These are a few of our own personal tips & travel opinions that we either discovered by ourselves or read about. The tips & opinions are by no means meant to say you have to follow them and they may be pertinent to the time of year (May) that we were in Hawaii.

Shave ice recommendations for the islands we visited:

Kapaa, Kauai - Hawaiian Blizzard Shave Ice

It's conconlusive as far as I'm concerned. The last time I visited Hawaii, I told myself that on the next trip, I would look low and high to find out if this man makes the best shave ice around. Between Maui, Oahu and Kauai, I the word according to Mark is that Hawaiian Blizzard Shave Ice has the best tasting home-made syrups, very inexpensive, softest ice and the owner/operator is consistently happy to serve you and offer up good conversation. If he's not busy, he'll even go around and put a little more cream in your cup if you want. He is operates in Kapaa (east side) at the Big Save grocery store. You'll find him to the left of the main store entrance, on the sidewalk, and his small white van is parked close by. He's generally there after 2pm until about 5-6pm, except on Sunday his day off.

*note* I did an awful lot of research on the internet, reading up on the latest guide books and asking around on each island who has the best shave ice. Hands down, this man is the best.

Waimea, Kauai - JoJo's Aneuanue Shave Ice
This establishment has varied stories about it's existence depending on who you talk to or where you read about it. The story goes that JoJo's sold their shave ice establishment on the main highway in Waimea (across from the school) and moved around the corner and reopened as "JoJo's Aneuanue shave ice" on Pokole Road. We went to what we thought was the original one on the main road and then later we found out about the 'original' one on Pokole road. I can confirm that the Pokole road one is what I remember in terms of quality from previous Kauai visits. Far superior. Although much more pricier than Hawaiian Blizzard Shave ice in Kapaa, the quality is similar and we highly recommend JoJo's on Pokole road if you're on the west side of Kauai.

Honolulu, Oahu - Waiola Shave Ice on Waiola avenue

Waiola shave ice has two locations. One on Kapahula avenue and one on Waiola avenue. We've tried both and can report that the one on Waiola avenue produces the higher quality shave ice. The ice is soft and the syrups are very good. This location operates from a very small grocery store so you can also find some very unique snacks or foods in the store. If you're in the Waikiki/Honolulu area, I'd recommend you mapquest this place because it really is the best in the area.

Haleiwa, Oahu - Matsumoto Shave Ice

If you find yourself on the north shore, anywhere near Haleiwa, then Matsumoto shave ice was indeed as good as the guide books say it is. This place is also in a small general store but there are a lot of benches outside of the store where you can sit and enjoy your shave ice. The prices are a little steep and they put your shave ice in a paper cone; however, for an additional 25 cents you can buy a larger plastic cone (with sides) that you can 'drop' the paper cone into. It's a little awkward of a setup but it is better than losing a chunk of your precious shave ice to the sidewalk. While the quality of these shave ices I've mentioned are very good, we still think that Hawaiian Blizzard on Kauai reigns supreme!!

Shave Ice summary: there are many shave ice places all over the islands and we've realized that the best shave ice places tend to be away from the touristy areas (for the most part). Don't let the size of the place or 'big look' of any shave ice place fool you. The best shave ice we've gotten usually comes from something that is small, one operator and the machine doesn't look like it's one designed to 'serve the masses'. We hear the softest shave ice depends on the operator keeping the blades extrememly sharp (which means work). If you've never eaten shave ice before and you try it at a tourist trap then your idea of shave ice will be forever tainted until you try one of the places above! I promise.

Kauai - Farmers Markets

In general, if you can find a good Farmer's Market, we'd highly recommend it! You can really find some very unusual and very fresh things to stock up on for your condo. It's easy to google for a farmers market in the area you'll be staying in and our best advice is to be there on time and try some of the more exotic stuff you don't see at home. Well worth it!!!

Of course this isn't all the tips and advice we could give but if you have any questions or want our advice on something please feel free to email us. We enjoy helping people out when it comes to Hawaii!

Questions/comments: comments2009@marklyn.us