HOT SPOTS & COOL CLUBS

Honolulu & Waikiki Club & Music Scene

The nightclub scene in Waikiki and Honolulu is just as hot as the sun-kissed beaches during the day. It's more laid-back than in big cities like New York; dress is casual (though usually slippers, tank tops, or athletic wear are a no-no) and there's no point in even showing up until midnight.

The blues are alive and well in Hawaii, with quality acts both local and from the mainland drawing enthusiastic crowds. Junior Wells, Willie & Lobo, War, and surprise appearances by the likes of Bonnie Raitt are among the past successes of this genre of big-time licks. The best-loved Oahu venue is Anna Bannanas, 2440 S. Beretania St., between University Ave./Isenberg St. (tel. 808/946-5190), still rocking after 30 years in the business, with reggae, blues, and rock -- plus video games and darts. Jazz lovers should watch for the Great Hawaiian Jazz Blow-Out every March, at Mid-Pacific Institute's Bakken Hall, which is at the south end of Honolulu, near Diamond Head (tel. 808/734-0397).

To find out what's happening in the jazz scene in town, check out www.honolulujazzscene.net.  Diamond Head Grill (tel. 808/922-3734) features live music nightly and Duc's Bistro (tel. 808/531-6325), downtown, presents live jazz nightly except Thursday, when vocalist Mihana Souza brings her style of Hawaiian music to the cozy venue. Also in Chinatown, thirtyninehotel, 29 N. Hotel St. (tel. 808/599-2552; ww.thirtyninehotel.com) has live jazz at night; during the day, the same space morphs into an art gallery.

In Waikiki, tops in taste and ambience is the perennially alluring Lewers Lounge, in the Halekulani, 2199 Kalia Rd. (tel. 808/923-2311/ www.halekulani.com). Recently renovated this a great spot for contemporary jazz nightly from 8:30pm to midnight.  Also in Waikiki, Nick's Fishmarket, Waikiki Gateway Hotel, 2070 Kalakaua Ave. (tel. 808/955-6333), offers live entertainment nightly in its lounge -- mild jazz or contemporary Top 40 hits. Outside of Waikiki, the Veranda, at the Kahala Resort, 5000 Kahala Ave. (tel. 808/739-8888; www.kahalaresort.com), is a popular spot for the over-40 crowd with nightly jazz music and a dance floor. At the edge of Chinatown is something from a 1940s film noir: Indigo's, 1121 Nuuanu Ave. (tel. 808/521-2900; www.indigo-hawaii.com), serves sizzling food during the day, turns to cool jazz in the early evening, and progresses to late-night DJs spinning Top 40, disco, rock, funk, and more.

Get Down with ARTafterDark: The last Friday of every month (except Nov and Dec), the place to be after the sun goes down is the Honolulu Academy of Arts' ARTafterDark, a pau-hana (after-work) mixer in the art museum that brings residents and visitors together around a theme combining art with food, music, and dancing. In addition to the exhibits in the gallery, ARTafterDark also features visual and live performances. 

The Bar Scene

On the Beach: 

Mai Tai Bar, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Waikiki (808.923.7311)

House Without a Key,  Halekulani Hotel, Waikiki (808.923.2311)

RumFire, Sheraton Waikiki (866.952.3475)

Tiki's Grill & Bar, ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel (866.77-HAWAII)

 In the Aloha Tower Marketplace:

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (808.599.4877) www.gordonbiersch.com)

Don Ho's Island Grill (808.528.0807)

Chai's Island Bistro (808.585.0011)

IN Town:

Aaron's Atop the Ala Moana (808.955-.4466),

Amuse, Honolulu Design Center (808.956.1250)

Brew Moon, Ward Centre (808.593-0088)

Brasserie Du Vin, Downtown (808.545.1115)

Brew Moon, Ward Center (808.593.0088)

Chez Pasta, Downtown (808.524.0004)

E&O Trading Company, Ward Center (808.591.9555)

