For any of the Hawaiian islands, I would recommend Maui (or whatever island)
Revealed guide book by Andrew Doughty; they're well researched and
formatted, easy to carry and quite inexpensive. We've used both his Maui and
Kauai versions and have just bought his Big Island Guide for this winter's
visit. (This info is strictly from a Canadian tourist's point of view.)
"driftwork" wrote in message
news:d256b9c1-b7e2-4eef-ba2b-4c4d1f68a209@g22g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
On Oct 18, 12:38 pm, gsah...@webtv.net (Glenn Sahara) wrote:
> I live on the Big Island and have visited Palau three times.
>
> 1. Palau is hot and humid. There are NO golf courses. You will be
> drenched in perspiration if you go biking...which you never see people
> doing. The roads are narrow so if you can find a bike it would be
> dangerous. If you enjoy diving, then Palau is superior. Others can sit
> by a pool...try the Palau Pacific Resort. You have to be careful about
> drinking the tap water....there are occasional dengue outbreaks so keep
> the DEET handy.
> From the US, flights to Palau are not inexpensive. Continental is the
> only carrier....US -> Honolulu -> Guam -> Palau...not a short haul.
>
> 2. You cannot make generalizations re Hawaii because each island is so
> different. Sure, you can have a Miamilike stay in
> Waikiki...shop....mingle with the throngs...a large Chinatown. On the
> Big Island, you can bike, hike in mts., swim and snorkel along the Kona
> Coast, shop Sat. AM at the fun local Hilo Farmer's Market, visit the
> Volcano. Hilo is more like old Hawaii...not as many tourists because of
> the limited beach access on this side of the island.
> Kauai has the Alakea Swamp for hiking and tons of isolated beaches..a
> few golf options. Maui is a glorified Waikiki...Kula is nice...there
> are good beaches....just too many tourists for my liking.
> US based tourists will be able to access Hawaii much easier than Guam,
> Saipan or Palau....the opposite for those based in Asia.
>
> Saipan and Guam cannot compare to Palau and Hawaii. They are
> inexpensive destinations for Asian travelers, so the hotel food is
> usually fine, there are golf courses but the islands are hot and
> humid...and, since they have so many typhoons, the vegetation has been
> wiped out...not the paradise jungle feel of Palau or Hawaii.
>
> Come to Hawaii!
Glenn,
Thank you for your most excellent reply.
I've done a bit of back and forth and I Hawaii is the place.
The flight is going to turn out to be very far, 12 hours from Taipei
routed through Tokyo, but we might not ever have this opportunity
again, so Hawaii it is.
My father is suggesting that we stay at the Aston Mahana at Kaanapali
formerly ResortQuest in West Maui.
I'm told that the weather in January and February is good there so I'm
not too bothered.
I've also been curious about Hawaii for years so, given that I live in
Asia, this might be a good chance to check it out.
Thanks again for all the great info.
Cheers
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