Coming to sunny Honolulu for the Supernatural convention November 17–19, 2017? The fun of a Supernatural convention at the beautiful Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? Perhaps it depends on your individualized version of Heaven. Creation Entertainment has scheduled a Salute to Supernatural convention in Hawaiʻi for the first time, so there’s a lot to be excited about. Tickets have already gone on sale. Don’t wait, because as Lucifer warned us, “He who hesitates, disintegrates.”

HonCon is an opportunity to combine a dream Hawaiian vacation with an amazing Supernatural convention experience. This four-part series provides some tips for those of you planning to travel to the Aloha State. Hereʻs the 411 on lodging, transportation, weather, and the neighbor islands. These are five things you need to know to plan your visit to Honolulu.

1. Hotel heaven comes at a price

Unless you plan to sleep in your car, as the Winchesters are wont to do, you’ll be looking for lodgings. Waikīkī is the tourism center of Honolulu, and where the convention will be held. It’s convenient to stay right in Waikīkī, but if you’re staying within the bounds of Honolulu town, the drive into Waikīkī should be manageable. We’d suggest staying somewhere between downtown and Kāhala. Even better, we’d recommend you stay at the amazing hotel where the convention is being held.

The Supernatural convention will be at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, a beautiful resort with five pools, a variety of shops, and a nightly torch-lighting ceremony. Every Friday night, fireworks are lit from the Hilton’s lagoon. They usually start at 7:45pm and last about 10 minutes. Try not to miss the fireworks because they are an essential part of the Waikīkī experience. Maybe watching the fireworks with someone you’re close to will become one of your happiest memories.

According to Creation Entertainment the Hilton will accept phone reservations approximately one year before the event, but you can register now through the online registration link listed on the Creation website. Attendees won’t receive hotel confirmations until a year before the show, but the reservation will be secure. As the convention draws nearer, you could compare the convention rate with other rates you may qualify for.

Those who are active or retired military, other national uniformed services, or Department of Defense employees may be able to book a room at the Hale Koa Hotel. Hale means “house” in Hawaiian and it’s pronounced “hah-lay.” The hotels are next to each other on the beach and it’s very easy to walk between the two.

The Ilikai Hotel is on the west side of the Hilton Hawaiian and fronts the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. This iconic hotel is featured in the Hawaii Five-O credits, with Jack Lord/Alex O’Loughlin standing on a penthouse lanai (balcony). It has some suites with full-sized kitchens. The Ilikai is a hotel/condo hybrid, so it also has a variety of independently-owned condos available through companies like Aloha Condos and Marina Vacations.

There are less expensive options a couple blocks from the beach, necessitating a 10- to 15-minute walk to the hotel. None will be as interestingly designed as the motels seen on Supernatural, but there are some good values to be found. A travel agency may be able to help you find a better rate through the special hotel rates and airfares they have access to.

2. TheBus—More than a clever name

If youʻre staying in Waikīkī, it’s very walkable. Waikīkī is a world unto itself, though it’s a small world of 3.4 square miles. If you’re in reasonably good shape you can walk pretty much everywhere in Waikīkī. Though after a 3-day Supernatural convention, you might find yourself feeling a little too worn out to walk the two miles to the Honolulu Zoo.

Luckily, in Honolulu we have a fantastic bus service that is fast, clean, and safe. TheBus has about 10 routes just in Waikīkī, and it will also take you all over Oʻahu. Taking TheBus is easy and convenient, and you can buy a four-day visitor pass for $35 or a monthly pass for $60. TheBus has a mobile site to track the buses and find routes. It also has a visitor guide to help you figure out how to get to Hawaiʻi’s most popular attractions.

Unlike getting out of Purgatory, it’s pretty easy to travel between the airport and Waikīkī. Bus routes #19 and #20 will take you into Waikīkī if you travel light. They limit the amount of luggage you can bring on the bus—everything has to fit on your lap. Shuttle transportation is available through private companies including King Airport Shuttle, Go808, and Oahu Airport Express. Taxi fare to Waikīkī will be between $40 and $50.

Once you’re settled in Waikīkī, another transportation option is the Waikiki Trolley—a private service that takes visitors to various attractions in Oʻahu. Adult passes run from $23 to $41 a day, depending on the tour you choose, and they have 4-day and 7-day passes as well. Certain visitor attractions, like the Polynesian Cultural Center, have special private buses that pick people up in Waikīkī, for an additional fee, to bring visitors directly to their site.

