Don Ho has made the ladies swoon with his husky island voice for
the better part of four decades. He’s still wooing honeymooners
during his show at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, where he performs
three times a week, calling them up and giving them tips on love
and romance. Known as “Mr. Tiny Bubbles” the song that made him
famous who better to ask for the best place in Hawaii to enjoy a
bottle of champagne?
Don says: “It’s who you’re with that’s important. But if you’re
going to be with someone you really want to be personal with I
would recommend the Kea Lani Hotel on Maui. I have unbelievable
memories of the fifth floor like ultimate stuff. Is there champagne
involved? You better believe it. You gotta have a little champagne
a little tiny bubbles champagne. You know what I’m talking about.”
Face it, tiny bubbles can make you feel fine just about anywhere.
Here are a few more places to sip the bubbly.
Big Island
Sit on the glassy, black lava plain that straddles the ocean at
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and pop your bubbly amid the rising
sulfur steam and campfire crackling of Hawaii’s active volcano. As
the sun goes down, its lights come up, turning the moment into one
you’ll always remember.
On the Kona side of the island a black, lava moonscape spread the
blanket on Kaunaoa Beach as dusk falls, pop the cork and wait for
the manta rays to show up. Have a swim with them before the
champagne if you really want to get giddy.
Kauai
Two words: Bali Hai. Have your bubbly any place you can see Makana,
which played the role of mysterious Bali Hai in the 1958 Hollywood
musical “South Pacific.” That means the beach at Princeville or
even in a kayak out in Hanalei Bay. Spiked and impervious, Makana
anchors the lush green landscape of Kauai’s North Shore, where
waterfalls stream from the peaks in one, continuous flow. To really
splurge, climb up the steep beach to the terrace at the Princeville
Resort, brush the sand off your feet and live like the yachting
set.
Lanai
Red, dry and desolate, Garden of the Gods is the place to quench
your thirst. Grab bicycles and your loved one and trundle down the
fire-colored road to the mysterious outcropping of rock that looks
over the sea, keeping the bubbly cold in one of those insulated
backpacks. If you’ve got time to relax before heading back, spread
a blanket in a soft spot among the fields along the way that are
filled with monarch butterflies.
Molokai
Beer is better suited to Molokai’s folksy atmosphere, but if it’s
got to be champagne, pop it from the terrace restaurant of Molokai
Ranch while sucking up the view that spans miles of rugged
pastureland to the sea. Afterward, take a soak in your room’s big,
deep tub. For a more romantic encounter, carry your bottle to the
coconut grove outside Kaunakakai, where locals come to get barefoot
at sunset, and find a secluded spot under the palms.
CONTACT INFO:
Kea Lani Hotel:
www.fairmont.com/kealani
Princeville Resort:
www.princeville.com
Molokai Ranch:
www.molokairanch.com
