Unpacked by Afar

Will the "Real" Waikīkī Please Stand Up?


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AFAR senior deputy editor Jennifer Flowers—who heads up all our hotel content—has a deep familiarity with Waikīkī, the two-mile stretch of sand known for its hotels, waves, and tourists. Her mother is from Hawai'i, and her parents (both in the hospitality industry) actually met while working in a hotel. She played on Waikīkī as a kid, but for years, she's seen it as a kinda shiny, glitzy place—a place that seems a little, well, inauthentic.

So on a recent trip to O'ahu, she met with four different locals who helped her see a new side of Waikīkī.

Meet this week’s guests

  • Jennifer Flowers, AFAR senior deputy editor 
  • Misty Thompson Tufono, executive vice president of Tihati Productions
  • Dylan Ching, vice president of operations for TS Restaurants, which includes Duke’s Waikīkī
  • Aunty Luana Maitland, director of cultural experiences at the Outrigger Reef Waikīkī Beach Resort
  • Bonga Perkins, world-champion longboard surfer

  • Resources

    • Read this episode’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode.
    • Read Jenn’s story about the cultural experiences she had on Waikīkī.
    • Check out the Royal Hawaiian and its luau, run by Tihati Productions.
    • Explore the menu at Duke’s Waikīkī
    • Discover the cultural center at the Outrigger Reef Waikīkī Beach Resort.
    • Watch Bonga surf! (And check out his surfboards.) 

    • Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

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      Unpacked by AfarBy AFAR Media

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