Formaggio, Market City Shopping Center (808.739.7719)

Hank's Café ( 808.526.1410) www.hankscafehonolulu.com

La Mariana, Sand Island (808.848.2800

Murphy's Bar & Grill, Downtown (808.531.0422) www.gomurphys.com

O'Toole's Irish Pub, Downtown (808.536.6360)

Pearl, Ala Moana Center, (808.944.8000)

Rumours Nightclub, Ala Moana Hotel (808.955.4811)

Chinatown:

Bar 35 (808/537-3535) www.bar35hawaii.com

Indigo Eurasian Cuisine (808.537.4164)

Thirtyninehotel (808.599.2552)

Gay Bars & Clubs:

The reigning queen of gay bars and clubs in Waikiki is Hula's Bar & Lei Stand, Waikiki Grand, 134 Kapahulu Ave, 2nd floor (tel. 808/923-0669), still going strong after decades. Waikiki's most popular and best known gay bar is packed from the 10am opening until last call at 2am the next day. Angles Waikiki, 2256 Kuhio (corner of Seaside Ave.), 2nd floor, (tel. 808/926-9766; www.angleswaikiki.com), is a more relaxed place with people lounging outside on the lanai under a tropical moon. Patrons can also shoot pool, dance, or check out the eye candy posing at the bar. Gay catamaran cruises set sail Sundays (3-7pm). Drag queens gather at Fusion Waikiki, 2260 Kuhio Ave. (near Seaside Ave.), 2nd floor (tel. 808/924-2422) for the Gender Bender Lip Gloss Revue on Fridays and the Paper Doll Revue on Saturdays, plus a male strip show both nights ($5 cover). The clientele tends toward local Hawaii residents at this only after-hours (till 4am) gay bar. The In-Between, 2155 Lau'ula St. (near Lewers St.; tel. 808/926-7060; www.inbetweenonline.com), is a neighborhood gay bar with a great karaoke sound system (you can belt out everything from contemporary hits and Broadway to Hawaiian and country and western).

Maui’s Nightlife

Nightlife options on this island are limited in Maui. Revelers generally head for Casanova in Makawao and Maui Brews in Lahaina. Because they are in different parts of this spread-out island, you'll either have to drive a great distance to these clubs or explore what's happening in the major hotels near you.

A Night to Remember: Maui Style

Maui's best luau is indisputably the nightly Old Lahaina Luau (tel. 800/248-5828 or 808/667-1998; www.oldlahainaluau.com). On its 1-acre site just ocean side of the Lahaina Cannery at 1251 Front St., the Old Lahaina Luau maintains its high standards in food and entertainment in a peerless setting. There's no fire dancing in the program, but you won't miss it (for that, go to The Feast at Lele). This luau offers a healthy balance of entertainment, showmanship, authentic high-quality food, educational value, and sheer romantic beauty. (No watered-down mai tais, either -- these are the real thing.)

'Ulalena: Hula, Myth & Modern Dance:  The highly polished 'Ulalena, staged in the Maui Myth and Magic Theatre, 878 Front St. (tel. 877/688-4800 or 808/661-9913; www.ulalena.com), is a riveting production that weaves Hawaiian mythology with drama, dance, and state-of-the-art multimedia capabilities in a brand-new, multimillion-dollar theater. A local and international cast performs Polynesian dance, original music, acrobatics, and chant to create an experience that often leaves the audience speechless. It's interactive, with dancers coming down the aisles, drummers and musicians in surprising corners, and mind-boggling stage and lighting effects that draw the audience in. Some special moments: the goddess dancing on the moon, the white sail signaling the arrival of the first Europeans, the wrath of the volcano goddess, Pele (the stage effects depicting lava are brilliant), and the despairing labors of the field-worker immigrants.

