Tamara Gane

I’ve never been to the moon, but I imagine it looks like the drive from Kona International Airport to the Kohala Coast. Eons of volcanic eruptions have created a landscape of ancient black lava fields along Queen K’ahumanu Highway, and it’s a surreal approach to enjoy as you arrive at the Fairmont Orchid.  In 2025, the Fairmont Orchid completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of the guest rooms, the Fairmont Gold lounge, the spa, and the meeting and event spaces. Throughout the property, new design elements and art honor Hawaiian culture, incorporating a palette of natural hues, and the result is an elegant hotel which doesn’t even try to compete with the scenery that drew you to Hawaii in the first place. Here’s what I thought of it.  What are the rooms like at the Fairmont Orchid?  Each is generously sized, ranging from spacious guest rooms to expansive suites (with plenty of options in between). There are 540 accommodations in total, and they’re spread across two six-story towers, but it manages to feel surprisingly intimate – oh, and this clever layout means that every room has a view of the ocean or gardens, each featuring at least one private lanai. ADA-compliant accommodations include styles with extra-wide doorways, walk-in showers, grab bars in the tub, and hearing-accessible rooms with visual notifications for door knocks, phone calls, or emergency alarms.  The decor is understated, with creams and beiges punctuated by the occasional pop of blue, gold, or green. Ou

When my brother and I began planning a trip to Alaska last summer, we considered taking a cruise. After all, cruising is how most travelers see the state. But the more we looked at rigid schedules and limited time in port, the more we found ourselves drawn to another option: the Alaska Railroad. Traveling by train gave us the freedom to build our own itinerary and decide how much time to spend in each destination. Instead of sailing from one stop to the next, we were able to experience Alaska at our own pace. We'd both been to Alaska before. My brother spent several summers working at a cannery during college, but he spent most of his time in a warehouse. I'd visited many times as a travel writer, but my trips were always woefully brief and left me wanting more. For this trip, we wanted to take our time, which made the Alaska Railroad a natural fit. How to plan and book your Alaska Railroad trip The Alaska Railroad operates year-round and offers five seasonal routes. Because we're both national park enthusiasts, we booked a nine-day itinerary that combined the Denali Star from Anchorage to Fairbanks, with stops in Talkeetna and Denali National Park and Preserve, and the Coastal Classic from Anchorage to Seward, the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park.  Other routes include the Glacier Discovery to Whittier, the Hurricane Turn, which provides flag-stop service into the backcountry, and the Aurora Winter Train, which follows the Denali Star route from mid-September to mid-May