Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel Blog

To get an idea of the rich cultures of Polynesia and how they intermingle with each other, we recommend a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Oahu. Guests can see fire dancing, try their hand at craft making, taste traditional foods and watch larger-than-life performance pieces that celebrate the vibrant cultures of Polynesia.

Humpback season is upon us! Each year from November through May, humpback whales, or kohola, migrate to the warmer waters of Hawaii, spurring locals and tourists to the water’s edge in an attempt to spot these magnificent creatures.

Want a slice of the island’s “Pineapple Experience”? Make sure to visit the famous Dole Plantation during your stay in Oahu. It’s just a 40-minute ride from Waikiki and one of the island’s major attractions. Here’s five reasons you don’t want to miss out on the Dole Plantation.

Usually consumed in paper cones, shave ice is finely cut to have the consistency of snow, which absorbs the syrup – so there’s no need for a straw. With origins from Japan, shave ice, or “kakigori,” preceded refrigeration, made with ice hauled down from mountaintops and consumed by the elite. It was brought to the islands of Hawaii in the late 1800s by Japanese immigrants who came to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations.