Practical Hawaii advice for easier stays: Waikiki food, happy hours, HGV and travel updates without the overpacked itinerary.https://www.debushofufu.com/en-ushttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/arancino-di-mare-happy-hour/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/arancino-di-mare-happy-hour/Planning around Arancino di Mare's famous $8-pizza happy hour in Waikiki? As of August 2026 the restaurant opens at 4:45 pm and no happy hour appears on its official site. Here's what changed, what we ordered when it ran, and the verified alternatives nearby.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:18:16 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/hgv-points-too-small-buy-more-or-book-smaller/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/hgv-points-too-small-buy-more-or-book-smaller/Every HGV owner hits the wall: the room you want costs more points than you have. The default answer is to buy more. We went the other way — smaller room, longer stay.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:19:20 GMTHGV & Vacation Ownershiphttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/hgv-resale-vs-direct-questions/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/hgv-resale-vs-direct-questions/Resale HGV ownership typically sells for far less than buying direct — but the two doors can lead into different rulebooks, and the details change over time. From longtime owners: the exact questions we'd put to Hilton and to a licensed broker before signing anything.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:19:05 GMTHGV & Vacation Ownershiphttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/hokulani-waikiki-low-effort-hgv-stay/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/hokulani-waikiki-low-effort-hgv-stay/We're HGV owners who fly to Waikiki twice a year, and despite the shiny new tower opening down the street, we keep booking our usual base: Hokulani Waikiki. The point math, the location that deletes errands, and the honest limits of our favorite home base.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:18:48 GMTHGV & Vacation Ownershiphttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/ka-haku-or-hokulani-hgv-waikiki/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/ka-haku-or-hokulani-hgv-waikiki/Ka Haku, Hilton's new 32-story club tower in central Waikiki, opens with 213 suites, a Japanese-style bath — and a point chart that prices a one-bedroom week at roughly double Hokulani's. An owner's honest comparison of what those points actually buy.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:18:32 GMTHGV & Vacation Ownershiphttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/liliha-bakery-waikiki-beach-walk/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/liliha-bakery-waikiki-beach-walk/Liliha Bakery at Waikiki Beach Walk is open 7 am to 10 pm daily, with a full bar list. What it pours, what it costs, what we would take to the room.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:43:22 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/me-bbq-waikiki-location-menu/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/me-bbq-waikiki-location-menu/The original Me BBQ — Waikiki's family-run Korean plate lunch spot since 1992 — now lives at 2427 Kuhio Ave, and a shop with a similar name opened at its old address. Our May 2025 menu and price notes, the Sunny's Special, and how the meat-only order could work for a room dinner.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:17:52 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/michels-colony-surf-dress-code-dinner/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/michels-colony-surf-dress-code-dinner/Michel's, the oceanfront French room at the quiet end of Waikiki since 1962, is smart casual — and the item most Hawaii travelers haven't packed is covered shoes. Reservations, the official three-tier dress code in plain terms, the tableside lobster bisque, and our real bill.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:17:37 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/ruths-chris-waikiki-happy-hour/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/ruths-chris-waikiki-happy-hour/Ruth's Chris in Waikiki has a bar-only happy hour (4 to 7 pm nightly on our May 2025 visit; call to confirm today's hours). Here's the appetizer list from our last visit, plus the prix fixe trick that gets you steak and lobster at a table without the wait.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:16:49 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/signature-prime-steak-happy-hour/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/signature-prime-steak-happy-hour/On the 36th floor of the Ala Moana Hotel, The Signature runs a nightly 4:30–6:30 pm happy hour where the steak items are genuinely half price — steak sliders $9.50, prime steak tips $11 — with $6.95 beers and a view over Honolulu.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:17:21 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/yard-house-waikiki-happy-hour/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/yard-house-waikiki-happy-hour/Yard House Waikiki's happy hour runs weekdays from 2:00 to 5:30 pm. Select appetizers and pizzas drop to half price — the beer doesn't. Here's how to use it well, from a couple who starts most Hawaii trips at this table.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:17:05 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260902-7-eleven-hawaii-egg-salad-sandwich/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260902-7-eleven-hawaii-egg-salad-sandwich/7-Eleven Hawaii began selling a Japanese-style egg salad sandwich on September 1 on four islands, made on shokupan baked in Hawaii. What it changes for a Waikiki stay.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:54:20 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/hys-steak-house-waikiki-dress-code-happy-hour/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/hys-steak-house-waikiki-dress-code-happy-hour/Hy's Steak House Waikiki requires collared shirts and closed-toe shoes for men and can refuse service regardless of reservation. Full list plus 2026 happy hour prices.Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:30:58 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260904-aloha-festivals-2026-waikiki-free-events/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260904-aloha-festivals-2026-waikiki-free-events/Aloha Festivals' opening ceremony hits Royal Hawaiian Center on Sept. 5, free and finished by 6 p.m. Here is what all three Waikiki Saturdays change for a stay.Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:27:10 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260905-cu-hawaii-pagoda-hotel-locations-hours/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260905-cu-hawaii-pagoda-hotel-locations-hours/CU Hawaii's fourth store is now open inside the Pagoda Hotel near Ala Moana, 6am to 11pm daily. Official hours for all four stores, and how we'd use it with no car.Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:23:49 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260906-hurricane-lowell-waikiki-oahu-what-changes/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260906-hurricane-lowell-waikiki-oahu-what-changes/Hurricane Lowell is forecast to pass west of Kauai late Monday. For a Waikiki stay the changes are surf, rain and a statewide flood watch, not wind.Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:33:51 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260907-don-quijote-kaheka-katsu-plate-fridays/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260907-don-quijote-kaheka-katsu-plate-fridays/Aloha State Daily reports $9.99 chicken katsu plates at Don Quijote Kāheka every Friday in September, from 3 p.m. until sold out. What that means with no car.Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:25:40 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/shorefyre-happy-hour-waikiki-two-locations/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/shorefyre-happy-hour-waikiki-two-locations/ShoreFyre runs two Waikiki happy hours: 3-6 pm daily at Koa Ave, but weekdays only at International Market Place. What the discount covers, and what it leaves out.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:41:51 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260909-southwest-lounge-honolulu-airport-hnl/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260909-southwest-lounge-honolulu-airport-hnl/Southwest is building a lounge at Honolulu's airport for late 2027, with access tied to a new Chase card. Here is what the announcement says, and what it leaves out.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:34:41 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260910-gateside-tsa-precheck-honolulu-airport/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260910-gateside-tsa-precheck-honolulu-airport/TSA's new Gateside pass lets PreCheck members past security without a ticket, but not at Honolulu: all 13 launch airports are on the mainland. Checked Sept. 10, 2026.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:14:46 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260911-tonkatsu-sakazaki-honolulu-opening-special/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260911-tonkatsu-sakazaki-honolulu-opening-special/Tonkatsu Sakazaki opened Sept. 8 in Sam Sung Plaza with a $9.99 pork loin katsudon, dine-in only, for about three weeks. Full prices, the new weekday-dinner-only hours, and our call with no car.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:23:01 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260912-ala-moana-regional-park-reopens-hurricane-lowell/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260912-ala-moana-regional-park-reopens-hurricane-lowell/Honolulu reopened Ala Moana Regional Park at 6:45 a.m. Sept. 10, after Hurricane Lowell left sand more than an inch deep in places on its roads. What is open, what the city never named, and our call.Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:46:06 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260914-favorite-son-ambassador-waikiki-discounts/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260914-favorite-son-ambassador-waikiki-discounts/Favorite Son at the Ambassador on Kūhiō Ave runs 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily. Who its 15% and 50% discounts are for, what the menu costs, and our call as 2 p.m. eaters.Sun, 13 Sep 2026 23:36:59 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260915-leonards-bakery-kapahulu-closed-malasadamobile/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260915-leonards-bakery-kapahulu-closed-malasadamobile/Leonard's closed its Kapahulu bakery September 14, 2026 for renovation, brought malasadas back September 21 and plans full service from September 26. The five Malasadamobile trucks, their hours, and the one that works if you're driving.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:36:40 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/target-oahu-stores-waikiki-walkable/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/target-oahu-stores-waikiki-walkable/Target lists six Oahu stores, and only the 2345 Kuhio Ave one is a walk from a Waikiki hotel. Hours we checked, the Ala Moana trolley math, and what we buy.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 07:44:42 GMTLow-Effort Hawaiihttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260917-hawaii-hurricane-force-field-fall-waikiki-trip/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260917-hawaii-hurricane-force-field-fall-waikiki-trip/Hawaii's hurricane season runs through Nov. 30, and Lala and Lowell both came close this year. What that changes for a fall Waikiki booking, and what we'd check first.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:33:00 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260918-waikiki-hoolaulea-2026-kalakaua-closure/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260918-waikiki-hoolaulea-2026-kalakaua-closure/The 2026 Hoʻolauleʻa map is out: Kalākaua Avenue closes fully at 2 p.m. Sept. 19, three and a half hours before the first act. Here is what we would do that Saturday.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:43:02 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260919-honolulu-bill-52-waikiki-peddling-fines/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260919-honolulu-bill-52-waikiki-peddling-fines/Honolulu Bill 52 would raise the first-offense fine for breaking the city peddling rules from $100 to $500. In Waikiki, sidewalk peddling is banned even with a license.Sat, 19 Sep 2026 07:35:51 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260920-aloha-festivals-floral-parade-2026-waikiki/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260920-aloha-festivals-floral-parade-2026-waikiki/The 78th Floral Parade runs Ala Moana Park to Kapiolani Park along Kalakaua, 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 26. No closure map is posted yet. How we would plan that morning.Sun, 20 Sep 2026 07:29:24 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260921-diamond-head-market-shave-ice-monsarrat/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260921-diamond-head-market-shave-ice-monsarrat/Diamond Head Market & Grill opened a shave ice stand on Monsarrat Avenue, with $12–$15 trays built on its lemon crunch cake. It can't survive takeout, so here's our call.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:18:34 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/fire-grill-waikiki-happy-hour/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/fire-grill-waikiki-happy-hour/Fire Grill Waikiki (TR Fire Grill) on Kuhio Ave runs happy hour 3-6 pm daily with a $4 Kirin draft. The small plates drop $2-$4; the ribs drop $10-$17.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 07:28:07 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260923-sushi-sky-omakase-honolulu-kalakaua/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260923-sushi-sky-omakase-honolulu-kalakaua/Sushi Sky, a new omakase counter at 1731 Kalakaua Ave, runs a 5 pm casual seating and a 7:30 pm Entertainment Course; the menu lists 15 courses at $150 per person. Our call on booking it.Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:14:09 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260924-flavors-of-waikiki-restaurant-week-2026/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260924-flavors-of-waikiki-restaurant-week-2026/Aloha State Daily reports a first-ever Waikiki restaurant week in October. We sorted the list by when you can order, and found a Ruth's Chris menu we have seen before.Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:17:15 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260925-terns-halepuna-waikiki-evening-terrace/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260925-terns-halepuna-waikiki-evening-terrace/The Halekulani Bakery terrace now turns into TERNS, Wednesday to Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. We read the official menu for the beer, the curry math and the start time.Fri, 25 Sep 2026 07:13:19 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/sera-honolulu-happy-hour-renaissance/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/sera-honolulu-happy-hour-renaissance/SERA, the restaurant inside the Renaissance Honolulu on Kapiolani Blvd., runs pau hana weekdays 3-6 pm in the bar and lounge only. Hours, the pau hana menu prices ($6 local draft beer, $8 house wine, $8 fries), and what we'd ask first.Sat, 26 Sep 2026 07:11:34 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260927-hilton-fall-2026-hawaii-ka-lai-waikiki-kauai-curio/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260927-hilton-fall-2026-hawaii-ka-lai-waikiki-kauai-curio/Hilton's fall 2026 list names two Hawaii hotels: a finished $100 million redo of Ka La'i Waikiki Beach and a new Curio resort on Kauai. What each means for a winter stay.Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:20:46 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/mortons-honolulu-power-hour-ala-moana/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/mortons-honolulu-power-hour-ala-moana/Morton's at Ala Moana Center runs Power Hour in the bar, Sunday to Friday 4–6:30 pm. Current prices (checked Sept. 2026), our 2016 visit, and how we'd order now.Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:10:52 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/waikiki-garlic-shrimp-without-north-shore/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/waikiki-garlic-shrimp-without-north-shore/Garlic shrimp in Waikiki, checked against each official menu in September 2026: prices from $14 to $38, hours from 6 am to 10 pm, and which ones we would walk to and take back to the room.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:33:35 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260930-hawaiian-airlines-leihoku-suites-premium-reserve-2028/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20260930-hawaiian-airlines-leihoku-suites-premium-reserve-2028/Hawaiian Airlines gets A330 suites, premium economy and a new HNL lounge, all from 2028. What that means for a Waikiki trip you book today, and what starts Oct. 1.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 07:15:43 GMTHawaii Stay Updateshttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/side-street-inn-waikiki-beach-walk-takeout/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/side-street-inn-waikiki-beach-walk-takeout/Side Street Inn is now open at 280 Beach Walk in Waikiki. Official hours, takeout prices for its 3-4 person platters, what is still coming soon, and how we would eat one.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:10:28 GMTWaikiki Food & Happy Hourhttps://www.debushofufu.com/en/20261002-north-shore-huakai-shuttle-extended-waikiki/https://www.debushofufu.com/en/20261002-north-shore-huakai-shuttle-extended-waikiki/The North Shore Huaka'i shuttle from Waikiki is now $10 round trip and booking through Dec. 31, 2026. Schedule, the return-bus rule, and how we'd use it without a car.Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:20:53 GMTHawaii Stay Updates