News, Tips & Bargains : Hawaii Readies for ‘Cuisines of the Sun’

There’s a chili in the air on the Big Island of Hawaii where organizers are getting ready for the fifth annual “Cuisines of the Sun” festival, featuring the food of “Chili Climates.”

The three-day festival opens July 23 at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows. Guest chefs will include Rick Bayless, author of the book “Authentic Mexico”; Julie Sahni, author of “Classic Indian Cooking” and Emeril Lagasse, chef of Emeril’s and NOLA in New Orleans.

A “Cuisines of the Sun” package, including four nights in an ocean-view accommodation and attendance at all 10 Cuisines events, is available for $1,480 single occupancy, $2,180 double. The cuisine program is offered independently at $700 and nightly room rates are $225. For reservations, call (800) 367-2323.

Getting to the Hong Kong Airport

New, slightly higher fares have been announced for Hong Kong’s airport bus services. A ticket to the Tsimshatsui tourist district in Kowloon is now about $1.40. Service between the airport and the Macao Ferry Terminal, Causeway Bay and the Tai Koo Shing are all $2.05. The buses, which use circular routes and stop near many of the city’s major hotels, are a bargain: A taxi into Hong Kong will set you back $9.