Hilo Hattie: Authentic Hawaiian Goods, Hula Hello Kitty, Royal Kona Volcano Roast Coffee & More
Written: May 25 '06
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There are some days when I just dread getting out of bed; I really miss the West Coast and all the little shops that we would hit when we would walk down Pacific Beach. No matter how many people tell me that they’ve found the absolute best place to get Hawaiian food, nothing tops the food that we used to get at Da Kine's Plate Lunches. Whether we’d stop to get Kona cakes or a lunch [the chicken teriyaki is to die for], it was a true joy to hang out there and watch the surfers, hear the chit chat coming from the kitchen or soak up the ambiance. When I mentioned to one of the girls that works there that we were moving she wanted my email address so we could keep in touch, she was the person that turned me on to the Hilo Hattie website after she saw that they had Hello Kitty products. Talk about getting the best of both worlds; Hello Kitty with a Hawaiian theme. The site carries a lot of different things from books to snack foods, coffee to clothing, collectible items to gifts. No matter what you order you are going to get something that is authentic and made in Hawaii ... well, at least that has been the experience I’ve had so far, nothing I’ve ordered or received has been manufactured anywhere else but Hawaii.
One of my favorite things from Hilo Hattie is my Hawaiian Crab. If you read the story of Claude The Crab, you’ll know why he means a lot to me. Oddly enough, he is the Beanie Baby that everyone always asks me about when they see him sitting on the shelf. My friend Corey said that Claude needed a girlfriend, that it wasn’t fair to have him sitting there all by himself so when I saw this one at the site, I had to order it. Check it out for yourself by visiting this URL: www.hilohattie.com/images/6610.0026.jpg. There’s no shortage of books at the site either; they are listed with a nice description of them and are all top quality items. I ordered the Keiki Hula Paper Doll Book for Annabelle and she had a blast with it; when I saw the listing for it I was expecting it to be in the ten dollar range but it was only $4.99. Some of the books talk about the legends and tales of Hawaii while others are geared towards teaching and educating. My next order will include ‘The Kama'aina Gecko’ and ‘Limu, The Blue Turtle’, two books I haven’t been able to find anywhere else but at this site.
If coffee is your thing they sell a lot of variety packs so you can sample some of the blends; I highly suggest the Royal Kona three pack. This sells for $6.99 and gets you three bags of coffee, each one brews up a full pot of coffee. The Volcano Roast is one of the best Hawaiian blends that I’ve ever had but the other two [Roy’s Signature and Vanilla Macadamia Nut] aren’t bad either. If you want to bypass the flavored assortments and go right for the true taste of coffee then the Original Lion blend is for you. A seven ounce bag costs five dollars and has a really full taste to it. No matter which flavor you go with, they are all vacuum packed to ensure freshness. Some sites charge an arm and a leg for Hawaiian blends but Hilo Hattie’s prices are some of the best around. In addition to coffee they also sell gift packs and mugs as well as seasonal items. You can even get your own Tiki idol collection of mugs at the site; yes, that’s right - Moai, Lono, Rarotongan [not to be confused with the South Pacific island] and Marquesan are pressed into plastic for your drinking enjoyment. Needless to say, if you are someone that has those tiki lamps in your backyard ... you will want to have these guys around to protect your parties.
They have some incredible wooden boxes that make for nice gifts. For under twenty dollars you can get one of them to use as a gift box or as the gift itself. They are highly detailed and well made but they are a little on the small side; when you see them at the site you think that they are going to be huge but they are about six inches long, four inches wide and a couple of inches deep. There are several designs to choose from but check that section of the site from time to time to see if they have added any new ones. If you search the site for a gift and can’t find just the right thing, you can order electronic gift certificates in the following denominations: $20.00, $35.00, $50.00, $75.00 and $100.00 but you should know that these are only for use at the website, not the retail store. If you need to buy one to be used at the retail location, call customer service [888-526-0299] to order one. There’s no need to use the entire amount at one time; all the person has to do is sign up for a free account and deposit the gift certificate to it. It’s good for one year and is a nice thing to send to someone if you know they will order things from the site or have a love of all things Hawaiian.
Customer Service
HiloHattie
700 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817
[888] 526-0299 - customer service
[888] 526-5696 - fax
customer-service@hilohattie.com
Payment Options
You can pay for your order using Visa, American Express, Discover or MasterCard. If you need to make arrangements for payment, call or email them. I think that they do accept money orders and personal checks but they have to clear their bank first before they will ship out the order. I’ve never had a problem with them processing my MasterCard or Visa [one of which is a debit card], the amount charged was the same I was given at the time of check out and there’s never been any double billing.
Return Policy
If you need to make a return use the form that comes with your order and follow the instructions. If you are going to make an exchange you have to add $6.50 to your shipment back to them to cover the cost of shipping the new item back to you; for exchanges due to damage during shipping they will take care of everything but you need to call them first to make sure a replacement item is in stock and to get further instructions. If you lose the form that came with your order you can print one up at the site. If you are making a return please provide as much information as possible so the refund can be processed quickly.
Shipping
Hilo Hattie uses the U.S.P.S. [United States Postal Service] and Federal Express [Ground and Economy] for most of their shipments; I fully expected to get raked over the coals for shipping but was surprised when I checked out and saw that it was only going to cost eight dollars to have five stuffed animals shipped to me. The total of the order was around thirty five dollars for that order so it wasn’t all that bad. You can opt to have things sent quicker but you will pay a premium price for it. That is not the fault of the site, it’s just the cost of ordering things from Hawaii. Larger orders in the $75.00 range cost about twelve to fourteen dollars, still, that’s not bad at all considering what some sites charge when things are coming from Hawaii.
The Bottom Line
The site sells authentic Hawaiian goods at more than fair prices; the shipping isn’t outrageous and their customer service is great. It is a nice site to visit if you are looking for a unique gift for someone but always keep in mind that you can get them a gift certificate so they can pick out their own ‘perfect gift’. The site is easy to navigate, items are listed with a good bit of description and the quality of what they sell is top notch. On the off chance that you aren’t satisfied with your order you can make a return or exchange without having to jump through hoops or deal with a lot of hassle. When I’m feeling a little blue and missing the West Coast, Da Kine’s and those delicious kona cakes ... Hilo Hattie is the site that I hit.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2006 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Tiki mugs, coffee, books
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