Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [172]
MAIL At press time, domestic postage rates were 28¢ for a postcard and 44¢ for a letter. For international mail, a first-class postcard or letter of up to 1 ounce costs 98¢ (75¢ to Canada and 79¢ to Mexico). For more information go to www.usps.com and click on “Calculate Postage.”
If you aren’t sure what your address will be in the United States, mail can be sent to you, in your name, c/o General Delivery at the main post office of the city or region where you expect to be. (Call 80 0/275-8777 for information on the nearest post office.) The addressee must pick up mail in person and must produce proof of identity (driver’s license, passport, and so on). Most post offices will hold your mail for up to 1 month and are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, and Saturday from 9am to 3pm.
Always include zip codes when mailing items in the U.S. If you don’t know your zip code, visit www.usps.com/zip4.
NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES The daily newspaper is the Garden Island News, available online at www.kauaiworld.com and at newsstands on island. Dozens of visitor magazines ranging from dining to shopping are available on newsstands throughout the island.
PASSPORTS See www.frommers.com/planning for information on how to obtain a passport. See “Embassies & Consulates,” above, for whom to contact if you lose yours while traveling in the U.S. For other information, please contact the following agencies:
For Residents of Australia Contact the Australian Passport Information Service at 131-232, or visit the government website at www.passports.gov.au.
For Residents of Canada Contact the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 ( 80 0/567-6868;www.ppt.gc.ca).
For Residents of Ireland Contact the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 ( 0 1/671-1633; www.irlgov.ie/iveagh).
For Residents of New Zealand Contact the Passports Office at 080 0/225-050 in New Zealand or 0 4/474-8100, or log on to www.passports.govt.nz.
For Residents of the United Kingdom Visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the United Kingdom Passport Service at 087 0/521-0410 or search its website at www.ukpa.gov.uk.
For Residents of the United States To find your regional passport office, either check the U.S. State Department website or call the National Passport Information Center’s toll-free number ( 87 7/487-2778) for automated information.
POLICE Dial 911 for police.
SMOKING It’s against the law to smoke in public buildings in Hawaii, including airports, shopping malls, grocery stores, retail shops, buses, movie theaters, banks, convention facilities, and all government buildings and facilities. There is no smoking in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Most bed-and-breakfasts prohibit smoking indoors, and more and more hotels and resorts are becoming nonsmoking even in public areas. Also there is no smoking within 20 feet of a doorway, window, or ventilation intake (no hanging around outside a bar to smoke—you must go 20 ft. away). Some beaches also prohibit smoking.
TAXES The United States has no value-added tax (VAT) or other indirect tax at the national level. Every state, county, and city may levy its own local tax on all purchases, including hotel and restaurant checks and airline tickets. These taxes will not appear on price tags. Hawaii’s sales tax is 4%. As we went to press, the hotel-occupancy tax is 8.25% and will go up to 9.25% on July 1, 2010. Plus hoteliers are allowed by the state to tack on an additional 4.1666% excise