Hawaii Adventure Park is a wild water fun park located, funny enough, on the drier side of Oahu in Kapolei. If you are staying “in town” near Waikiki, somewhere like the Ilikai Hotel, or any of the big hotels, it’s a great excuse to venture out to the west side. Families find it a great place to take the kids to cool off and also find a variety of water activities for all ages.

The water playground is a spot with smaller slides, waterfalls and water cannons. Thrill seekers will find the park an ultimate water adventure with the Tornado that hurls them through a 130-foot tunnel into a pool. Body board lessons are available too—perfect practice before trying it in the ocean.

The gentler attractions include the soothing Kapolei Kooler, where guests can leisurely chill along a winding river. The entire park is clearly dedicated to many water and sun activities to escape into for a safe while also exhilarating time. Fountains, a 400,000-gallon wave pool, a water slide raceway and roller coaster slides are part of the park, which keeps guests coming back time and again. The Shaka offers rafts plunging 36 feet at an angle of 70 degrees at 31 miles/hour.

Hawaii Adventure Park is not all about kids. Adults can enjoy their time at Cutter’s Island, a relaxing part of the park that includes tropical drinks plus the option of a hot tub or cool plunge pool. Cabanas are also available for day rentals and are a great way to enjoy the sun and also take advantage of some relaxing time in the shade. Cafes, a bar and food carts are located throughout the park with popular favorites for everyone—pizza, burgers, snacks and plenty of refreshing beverages.

Make a day of it with the family or group, or stay for a few days. Quiet Kapolei, aside from the excitement at Hawaii Adventure Park, offers events and activities throughout the year, including culinary, holiday, sports, farm festivities plus a corn maze, musical performances and more.

Getting to Hawaii Adventure Park is easy. Drive the 35 minutes from Waikiki to Kapolei or take TheBus, Hawaii’s public transportation (from Ala Moana Center take the 40 Makaha Beach or 40A Makaha Resort, which run approximately 30 minutes apart). Packages are available that include round-trip transportation to your Waikiki hotel. If you want to stay on the quieter side of Oahu, Kapolei is home to a few major resort hotels and villa vacation rentals.

A day of snorkeling, swimming and sunning in Poipu, Kauai, can easily turbo-charge your appetite. Guests enjoying a serene stay at Whaler’s Cove, in its idyllic location, find the distinct advantage of accessibility to the Poipu’s nifty eateries.

Whether traveling as a group, couple, solo or family, Poipu on Kauai’s South Shore is home to a unique range of choices, from a shack dishing up roadside comfort foods to the finest and freshest upscale cuisine reflecting artistry on a plate. Ambiances as exotic and quietly pleasant as gardens are part of the dining landscape. The ocean’s constant movement makes seaside dining thrilling, with plenty of time to wine and dine while watching waves. Sun-dappled, reminiscent of old Hawaii, Poipu, Kauai restaurants offer dining parallels to dining traditions on the mainland…instead of mint juleps on a wraparound porch try tropical drinks on a wraparound lanai, instead of tapas are amazing pupus.

While you may expect dishes prepared with macadamia nuts, coconuts, taro, pineapple, and the freshest fish, restaurants near Whaler’s Cove deliver all that and more. Plantation Gardens Restaurant & Bar creates handcrafted drinks with ingredients we love, but with a twist—cucumber mojitos and lavender pina coladas. If it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, try conventionally preferred cocktails with a variety of ingredients such as mint, mango, prickly pear, or tangerine. Their ahi tuna tacos, made of taro root taco shell and avocado mousse, are one example of island spin on popular favorites. Surrounding you are 1,000 orchids on this restored plantation, which somehow enhances the taste of the local lilikoi cheesecake.

Cash only, take-away and an opportunity to eat like a local awaits at Sueoka’s Snack Shop. Try the loco moco, which is a native Hawaiian dish that originated from a need to eat cheap. It consists of rice, a hamburger patty, fried egg, and brown gravy, with variations. This is a not-so-hidden budget find among the restaurants in the Whaler’s Cove vicinity. The kalua pork and cabbage plate lunch is a favorite, as are the fried fish dishes and the fries. Conveniently, this place is part of the Sueoka Store where you can grab some basics for your condo stay.

A departure from the casual are some excellent upscale restaurants in the Whaler’s Cove region in Poipu, some of which you’ll find at the nearby resorts. Aptly named, The Beach House offers a bounty of local and seasonal island food and has won a multitude of awards. Signature items include their wasabi-crusted snapper, molten chocolate dessert, majestic mai tai and tikitini. Other popular dishes include the watermelon salad and the togarashi fried calamari with Hawaiian guava cocktail sauce. Needless to say, it’s an oceanfront restaurant so drink in the sunny shores and dramatic sunsets alongside great meals.

Roy’s is a top-notch restaurant that should be one of the highlights of your dining experiences while staying in Whaler’s Cove. The Hawaiian Fusion is an incredible presentation plus melding of European techniques, Asian cuisine and Hawaiian hospitality.

The area has its share of restaurants with typical tiki torches and open air scene (Keoki’s Paradise—try the hula pie), plus a fish market and Koloa Rum Company’s tasting room, rounding out Poipu’s drinking and dining options.

If you’re looking to start a small business in Hawaii (or large one for that matter), you’re in luck because everything you need is available online.

Business Express

Using Hawaii’s business express website, you can register your business with the state. Cost is $47.50 (which saves you $22.50 for doing it online). It’s actually pretty easy. Here’s what you do:

Note: You will need an NAICS code. Get your NAICS code here.

1. The first thing you’ll need to do is create an account.
2. Next, login to the account you just created.
3. Once logged in, use the multi-agency business wizard.
4. From here, just follow the instructions.

That’s it. You can request a trade name while signing your business up. But I suggest searching for a business trade name online.