Maui’s Entertainment Scene

Nightlife in Maui begins at sunset, when all eyes turn westward to see how the day will end. And what better way to take it all in than over cocktails? With its view of Molokai to the northwest and Lanai to the west, Kaanapali and west Maui boast panoramic vistas unique to this island. In south Maui's resort areas of Wailea and Makena, tiny Kahoolawe and the crescent-shaped Molokini islet are visible on the horizon, and the West Maui Mountains look like an entirely separate island. No matter what your vantage point, you are likely to be treated to an astonishing view.

In Kaanapali, park in Whalers Village and head for Leilani's (tel. 808/661-4495) or Hula Grill (tel. 808/667-6636), next to each other on the beach. Both have busy, upbeat bars and tables bordering the sand. These are happy places for great people-watching, gazing over at Lanai, and enjoying mai tais and margaritas. Hula Grill's Barefoot Bar appetizer menu is a cut above. Leilani's has live music Friday through Sunday from 2:30 to 5pm, while at Hula Grill the happy hour starts at 3pm, with live music from 3 to 5pm and hula at 8pm.

Now, Lahaina: It's a sunset-lover's nirvana, lined with restaurants that have elevated mai tais to an art form. If you love loud rock, head for Cheeseburger in Paradise (tel. 808/661-4855). A few doors away the Lahaina Fish Company (tel. 808/661-3472) and Kimo's (tel. 808/661-4811) are magnets all day long and especially at sunset, when their open decks fill up with revelers.

At the southern end of Lahaina, in the 505 Front St. complex, Pacific'O (tel. 808/667-4341) is a solid hit, with a raised bar, seating on the ocean, and a backdrop of Lanai across the channel. A few steps away, sister restaurant I'O shares the same vista, with an appetizer menu and a curved bar that will wow you as much as the drop-dead-gorgeous view.

In Wailea the restaurants at the Shops at Wailea, including the highly successful Tommy Bahama (tel. 808/875-9983) and Longhi's (tel. 808/891-8883), are a noteworthy addition to the beachfront retail-and-dining scene. Ferraro's and Spago (tel. 808/874-8000), both at the neighboring Four Seasons Resort Wailea, have great sunset views to go with their Italian and Pacific Rim menus. Farther south, in Makena, you can't beat the Maui Prince's Molokini Lounge (tel. 808/874-1111), with its casual elegance and unequaled view of Molokini islet on the ocean side and, on the mauka side, a graceful, serene courtyard with ponds, rock gardens, and lush foliage. Don't forget the upcountry view -- Kula Lodge (tel. 808/878-2517) has a phenomenal view that takes in central Maui, the West Maui Mountains (looking like Shangri-La in the distance), and the coastline.

West Maui: Lahaina, Kaanapali & Kapalua.  Maui Brews, 900 Front St. (tel. 808/667-7794), draws the late-night crowd to its corner of the Lahaina Center with swing, salsa, reggae, and jams -- either live or with a DJ every night. Happy hour extends from 3 to 7pm, with $1 drafts and $1 wells. The nightclub opens at 9pm and closes at 2am. Depending on the entertainment, sometimes there's a cover charge (around $5) after 9pm. For recorded information on entertainment (which changes, so it's a good idea to check), call tel. 808/669-2739.  At Longhi's (tel. 808/667-2288) live music spills out into the streets from 9:30pm on weekends (with a cover charge of $5). It's usually salsa or jazz, but call ahead to confirm. Other special gigs can be expected if rock 'n' rollers or jazz musicians who are friends of the owner happen to be passing through. The Hard Rock Cafe, 900 Front St. (tel. 808/667-7400), occasionally offers live music, so it wouldn't hurt to call them to see if something's up. Usually they feature mainland bands, normally on weekends after 10pm. Cover ranges from $3 to $5.  You won't have to ask what's going on at Cheeseburger in Paradise (tel. 808/661-4855), the two-story green-and-white building at the corner of Front and Lahainaluna streets. Just go outside and you'll hear it. Loud, live tropical rock blasts into the streets and out to sea nightly from 4:30 to 11pm (no cover charge).

Other venues in Maui include the following: