The local currency is the American dollar (USD). All major credit cards are accepted everywhere. There are plenty of ATMs and exchanging money is easy, however the rates at home in UK seem to be better than in the States, so do some research prior to travelling. You can exchange cash at the bank branches in Kona. Make sure you check the market rate and ask if there would be any commission charges and fees. Sales tax is normally added at the till and it’s 4% in Hawaii. If you use your cards to draw cash from an ATM, make sure you have notified your bank you would be spending time abroad and you are aware of any transaction fees. More and more banks and financial companies now tend to offer cards with no additional fees when using abroad, so it might pay off for you to check if you can get such card before travelling. Opening hours and bank holidays. Opening times are quite generous in Kona. The malls and shops would be open 9 am to 6 pm. Some of them would close as late as 10pm, and there are a few grocery stores that are open 24/7. The parks and attractions are open 9 am to 6pm. Some of them are open for ‘extra hours’ and some of them would close at 4pm on Sunday. The banks and post offices would be open 8 am until 4.30 pm, and some of them are open until midday Saturday as well. Most of the outlets would be open at national holidays as well. The best thing to do would be to check particularly at the websites of the attractions you are looking to visit for their exact opening hours, as they could vary significantly, especially if your time is limited. Check the dates of national and state holidays as well, before you travel, because if open, the attractions may be very busy, or they might be closed. Tipping culture is the same as everywhere else in USA. As a general rule, you should tip any service staff. Many of them are paid low hourly rates and rely heavily on tips. Between 15 and 20% of the bill at a restaurant is considered normal but beware that some establishments include it in your bill, especially for larger groups. Hotel staff should also be tipped about a dollar per bag for the bellboy and about 2 USD per day for the housekeeper. Taxi drivers and spa saloon staff expects between 10% and 20% of the bill, if the service has been exceptional, feel free to leave more. Bartenders expect about a dollar per drink, more if the place is more upscale, and tour guides anything from 15 to 20%, depending on the length and the size of the group. The local time in Big Island Hawaii is GMT-10 hours and the dialling code is +1 808.