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Deal of the Week
The
islands
of HAWAII, with their volcanoes,
palm-fringed beaches, verdant valleys,
glorious rainbows and awesome cliffs,
hold some of the most spectacularly
beautiful scenery on earth. However, despite
their isolation, two thousand miles out in
the Pacific, they belong very definitely to
the United States. If you expect your South
Seas idyll to be completely unspoiled,
forget it; the fantasy of a dream holiday in
Paradise remains firmly rooted in the
creature comforts of home. With six million
tourists per year, including honeymooners
from all over the world, frequent fliers
cashing in their mileage, and more than a
million Japanese, the islands can seem like
a gigantic theme park. Resort development
may have slowed in the last few years, but
you can’t help but be aware of how much of
what was unique has gone.
Honolulu, by far the largest city
of the fiftieth state, and with its resort
annex of Waikiki also the main
tourist center, is on Oahu. The
biggest island, Hawaii itself, is
known as the Big Island in a vain
attempt to avoid confusion. Maui and Kauai
also attract mass tourism, while smaller Molokai
remains far quieter. All the islands share a
similar topography and climate. Ocean
winds from the northeast shed their rain on
the windward coast, keeping it wet
and green; the southwest, leeward (or
“Kona”) coasts can be almost barren, and
so make ideal locations for big resorts.
Rainfall is heaviest from December to March,
but temperatures remain consistent
throughout the year at between 70°F and 85°F.
Christmas and midsummer are far more
expensive times to visit than the
“off-seasons” of September to December
and April to May, with top-range hotels
charging as much as fifty percent extra. A
visit to Hawaii doesn’t have to cost a
fortune, however; there are plenty of budget
facilities if you know where to look. The
one major expense you really can’t avoid,
except possibly on Oahu, is car rental –
rates are very reasonable, but gas is
pricey.
Click here to go to Hawaii State
web page |
