ISLAND HOPPING
Discounted sub ride open to kamaaina
Atlantis Submarines is celebrating its 25th anniversary by offering rides at a special kamaaina rate of $25 for those with a state or military ID. Children up to 17 years old can ride free with a paying adult. The offer ends Sept. 30. For details, call 973-9811 or visit atlantissubmarines.com.
Win a million Hawaiian miles in contest
Aston Hotels & Resorts will give away 1 million HawaiianMiles for travel with Hawaiian Airlines to the grand prize winner of its popular Million Miles sweepstakes. Three first-place winners will receive four-night stays at an Aston hotel on Oahu, Maui, Kauai or Hawaii Island, plus 65,000 HawaiianMiles.
To enter online, see www.AstonHotels.com/millionmiles or visit Aston’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/astonhotels through Oct. 31.
Postcard entries can be mailed to: Aston Hotels & Resorts, ATTN: SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY, 2155 Kalakaua Ave., 5th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96815. Include your name and full contact information on the postcard.
The winners will be contacted in November.
Doubletree offers special to residents
DoubleTree by Hilton Alana Waikiki has announced a fall kamaaina weekend special. Rates start at $149 plus tax per night and include free parking, free Wi-Fi and free daily breakfast buffet for two adults and two children. Plus, children under 12 eat dinner free (up to two children per family). There is a two-night minimum stay.
For information, visit the hotel’s website at www.doubletreealana.com or call the hotel at 808-941-7275 and ask for rate code "KA2."
Get a free night at Prince Resorts
Prince Resorts Hawaii hotels are offering a special "Fall Free Night Getaway." The offer is good from Oct. 1 through Dec. 22 at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on Hawaii island and at the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki. The extra-night deal will be available at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii island from Oct. 1 through Dec. 17.
For details, visit PrinceResortsHawaii.com/Fall or call 866-774-6236.
GLOBE TROTTING
Elton John’s partner plans $3.2 million lounge in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS » David Furnish is planning to open a Champagne lounge in the same Las Vegas Strip casino where his partner, Sir Elton John, holds a residency.
The nearly 3,000-square-foot FIZZ Las Vegas bar is set to debut this fall at Caesars Palace. Developers promise caviar, charcuterie and small plates to complement the Champagne and other cocktails.
Furnish says he spends so much time in Las Vegas while Elton John performs his show, "The Million Dollar Piano," that the couple wanted a space to reflect their personal style.
The $3.2 million venue will be modeled after their home in Los Angeles and will feature photography from the pair’s personal collection. Managers describe the aesthetic as a "glam-chic" throwback to 1970s designer David Hicks.
Patsy Cline’s life goes on display
WINCHESTER, Va. » An exhibition focusing on the short but significant life of country music legend Patsy Cline opened Friday in Virginia at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester.
It tells the story of Virginia "Ginny" Patterson Hensley before she became Patsy Cline.
Before her death at age 30, Cline recorded the country classics "Crazy" and "Sweet Dreams," among other enduring hits.
Cline spent most of her life in the Shenandoah Valley. The museum exhibit, called "Becoming Patsy Cline," will include rare photographs, video and audio recordings and clothing. The museum says some objects have never been on public display.
The exhibit is on display through Feb. 2.
Southwest to link Maine, Florida
PORTLAND, Maine » Southwest Airlines has announced that it will start offering nonstop flights between Portland, Maine, and Orlando early next year.
The airline said in a release that the "seasonal route" will be on Saturdays starting March 11.
The Portland International Jetport previously had a nonstop flight to Orlando on AirTran. That flight ended in April 2012. AirTran merged with Southwest in May 2011.
Airport Director Paul Bradbury tells The Portland Press Herald that Orlando is the third most popular destination for passengers flying out of Portland, after the Washington, D.C., area and the New York City area.
The jetport has had a slight increase in passenger traffic.
Ohio park spicing up rides, hotel
SANDUSKY, Ohio » Cedar Point amusement park in northern Ohio says its new rides next year will include one that blends features of a spinning thrill ride and a roller coaster.
The ride, called Pipe Scream, seats passengers in a carriage that spins horizontally as it rolls along the hills of a wavy, 300-foot track.
A second addition to the Sandusky park’s midway will carry riders in suspended carriages and simulate flight.
The park also is making changes to rides in a family-focused area and starting a two-year renovation at its original hotel.
