Hawaii – a ‘must see’, at least once in your lifetime…

Some people think of Hawaii as tropical islands gone wrong, with American commercialism and high-density urban areas such as Honolulu spoiling the overall atmosphere, but in fact the two go surprisingly well together…you can still go ‘out there’ into the wilderness, and there’s an amazing array of activities to do, all in a well-regulated safe infrastructure, but you have the developed towns and modern history too, which would be a shame to miss entirely during your visit.  So which islands are best for what?….

The ‘Big Island’ of Hawaii has the highest peak, Mauna Kea, along with the active volcano of Kilaueia…I recommend a fly-over the crater in a Cessna private plane if you can stretch the budget…you’ll never forget it!

Honolulu is located on the smaller island of Oahu, which boasts wild beaches, along with the historical World-War Two memorial centre at Pearl Harbour, and of course the surfer’s hangout of Waikiki, right near Honolulu’s hustle and bustle.  Skydiving is also an option for the adventurous!

My favourite island is Maui, where you can do a 40km downhill mountain bike ride from the top of Mt Haleakala, at over 10,000 ft.  You can also scuba dive the spectacular Molokini crater, or hire a top-end sports car such as a Porsche or Ferrari, and drive round the island in style.  Beaches are aplenty too, so surfing is possible in most areas….

The least-visited island is arguably the most beautiful – Kauai.  This is where parts of jurassic park were filmed, and you can take a helicopter tour to admire the spectacular geography.  Two of my favourite Hawaiian beaches, Poipu and Kalapaki, are also located on this island.

All-in-all, Hawaii gives you all the wonders of a tropical archipelago, combined with great infrastructure and high levels of service and safety/security…what’s not to love?!