Hawaii -- A Beautiful and Varied Experience Awaits You
Written: Mar 05 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful scenery, clear water, varied activities. It's Hawaii!
Cons: It takes a while to get there and the food is pretty expensive.
The Bottom Line: It's beautiful, unique and you may never want to leave. Incredible sunsets, Humpback Whales, great beaches and awe-inspiring views!
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| diverpam's Full Review: Hawaii |
The islands of Hawaii offer many wonderful and varied experiences. Choosing which islands to visit and determining how much time to allow for each is critical in maximizing your vacation enjoyment.
The islands are quite different, so carefully choose your destination based on what you like to do.
Having spent time on Oahu, the Big Island, Kauai and Maui, I will share with you some pointers that can help you determine which islands are most suitable for your needs. I won't try to give you every detail about each island as I did in my reviews of each. Rather I'll give you an overview and basis for comparison.
Oahu
The island of Oahu is home to Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. Honolulu is very commercial, with lots of tourists, traffic and shopping. Chances are no matter where you're headed in Hawaii, you'll at least pass through Honolulu Airport.
Visiting Pearl Harbor was the highlight of my visit to Oahu, but I did enjoy being pummeled by the waves on Waikiki Beach, browsing in designer shops, shopping for cheesy souvenirs and going to my first luau.
There were also many opportunities to obtain free gifts for visiting timeshare presentations. If you can deflect high pressure sales tactics you can get free luau tickets, car rentals, snorkeling trips and more. There are coupon books everywhere for food and attraction discounts. Pick them up -- you'll need every discount you can get.
A couple of days there is plenty for me.
Kauai
The most peaceful and beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands I have visited, Kauai is truly a tranquil paradise.
The island is very quiet and small and the landscape is magnificent. Waterfalls, craggy mountains, crashing waves and lush foliage make Kauai a delight for all the senses.
Staying on the beach in Kauai was one of the most relaxing vacations I ever spent. My first visit there was only three days -- enough to make me want to come back for more. The next I visited, my husband and I spent a luxurious relaxing week and took in Kauai from all angles. We drove its winding roads, soared above mountains in an open air helicopter and visited the Na Pali coast line by boat.
The Poipu Bay Golf Course was gorgeous and even gave me several whale sighting and many photo opportunities.
We had the bonus of being there in February, when the humpback whales abounded. You should try to spend a week here to truly relax. Planning your trip in the February/March timeframe will almost guarantee some awesome whale sightings.
Plan on spending time driving around and soaking up the amazing scenery, but don't count on swinging nightlife!
This is a very romantic island that would be an ideal honeymoon or anniversary destination. Not to mention an awesome Valentine's Day trip, as mine was.
Maui
Maui has beautiful beaches, wonderful and varied scenery, upscale shopping, interesting places to visit, and a wonderfully scenic highway to Hana.
I loved staying in Wailea, where it's sunny, the beaches are great and the shopping is wonderful. There are also some great golf courses and many whale-watching opportunities. The Molokini Crater is a must see for divers or snorkelers.
We were only there four days, so we ran out of time before we could drive to Hana. We drove half way there, marveled at the cliffs and waterfalls, then sadly had to turn around and go to the airport. Give yourself plenty of time, you'll want to stop every few minutes to take pictures or just to gawk at the amazing vistas.
The Big Island
They don't call it the Big Island for nothing. It takes a long time to drive around this island, with it's multiple climates and altitudes. It's one of the few places in the world where you can walk around on a live volcano, immerse yourself in a tropical jungle, or sun yourself on sunny beaches.
You should allow yourself at least one week to visit the Big Island. We had only three days here before moving on to Maui and we almost wore ourselves out trying to see everything. There is just too much wonderful scenery and way too much driving involved to attempt a vacation there for less than a week.
You can play golf with some of the most unique holes and amazing views at the Waikoloa Beach Golf Course.
We enjoyed our stay at the Outrigger Hotel Waikoloa Beach. It is a full day's drive to Kilauea Volcano and back. The Volcano Hotel would be a great one night stay to allow you to see the volcano at night when it's erupting and still enjoy staying on the warm Kona side of the island.
You find almost every climate and altitude on this island, you can walk on hardened lava, see an enormous cattle ranch, play in waterfalls, see black sand beaches, or play on championship golf courses with breathtaking views.
This can be the vacation of a lifetime, a beautiful place to take or renew marriage vows, or a peaceful escape from the real world. Whatever your choice or reason for visiting, I hope you have a wonderful time. And I hope to see you there!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 350 members
About Me:
~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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