I was JUST there!

Your guide to: Restaurants in Maui

Your guide to: Restaurants in Maui
Set your taste buds watering with thoughts of fabulous dining in Maui.
By Kim Kessler

There are a variety of spectacular restaurants on the island of Maui, offering the freshest fish and local produce. For a casual oceanfront dining experience, I recommend Mala Ocean Tavern in Lahaina for dinner at sunset, where you can often spot green sea turtles from your table! They present a fresh "guacamole" made out of soybeans paired with salsa and chips and a large variety of salads, appetizers, Kobe beef burgers and fresh fish. My favorite starters are the ahi tuna bruschetta and quartet made of homemade hummus, raita, babaganoush and Greek feta cheese. I also love going to Mala for brunch on the weekends and especially suggest ordering the huevos rancheros with black beans, feta cheese, tortillas, eggs over easy and salsa. Read on ...

Destination: Four Seasons, Maui

The Four Seasons on the island of Maui offers a family-friendly holiday that will thrill both adults and children. By Margot Black

Heaven is here on earth and the Four Seasons Maui is proof of that. The gleaming white sandy island of Maui is an enchanted destination that nestles in the Pacific Ocean, embracing the weary traveler like a kindly, yet glamorous aunt. Looking for a family-friendly holiday that could also offer a degree of comfort and would lift our vacation out of the ordinary and into the superlative, I packed up my husband and 21-month-old son, for a week of sunshine, pampering and five-star wonder at the Four Seasons resort hotel and spa in Maui. Read on ...

THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER: Aitutaki

Kia orana! We left off last week from the South Pacific island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. This week, we visit neighboring Aitutaki, which many compare to Bora Bora ... minus the French. If you're looking for a tropical island setting for a family adventure or a romantic escape that's cheaper than Tahiti, but with the same incredible views and a ton of sea life (though not much human life) and all the comforts of home (Internet, TV, five-star hotel), then READ ON...

LAX'S NEW SERVICE

LAX NEW SERVICE
I'm back in L.A. and a few major announcements took place this week at my home airport of Los Angeles International (LAX) that might be of interest to you. First, Continental just announced they're launching weekly nonstop service to Havana, Cuba. Unfortunately, at this time, only Cuban-Americans (100,000 live in California) can travel there as well as government officials, journalists, researchers and other groups.

VOLARIS
Another new service comes from Mexico's leading low-fare air carrier Volaris, which began its first international route with service from LAX to Toluca, Mexico. They will also soon be flying Oakland to Tijuana and they operate a modern fleet (average aircraft age is 2.3 years) of Airbus A320s. At Tuesday's press conference, they stated that beginning next year, Southwest Airlines will be in a code share agreement. What may matter to you, besides their low introductory rates, is that they're offering an on-time guarantee like nothing I've ever seen before. According to the CEO, Enrique Beltranena, if the plane arrives 30 minutes late, they'll refund the amount you paid for the flight -- even if it's due to a weather delay. I will believe it when I see it but I bet they'll be padding those flight times!

NEW SERVICE TO AUSTRALIA
The last bit of news is that Northwest has finally shifted all of their departures and arrivals from Terminal 2 to 5 (my cousin Willem was on their second to last flight out of T2). Also, Delta is launching nonstop service to Sydney on July 1, making the fares even cheaper to Australia. So now, travelers have four choices of nonstop service: Qantas, United, Delta and V Australia. Round-trip tickets can be had for as low as $710 R/T including taxes and fees. I just flew V Australia this week and their plane and service were simply amazing (more later). Good on ya, mates!

Hamilton Island Update!

If you’re following me on Twitter, then you know I’m on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays. Hamilton is the jumping off point for much of the Great Barrier Reef and it’s really like a fairy tale. It’s lush, quaint, has lorikeets and cockatoos flying around and everyone drives electric buggies (except workmen). The only thing I don’t like about this island is that they don’t recycle. But hopefully, that will all change when Ben Southall, the island’s new caretaker begins what Tourism Queensland bills as the Best Job in the World next week (July 1st). Ben beat out 35,000 applicants to earn the highly coveted six-month gig with a salary of about $100,000 USD.

Yesterday, I drove by Ben’s new luxurious three-bedroom villa (pictured above) with sweeping views that he will be sharing with his Canadian girlfriend Bre. Be sure to keep up with his adventures as he explores the islands of the Great Barrier Reef through a blog and video diaries. You can learn more about Ben on his current (blog) and follow his Queensland journey at IslandReefJob.com.

BTW: I just checked fares on V Australia. I flew down on V Australia last week and absolutely loved it! They're offering – get this – roundtrip fares for $721! That’s incredible and the 14-hour flight is a piece of cake as their crew and entertainment systems are amazing.

# TRAVEL VIDEO OF THE WEEK: The Miniature Wunderland

The Miniature Wunderland
We usually stray away from corporate videos but this one of Germany's model railroad is simply unbelievable. It's quickly become one of Germany's most popular attractions with over 5 million tourists and the video has received close to 2 million views on YouTube. The Miniature Wunderland, is the largest model railroad in the world and it's in Hamburg, Germany. It has 16,146 square feet of space with more than 10,000 train cars running around 6.8 miles of track. Watch the video to get a feel for this remarkable achievement but better yet, visit it in person if you can.