Welcome to the Hawaii Travel Podcast. This is the podcast where in every episode you're gonna get seven different little-known travel tips about Hawaii's main islands. Plus, you're gonna get five more answers to problems that would have been just as annoying to run into without warning while you're already in Hawaii. And by that time, it's too late. Ready? Let's jump in! 1. Your Kona coffee might be 90% something else If you're buying Kona coffee on the Big Island to bring home, you might want to read the bag before you pay. A bag labeled "Kona Blend" can legally contain as little as 10% Kona beans. The other 90% can be coffee from anywhere in the world. The word Kona is printed big. The percentage is printed small. Hawaii passed a law raising the minimum to 51%, but it doesn't take effect until July 1, 2027. So right now, a lot of what gets sold as Kona is mostly something else, and people who buy it go home wondering what the fuss was all about. So look for the words "100% Kona Coffee" on the label, and read the percentage, not just the biggest word on the bag. "All Hawaiian" is not the same as 100% Kona. Better yet, buy it at the source. Coffee farms up the hill from the Kona Coast around Holualoa and Captain Cook offer tastings and sell bags right off the farm. Many will ship it home for you. You'll taste the real thing, you'll support a local farmer, and you'll bring home the coffee your friends think they're getting. 2. The Oahu snorkel spot that sells out before you finish your coffee If you're planning to snorkel Hanauma Bay on Oahu, you can't just show up. Nonresidents need a reservation, and online tickets go on sale only two days before your visit at 7 AM Hawaii time. The good time slots can be gone in minutes. That's 10 AM Pacific and 1 PM Eastern in summer, and an hour earlier in winter. The bay is also closed every Monday and Tuesday. Entry is $25 per person for nonresidents 13 and older. Kids 12 and under get in free. So pick your day, count back two days, and set an alarm for 6:55 AM Hawaii time. Book on the official City and County of Honolulu website and grab the earliest slot you can. Your ticket does not save you a parking spot. Parking is $3, cash only, and the lot fills up, so get there early. If you miss the online window, a few walk-up tickets go out when the gate opens at 6:45 AM. Everyone in your group has to be there to get them. Get this right and you get some of the calmest, clearest beginner snorkeling on Oahu. Miss it and you get turned away at the gate. 3. Kauai's most famous tide pool has a locked gate for a reason If you're staying on Kauai's North Shore, you'll see Queen's Bath all over social media, and those photos don't tell you the whole story. Queen's Bath is a tide pool on a lava rock shelf in Princeville. On a calm day it looks like a giant natural swimming pool. But winter swells on the North Shore can top 15 feet, and one big wave can wash right over those rocks with no warning. People have been swept into the ocean there and drowned. The county locks the trail gate when the ocean gets dangerous, and it usually stays locked through the winter. People still climb around it, and rescue crews still have to go get them. So if the gate is closed, it's closed. Don't go around it. When it's open, check the North Shore surf report and the posted warnings before you go. If there's any real surf, water surging over the rocks, or you're just not sure, skip it. The trail gets slick and muddy after rain, so wear real shoes. The pool is beautiful, but it's not worth your life, or the life of the rescuer who has to come get you. 4. Your Hawaii hotel just got more expensive and the rate didn't change If you're comparing hotel prices for Hawaii, the number you saw last year is already out of date. On January 1, 2026, Hawaii raised its lodging tax. The state portion went from 10.25% to 11%, and that was on top of a county tax and the general excise tax that were already there. Stack them all up and you're looking at about 18.7% tax on your room. On a $400 room, that's about $75 a night, or more than $500 across a seven-night stay. The increase alone adds roughly $3 a night on that same room, which is about $21 for the week. And it's not done climbing. The state portion is scheduled to go to 12% in 2027. So if you're working off a price you wrote down on a past trip, or a quote from a few months back, add about 19% and check it again before you commit. If you booked a while ago at a locked-in total, you're fine. If you're still shopping, build the newer number into your budget now, so the difference comes out of the planning spreadsheet instead of your dinners. 5. The Oahu beach house that could get pulled out from under you If you're booking a vacation rental on Oahu, that cute beach house online might not be legal. On Oahu, renting a home for less than 30 days is illegal in most residential neighborhoods. Short stays are mainly allowed in resort areas like Waikiki, Ko Olina, and Turtle Bay, plus a small number of permitted homes. Owners caught running illegal rentals can face fines up to $10,000 a day, and booking sites pull listings that get flagged. When that happens, you're the one left scrambling for a new place, often when prices are highest and the good spots are already gone. So before you book, look for two numbers in the listing. One is a registration number or an NUC number. The other is a TMK, which is the property's tax map number. Legal short-term rentals on Oahu have to show both in their ads. If either one is missing, keep looking. If they're there, check them on the City and County of Honolulu short-term rental page and screenshot the listing. Or stay in Waikiki or Ko Olina, where short stays are allowed. A few minutes of checking keeps you from losing your only place to sleep. 6. How close is too close to a Big Island sea turtle? If you're going to Punaluu Black Sand Beach on the Big Island, you'll probably see green sea turtles sleeping right on the sand. It's one of the best turtle spots in Hawaii. It's also where a lot of people get way too close. Sea turtles are protected by federal and state law. Touching, chasing, or bothering one is illegal, and the fines can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. The guideline is to stay at least 10 feet away, on the sand and in the water. Hawaiian monk seals sometimes rest on this beach too. Give a resting seal 50 feet. If it's a mom with a pup, make it 150 feet. There are only about 1,600 monk seals left. If you see ropes, cones, or a volunteer, stay behind them. For some Native Hawaiian families, the honu is an aumakua, a family guardian, so a crowd around a sleeping turtle feels like disrespect. Use your phone's zoom, not your feet. Never stand between a turtle and the water. You'll still get a great photo, the turtle gets its nap, and you leave knowing you did it right. 7. The part of Maui people are skipping for no good reason If you're planning a trip to Maui and someone told you to skip West Maui because of the fire, that advice is out of date. The August 2023 fire destroyed much of Lahaina town. But the resort areas just up the coast, Kaanapali, Napili, and Kapalua, are open to visitors. The beaches, the snorkeling, and the sunset dinners are all there. And on August 1, 2026, the main stretch of Front Street in Lahaina reopened to cars for the first time since the fire, with more than a dozen businesses back. The north end of town has been open for a while, with oceanfront spots like Star Noodle, Mala Ocean Tavern, and Aloha Mixed Plate serving guests. So don't cross West Maui off your list. Book a few nights in Kaanapali or Kapalua, or at least plan a full day there. Check that the places you want are open before you go. Take the Lahaina Bypass when it fits your route. Stay out of fenced areas and neighborhoods still being rebuilt, and don't stop to take photos of empty lots. Many West Maui businesses are counting on visitors right now. Spend at locally owned places, and you get a great Maui day while helping a town come back. We want to know: what's the best luau on Oahu? Search Hawaii Travel Podcast on Facebook, find the post, and tell us your pick. We read every one, and we answer back. Want all seven tips in one place? Email aloha@hawaiitravelpodcast.com and put episode 102 in the subject line. The cheat sheet comes back to you instantly. That same email works for anything else, too. Tell us where you're going. Not just the island, the actual thing. The hike, the beach, the rental car you booked, or the luau you're planning to attend. We'll find the one way people mess it up, and we'll tell you how not to. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Get the free newsletter at hawaiitravelpodcast.com.
