Hi, all. I'm still researching my big hawaii trip for next summer. I'm still waiting for my Oahu Revealed book to come. I think my mom is going with my sister, my son and myself.

Ok, I have a question. My mom and I are both cigarette smokers. I know I need to quit so I won't have to worry about these things, but I was wondering about the smoking/nonsmoking rules. Some people treat smokers like they're second-class citizens and I don't need any lectures - I'm stupid to still be smoking but I'm not so stupid that I don't know it's not good for me!! Or for other people and I try very hard not to let second-hand smoke get to anyone else. I walk away somewhere to smoke. Anyway, I read on the internet that Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort does have smoking rooms - I guess I just want to make sure that they aren't going to turn the resort into a smoke-free facility. If we have a balcony, we would use that anyway - I smoke outside at my own home. As far as the beach, I would never put cigarettes out in the sand - I always dispose of them in an empty container or something. I don't mind not being able to smoke at restaurants - I'm used to that - we used to always eat non-smoking even before it became a law in restaurants in my state. I guess I just want to find out how strict they are on smoking - I mean we aren't going to be smoking marijuana or anything!!

I know in Jamaica it seemed that everyone was smoking - I said to my husband at the time "people are smoking like it's going out of style." He said "it is." Anyway in Cancun everyone smoked too it seemed. I just wondered because I saw where some of the resorts are totally non-smoking facilities..........and sometimes smokers smoke more when they're on vacation instead of less for some reason.

No smoking in restaurants or in business buildings. If you have a smoking room, I *think* the rule is, you can smoke in the room but not in the common areas.

Sorry, I posted too fast. Hawaii tends to draw a lot of tourists from Asia, who are heavy smokers. So you won't be alone.

OMG, mrrockydog, I'm now wondering what made you ask about smoking here. A reporter just called me to talk about a bill that our governor signed into law last month (I didn't know!) that will go into effect on Nov. 16 to coincide with the National Smoke Out. People will have to smoke at least 20 feet away from a place of business. So for example: If you go to a restaurant and need a smoke, you can't just excuse yourself and sit on the lanai. You have to be 20 feet away. Something like that. I don't know how they're going to finagle this for their employees.

hummmmmm - that is kind of weird! But the state that I live in passed a law a couple years ago that all restaurants, malls, etc. are non-smoking. And where I work you are supposed to be 15 feet from the entrances. Which is fine - I certainly don't mind smoking outside - I'm used to it. As long as I can go out on the balcony or lanai and as long as no one's gonna yell at me if I'm smoking outside I'm happy. When we went to Disney World is when I started wondering about other resorts - because DW is non-smoking except for a few designated spots. And with all the humidity and the crowd and the cranky kids, I craved a cigarette constantly!!