The Embassy Suites Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk opened this week on the island of Oahu. One- and two-bedroom suites at the 22-floor hotel count flat screen TVs, free high-speed Internet access and complimentary hot breakfast each morning as standard amenities. Elsewhere in the hotel, guests will find an outdoor pool that changes colors at night - mood lighting for the nightly manager’s reception, where free drinks and snacks prep travelers for a night out in Waikiki.

Another perk - the hotel offers guests free local and domestic long-distance calls. So minute-conscious travelers can put away the cell phone during the trip.

Standard rates start at $399/night for a one-bedroom suite and $549/night for a two-bedroom suite. Throughout 2007, the hotel is offering a special $249 introductory nightly rate for a one-bedroom suite. The catch? The cheapie rate is only available for a certain number of rooms per night, so contact the hotel directly for availability.

If you’ve been thinking about taking a last-minute trip to Hawaii before January 31, 2007, then you’ll want to get down to brass tacks this week. Mesa’s go! airline announced $29 interisland fares Sunday. Hawaiian Airlines matched the offer yesterday, and Aloha Airlines is reportedly going to follow suit. But remember, cheapie fares like this are usually in short supply, available only on off-peak flights and often disappear quickly. If you want to snag these fares, you’ll need to get crackin’.

More $29 Tickets Posted

You may have heard me complain about travel writing before - I’m not the biggest fan. I’d rather travel than read about traveling. That said, I ran across Mark Twain’s Hawaii yesterday (it originally appeared in the New York Times), and I think it represents the best sort of travel writing that’s out there. In the story, author Lawrence Downes looks at Twain’s letters and other writing done during a four-month stint on the islands in 1866. He uses these tidbits from Twain’s experiences to chart a new route around Hawaii, one that puts more weight in history than in tropical cocktails and hotel perks. It’s a great story - one any avid traveler should check out - and it represents a great way to look at a familiar destination anew.

While we’re on the subject of Hawaii, See The Globe has a recommendation for any future visitors to the island state’s Big Island. Snag a copy of Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook. Always nice to have a little endorsement when you’re picking up a guidebook. After all, you won’t know how good it is until you arrive in your destination.

While many have emphasized the lack of damage from the recent 6.7 earthquake in Hawaii, there is at least one major attraction that has closed until further notice. Hawaii’s Hulihe’e Palace, an 1838 building made of lava rock, has closed its doors indefinitely. Cracks are now visible in every room, but only three or four of the building’s historic artifacts from early Hawaiian culture were damaged.

Hawaii Quake Shutters Beloved Palace

This is only going to be worthwhile for travelers already thinking about heading to New York, Washington DC, San Diego, Orlando or Maui in the next few months, but good to know if you are planning a trip to one of those destinations. Orbitz’s current Family Promotion offers travelers between $50-$150 off the total price of a vacation package or hotel accommodations for four or more nights. You’ve got to purchase before Nov. 6 and travel by Jan. 31, 2007. Read all the details and get the promo code to use at check-out via the link below.

Orbitz Family Promotion

November’s issue of Conde Nast Traveler features the results of its annual Readers Choice Awards. The issue goes on sale Oct. 24th. In the mean time, you can check out the top three winners in each category. Real travel junkies can compare this list to last year’s Readers Choice Awards:

Top Cities - United States:

1. San Francisco, CA

2. Santa Fe, NM

3. New York, NY

Top Cities - Asia:

1. Bangkok, Thailand

2. Hong Kong

3. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Top Cities - Europe:

1. Florence, Italy

2. Rome, Italy

3. Venice, Italy

Top Cities - Africa/Middle East:

1. Cape Town, South Africa

2. Marrakech, Morocco

Top Cities - Pacific Rim:

1. Sydney, Australia

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Queenstown, New Zealand

Top Cities - The Americas:

1. Vancouver, British Columbia

2. Buenos Aires, Argentina

3. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Top Islands - Europe:

1. Mykonos & the Cyclades, Greece

2. Madeira, Portugal

3. Capri, Italy

Top Islands - Pacific Rim:

1. Maui, Hawaii

2. Kauai, Hawaii

3. Moorea, French Polynesia

Top Islands - Caribbean/Atlantic:

1. Bermuda

2. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

3. British Virgin Islands

Top Islands - North America:

1. Vancouver Island, Canada

2. Kiawah, South Carolina

3. Nantucket, Massachusetts

Top Islands - Asia:

1. Maldives

2. Bali, Indonesia

3. Phuket, Thailand

Top International Route Airlines:

1. Singapore Airlines

2. Emirates

3. Cathay Pacific

Top Domestic Route Airlines:

1. JetBlue

2. Midwest

3. Hawaiian

Top Car Rental Agencies:

1. Hertz

2. Renault Eurodrive

3. Avis

Top Large Ship Cruise Lines:

1. Regent Seven Seas

2. Crystal Cruises

3. Disney

Top Small Ship Cruise Lines:

1. SeaDream Yacht Club

2. Grand Circle Cruise Line

3. Regent Seven Seas

Top Resorts - Africa:

1. Singita - Ebony & Boulders Lodges

2. Chief’s Camp, Botswana

3. Chobe Chilwero, Botswana

Top Resorts - Canada:

1. Pan Pacific Mountainside, Whistler

2. Four Seasons, Whistler

3. Westin Resort, Whistler

Top Resorts - Atlantic:

1. One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas

2. The Reefs, Bermuda

3. Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos

Top Resorts - Central/South America:

1. Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo

2. Explora en Patagonia, Chile

3. Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, Argentina

Top Resorts - Asia:

1. Four Seasons Bali at Sayan

2. Four Seasons, Chiang Mai, Thailand

3. Banyan Tree, Phuket, Thailand

Top Resorts - Mexico:

1. La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo

2. Royal Hideaway Playacar, Riviera Maya

3. JW Marriott, Cancun

Top Resorts - Pacific Rim:

1. Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, Lanai

2. Four Seasons Hualalai, Big Island

3. Voyages Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Top Resorts - Europe:

1. Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland

2. Westin Turnberry Resort, Scotland

3. Mount Juliet Conrad, Co. Kilkenny

Top Resorts - Caribbean:

1. Malliouhana Hotel, Anguilla

2. Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

3. Sandy Lane, Barbados

Top Resorts - United States:

1. Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, AZ

2. Inn at Palmetto Bluff, SC

3. Inn at Spanish Bay, CA

Top Hotels - Asia:

1. Fullerton Hotel, Singapore

2. Amandari, Bali

3. The Peninsula, Bangkok

Top Hotels - Caribbean/Atlantic:

1. Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France

2. Ladera, St. Lucia

3. Waterloo House, Bermuda

Top Hotels - Pacific Rim:

1. Rialto Hotel on Collins, Melbourne

2. Park Hyatt, Sydney

3. Lilianfels Blue Mountains, Australia

Top Hotels - Africa:

1. Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza

2. Cape Grace, Cape Town

3. Sofitel Palais Jamai, Fez

Top Hotels - Europe:

1. Four Seasons Gresham Palace

2. Chateau Les Crayeres, Reims

3. Four Seasons George V, Paris

Top Hotels - South America:

1. Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru

2. Four Seasons, Buenos Aires

3. Swissotel, Quito, Ecuador

Top Hotels - United States:

1. The Peninsula, Chicago, IL

2. Watermark Hotel, San Antonio, TX

3. St. Regis, New York, NY

Top Hotels - Canada:

1. Auberge du Vieux-Port, Montreal

2. Hotel Dominion 1912, Quebec City

3. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City

Top Hotels - British Isles:

1. Buckland Manor, The Cotswolds

2. Gidleigh Park, Devon

3. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

Top Hotels - Central America/Mexico:

1. JW Marriott, Mexico City

2. Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas

3. Casa Santo Domingo, Guatemala

Top Hotels - Middle East:

1. Grand Hyatt, Amman

2. King David, Jerusalem

3. David Citadel, Jerusalem

Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Awards

Newbie Australian discount carrier Jetstar had such success with its recent Hawaii fare sale that it’s offering up another one. Through midnight Oct. 6, the airline is selling tickets for travel in February and March 2007 between Hawaii and Sydney and Melbourne on the serious cheap. As always, supplies are limited:

Melbourne to Honolulu - $519 Economy Class, $1099 StarClass

Sydney to Honolulu - $469 Economy, $1099 StarClass

As an aside, I did some playing around with Jetstar’s booking engine. For travel from Honolulu to Sydney on February 17, 2007 with a return on March 7, 2007, the site spit out a round-trip fare of $495/person. Not bad, I say. That’s as much as I pay to fly to the East Coast sometimes!

JetStar Fare Sale

Dunno about you, but I always like to know how big a hotel’s fitness room is before I arrive. That way I know if I need to pack running gear - I get depressed working out in pint-sized, dark and otherwise cramped fitness rooms. One TravelPoster was kind enough to post this photo of the fitness room at Marriott’s Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa. While it doesn’t hold a candle to the outdoor scenery surrounding the hotel, the fitness room obviously offers ample space and equipment for away from home workouts.

As I’m sure you can guess, there is a subtle message in this post! Upload your hotel photos from any hotel page on TravelPost.com. It’s just the right thing to do.

Hawaii’s discount carrier go! has extended the deadline to purchase its $29 one-way interisland airfares until Oct. 1, 2006. These tickets are good for travel through the end of the year. The move prompted Aloha and Hawaii Airlines to match the offer. So get to island hopping!

Interisland $29 Airfares Extended Again