Spotlight :: Hawaii (The Big Island)

[trip style = beach + sun]

As my flight descends towards the Kona Airport over an 1890s lava flow, I'm welcomed by Hawaii Island's bubbling beginnings. This is not your average sandy beach vacation; it's so much more.

At 11:50am I settle into my sweat box of a rental car and open my TomTom GPS app---my travel BFF---ready to tackle the island on two wheels. Problem: trusty Tom does not include Hawaii's Big Island {note to self: download Tom's newest version, doh!}. Before I have a molten meltdown, I realize that while the Island is big, it only has a few major roads. Old-school exploration it is; map in hand, we start the car.

Pulling out of the open-air airport with the air con blasting at arctic levels, my eyes are glued to the window instead of the map. Wispy grasses sprout between the shiny, course lava---indicating different flow generations---as we motor to our first of five hotels on the youngest Hawaiian Isle.

En route I notice a bunch of highway-side parked cars and lava ash roads leading to what seem like secret spots. Out yonder, oceanfront palm oases brighten the inky landscape. The trusty map shows no evidence of such places, and I quickly learn Hawaii 101: have a guidebook, and Hawaii 102: go off-book and explore like Captain Cook.

At first I skip Kona and do what ANY sun-starved winterite would do: beeline to the Kohala Coast Resort, don my bathing suit and dine while watching the sunset. P-r-i-o-r-i-t-i-e-s. Over the next 10 days, I make my way around the island, descending into sacred valleys and going on DIY turtle safaris along the way.

The Big Island has four of the world's five major climates zones, and it shows; the landscape changes by the minute. Look left and find cow pastures, look right and find a Tarzan-thick tropical forest, look ahead and there's flowing lava, look back and there's a frosty fern gully.

Between frequent roadside stops for everyday sights like breaching whales and cascading waterfalls, my eyes stay glued to the window the entire journey. While this results in what most would call a series of wrong turns, I come to realize that the far reaches of this world were discovered by wrong turns. In Hawaii, wrong turns are right.

Here's your trusty Trip Styler guide to Hawaii Island:

Eat

Da Poke Shack - Reeling in a boatload of freshness, Da Poke Shack chops the Pacific's bounty seven days a week in a standing room-only lunch market visible only by a neon sign and two picnic tables. Try the $10 dynamite poke bowl with island avocados. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life.

Punalu'u Bake Shop - If you're in the area {and you will be if you visit the Punalu'u black sand beach}, stop by the southernmost bakery in the USA to taste some of Hawaii's famed malasadas---Portuguese sugar buns that often come with pudding or guava jam in the center. Heaven help me! I bought way too many.

Other faves: Merriman's for homegrown Hawaiian food and Brown's Beach House for seaside dining and locally sourced delicacies.

Do

Beaches - Almost side by side, the Kohala Coast's Hapuna Beach {or Mauna Kea Beach} are some of the island's nicest white sand stretches. On the south side, check out Punalu'u black sand beach.

Hikes - Trek down Pololu Valley's steep and palm-packed cliffs to the rocky {and rolling} beach below or head to the Waipio Valley Lookout to shimmy down a 25% grade paved path to a black sand beach, a bevy of waterfalls and the boyhood home of famed Hawaiian King Kamehameha I. Note: do not drive, the steep decline is not covered in many rental car agreements!

Spa - My job affords me a bounty of spa treatments, and while I don't mention most of them---I only mention the best---I must tell you about one of my best ever at the Fairmont Orchid's Spa Without Walls. I had the Ali'i Experience, which started with a lomi lomi hot stone massage in a beachfront cabana and ended with warm coconut oil slowly trickling down my head for what seemed like 20 minutes. It felt so Hawaiian it was as if I was dancing the hula at Mauna Kea's summit. Note: most massages take place in spa huts that sit beside the ocean or babbling brooks.

See - Finally, the hot-ticket items: volcanoes and lava. An hour from Hilo, Kilauea continues to broil below the earth. An active cauldron of lava bubbles at the peak, while at its base the Pu'u 'O'o vent slowly flows, adding more mass---500+ acres since 1983---to the biggest Hawaiian isle.

Stay

Lava Lava Beach Club - A four-cottage beach retreat we profiled in our most recent Roam+Board. Love!

Fairmont Orchid - A 540-room, bang-on beach resort with all the fixings.

Holualoa Inn - A six-room inn hidden in a 30-acre coffee estate perched high above the ocean's spray in Kona coffee country.

Puakea Ranch - While we didn't stay here, this five-house property comes highly recommended by many publications we trust! It's on our list for our next visit.

Wear Hawaii is casual---even more so than Maui. When I wasn't hiking, I spent my entire trip in a bathing suit and sarong, jean cut-offs or a simple dress. Guys and gals, here's what we recommend you wear.

