Humans crave light. It fuels our bodies, lifts our moods, and makes even the darkest days feel a little brighter. When winter in the Pacific Northwest drags on, the trick is to learn from our feathered friends and fly south. In this three-part series, we’ll explore three escapes from the gray: Waikiki, Santa Barbara, and Las Vegas — each offering its own unique glow and approximately 300 days of sunshine per year.

Interspersed with brief showers and spectacular rainbows, tropical light highlights Oahu’s natural beauty, from sparkling blue waters to verdant bluffs. Sunsets are breathtaking, with the sun dipping below the horizon in a wash of reds, oranges, and purples, leaving a lingering, soothing afterglow.

Book your plane tickets. No airline creates the tingle of anticipation quite like Hawaiian Airlines: It only travels outbound to one paradisiacal state. Every detail — the livery, the service, the island punch — hints at blissful escape. Let’s hope new owners Alaska Airlines keeps the magic intact.

Waikiki is synonymous with crowded beaches, high-end shopping, and a bustling scene. For those who prefer a more laid-back, authentic experience, the neighborhood along Kuhio Avenue and the Ala Wai Canal offers a refreshing alternative. Still just a short walk from the beach, the area provides a blend of urban color, local flavor, and classic low-rise buildings.

The newly opened Romer House Waikiki is an essential addition to this close-knit neighborhood. As the only adults-only hotel in Waikiki, the atmosphere is refined but playful — perfect for couples or solo travelers. The property leans into its idiosyncrasies, with a morning sound bath in the lap pool, sake bomb welcome drinks, and late-night happy hour. A fitness center borrowed beach cruisers, and lodging for children can all be found at neighborhood sister property Romer Waikiki at the Ambassador.

Take in the beautiful view from your balcony at the Romer Waikiki

Photo courtesy of Romer Waikiki at The Ambassador

On-site restaurant Izakaya 855-ALOHA is a buzzing eatery and hangout away from the tourist trail, with sashimi, yakitori, Hawaiian-inspired creative cocktails, and rotating DJs. MARA at the Renaissance is a big-night-out dinner reservation that also fits the hidden Waikiki vibe, just a short walk away. MARA combines contemporary American cuisine with local Hawaiian influences, and Chef Michael Ocampo is equally gifted at aina (the land) and makai (the sea) menu options.

Romer House’s local engagement extends to the Genki Ala Wai Project, an inspiring, community-driven initiative to revitalize the Ala Wai Canal, with opportunities for hotel guests to participate. After years of misuse the canal became polluted, so the Project uses biotechnology to build “mud balls” of beneficial bacteria to gradually improve the canal’s biome. The goal is to throw 300,000 mud balls into the canal by 2026. It has accomplished half the goal thus far, and the canal is coming back to life.

What that means for hotel guests is the opportunity to throw mud balls into the canal. Participating in the project – hurling hard, baseball-sized pellets into the water under the intense sun — is oddly satisfying, cathartic. As if the simple physical pleasure of throwing a useful creation as far as possible into a gleaming canal will bring winter to an end.