Looking to send your clients on holiday to somewhere tropical? This handy update on three of Hawaii’s stunning islands would be a good place to start.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters launches Heli-Whale Experience tours

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters recently debuted Heli-Whale Experience tours on Maui and the Island of Hawaii.

The Maui tour combines breathtaking views of the West Maui mountains and central valley with aerial peeks at ocean locations frequented by Hawaii’s annually-visiting humpback whales.

Viewing from the sky means passengers spot more whales than they would from the ocean surface, and is more respectful of the whales’ space and environment.

Click here for more info.

Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate to open retail store in January

Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate is now available for purchase online, with a retail store set to open in late January.

Founded in 2015 by former biotech entrepreneur and full-time West Maui resident Gunars Valkirs, the chocolatier’s goal is producing chocolate on Maui it hopes will be among the world’s finest and returning 100 per cent of net profit, in cooperation with its corporate partners, to Maui charities and non-profits.

The company crafts Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate (sourced from cacao grown locally on its 50-acre farm) and Kuia Estate Chocolate (made with cacao sourced from single-origin family farms in Ecuador and the Amazon rainforest).

Click here for more info.

Introducing The Break at Four Seasons Resort Lanai 

The Four Seasons Resort Lanai recently opened its new eatery The Break, welcoming guests with a comfortable space to eat, relax or enjoy a game while taking in views of Hulopoe Bay.

Open early in the day with Hawaii-sourced coffee and light breakfast items – including pastries, acai bowls, fresh juices, and more – the menu at The Break also includes sandwiches, salads and house-made gelato available to go.

As the day winds down, The Break offers shared dishes, cocktails, wine and locally-made beers. Nightcaps at The Break can be paired with desserts, including the eatery’s signature lilikoi cheesecake.

Click here for more info.

Aqua-Aston Hospitality encourages guests to immerse in local culture

Aqua-Aston Hospitality hotel properties Aston Kaanapali Shores and Aston Maui Hill welcome residents and visitors to experience Talk Story, a gathering with local community leaders and opportunity to learn about Hawaii, inspired by Hawaiian oratory traditions and led by a Hawaiian culture expert.

Available by request, the interactive events incorporate traditional Hawaiian greetings, chanting and instruments.

Also recently launched, Aqua-Aston’s The Green Room sponsorship is a speaker series presented by the Maui arts and ecology organisation The Merwin Conservancy, aimed at fostering a reverence for language, imagination and nature via a series of Hawaii arts and ecology salons.

Speakers in the series include renowned Hawaiian scholars and US Poet Laureates, with salons presented on 23 January, 30 January, 18 March and 20 March.

Click here for more info.

Wailea Village adds more locally-owned shops to retail offerings

Akamai Coffee, Droplets, and Sabado Art Gallery and Boutique are the newest retail additions to South Maui shopping and dining destination Wailea Village.

At Akamai Coffee, Maui residents and owners Byron and Kimberly Brown grow and roast the 100 per cent Maui coffee served. Owner Beate Sykes created her children’s shop Droplets to be whimsical, fun and casual, stocked with clothes, gifts and souvenirs made in Hawaii.

Maui artist Philip Sabado paints art for his Sabado Art Gallery depicting his appreciation of the culture, nature, people, history and mythology of Hawaii, and retails apparel inspired by his works.

Click here for more info.

Four Seasons Maui offers guests more ways to experience whales

Right on time for the return of humpback whale-watching season in Hawaii, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is offering several ways for guests to experience the majestic mammals.

From a private whale-watching tour led by professional photographers the Cesere Brothers, to stand-up paddleboard high-intensity interval training and stand-up paddleboard yoga classes, to land-based sightings from the resort’s new Ocean View Cabanas, the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea concierge team will design customised itineraries for every level of whale enthusiast.

Click here for more info.

Haiku Mill introduces private dinners under the stars

Haiku Mill recently began offering private outdoor dinners, offering guests a multi-course feast set against a backdrop of the historic venue’s vine-draped 150-year-old ruins.

The fine-dining experiences are open to groups of two to 20 people, and are available for anniversary celebrations, small corporate functions and special family occasions.

Click here for more info.

Maui Ocean Center launches Kauhulu cultural talk series

Maui Ocean Center recently introduced its new Kauhulu cultural talk series, bringing together members of the Hawaiian community to share their knowledge of cultural topics.

The Hawaiian word kauhulu translates as “the gathering of fish in schools rising from the depths of the ocean to the surface”. The first Kauhulu session of 2020 is set for January 30 in the centre’s sphere theatre and will welcome kumu (teacher) Lei Wann of Kauai.

Wann will share with attendees the koolau (windward districts’) rich history of limu (seaweed) and how knowledge of it is being passed on through aina (land)-based educational programs.

Click here for more info.

New Westin Maui additions designed for family getaways

A reimagining of The Westin Maui Resort & Spa’s 12-acre Kaanapali beachfront property includes redesigned Beach Tower accommodations, featuring two queen beds or one king bed, sleeper sofa and panoramic glass balconies.

The resort’s aquatic playground now includes new garden walkways and wildlife, while splashing fun awaits the kids at a brand-new family pool with two slides.

Meanwhile, parents can indulge in some downtime at the resort’s adults-only pool area, featuring a new plunge pool and whirlpool.

Click here for more info.

Fairmont Kea Lani plants 100 native koa trees on Haleakala

In honour of Fairmont Kea Lani’s holiday season guests, the resort’s Planet21 Sustainability team recently planted 100 native acacia koa trees on the slopes of Haleakala volcano in an effort to restore native Hawaiian forest trees to the area.

The koa plantings will help preserve the aina (land) for generations to come and preserve habitats of the island’s critically endangered native bird species.

To learn more about Fairmont Kea Lani’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, click here.