a Moving to Hawaii Question about leather furniture

Q: First of all, let me say what a tremendous resource your website has been to me over the past 5+ years. Thank you! Your site has been among my "favorites" for quite some time and proved very useful over numerous trips to each of the islands. I often read the message threads in between trips just to learn something else about such a special place.
Now, I am finally preparing for a much-anticipated move there and have a few questions of my own. I've seen and heard mention of the challenges of maintaining leather items in a tropic environment, and I'm especially interested in your opinion regarding leather furniture. I would rather not move furniture that will not wear well, and I am currently considering what will make the cut. I understand air conditioning and a de-humidifier might make life easier, but I am interested in how leather would fair without either in your opinion. Also, how do stainless steel and iron hold up? I have an iron bed and a stainless steel bench to consider. These are all nice pieces, but I am willing to let go of them here if that makes the most sense.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

Matthew from Texas

A: Hi Matthew,

Well thank you very much! I am glad you have enjoyed my site and found it useful. Congratulations on your move!

Now, as to the leather furniture ... I don't know anyone who owns leather furniture, but then I may run in the wrong circles too :). My husband had a leather jacket that sat in the closet for about 8 years, and when we took it out it was pretty dull-looking and musty smelling, but not really nasty. I had a suede jacket next to it that actually grew mold on it. If you are moving to one of the rainier areas you may find some issues eventually - I mean my bathroom door sometimes gets mildew growing on it, so I'm sure your leather couch could be susceptible. It could probably be maintained though if you wanted to deal with it. My issue would be with sweating on it and sticking to it though - I mean I sweat pretty much most of the day, just a little bit and I don't think I would be comfortable having a leather couch.

As for the metals ... the iron will definitely degrade faster ... but it's not going to be in a few months, and it can be slowed with proper maintenance, I'm sure. ... If you are going to have A/C on all the time I might give it a try. As for stainless steel, the only thing I can think of that I have that is stainless steel is my sink - and it's fine. It doesn't rust, and it's 15 years old.

Well, I hope this helped you! Lisa

Fair Wind Cruises review - a contest entry

state: state, Arizona/USA
Realname: Pat

items: Review of Fair Wind Cruises, Big Island, Hawaii: Fair Wind Cruises has the best snorkeling trip on the Big Island of Hawaii. My teenage son and I have cruised with them three times in the past five years, and each time was one of the main highlights of our vacation. They have many repeat visitors, for good reason. Fair Wind’s boat takes you to Kealakekua Bay, a marine sanctuary with warm, calm water and beautiful fish and coral. Their morning cruise is the best since you have more time in the water. They give you a continental breakfast on the way to the snorkeling site, and after snorkeling, they have grilled burgers and salad items for lunch. They have afternoon trips as well with lunch or snacks. There’s a water slide for the younger kids and they also have snuba and scuba.

In 2003 my son went scuba diving with Fair Wind and was quite pleased at the variety of marine life but said the dive master went a little too fast (he likes to go slow and stop frequently to look at things). Fair Wind has all the gear you’ll need and their crew is very professional, safety-conscious and friendly. Any time of year is a good time to vist Hawaii, but the ocean is a bit rougher in the winter than in the spring or summer. If you like to snorkel or want to try it, Fair Wind knows the best place to go and the best way to get there!

** note from Lisa: the Fair wind snorkel cruise is indeed one of the best in all the state. My husband and I have been on it several times. Here's an account of a time we swam with dolphins while on a Fair Wind cruise.

a review of Oahu as a vacation destination

state: state, Texas
Realname: Seth
items: Of all the islands of Hawaii, the one to visit is Oahu. Home to the state's capital city, Honolulu, Oahu boasts of many miles of beaches and resorts. Honolulu is the largest of all the Hawaiian cities, and unlike the other islands and their towns, there are many varities of food, shopping, lodging, activities, entertainment, and more. Oahu is the only island to have interstate highways (H1, H2, and H3), and there are many other things to do on Oahu as well. For example, there is a place where you can have shaved ice. I forgot what the name of it was, but I tried it before, and it was GOOD!
I went to Oahu (and the Big Island) back in August of 1996. I had flown there on an American Airlines DC-10 nonstop from my home area, Dallas/Fort Worth. This also shows that from almost any major metro area in the other 49 states (including Alaska, if applicable), you can get to Honolulu International Airport and either stay on Oahu or connect on to other Hawaiian islands (or countries if using the island for a stopover). I even stayed at the Royal Hawaiian (the other part of the hotel that's not pink but more 60s-70s style) for my Oahu stay.
To sum it all up, Oahu is the Hawaiian island of choice for first-timers or returning tourists.

when is best time to visit, Diamond Head restaurant, and hostel info

some e-mail questions:


state: state, florida
Realname: george
items: when is the best time of the year to come to islands an is month of aug good thank you

Sure, august is a great time to come. There really is no 'best' time of year. Winter tends to be a little rainier than summer, but in areas like the leeward side of most of the islands that doesn't translate into very much rain, even at the rainiest times. Winter is when the humpbacks are here, and winter is also the busiest time. You can get off-season discounts if you don't come at the busiest times .. so I guess it depends on what you mean by 'best time'.


state: state, AL
Realname: Barry
items: I lived in HI for 8 years but haven' been back since '86. There was a military restaurant I remember on the slope of Diamond Head--which one is it? Do you have the phone number? My wife and I will be visiting in July. Thanks.

Hi Barry, sorry, I can't think of a military restaurant at diamond head - do you remember part of the name?



state: state, new jersey
Realname: faulkner
items: wow...all these years i have been wondering if there was anyplace affordable to stay in oahu.....the question now is do these hostels have an age limit? or can a 56 yro old man chuck it all and stay?....are there limited times you stay? or can you stay as long as you can pay?....help me out with info please...thank you

Hi, well, it all depends on the hostel. Do some searches on any you might be interested in, see if you can get more information. Or if there isn't any info on the web, e-mail me and I'll see if there is a phone number. Some hostels do offer long term stays and although a lot do cater to a younger generation they don't care how old you are.

Free Hawaii Trip Giveaway

According to the page, current prize will be awarded on February 4th, 2006 - and they will give away 2 trips to Maui after that: 1st Choice Vacation Rentals: One Napili Way Free Hawaii Trip Givaway Contest Give-Away

weather question

state: state, NEW JERSEY
Realname: RITA
items: HOW IS WEATHER IN KANAPALI IN DECEMBER?

The weather in Kaanapali, Maui in December is pretty fair. It is warm, with an average temperature between 70 and 80 degrees, and an ocean temperature of about 78 degrees farenheit. It may rain a bit more in the winter than in the summer (on all the islands) but in Kaanapali, that's still not very much rain.