Hawaii Resort

Pacific Rim Dining At Its Best | Waikiki Beach Hawaii Resort & Spa Showcasing the best of Pacific Rim cuisine, Kuhio Beach Grill, offers mouth-watering local-style breakfast and dinner buffets. home dining -- -- Welcome -- Welcome! Below are offers tailored to your general interests. To see more specific, customized offers click here . Change Preferences -- The resort's signature restaurant, Kuhio Beach Grill , offers mouth-watering local-style breakfast and dinner buffets, showcasing the best of Pacific Rim cuisine. Executive Chef Brendan Mahoney has infused flavors from around the world to create his own unique culinary style. The restaurant serves breakfast and dinner daily. Join us every Friday night in July for the Tepa Tasi Luau at the Resort's Pualeilani Terrace. Guests will enjoy a traditional Hawaiian luau buffet with one drink voucher and live entertainment. Tickets may purchased at the Concierge desk. Enjoy Waikiki's best live, local entertainment while sipping on a Lava Flow or Mai Tai at the open-air Moana Terrace. Overlooking famed Waikiki Beach, the Moana Terrace is the perfect spot to watch a spectacular Hawaiian sunset. Hawaii Regional Cuisine Chef D.K. Kodama has ventured in to Waikiki and opened a new double-concept restaurant at the resort. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar and Steak House offers patrons a panoramic view of Waikiki Beach. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar serves a variety of dishes from new wave sushi and contemporary Pacific Rim specialties, while the Steak House features premium dry-aged steaks. Arancino di Mare offers homemade Italian pasta and pizza dishes, providing guests with a little slice of Italy in Waikiki. Enjoy an intimate meal indoors, or a world-class outdoor caf dining experience, while watching the sun set over world-famous Waikiki Beach. This restaurant is located on the ground level of the Kealohilani Tower. Now with two locations to better serve you, Seattle's Best Coffee is a great place for a quick pick me up. Both locations offer some of the best coffee blends from around the world as well as a variety of pastries, sandwiches, and salads. Maharaja Ultra Lounge Experience stunning visuals and dcor in this captivating nightlife experience. Loose your mind and body on danceable tables as flare bartenders and enchanted costumed figures cast a spell over the evening. Tepa Tasi Luau Join us every Friday night in July for the Tepa Tasi Luau at the Resort's Pualeilani Terrace. Guests will enjoy a traditional Hawaiian luau buffet with one drink voucher and live entertainment. Tickets may purchased at the Concierge desk. Kuhio Beach Grill Kuhio Beach grill offers the finest Continental cuisine infused with flavors of Hawaii and the Pacific Rim. Moana Terrace Moana Terrace offers breathtaking views of Waikiki, spectacular sunsets over the Pacific Ocean and authentic Hawaiian entertainment. Serving lunch, cocktails and dinner. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar and Steak House D.K. Kodama's new restaurant overlooking Waikiki Beach offers two separate concepts for dining patrons. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar offers new wave sushi and other delectable Japanese cuisine. The Steak House offers good old American-style, premium dry- aged steaks. Arancino di Mare Arancino di Mare offers homemade Italian pasta and pizza dishes, providing guests with a little slice of Italy in Waikiki. Restaurant Run Restaurant Run, a Japanese noodle shop and sushi bar, is open for lunch and dinner. Seattle's Best Coffee: 2 locations Seattle's Best Coffee offers a wide selection of beverages & pastries. Both locations are open from early morning to late in the evening. home resort overview accommodations check rates reserve now packages specials meetings & events weddings spa olakino things to do resort dining resort activities news press room take a tour contact privacy policy site map 2552 Kalakaua Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96815-3699 RES 1.800.367.5370 PH: 1.808.922.6611 FAX: 1.808.921-5255 ©2005 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa Developed by Symbolic

Hawaii Hotels Guide Island

Island of Maui, Hawaii HI - Hotels, Resorts - A Helpful Guide Island of Maui Hawaii HI - Hotels Resorts Condos - Mowie Mowi Mauee Hawii Hawai Hawaii Hotels Guide Island of Maui, Hawaii – Hotels, Resorts – A Guide Hotels - htels - hoteles - hoteis - alberghi - hoteller - 12 languages Use this guide to learn about Maui (mau (w)ee) Island hotels, resorts, and condos, check availability and discounts, and make secure reservations with immediate confirmation. We charge NO SERVICE FEES ... and our hotel location information and unique cost codes will save you time and money. Like this guide? Bookmark it by pressing Ctrl+D. Hotels near Kahului Airport - OGG Central Maui – Kahului Bay Kahului Airport, Costco, Maui Mall, Paper Airplane Museum Kahului North Shore From Spreckelsville to Pauwela - known for good surfing; home of the O'Neil International Windsurfing Championships Paia East Maui – Hana Highway Scenic drive known for its beautiful waterfalls, tropical rain forests, and narrow, winding roads Hana South Maui From Sugar Beach down to Cape Kinau - resort area known for its great beaches. These four towns are ordered from north to south. Maalaea Kihei Wailea Makena West Maui Resort area known for its great beaches. These six towns are ordered from north to south. Kapalua Napili Kahana Honokowai Kaanapali Lahaina Upcountry The upcountry of Maui consists of those towns that are located 2,000 - 4,000 feet up the slope of the Haleakala Crater. Haiku Makawao Pauwela Pukalani Thanks for using our Island of Maui, Hawaii hotels guide. We hope you enjoy your trip. Related search terms: hotels/motels motel hoteles moteles condo rentals condos rental condominium condominiums lodging accommodations accommodation inns inn destination destinations romantic weekend getaways getaway breaks honeymoon packages holiday package holidays vacation vacations travel best choice discount rate price discounts cheap hotels budget hotel deals dog friendly in near by nearby close to around search finder Abbreviations, variants, misspellings: oceanfront beachfront upcountry hi. hawaiian ocean front beach front up country mowie mowi mauee islan iland ilan ha ha. hawaian hawii hawai hawiia hawiian hawaiin hawiiee hawaiihotel hawaiihotels hihotel hihotels accomodation accomodations accomadation accomadations petfriendly dogfriendly MORE HAWAII HOTELS All State of Hawaii Hotels Island of Hawaii HI Hotels Island of Kauai HI Hotels Island of Lanai HI Hotels Island of Maui HI Hotels Island of Molokai HI Hotels Island of Oahu HI Hotels Aiea HI Hotels Hana HI Hotels Hilo HI Hotels Honokowai HI Hotels Honolulu HI Hotels Kaanapali HI Hotels Kahana HI Hotels Kahuku HI Hotels Kahului HI Hotels Kailua-Kona HI Hotels Kamuela HI Hotels Kapaa HI Hotels Kapalua HI Hotels Kapolei HI Hotels Kaunakakai HI Hotels Kihei HI Hotels Kohala Coast HI Hotels Koloa HI Hotels Kona HI Hotels Lahaina HI Hotels Laie HI Hotels Lanai City HI Hotels Lihue HI Hotels Maalaea HI Hotels Makaha Beach HI Hotels Mauna Loa HI Hotels Napili HI Hotels Poipu Beach HI Hotels Princeville HI Hotels Volcano Village HI Hotels Waikoloa HI Hotels Wailea HI Hotels Wailua HI Hotels Waimea HI Hotels All State of Hawaii Hotels USA Hotels - all states World Hotels - all countries Who We Are Our Privacy Policy No Service Fees Fewer Advance Charges Some Surprising Deals ! Hotel & Air Travel Packages Compare Car Rentals Order Free Travel Guides ISLAND OF MAUI LINKS Island of Maui HI Weather Hotels near Kahului Airport - OGG Order Free Island of Maui Vacation Planner HOTEL COST CODES $ = Under $60 $$ = $60-99 $$$ = $100-149 $$$$ = $150-199 $$$$$ = $200 + AOM, Rack, Special, & Traveler's Discount Rates are for everyone. TIPS & SUGGESTIONS Tip 1 – Make reservations early. Some hotels cut off online reservations 1 to 3 days before check-in time. Tip 2 – When you make a reservation, you will receive a confirmation email. Print a copy of this message to take with you ... and don't delete the original email until you have completed your stay and know you have been billed correctly. Tip 3 – Our hotel cost codes are based on the lowest peak season rates available to all guests. We do offer discount rates for corporate and government employees, AAA and AARP members, seniors, and other special groups. But we do not base our cost codes on these discounts. Off-season room prices may be much lower than our cost codes indicate. This is especially true for coastal hotels during the winter. Tip 4 – The earlier in the day you check into a hotel, the more likely you will get a room or suite that matches your preferences. More tips – Learn more about this guide and how to use it effectively . Help improve this guide – Please send us corrections, new info, and comments about hotels where you have stayed. Home • USA Hotels • World Hotels • Tips • Feedback • View or Cancel Reservation • Contact Us Hotel-Guides.us – Island of Maui, Hawaii, USA © 2006 Hotel-Guides.us, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Hotel-Guides.us Inc .

