FEBRUARY 5, 2001 VOL. 157 NO. 5

Masssaged and Masqued in the New Hawaii
By MORRIS DYE

Illustration for TIME by Michael Bury.

On land once set aside for the exclusive enjoyment of Hawaiian royalty, Burger King now jousts for fast-food supremacy with a branch of the distinctly Japanese fast-food chain Mos Burger. Step inside the latter, and you can sink your teeth into an authentic Tokyo-style teriyaki chiisu bagaa. (That's "cheeseburger" with a Japanese accent.) East and West have collided in Hawaii for centuries, but never have the islands been so welcoming for Asian visitors.

Even so, a subtle change has come over Honolulu in the wake of Asia's ongoing economic worries. With the number of visitor arrivals from Japan still sagging below pre-crisis highs, Hawaii's all-important hospitality sector has been reaching out to more diverse markets—wooing international conferences with an impressive $350 million convention center, courting China's growing cadre of affluent travelers by opening a marketing office in Beijing, and seeking ever more extravagant ways to indulge the whims of dotcom millionaires from Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area.

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Case in point: at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, a nine-hectare mega-resort at the western end of Waikiki Beach, a 25-story tower opening in May will house a 3,900-sq-m spa and "wellness center." One of its main attractions: a state-of-the-art Electron Beam Tomography scanner, the first of its kind to be installed in a resort setting. This $2 million machine works with high-resolution ultrasound and other space-age diagnostic tools to detect early signs of heart disease and cancer. For around $8,000 per person, anyone whose stock portfolio hasn't tanked with the NASDAQ can splurge on a rigorous seven-day medical screening and fitness program offered at the new Mandara Spa.

If that's rich for your budget, consider a more down-to-earth approach to personal pampering at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's new Na Ho'ola Spa. For the facility, which opened last April, Hyatt engaged practitioners of the traditional Hawaiian art of lomi lomi, an indigenous form of therapeutic massage, to add local flavor to the list of available treatments. Top it off with a full-body seaweed masque or ti leaf wrap and you'll achieve a delightfully warm and squishy state, rather like something on the menu at last night's luau.

Of course modern Hawaiian fare is not all pit-roasted pork and pounded taro, and there's no better place to dip into Honolulu's rich culinary melting pot than the cozy, contemporary dining room at Chef Mavro, tel: (808) 944-4714. George Mavrothalassitis, a charming Frenchman of Greek ancestry, made his name in the islands as executive chef of La Mer at the venerable Halekulani on Waikiki Beach, and later at the Four Seasons Resort on Maui. In 1998, Mavrothalassitis launched his signature restaurant a few minutes away from Waikiki, serving a meticulous marriage of local seafood and produce with diverse continental and Asian influences, all presented in fine classical French style. Prix fixe menus range from $48 to $85 per person, though wine is extra.

But for all of the high-priced luxuries Honolulu has to offer, don't forget that many of the city's most endearing attractions cost nothing at all. Take an early-morning hike up Diamond Head, for example, the iconic volcanic peak east of town. Or catch the free Kodak Hula Show at Kapiolani Park, a fun 63-year-old institution recently saved from extinction by the charitable Hogan Family Foundation. And whatever your budget, generous portions of sun, sand and surf are free for all along the seductively kitschy, crowded shores of Waikiki.

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