Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/593532
At the corner of downtown and hometown. Discover a variety of newly-renovated, luxurious suites carefully designed to meet your unique needs and budget. Located mere steps from dynamic downtown attractions and boasting ample in-room amenities, our spacious suites flawlessly blend contemporary flair and home-style comfort. 190 Smith Street | Winnipeg MB Reserve online at placelouisriel.com disney (tube float) W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 | G O I N G P L A C E S 33 worried. Prepped to scream, "The Menehune did it!" after my first tumble, I surprisingly remain upright, even with Thomas sitting near the tip. We make our way across the smooth turquoise waters, the sounds of the resort fading behind us, the ocean waves rolling in the distance. at night, we head to the Hālāwai Lawn for the Starlit Hui, a lively performance of Hawaiian music and hula. After a kaleidoscope of leis, paddles, palm fronds, torches and flut- tery paper birds, a young male ukulele duo hams it up with modern riffs and behind-the- back playing. Clad in bright Polynesian prints, (l-r) Cooling off on a tube float along the meandering Waikolohe Stream, past lava rocks and through dark, misty caverns; Oahu's gnarly lava coastline. Mickey, Minnie and friends share the spot- light in the grand finale. We end the evening with a crash course in Hawaiian language at the 'Ōlelo Room bar and lounge. Local words and their English counterparts are spelled out on the wood wall behind the bar, where serv- ers help us with their proper pronunciation. I take a stab at lua pele (volcano), pōpoki (cat) and kalaka (truck) while sipping a Tropical Mai Tai with fruit-mango foam topping. Dan goes for a traditional Blue Hawaiian with locally distilled organic Ocean Vodka, and Thomas puts back a Liliko'i Splash, a passion fruit con- coction he'll be talking about for months. I START OUR THIRD morning the way I have each day since we arrived, by stepping out on the lānai, or balcony, of our one-bedroom villa on the ninth floor to watch the palm trees swaying in the gardens below and the Pacific Ocean shimmering on the horizon. It's a brief moment of serenity before I scoot down to the bustling Waikolohe Valley to drop omas off at Aunty's Beach House, a kids' club (included with the accommodation) that keeps three- to 12-year-olds busy with Hawaiian- and Disney- themed activities. After sessions called Stitch's Space Goo – featuring characters from Lilo & Stitch, Disney's 2002 animated feature set in Hawaii – and Uncle's Canoe Racing, he'll leave clutching a plastic bag of, well, goo, and a newly handmade mini-canoe. Me, I'm off to the Laniwai spa for its Signa- ture Lomilomi, a traditional massage with sticks and warm river stones. Some 50 soothing minutes later, I slip into one of two blue-tiled aromatherapy tubs in the spa's 465-square- metre outdoor hydrotherapy garden, Kula Wai.