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Oahu and Hawaii: Oahu Hawaii : Oahu • LINK TO US • ADD A LINK • RANDOM LINK • HOME • • LISTENNOW • WHAT'SPLAYING? • Looking for something in particular? THIS SITE The Web Popular Pages: Oahu Oahu Hotels Oahu Bed Breakfast Oahu Vacation Rentals Oahu Real Estate Oahu Maps Oahu Pictures Oahu Weddings Oahu Activities Oahu Scuba Diving Somewhere Over the Rainbow Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Over the Rainbow Listen LIVE to Hawaiian Music! What's Playing? Link To Us Your host, Rich Shipley Browse Island Categories: Hawaiian Music Hawaii - All Islands Big Island Kauai Lanai Leeward Islands Maui Molokai Oahu Hawaii : Oahu Add a Link to this Category Activities and Sports new Business-Gov-Social Hotels and Resorts Pictures and Maps Vacation Rentals Arts and Entertainment Bed and Breakfast Guides and Directories Hostels Real Estate Shopping Towns Travel and Tourism Weddings >> Click Here to Listen to Hawaiian Music Now << All Local Events Free online community calendar of events for the islands of Hawaii including Oahu, Maui, Big Island, Kauai, Lanai and Molokai http://www.alllocalevents.com/ details Affordable Towing Services Inc. We provide all types of services from Light, Medium, Heavy & Super Heavy Duty including sliding axle trailer service. We also employ Air Cushions for those very delicate loads that need to be handled with care. http://www.affordabletow.com details Aloha Stadium Swap Meet It's Hawaii's biggest outdoor swap meet with unbelievable bargains from hundreds of vendors selling everything from local arts and crafts, clothing, souvenirs, jewelry, luggage, sunglasses, shoes, accessories, housewares and much, much more. http://www.alohastadium.hawaii.gov/events/swapmeet.html details Environmental Services, City and County of Honolulu Mission statement, news, contact information. http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/env/ details Honolulu International Airport Information about the services, stores, and facilities at Hawaii's main airport, located on the island of Oahu 4 miles west of central Honolulu. http://www.state.hi.us/dot/airports/oahu/hnl/index.htm details Oahu Transit Services Inc. Information on routes, schedules, fares, passes, and access to popular attractions on the island of Oahu. http://www.thebus.org/ details Hawaii : Oahu • LINK TO US • ADD A LINK • RANDOM LINK • HOME • • LISTENNOW • WHAT'SPLAYING? • Maui | Maui Vacation | Maui Hotels | Maui Condos | Maui Bed Breakfast | Maui Vacation Rentals | Maui Real Estate | Maui Maps | Maui Pictures | Maui Weddings | Maui Condo Rental | Maui Activities | Maui Car Rental | Maui Snorkeling | Hawaii | HawaiiHotels | HawaiiBed Breakfast | HawaiiVacation Rentals | HawaiiReal Estate | HawaiiMaps | HawaiiPictures | HawaiiCondo Rental | HawaiiActivities | BigIsland | BigIsland Hotels | BigIsland Bed Breakfast | BigIsland Vacation Rentals | BigIsland Real Estate | BigIsland Maps | BigIsland Pictures | BigIsland Activities | BigIsland Snorkeling | BigIsland Camping and RVs | Kauai | KauaiHotels | KauaiBed Breakfast | KauaiVacation Rentals | KauaiReal Estate | KauaiMaps | KauaiPictures | KauaiWeddings | KauaiActivities | KauaiCar Rental | KauaiSnorkeling | Molokai | MolokaiVacation Rentals | MolokaiReal Estate | MolokaiWeddings | Oahu | OahuHotels | OahuBed Breakfast | OahuVacation Rentals | OahuReal Estate | OahuMaps | OahuPictures | OahuWeddings | OahuActivities | OahuScuba Diving | FijiTravel HawaiianRainbow.com - Powered By Aloha What are thumbshots?

Hawaiian Clothes

Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business — ADVERTISEMENT — Sunday, October 17, 2004 DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Yoshi Takahashi amuses his friends Kimi Toi and Michi Ogino with a wetsuit that's a little too small at the Xcel store in the Ward Village Shops. Hey! Big spenders New research shows just where tourists drop their money during stays in Hawaii By Allison Schaefers aschaefers@starbulletin.com ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRYANT FUKUTOMI / BFUKUTOMI@STARBULLETIN.COM China / South Korea travelers » More than 50 percent of these Asian visitors are first-timers and about a quarter of them come as part of a package tour. » Most come to visit friends or family (more than 28 percent), on business, or as part of a stopover, as stringent Visa requirements and a lack of flights has made Hawaii a difficult vacation destination. » In terms of activities, they are statistically similar to Americans, but plan to spend more money. » Most plan to attend a luau and 30 percent intend to play golf, the most of any other group surveyed. United States travelers » American travelers plan to stay longer and spend the least amount of money on retail and souvenirs. » They are most likely to engage in sports like running, scuba or going to the gym, but have the smallest percentage of people who planned to swim or sunbathe. » Americans are more likely to attend a luau, go to a Hawaiian history or cultural event and buy Hawaiian clothing and souvenirs than Japan or other Asian travelers. » They enjoy shopping at convenience stores, malls or hotel stores. They are also the most likely to go to a museum or art gallery or eat in high-end restaurants. Japan travelers » More than 60 percent of Japan travelers come to Hawaii as part of a package group. » These visitors plan to stay the least amount of time and spend the most money. » They are most likely to come to Hawaii to celebrate a wedding or honeymoon than any other group. » They are most interested in going to the beach and shopping while in Hawaii, but few plan to do any activities or eat in high-end restaurants. » They enjoy shopping across the board from outlet and discount stores to designer boutiques. While tourists from Japan and the mainland still pump plenty of money into Hawaii's retail stores, a more global mix of visitors is at the heart of Hawaii's improved tourism outlook, and their preferences are worlds apart. A new cross-cultural study from the University of Hawaii is available to help retailers take stock of what tourists buy, so local stores can match merchandise with spending habits. University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears randomly surveyed more than 1,000 Waikiki tourists to determine cultural differences regarding their reasons for coming to Hawaii, their desire to shop and what purchases they planned to make during their stay. "Not all tourists are alike," Rosenbaum said. "Your target market should greatly impact how you merchandise and what products you stock." Hawaii's retail history gives businesses strong reasons to diversify their customer base, said retail analyst Stephany Sofos. "In the 1980s, the Japanese people came fast and furious and those who didn't cater to them were left out. Now it's changing, and as visitor groups change, retailers are having to figure out what their market is from one day to the next," Sofos said. The University of Hawaii study can help tourist-dependent businesses identify how to best keep their customers happy and how to increase spending from other visitor groups, Spears said. Their research showed that Japanese tourists plan to spend $1,400 on gifts and souvenirs during their stay in Hawaii, which is substantially more than all other visitor groups. According to the study, Chinese and Koreans spend about $750 on retail items and Americans spend around $600. They also found differences when it came to purchasing local foods, clothing and engaging in outdoor activities as well as differences in why these tourists groups were coming to Hawaii. For example, Americans and Japanese came to Hawaii primarily to vacation, while the Chinese and South Korean visitors were in Hawaii primarily to visit family members. Chinese visitors can only travel for leisure to a few designations, which does not include Hawaii. "Most Japanese will spend their vacation shopping at both high-end and discount retailers," Rosenbaum said, adding that data also confirmed the love-affair Japanese have with designer items. Nearly 60 percent of the Japanese visitors surveyed planned to visit Hawaii's designer boutiques; in contrast, only 35 percent of Americans planned to do so. However, the number of Japan travelers who plan to purchase products made in Hawaii, such as coffee, food and clothing, is lower than other groups. "The Japanese are the answer to our luxury business - not our economy," Rosenbaum said, adding that purchases of locally made products create more jobs and ultimately bring more benefit to the state. Visitors, who spend about $3 billion annually on retail goods in Hawaii, make up about 15 percent of the state's $19 billion retail market, said Carol Pregill, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii. The islands drew 6.4 million visitors last year, about two-thirds of them from the mainland. "Shopping is the third largest expenditure, next to food and lodging, for visitors," Pregill said, adding that about 20 percent of visitor expenditures can be attributed to shopping. "That's huge when you consider that shopping is a discretionary expense," Pregill said, and is an important part of a visitor's experience. But to make Hawaii shopping attractive to visitors it has to be distinctive, said Frank Haas, marketing director for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "You can shop in Hong Kong and Las Vegas; what we need to know is what's distinctive about shopping in Hawaii," Haas said. As Oahu's visitor market stays strong, many retailers are going to take advantage of more visitor-based opportunities, said Jeffrey Hall, senior director of research at CB Richard Ellis. "There's huge amount of interest in redoing resort retail, especially in Waikiki," Hall said. According to market reports, Waikiki has a high number of retail vacancies, but in three to four years the sector will be more bullish as Waikiki renovation projects come to fruition, Hall forecasts. "The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is rapidly changing. The Beach Walk and the International Market Place projects are just getting under way," Hall said. "Expect that in a few years Waikiki will be an entirely different place." Any shift in visitor demographics changes the way businesses advertise their products. "It's important to know who is coming and what you need for inventory," Pregill said. "Inventory is a huge expense and no one wants to be stuck with goods that no one want to buy." That's where the Rosenbaum and Spears study comes in, said Anne Murata, marketing director of the Festival Cos., which manages the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Murata said she purchased the study because it's the first retail survey in Hawaii that breaks data into small categories such as visitors' reasons for traveling to Hawaii, ability to spend and where they spend their money. Retailers are especially interested on the data about Chinese and South Korean visitors, she said. While Chinese and Korean visitors have more in common with Americans in terms of overall spending, their spending habits are very similar to the Japanese visitor market when it was new, Murata said. In the 1990s, when the Japanese tourism boom to Hawaii was growing, the state's largest industry went to great lengths to cater to their needs. Japanese signs ruled Waikiki marketing; but then the bubble burst and retailers had to regroup to stay in business. "We've been trained to think only in terms of U.S. westbound and Japan travelers," she said. "But our retail market is becoming increasingly global and we're starting to see more travelers from China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the U.S. East." Japanese visitor arrivals to Hawaii, which peaked at 2.2 million in 1997, fell to 1.3 million last year in response to a weakened Japanese economy and geopolitical troubles. Retailers say the market has rebounded, but it's time for those eyeing Hawaii's improved market to use the isles' changing tourist patterns to help determine what's in store. Although the China travel market to Hawaii is small, representing less than 1 percent of Hawaii's total visitors in 2002, state officials have identified it as a market with enormous potential. New research shows that Chinese tourists are now the biggest spenders in the Asia-Pacific region by average credit card transaction size, according to a study released by Visa. The report, published last week in the Financial Times, said Chinese cardholders on average spent $253 per transaction while traveling. The World Tourism Organization has also estimated that China will produce 100 million outbound tourists by 2020 and members of Hawaii's public and private sector want their share. "Just like we geared retail to the Japan market in its heyday, someday I expect we'll see retail signs in Chinese and Korean, too," Murata said. According to the Rosenbaum and Spears survey, the Chinese, enjoy participating in new activities, but look for familiarity in restaurants - characteristics similar to Japanese visitors before Hawaii became a common destination, "They only want to eat in Chinese restaurants," Rosenbaum said. But, more important for retailers is that the Chinese also appear to have a taste for luxury goods. "The Chinese, like the Japanese, also want to purchase luxury goods as gifts to take home," Spears said. While retailers need accurate data to capture their audience, there is one sure plan that works across cultures, Murata said. "One thing you can always sell them is the aloha spirit - that's an approach that works with visitors from China to Lithuania," Murata said. BACK TO TOP | The Hawaii experience A new University of Hawaii study of tourist spending habits raised some interesting questions. For instance, do Japan travelers, who planned to spend $1,400 on gifts and souvenirs during their stay in Hawaii, really contribute the most money to Hawaii's economy? While Americans, who planned to spend about $600 on retail, and Chinese/ Koreans, who planned to spend about $750, lagged behind in overall spending, the data showed that these groups spent significantly more on made-in-Hawaii products. The percentage of visitors planning to buy each product: Items USA / Canada Japan China / South Korea Hawaiian coffee 53.1 38.4 70.8 Macadamia nuts 66.8 52.2 75.5 Pineapples 37.4 7.3 30.2 Hawaiian candies 35.7 12.3 35.8 Hawaiian clothing 47.3 21.7 43.4 Hawaiian souvenirs 60.9 41.1 58.5 Source: University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears Where it all goes Percentage of visitors doing the following activities: Activities U.S. Japan China/Korea Honeymoon/wedding 6.8 18.2 4.7 Visit family/friends 13.4 3.8 28.3 Part of Packaged tour 15.8 61.3 25.5 Buying designer clothes 29.2 34.9 37.7 Golf 16.0 5.6 30.2 Tour bus 30.9 25.2 37.7 Beach 77.4 78.3 84.0 Fine dining 58.2 8.5 49.1 Culture/History 64.2 27.3 43.4 Luau 59.7 16.1 62.3 Designer boutiques 35.1 59.2 41.5 Mall 65.4 74.5 75.5 Characteristics of visitors' stays: Visit U.S. Japan China/Korea Planned Expenditures $644 $1,416 $745 Length of Stay in Hawaii 12 days 7 days 11 days Source: University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears — ADVERTISEMENTS — — ADVERTISEMENTS — | | | PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION E-mail to Business Editor BACK TO TOP Text Site Directory: [News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!] [Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor] [Feedback] © 2004 Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- http://starbulletin.com -Advertisement-

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Honolulu Star-Bulletin Features Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors. Monday, January 15, 2001 By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin Players point and shoot as they jockey for position on the field. It's all fun and games at Hawaii All-Star Paintball as players come out of the woods to celebrate their field of dreams Paintball before politics By Burl Burlingame Star-Bulletin THERE'S a steady, hollow drumming -- thwip! thwip! thwip! -- as if vinyl hail is falling. And the stuttering chatter of air bursts. And the occasional shouted command, or cheer of victory. But other than that, standing at ground zero as 300 people engage in rapid-fire combat at close quarters is surprisingly quiet. Opening day at Hawaii All-Star Paintball drew hundreds of players from around the island yesterday in a benefit for Hawaii Food Bank. Owner Brandon Cayetano estimated about 1,500 cans of food were collected. By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin Ray Contreras eyes the amunition being handed to him. The paintballs, decorated with spots and stripes, are lightweight, but sting when they hit. "Even the other fields shut down for today in support," said Cayetano. He stood atop a Matson container in the center of the playing fields, looking down into the arenas and occasionally shouting orders like the skipper of a pirate ship: "You! Yeah, you! Mask DOWN, brah! Safety first! You HEAR me?" Located on a largely ignored spit of landfill left over from freeway construction, Cayetano had a busy couple of months bulldozing and cleaning up the site. "You wouldn't believe the junk that was here," he said, shaking his head. By Blaine Fergerstrom, Star-Bulletin An overhead view of the paintball grounds. The field is divided into various arenas, each with varying obstacles and degrees of difficulty. The games are basically a variation of capture-the-flag. "When you get right down to it, it's just playing cowboys and Indians," he said. "Except that that you can spend a thousand dollars for your gear and get totally wrapped up in it." The paintballs themselves are surprisingly tough gelatin capsules the size of marbles, filled with water and biodegradable dye. They don't burst unless they strike the target dead-on. Otherwise, they bounce away. "Yeah, I suppose you could eat them," said Cayetano, eyeing the reporter who asks the question. "But why would you want to?" By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin From left, Alex Frederick, Jonathan Mita and Samuel Nolan, lock and load, preparing for an intergalactic shoot 'em up. Players checking out the facility were happy with it, not just for the challenging courses but because of the location. Wayne Kiyabu, by day a worker at Frito Lay, was introduced to paintball by his brother -- "I was hooked by the first night!" -- and says that Cayetano's course is "just what Hawaii needs. "It's awesome, no kidding. The main thing is that it's centrally located. All the other courses are off in the sticks. It wasn't until I began playing that I realized how big the phenomenon was." Sheryl Miyagawa, Serene Kubota and Heather Enomoto, all about 20 and coeds, were trying paintball for the first time, and were enthusiastic. "It was totally fun," said Miyagawa. "But I didn't know it would hurt! When you get hit by the paintball, it stings!" "My friends told me, wear as much as you can, and they weren't kidding," said Enomoto. "Oh, it's not that bad," huffed Kubota. "Fun has its price." By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin Trisha Shimomi and Barry Tokuhama, paintball beginners, take a break to give each other support at the paintball field grand opening. Brad Rodrigues, by day a sales broker, began paintballing about a year ago. "My friends said, hey, try 'em, and I really got into it. "This central location will really help the game. It has a lot of space and is organized. A field like this will draw good people into the game." Paintball in Hawaii, although popular, has yet to tap into the lucrative tour or corporate market. Some companies sponsor games as a teambuilding exercise. Although Americans have led the paintball charge, Cayetano has seen a shift in Japanese attitudes. Even 10 years ago, Japanese visitors were crazy for target shooting, but wouldn't shoot at anything resembling a human," Cayetano said. "But that has changed." By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin A paintball warrior maneuvers for protection from being sprayed with lime green and fuchsia paint as he fires his weapon. How about videogames such as "Doom"? Have they made us more eager to shoot-'em-up? Cayetano shook his head. "Paintball is the antidote to videogames. It's out in the open. Fresh air and exercise. You're a target too. But mostly, there's no concept of teamwork in a videogame. You won't win in paintball unless you pull together." By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin Brandon Cayetano prefers the blast of paint to that of the political ring. Son o’ da guv is paintball commander BRANDON Cayetano has no intention of following in father Ben's political footsteps, and the governor has never played paintball, his son's passion. But the two share the gift of gab. Press Cayetano's "paintball" button and he goes, like 60 m.p.h. His new paintball field debuted yesterday near Sand Island and finally brings the islands into the modern age of the newly professional sport. "I first went crazy for paintball back in '83, and opened a competitive field in Waimanalo," said Cayetano. "I ran it basically so my friends and I could have a good time playing. I lost it in the early '90s. "I didn't have enough business savvy at the time to run it. I was naive." Discouraged, Cayetano ignored the sport for several years and explored what he calls the "dark side" of life. "Yeah, I got estranged from my family and friends. I knew what it was like on the streets, what it's like to be hungry. It was defensive times. I got into trouble. "But slowly, with the help of my parents, I worked my way back. I trained under computer gurus and got my act together." By coincidence, he worked as human resources and safety manager at United Laundry Services before the owner became his father's second wife. In the meantime, the paintball scene in Hawaii had stagnated, Cayetano believed. It was time someone brought it up to date, and why not him? His experiences in the '90s made him much more aware of the financial aspects of running a business. "In 1983, only the United States played paintball. Today, it's played in 39 countries and it's a $4-billion-a-year industry." Paintball is like any other sport, Cayetano said. It requires discipline, training, awareness and organization. This is created by creating fields like simulated war zones, with varying obstacles and handicaps. Paintball on Oahu had turned into a "renegade" game, with guys running around in the woods, just blasting away at each other. "We spent a lot of time just trying to tell people we weren't mercenaries in training!" he laughed. "There can be a kind of rift between the newbies and the tournament-level players. The newbies can get whacked on. They get excited, and the pros just rail 'em, which can be humbling and bum them out," said Cayetano. He intends to keep everything as even-handed as possible at the new site. Hawaii All-Star Paintball is divided into three zones or "fields" on a spit of land makai of the freeway near Sand Island. "It was trash land," said Cayetano. "I noticed it more than a year ago, and started the permit process to convert it into a paintball park." And no, being the governor's son didn't open any bureaucratic doors, he claims. "In fact, I think being the governor's kid might have slowed things down," he said. One zone comprises ABS water-pipe obstacles, a scenario called "hyper-ball" on the mainland. Another is what Cayetano called an "air-field," filled with inflatable obstacles, delivered by an airline with just hours to spare Saturday. "Thirteen grand to fly in balloons," he moaned. The third is a chessboard of mounds and berms for players to scramble over. The entire site is ringed with netting to prevent stray paintballs from whacking the freeway overpass. "The range on these things is only about 25 to 30 yards anyway," he said. "When I first started out in paintball, the guns were like pump shotguns, slow and inaccurate. Now you can even buy paintball guns for $1,200 that have computer chips in them to control your fire rate, like an automatic." Most paintball guns, though, run about $150, and are accurate enough to put a pattern in a pie plate at 20 yards. On the mainland, Army and Marine Corps use a paintball course for combat training because it's cheaper and more impressive than laser weapons. "When you get hit by a paintball, you know it," Cayetano chuckled. Cayetano raised the funds himself, mainly with the help of paintball enthusiasts like himself. Many show up after their 9-to-5s and help out in the evenings, getting the course ready. While dad doesn't play paintball, he knows Brandon has a passion for it. "Any father would want his son to follow in his footsteps," Brandon said. "But I'm more comfortable as a private businessman. Some people, like my Dad, are born to excel in politics. But not me!" Click for online calendars and events. E-mail to Features Editor Text Site Directory: [News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!] [Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor] [Feedback] © 2001 Honolulu Star-Bulletin http://starbulletin.com