REJUVENATE WITH THE ALOHA SPIRIT ON A HAWAII VACATION,   If you are an active traveler, the offerings are nearly endless, from hikes to the Haleakala volcano to guided snorkel tours to the Na Pali reefs to zip line adventures through Kauai’s lush valleys and fabulous golf courses. If you appreciate luxury, you’ll savor Hawaii as home to some of the world’s finest resorts and hotels that cater to your every whim.

Hawaiian cuisine, with its fresh seafood and western and eastern influences and creative chefs, serves up "onolicious" cuisine that will "broke the mouth." There's Japanese, Chinese, Puerto Rican and other influences. Poke is Hawaii's unique take on ceviche, a chunky, raw-fish salad. Instead of bacon with your eggs, try the Portuguese sausage. Melt-in-your-mouth luau stew is usually made with beef brisket cooked in taro leaves and spices. Kalua pork is Hawaii's version of the meat cooked in an underground imu oven. Pasteles is like a Mexican tamale, but this Puerto Rican pastele is made using grated green bananas mixed with plantains and yuca, with various fillings. Manapua is Hawaii's version of char sui bao buns. Loco moco is white rice topped with hamburger patties and fried eggs, covered in brown gravy. (but there are various combinations) Don't leave the islands without having some Hawaiian shaved ice and deep-fried malasadas, the Portuguese version of a donut, that's dusted in sugar, and filled with custard.

Hawaii (J. Michener), Unfamiliar Fishes (S. Vowell), A Hawaiian Reader (A. G. Day & C. Stroven), The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai (J. Tayman), The Last Aloha (G. Quinn), Shark Dialogues (K. Davenport), The Shoals of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands (G. Daws), This is Paradise: Stories (K. Kahakauwila), Honolulu (A. Brennert).

Hawaii is a popular filming destination. Here's a few to get you in the mood for your trip: The Descendants, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, North Shore, Jurassic Park & Jurassic World, Blue Hawaii, From Here to Eternity, Tropic Thunder, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Point Break, Six Days Seven Nights. Blue Crush.