Waikiki

The gilt-trimmed high-rises of Waikiki offer a seductive escape from L.A. But those who rent a car - a convertible, please - - can find a simpler side of Oahu on the North Shore, an hour or so away, where locals and tourists carry surfboards instead of Louis Vuitton purses (real or fake) and debates about where to eat focus on which food trucks serve the best garlic shrimp. Residents call it "the country," and they want to keep it that way. Haleiwa is the only real town on the North Shore, and it's mainly a line of one-story beach shops, cafes, bars and shave-ice outlets along the highway.

The gilt-trimmed high-rises of Waikiki offer a seductive escape from L.A. But those who rent a car - a convertible, please - - can find a simpler side of Oahu on the North Shore, an hour or so away, where locals and tourists carry surfboards instead of Louis Vuitton purses (real or fake) and debates about where to eat focus on which food trucks serve the best garlic shrimp. Residents call it "the country," and they want to keep it that way. Haleiwa is the only real town on the North Shore, and it's mainly a line of one-story beach shops, cafes, bars and shave-ice outlets along the highway.

HONOLULU - He's known as the Woody Guthrie of Hawaiian music, a virtuoso ukulele player who's helped to introduce new generations to music that might otherwise be lost. But on the autumn morning I met up with Eddie Kamae, few people seemed to recognize the octogenarian wearing Levis and a blue work shirt. It was just after 9 a.m., and Eddie was eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream at the Wailana Coffee House in Waikiki. He had risen before sunrise to pray, read the paper and watch the sky lighten from the nearby apartment building where he and his wife, Myrna, have lived for nearly half a century.

HONOLULU - He's known as the Woody Guthrie of Hawaiian music, a virtuoso ukulele player who's helped to introduce new generations to music that might otherwise be lost. But on the autumn morning I met up with Eddie Kamae, few people seemed to recognize the octogenarian wearing Levis and a blue work shirt. It was just after 9 a.m., and Eddie was eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream at the Wailana Coffee House in Waikiki. He had risen before sunrise to pray, read the paper and watch the sky lighten from the nearby apartment building where he and his wife, Myrna, have lived for nearly half a century.

My wife and I just returned from a week's stay at the House of Blue Ginger, a B&B at 47-504A Lulani St., Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744 on Oahu. We confirm Jerry Hulse's tip in an earlier column. It is a marvelous alternative to staying in Waikiki. HELEN AND GERALD LERMAN Culver City

Chris Hemmeter, developer of the New Westin on Kauai, is busily ruining the Garden Island. I'd rather go to the rat race at Waikiki before I'd stay in one of his fantasy palaces. I'm so glad Hulse can still find the "old" Kauai. ARCH WHISMAN JR. Santa Barbara

Hammered by financial troubles in Asia and shorter stays by visitors, Waikiki in January recorded its lowest average hotel occupancy rate in 15 years--78%--then rebounded in February, to 87%, still down from a year ago, according to the PKF-Hawaii consulting firm in Honolulu. Overall for Hawaii, February was the 10th straight month of declining occupancy. Judging by the average cost of rooms, price breaks for consumers were not apparent. Waikiki's average hotel rate was $136.14 versus $134.

Regarding "A Sea Change on Oahu" [Sept. 28]: When I returned to my beloved Hawaii in summer 2002 after a 33-year absence, I was heartbroken to see the changes. The buffing and polishing of Honolulu and Waikiki have turned this once unique tropical paradise into Any City, USA. The trendy stores, mall mentality, street reconstruction and huge traffic jams are reminiscent of the new Las Vegas and all the other major metropolises that have experienced gentrification. (There remains an unchanged oasis in the middle of town: the Hawaiiana Hotel.

Got time for a quick getaway to Hawaii at the end of November? Pleasant Holidays has a three-night stay plus airfare from Los Angeles to Honolulu starting at $299 per person. The deal: The window period for this deal is short, but it’s a good value if you can make the dates work. The cost is based on double occupancy and includes three nights at the Castle Ocean Resort Hotel near Waikiki plus airfare from Los Angeles. (The package holds if you are flying from San Francisco.

It was a small vacation, a few days stitched onto a working trip. But it was a pure and restful space in time, a cloud that floated away from the real world and loosened all ties to hours. I knew I was on vacation when I felt the trade winds brush against my face and rattle the lacy leaves of old kiawe trees. I knew I was on vacation when it seemed natural to slip into sea-green flip-flops, and a long cotton cover-up for breakfast.