3. Parking the Impala has its challenges

If you decide to rent a car, driver picks the music, so feel free to “Shake it Off” if that’s your thing. Honolulu is an urban setting, so if you aren’t used to city driving, the freeway can be a little daunting. The on- and off-ramps can be confusing, and our highway traffic can get congested. Castiel told Lucifer that automobile travel is slow and confining, which certainly describes driving on Oʻahu. It’s not dangerous, just time-consuming. Driving during rush hour can feel more drawn out than a slow dance with an alien.

If you’re going to be staying primarily in Waikīkī, using a car to drive around isn’t all that convenient, because parking is difficult and expensive. Find out what your hotel charges for guest parking. The Hilton Hawaiian Village charges $29 a day for self-parking. You can always rent a car from one of the many car rental offices in Waikīkī for a day or two. National Car Rental has a desk at the Hawaiian Hilton Village, while Alamo and Enterprise have offices at the nearby Discovery Bay Center.

If you do rent a car, keep in mind that in Hawaiʻi, honking is used almost exclusively to support striking union workers or local politicians during a sign-waving campaign. So when the “assbutt” in front of you suddenly makes a turn without using his signal, lay off the horn. This isn’t the mainland.

4. Vog is a thing

November is a great time to come and visit Hawaiʻi because the temperatures are a bit cooler, the visitor count tends to be lower, and there are awesome events like the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. November is one of the rainier months in Hawaiʻi, but even the rain isn’t that cold. It’s still swimming pool weather. Most times the rain is just a sunshower, but the winter months are more likely to bring downpours. You could carry an umbrella or windbreaker, but a raincoat is too heavy in our warm weather. Save your trenchcoat for cosplay. Temperatures tend to be in the mid to low 80s in the daytime, with slightly cooler temps at night.

When Kīlauea volcano on Hawaiʻi (the Big Island) is really active, the gas plumes create vog (volcanic smog). Vog can cause allergy symptoms such as headaches, watery eyes, and sore throat, as well as exacerbating respiratory conditions. Though vog mostly affects the Big Island, the other islands can also be impacted depending on the winds. It’s not the norm for Oʻahu to be affected by vog very much, but if you have unusual allergy symptoms it could be because it’s voggy outside.

5. Dean may be scared to fly to a neighbor island, but you don’t need to be

If you have time, you might decide to spend time outside of O‘ahu on one of our beautiful neighbor islands. If you already had to white-knuckle your way through four puke bags and a nine-hour plane ride to Hawai‘i, another flight might not seem enticing. But unless there’s a demon on board, traveling to the neighbor islands is fast and easy. Hawaiian Airlines is the gold standard for interisland travel, but other interisland carriers include Island Air and Mokulele Airlines. Interisland travel is much less hectic than traveling to and from the mainland, but still be sure to be at the airport at least an hour before your flight leaves. The TSA is no faster here than anywhere else in the country.

Each island has its own culture and reasons to visit. Lānaʻi retains some of its plantation culture and also has lavish resorts. Molokaʻi provides a rustic island experience, focusing on the natural beauty and the history of Kalaupapa, enhanced by the amazing aloha of those who live there. Many people agree with the saying “Maui no ka oi,” which means Maui is the best, because of the local culture, varied landscapes, resorts, and breathtaking Haleakalā. Kauaʻi offers small-town life alongside resort communities, with beautiful landscapes such as Waimea Canyon and the Nāpali coast. Our favorite is the Big Island because it’s a place of ancient culture, spirituality, and intense beauty, where you can actually visit an active volcano. How amazing is that?

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Your Salute to Supernatural Honolulu Adventure Awaits

For those who have never been to Honolulu it may seem far, but Hawaiʻi welcomes visitors with a spirit of aloha. Having a Supernatural convention in such a culturally unique and beautiful setting will make this a con to remember.

To get a taste of what a convention is like, check out @SPN_sil to find live tweeters, pictures, and videos from different Supernatural conventions. If you’re looking for information about what to expect at a Supernatural convention, check out #spncon tips. Creation Entertainment has created a public group on Facebook where fans can communicate with each other about SPN cons. There’s also a closed Facebook group called Salute to Supernatural Hawaiʻi you can request to join (make sure you use the ʻokina in “Hawaiʻi” when you type it in the search box). Use the tags #HonCon and #SPNHON to follow and talk story with the SPN ʻohana.

Part 2 provides tips about what to see in Oʻahu when you’re not at the convention, both in Waikīkī and throughout the island. Part 3 of this series discusses where you can enjoy food, entertainment, and shopping. Part 4 explores Hawaiian culture and provides some general travel tips for visitors to Hawaiʻi. Please share your questions and comments below.

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