Ko Olina Beachfront Penthouse

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.

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.

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.

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/.

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

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.

Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck is a well-known feature of Oahu’s North Shore, about fifty minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Resort.  The iconic white food truck has been identified as one of the top ten food trucks in the country.

The food truck originated out of a converted bread truck in 1993 and quickly became a popular feature of Kahuku, where it served customers for several years before opening a second truck in Haleiwa.  Pure to its name, the simple yet delicious menu includes several Hawaiian favorites, including a shrimp scampi, hot ‘n spicy shrimp, and lemon butter shrimp.

For more information or directions, check out http://www.giovannisshrimptruck.com/ or call (808) 293-1839.

Every Wednesday, Next Door, a bar/club in Chinatown just 30 minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas and Resort, hosts live music featuring popular tunes from the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s.  Featured musical genres range from pop to hip hop and R&B.

The chic bar features many pieces of local art along the walls surrounding a small center stage and an open dance floor.  In addition to musical performances each Wednesday, Next Door hosts a First Friday event each month.  The wide bar provides easy access for customers to a range of specialty drinks and standard beers.

Wednesday events have no cover fee.  Admission is open to guests ages 21 and over.  For more information, call (808) 852-2243.