The gala opening event on January 20th will be the Official Aloha Inaugural Ball hosted by the Hawaii Democratic Party. To further celebrate ,the hotel is offering a Presidential Package. The package includes four nights in a garden-view guest room, a bottle of pink Champagne and two tickets to the ball. All this for a low, low starting price of $1800 per couple … Ok, for somebody, somewhere that’s a bargain.

Now, if you want to attend the Aloha Inaugural ball but can’t stand the $1800 tab please read on.

In case your’re not familiar with the historical Royal Hawaiian Hotel, this little history note will bring you up to speed. It’s located on Kalakaua Avenue in the Waikiki district of Honolulu. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel was one of the first hotels established in Waikiki, opening it’s doors February 1, 1927, and is considered one of the flagship hotels in Hawaii tourism.

Another "make ya gulp" fact about this iconic hotel is the the original building cost: 4 million US dollars! And that’s in 1927 dollars!

OK, here’s the people to talk to if you just want to attend the ball and find less expensive lodging somewhere else.

As usual:

News Flash: You’ve probably read that airfares to Hawaii are becoming more reasonable. Go over to Orbitz and search for some of the 35% discounts.

Fun Facts About Hawaii: The State bird is an indigenous flightless goose called the Nene (neh neh). Actually it can fly short distances, but why leave Hawaii, right? The Nene somewhat resembles a small Canadian Goose, with a dark colored head and grayish feathers on the body. Once on the brink of extinction, there are now probably some 700-800 birds.

Aloha a hui hou