Know This - Parts of the island are uber lush for a reason; it often rains {in pockets, so don't assume it's raining on the whole island just because it's raining where you are}. - Don't touch the turtles; they're endangered and you could be fined $10,000. Would you want people touching you while you're sleeping on the beach? - You can do Hawaii one of two ways: use one hotel as your home base/jumping-off point, or hop around the island. The hotels I mentioned above provide that opportunity. - Renting a car is a must. - To get a lay of the land, check out my Fodor's article on How to Tackle The Big Island.

[photos by @tripstyler taken while a partial guest of Hawaii Tourism]

Spotlight :: North Shore, Oahu

[trip style = beach + budget conscious]

{This Spotlight is written by Fashion Friday writer and fashion blogger Heather.}

I scored the deal of the year this winter: Vancouver to Honolulu for $200 return. Coupled with hotel deals, it was a cheap getaway and my first trip to Hawaii. But I must confess something. Whenever anyone asked me where I was going, I told them "Oh, just Oahu." I had this idea that it was the lamest and most commercial island. But let me tell you what I learned. It's beautiful and if you get away from Waikiki, you can find a true Hawaiian experience.

Just over an hour up island is the lush and scarcely commercialized North Shore, where the bohemian heart of Oahu beats. North Shore culture is surf culture. It's the breeding and stomping ground of some of the world's best surfers. A place where you can find 30-foot swells and fit in a surf before and after work; where you can mingle with pro surfers, colourful characters and barefoot, wet-haired locals in the grocery store (fresh off their boards); and where dressing up literally means throwing a dress over your swimsuit.

Eat

Sample roadside delights :: It's worth pulling over for the food stands along Kamehameha Highway. From Haleiwa to Kahuku, you'll find family fruit stands, acai bowl shacks, shrimp trucks, shave ice and haupia pie. It's not fancy, but it's delicious. Must stops: Ted's Bakery at Sunset Beach for bbq chicken plate lunch and chocolate haupia or banana cream pie, Matsumoto for guava, pineapple and lilikoi shave ice, Fumi's for garlic or coconut shrimp plate and Cholo's for Mexican.

Do

Visit Hawaiian green sea turtles :: A couple miles north of Haleiwa on Kamehameha Highway, pull over at Laniakea Beach and see the basking turtles who crawl up on shore daily. You'll also meet volunteers from Save the Sea Turtles International, who protect the turtles from ... tourists. Stroll along the beach and try to catch sight of a few more turtles, minus the tour bus passengers.

Watch surfers in action :: The best workout on the island has got to be a walk on the beach, where the quicksand-like pebbles not only make your legs burn, but also give you a killer pedicure. My favourite activity was strolling on the beach, flip flops in hand, stopping along the way to watch throngs of surfers paddling out in the late afternoon. Check out Pipeline, Sunset Beach and the break off Turtle Bay. Visit between late November and early December to catch the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. If you'd prefer to get out there yourself, rent a board in Haleiwa, where you'll also find surf schools and calmer waves.

Stay

There is one hotel on the North Shore: Turtle Bay Resort. Despite this, you'll still see a hand-painted sign on the side of the highway that reads "No more hotels!" The resort sits on the northern tip of Oahu. You may remember it from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. While the property is beautiful, it looks much nicer in the film thanks to the magical wizards of production design. The hotel has multiple restaurants---including one on the beach, golf courses, stables, pools, and a surf school on site. Stay in the beach bungalows if you can, but if you leave the lanai door open, the soothing sound of crashing waves means any room will do. If you'd prefer to stay in a house, try the basic Ke Iki Beach Bungalows or one of the many homes rented out by owners.

Trip Styler Tip: I booked Turtle Bay on Hotwire for a discounted rate. If you see a four-star beachfront hotel on the North Shore, it's Turtle Bay.

Getting There

It only takes an hour to drive from Honolulu to the North Shore, but you'll probably want to stop and ride the Pineapple Express along the way. Not that Pineapple Express ... this is a train at the Dole Plantation. It's a total tourist trap, but worth stopping for a cone of delicious pineapple Dole Whip.

Related Fashion Friday :: Surf Style Modern Honolulu

[all photos taken by @heatherlovesit and @dresseswpockets]

Second Look :: Dubai

[trip style = urban + active & adventure + sun + luxury]

Editor's Note: Following our first look at Dubai and our nonstop Emirates flight via Seattle, we wanted to dive deeper into the destination. In the New Year we'll showcase more marvels, but for now a picture's worth a thousand words...

I have SO MUCH to report on Dubai, I'm not even sure where to start. At the risk of taking up your entire morning with a 5,000-word essay, I've opted to be your tour guide through a city that juxtaposes modernism with tradition, sand with skyscrapers, souks with malls, and mega monuments with everyday structures.

An international hub of record-holding proportions, I give you Dubai in 30 photos.

The Burj Khalifa

At 160+ storeys high {nearing a kilometer in height}, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure in the world.

View from the top overlooking the Gulf Coast.

The Observation Deck, 124 floors up.

The elevator took one minute to soar skyward. Aside from your ears popping, you don't even feel the rapid elevation change. General admission tickets cost 100 Dirham {about $30 usd} and can be purchased online or at the entry desk in the Dubai Mall. Trips up to the Observation Deck sell out quickly, so if "The Burj" is a must-do, online ticketing is recommended. Immediate, VIP'ish entry costs 400 Dirham {about $110 usd} and will get you to the top tout suite.

Directly below are the world's largest mall {The Dubai Mall} and the world's largest dancing fountain {The Dubai Fountain}, a Bellagio-style musical water feature, but bigger, of course. With water propelled 150m {equivalent to a 50-storey building} into thin air, 25 color projectors and nearly 7,000 lights, the choreographed aqua extravaganza is best viewed at night.

Looking up another three dozen floors from the Burj Khalifa's observation deck.

The Spice and Gold Souks

About to take an abra {boat} across the Dubai Creek.

My abra captain.

Views from the creek.

Day-to-day life outside the Spice Souk.

Vendor at the Spice Souk. I purchased camel milk chocolate at this stall.

Scenes from the Souks.

Visiting the Jumeirah Mosque

Traditional homes outside of the mosque.

Skirting skyscraper shadows, the Jumeirah Mosque is the only mosque in Dubai open to non-Muslims. The tour guide joked {with more than an ounce of seriousness}: "Please take photos, we want to spread the word about Islam." Tours lasting approx 1.5hrs are available Sat, Sun, Tues and Thurs at 10am.

All women entering the mosque must wear headscarves and dress conservatively. I transitioned my everyday scarf---which you need in Dubai for the heavily air-conditioned interiors---to a head covering for the tour.

The intricate interior.

The Desert

Aside from dipping my toes into the Persian Gulf and scaling the Burj Khalifa like Tom Cruise {just kidding, I took the elevator}, venturing into the Arabian Desert was my top priority in Dubai. At once vast and voluptuous, the dunes---illuminated in magenta hues at sunset---are a sight to see and a treat to touch.

If you don't have a BFF in town to show you around, numerous tours and desert safaris can be booked through Emirates' on-the-ground tour operator, Arabian Adventures. The private dune and dinner safari is recommended for those who want to see the desert in {solo} style. *Sand dune drives can aggravate motion sickness; however, your driver can adjust the impact if you start to feel sick.

[Photos taken by @tripstyler while a guest of Emirates in Dubai. Note: all portraits taken with individual permission.]

Spotlight :: Puerto Vallarta

[trip style = all-inclusive + beach + urban + sightseeing]

{Editor's Note: Nolitours recently sent me down the coast to Puerto Vallarta to test drive noliZONE, their new all-inclusive program which promotes the resort as a base camp for around-town exploration, meals out, cooking classes, fiestas, etc... I wrote about the deets on Friday and wanted to round-out the coverage with my top PV picks and pics!}

Liz Taylor and Richard Burton put Puerto Vallarta on the jetset's map when they descended upon the remote fishing town in the early 1960s for the film The Night of the Iguana, the screen version of a Tennessee Williams Broadway play. Surprisingly, Mrs. Taylor wasn't even in the film. Much to celeb gossip columnists' delight, she came down as Mr. Burton's famed mistress/+1. Puerto Vallarta was her quiet, romantic hideaway where she could roam unrecognized and free, for a time...

Now their separate, time-worn residences---connected by a Venice-like pink bridge towering above a cobblestone street---hint at a local fishing village transformed by the earliest and flashiest flash mob around. The Hollywood heyday couple may have ignited Puerto Vallarta's early fame, but the town's history, warmth, vibrancy and safety have maintained its A-List status with a steady influx of international visitors, as well as the largest community of foreigners in the country.

Eat The Cool Spot - La Leche When I walked into La Leche I wanted to break out in song because the whitewashed interior was more than a "blanc" palette. Look close enough and every detail from life-sized chalkboard menu to the shiny marble floors were high design. The cuisine matched the interior's ingenuity and taste. Every colorful dish---intended to be the art in the stark space---surprised and delighted my palate. Leaving 'no course unturned', even the starter salad came with a syringe of balsamic reduction dressing. PS - the chef studied cuisine in Vancouver, Canada! *La Leche offers a $30 prix fixe menu to all noliZONE guests.

The Splurge - Cafe des Artistes En vogue and whimsical, Cafe Des Artistes oozes posh. The restaurant itself is a lavish work of art and the food takes it up a notch with artful renditions of coastal Mexican fare. *Cafe Des Artists does not have a noliZONE prix fixe menu, but it's 100% worth a visit.

Do Take A Stroll

Puerto Vallarta rises from 40 miles of coastline toward the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Don your walking shoes because it's worth the uphill stroll on Liz and Richard's former cobblestone side streets on which you'll find their crumbling abodes. Back at the sea, a 6000-foot pedestrian Malecón stretches between the ocean and the town's shops and restaurants.

Take A Cooking Class - Cookin' Vallarta

Set in an open-air kitchen beside a rectangular pool {it's Mexico after all}, I learned to make proper: guac, salsa, hand-pressed tortillas, tortilla soup and mole chicken. As the sous chef I might be slightly biased, but it was the best-in-class Mexican I'd ever tasted, and I left with recipes for each dish! Don't even ask me how many times I've sliced, diced and devoured guac since I've returned home. *This cooking class is offered as part of the noliZONE. At the time of my travel the cost had not yet been determined, but I got the idea it would be between $20 - 40 cdn.

[photos by @tripstyler---except cafe des artistes & la leche---shot while a guest of Air Transat in PV]

Spotlight :: 24Hrs in Bangkok

[trip style = urban]

{Editor’s Note :: April’s destination focus is Thailand. So far we've covered two hip beachfront hotels a few hours from Bangkok. Stay tuned for more on the Lit! Bangkok and why one of Thailand's B destinations receives an A on our travel report card!}

If New York's the Big Apple, then Bangkok's the Big Mango---sticky, sweet and reasonably priced. An age-old mix of traditional and modern stitched together by an avant garde tailor, combing the city is an intense sensory experience from every angle.

For a fleeting moment, I considered going to Thailand and not sampling Bangkok given my tight schedule and its metropolis magnitude. Mistake. Even for 24hrs, snacking on one of the world's most exotic and cosmopolitan cities is both worthwhile and energizing.

Driven by its 12 million+ industrious and gracious inhabitants, the city hums, hisses and hurries at all hours of the day. For this reason it always feels safe and has something to offer every stripe and budget. High rises with head offices crowd the skyline and street vendors crowd available sidewalk real estate selling crepes, just-cut pineapple slices or pad Thai. Eat on the street for less than $0.50 usd. You'd be surprised at what can be sold out of a cart AND how good it is---Bangkok proves almost anything.

Peel off the Big Mango's protective peel for a taste of a city ripe with flavor! Here's a trip style = urban starting point:

Do Lofty Libations I wasn't going to have a drink at Lebua State Tower {which you might remember from The Hangover Part II} fearing it was too cliché, but our friends convinced us to indulge, and I'm glad they did. Sipping a bev at the glow-bar on the 64th floor will cost you---drinks set you back about $16 usd---but it's a stunning space, one which should be perched upon for the limitless city view alone. Trip Styler Tip :: There is a dress code in effect, no sandals or shorts. And don't get too tipsy and drop your drink {or yourself}, the "security nets" hanging below the glass-enclosed rooftop wouldn't hold more than a penny.

Market Meander If you're in town from Fri - Sun, meander and barter your way through the inner and outer lanes of the superbowl stadium-sized Chatuchak market. It's sweaty, it's over-the-top and you can pick up everything from leather belts to fans to Thai silk. Refuel with coconut ice or a giant chocolate-dipped and sprinkle-covered banana. Men, don't be jealous. Wear clothes you're willing to sweat in and arrive early so you're not roasting like street meat in the midday sun. Easily accessible from the Mo Chit skytrain stop.

Cruise 'n Wat Not Make your way to the Mandarin Oriental's dock and ask the attendant to book you a long tail boat to cruise along Choa Phraya River. Total photo opp! Hire the boat for 15 mins or two hours, and cruise up and down the river's murky waters. Ask your captain to drop you off at one of the gold-leafed and colorfully adorned riverside Wats to view a Buddhist Temple in the centre of the city. Trip Styler Tip :: Many Wats like the Grand Palace and Wat Pho have a strict dress codes. I know this will be a chore, but no booty shorts or shoulder cut-outs, even though the heat will make you want to dress like you're 19 and club-going.

Stay Skip Bangkok's brood of $200+ usd/night luxury hotels in favor of the Lit! Bangkok, priced around $100/night. Located a two-min walk from the skytrain on a side street with hostels, street food and $10 usd massage joints, this modern palace provides a cool, calculated calm from Bangkok's heat and hype. Stay tuned for a full write-up about the Lit! on April 25th.

Getting There From the West Coast, Bangkok can be reached on Cathay Pacific or JAL via Hong Kong or Tokyo. Thai Airways operates a direct flight from LA. Once at Bangkok's airport, skip the 45-min, $15 USD taxi into town and take the express train for approx. $1.50 USD. Within 25 mins you're dropped right in the center of the city. From there, either take a bright pink cab or the skytrain to your hotel. Easy peasy.

[photos by @tripstyler]