MAR 5
2014
The Bishop Museum, located in Honolulu just thirty minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas, is currently hosting an exhibit titled “Ni’ihau Shell Lei: Ocean Origins, Living Traditions”. The exhibit features sixty lei made of Ni’ihau shells. Additionally, the exhibit shares detailed information about the manufacturing process and the craftsmen responsible for designing and producing the lei.
The private collection of lei is currently featured in museum’s Long Gallery.
The Bishop Museum is open to the public Wednesday through Monday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission costs $19.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors, and $14.95 for youth. For more information, check out the museum’s webpage, www.bishopmuseum.org or call (808) 847-3511.
MAR 2
2014
Beach Sunset Yoga Hawaii is a yoga and wellness studio located in Honolulu, just thirty minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Resort.
Beach Sunset Yoga hosts frequent yoga classes ranging from sunset yoga to zen meditation exercises to early morning beach yoga, all designed to improve flexibility, core strength training, and mindfulness. Additionally, Beach Sunset Yoga offers jungle yoga wellness tours in which students hike through Oahu’s jungle in conjunction with yoga practice. Lastly, the yoga studio also includes a spa for a complete wellness package.
Prices per class range from $18 for a drop-in group class to $59 for a jungle tour, and multi-class passes are available. For more information, check out sunsetyogahawaii.com or call (808) 321-3297.
FEB 28
2014
The Hawaii Water Sports Center, located near Koko Head Park about 45 minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Resort, offers guests the chance to participate in a wide range of water sports activities, including kayaking, bumper tube rides, scuba diving, and water skiing.
Among the activities is the banana boat ride, in which guests in groups of up to six people strap into an inflatable boat shaped like a banana. The boats are then towed by a US Coast Guard Captain through the marina as guests splash about along the wake.
Tickets for this experience cost $35 each and can be purchased online. Boats depart throughout the day beginning at 8:30 am and ending at 3:00 pm. For more information, check out http://www.hawaiiwatersportscenter.com/index.html.
FEB 24
2014
The Bishop Museum, located in Honolulu about 30 minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas, will host an exhibit featuring Doraemon, Japan’s time-traveling cat now through April 20. Doraemon is a robotic cat from the future who is featured throughout a Japanese manga series as he travels back in time to the present day.
The exhibit will include statues of Doraemon, as well as other key characters to the series. The exhibition is interactive so families can immerse themselves fully into Doraemon’s world. Additionally, video clips from Doraemon movies will be played.
The Bishop Museum is open to the public from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Wednesdays through Mondays. Admission costs $19.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors, and $14.95 for children. For more information, check out bishopmuseum.org or call (808) 847-3511.
FEB 21
2014
The Chief’s Luau, hosted at Sea Life Park near Diamond head just 45 minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Resort, is the top rated luau among Trip Advisor users. The luau celebrates Polynesian culture, beginning with a traditional lei greeting and including a classic Hawaiian dinner.
The Chief’s Luau offers several different luau packages, including standard, paradise, and royal packages. The royal package offers the most comprehensive experience, including a mini-tour of several Sea Life Park exhibits. Each luau option includes a dinner menu of lomi lomi salmon, grilled mahi mahi with a macadamia nut cream sauce, crispy fresh vegetables, and pineapple cake.
For more information or to make a reservation, check out http://www.chiefsluau.com/ or call (877) 357-2480.
FEB 17
2014
Le Bistro, a French-inspired restaurant located in Honolulu just thirty minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas, was named Oahu’s People’s Choice Best Restaurant for 2013-2014 according to the Star Advertiser Ilima Awards. Head Chef Alan Takasaki has crafted a menu that pulls from previous mentors, travels, and childhood flavors.
The menu features such rich appetizers and entrees as lobster claw salad, a fricassee of fresh mussels and clams, rack of lamb, orrechiette pasta, and red wine and peppercorn short ribs, to name a few. The French-fusion favorites have received wide acclaim from locals and visitors alike.
For more information or to make a reservation, call (808) 373-7990.
FEB 14
2014
Iolani Palace, located in downtown Honolulu just 30 minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Resort, will host its 27th annual “Experts at the Palace” lecture series every Thursday through March 6.
This year, the series’ theme is “Preserving the Legacy of World War II”. Guest lecturers include Burl Burlingame, Hans von Tillburg, Carol Hayashino, and Jane Kurahara. Topics will range from Hawaii’s own World War II history to Japanese internment to Pacific National Monument renovation. Each lecture is designed to provide greater insight to the ongoing impact of the world war.
Admission is free and open to the public. For a complete schedule or more information, check out http://iolanipalace.org/.
FEB 11
2014
Makani Kai Helicopters offers airborne tours of Oahu. Several Oahu tours are offered, including a thirty minute Pali Makani tour over southeastern Oahu, a sixty minute Ko Olina Circle Island Spectacular tour over the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Ewa Forest, and a doors off tour. Tours afford views of scenery across the island, including the Waikiki coastline, Diamond Head, the Ali’i Sacred Falls, and the Keehi Lagoon, to name a few.
All tours operate with high safety standards. Makani Kai has nearly thirty years of experience operating helicopter tours and is accredited according to the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations. All personnel are required to pass a safety management program.
Private charter flights are also available upon request.
Ticket prices range according to flight path and duration. For more information, check out http://www.makanikai.com/index.html
FEB 8
2014
The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, located by the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center just 30 minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Resort, provides an introductory history to Hawaii’s military past.
The USS Bowfin, a fleet attack submarine, performed in combat during WWII as part of a larger submarine-based “secret service” military movement. The USS Bowfin first entered combat exactly one year following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Today, the USS Bowfin Museum includes several engaging exhibits, including a waterfront memorial, regulus missile for mail delivery, and the McCann rescue chamber which saved a 33 officers and crew from a sunken submarine.
The museum is open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. Admission costs $12 for adults, $5 for children, and $8 for military or senior citizens. For more information, check out http://www.bowfin.org/ or call (808) 423-1341.
FEB 4
2014
The Punahou School in Honolulu, about thirty minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas, will host the Punahou Carnival this Saturday, February 8 from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. The carnival has taken place each year since it was first established in 1932 during the Great Depression to raise funds to support students at the school who participate in the financial aid program.
The carnival includes rides, crafts, games, live music, and a wide selection of finger foods. With over 60 booths, the carnival is designed to delight visitors of all ages. Among the most popular booths are the malasada and mango chutney booths.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, directions, or a schedule of events, check out http://www.punahou.edu/campus-life/events/carnival/index.aspx or call (808) 944-5711.
