maui, Halloween on Kauai, and Halloween on Hawaii Island (aka the Big Island).

2009 Maui Halloween Events and Activities

2009 Maui Halloween Events will include haunted house attractions in Lahaina and Wailuku, a Halloween costume cruise out of Malaaea Harbor, Halloween events for kids at Maui shopping centers, and of course Lahaina's famous "Mardi Gras of the Pacific" Halloween block party.

The Old Laie Inn Will Close on October 31

The 45 year old, motel-style Laie Inn, a small hotel on the northeast shore of Oahu, near the Polynesian Cultural Center, will close on October 31, 2009. It is scheduled to be demolished in November. The hotel's owners, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, plan to open a larger, moderately price hotel on the property in 2010. They are in negotiations with Marriott Hotels and Resorts to possibly have the new hotel operated as a Courtyard Marriott. For more information about the old hotel and the new hotel that will replace it, see

The Laie Inn on Oahu's North Shore is Closing

Three Beachfront Waikiki Hotels Under $100

Budget travelers will be pleased to know there are many hotels in Hawaii with rooms under $100 per night, including several with beautiful beachfront locations. The Aqua Waikiki Beachside Hotel has rooms from about $70 per night and the Aqua Park Shore Hotel has rooms from about $90 per night. Both of those hotels are across Kalakaua Avenue from Waikiki Beach and the Park Shore is also across the street from the Honolulu Zoo. The Aqua Ilikai Hotel has rooms starting at about $90 per night, and it is adjacent to Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon Beach, and within walking distance of Ala Moana Center and the Hawaii Convention Center. IMPORTANT NOTE: All three of these hotels have fabulous oceanfront locations, but of course there are reasons they have rooms under $100. It might be because the hotel is about due for an upgrade, or perhaps because an upgrade is in progress. Always ask a lot of questions when booking a budget hotel room, or for that matter, any hotel room. If you know what to expect, you won't be disappointed.

All Aqua Hotels in Hawaii

Waikiki Hotels on the Beach

Waikiki Hotels Across From the Beach

Waikiki Restaurants on the Beach

Whispering Walls of Waimea Historic Walk

The Waimea Valley on the North Shore of Oahu will present a night walking tour of the valley once a month during the Fall of 2009. The tours will be led by Lopaka Kapanui, historian and master storyteller of Hawaiian folklore and legends. The tour is called Whispering Walls of Waimea and it will include "stories and legends of the kahuna nui (High Priests) that once lived in the Valley, the very special pohaku that reside in the Valley, the healing power of the Valley's plant life, and the rumored children that play in the Valley but whose feet can no longer touch the earth." The tours will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2009, Saturday, October 24, 2009, and Saturday, November 14, 2009. For reservations or more information call 808-638-7766.

Whispering Walls of Waimea Tour

Daily Waimea Valley Tours and Activities

Waimea Valley Park

Chef Mavro Offering Special "Julie and Julia" Menu

Chef George Mavrothalassitis is offering a special Julia Child inspired menu at his award winning Chef Mavro Restaurant in Honolulu. The menu is named after the film "Julie and Julia" and it will be available through the end of September 2009. The three course dinner includes Boeuf a la Bourguignonne, Salade Frisee Aux Lardons, Tarte Tatin, and other French dishes featured in the movie and in Julia Child's cookbooks. Julia's famous "Reverse Martini" will also be available. Chef Mavro's restaurant was awarded the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Award in 2009 and in 2008 it was the only Hawaii restaurant included in Gayot's "Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S." The Chef Mavro Restaurant is located at 1969 South King Street in Honolulu. For reservations or more information call 808-944-9714.

Chef Mavro Restaurant - Official Web Site

Recipe for French Burgundy Beef (by Chef Mavro)

About Chef George Mavrothalassitis
French Cookbooks by Julia Child:

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume II

Hawaii Museums Participating in Museum Day 2009

Visit Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day Web site to print a Museum Day Card that will give you free access to many United States museums on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Hawaii museums participating in Museum Day include:
HAWAII ISLAND

Hilo: Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii
MAUI ISLAND

Lahaina: Baldwin Home Museum

Lahaina: Wo Hing Museum

Wailuku: Bailey House Museum
OAHU ISLAND

Honolulu: Hawaii State Art Museum

Honolulu: Hawaii Theatre Center

Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts

Honolulu: Mission Houses Museum

Honolulu: Pacific Aviation Museum

Honolulu: Queen Emma Summer Palace

Honolulu: The Contemporary Museum

Honolulu: University of Hawaii Art Gallery

Schofield Barracks: Tropic Lightning Museum
ABOVE PHOTO: The picture on the above right is the Wo Hing Museum on Maui, a historic building restored by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation in 1983.