Spam , beloved among Hawaiians, will be celebrated April 27 during Waikiki Spam Jam , one of Honolulu's biggest annual street festivals. Spam merchandise (such as T-shirts) will be sold, but the biggest draw is Spam itself. A dozen Honolulu restaurants that cook with the canned pork and ham product will dish up a variety of Spam-centric creations, including a Spam-on-a-stick frozen treat. A new offering for 2013 is Spam cheesecake. The festival stretches for several blocks along Waikiki's Kalakaua Avenue from Lewers Street to the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach hotel.

Once it was a hostel for stewardesses and pilots , but now Honolulu's newest hotel is positioning itself as an alternative to Oahu 's beachfront, family-filled resorts. The Shoreline Hotel Waikiki is the newest property of boutique hotelier Joie de Vivre , the San Francisco-based company that operates more than 30 fiercely individual hotels, many in California. The Shoreline is its second property off the U.S. mainland, along with the Coconut Waikiki Hotel , about three blocks away.

Visitors to Waikiki can immerse themselves in the islands' ancient dance traditions May 17-19 during the International Waikiki Hula Conference . The gathering, at the Hawaii Convention Center , aims to fully engage participants through dance and cultural workshops. Now in its sixth year, the conference attracts hundreds of hula fans and will pay tribute to the 50 th anniversary of the Merrie Monarch Festiva l, a Hilo event that celebrates Hawaiian traditions and cultures reintroduced and embraced by King David Kalakaua in the late 19 th century.

The Park Shore Waikiki is across from Waikiki Beach and within walking distance of Diamond Head. The Oahu hotel has a water sports package that starts at $199 a night for an ocean view room while it undergoes a $10.7-million renovation. The package comes with perks for one guest: a surf or stand-up paddle lesson as well as a bike-hike tour of Diamond Head. The deal: The Hans Hedemann Surf & Turf Package (named for the surf school) requires a minimum stay of three nights to qualify for the water sports extras.

New Mexico This year, New Mexicans mark 100 years of statehood. But much of the state's appeal stems from its human history that goes back much further. (In 2010, Santa Fe celebrated 400 years of cityhood.) Explore here: the adobe architecture and art galleries of Santa Fe; the vintage signage along old Route 66; the lingering hippie vibe of Truth or Consequences. Don't forget the Lightning Field, an art installation outside Quemado where (for $150 to $250 a person) you spend a summer night in a wood cabin and wait to see if lightning will strike one of the 400 tall steel poles outside your door.

Visiting the International Market Place in Waikiki, on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu,  Times reader "corich.mv" came across two blue-and-yellow macaws nonchalantly grooming themselves as curious tourists walked by. If you decide to look for these guys, head for Kalakaua Avenue, a little north of the Honolulu Zoo. The open-air market, with over 130 shops and vendors, has been around for more than 50 years.  For more information on the islands,...

The glum expression on Colleen Groat's face said it all. The 48-year-old Canadian had spent six months planning her first vacation in Hawaii, and not once during two weeks here did she set foot in the water. Her trips to the beach were met with signs that read: "WARNING. No swimming. No fishing. Sewage contaminated water."

Hawaiian singer Don Ho may have started his career by emulating classic crooners like Frank Sinatra, but his kitschy island stylings have made him an icon in his own right. Maxim magazine named him "One of the 50 Coolest Guys Ever," and in a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, the White Stripes' Jack White declared himself a fan of Ho.

If you’re thinking about Hawaii for the winter, you can keep the cost low with Ocean Resort Hotel Waikiki in Honolulu. The hotel's winter sale takes half off room rates with prices that start at $89 per night. The deal: The low rate is part of a bigger winter sale on nearly 20 condo and hotel properties on the islands of Hawaii , Maui , Oahu , Molokai and Kauai that are part of  Castle Resorts & Hotels . So check out the company's sale page for more deals on  on Oahu and other islands.

In 2009, Air Force One had barely touched down in Honolulu before the traveling White House was thrust into crisis mode as President Obama and his staff responded to the attempted bombing of a transatlantic jet on Christmas Day. So this year, you won't hear staff members complaining about a few days of rain. From his first day in Hawaii on Dec. 23, the president has been enjoying what aides emphasize is a working vacation on the east shore of Oahu, one that comes to an end Monday night.