judy

We have traveled abroad and to Mexico too often now, and the idea of Maui sounds great to me. But, my other feels there is nothig to do but swim and eat. Is he correct? I need to convince him that Hawaii is a great place to visit. Also, has anyone dealt with "hawaii for less" on line? The prices seem reasonable but if you are famillliar with the area, could you visit their sight and give some insight? I have USAIR FF to get us to San Fran or LA, and then hawaii for less clams they can get me to Maui for $400 round trip. Pleae hel. Summer is coming, and we always have to vacation the last two weeks in July.

anon

Your SO likes Mexico but think Hawaii is boring?
Hello?
What planet is HE or SHE from?

I have travelled to virtually all the big name vacation spots in the world within Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America.
For a tropical vacation, if you're American, there is no single place that offers a more complete and satisfying experience than Hawaii.
Before anyone complains or disagrees, let me qualify my statement.
The Hawaiian Islands' biggest asset is the diversity.
You've got the natural lush beauty of Kauai, the natural otherworldly beauty of the BI, you've got the commercial experiences in Honolulu and Maui which offer a wide array of outstanding food and resorts, you've got shopping, you've got low crime, easy access to everything, reliable service most everywhere, US currency, great weather.....and on and on.
Hawaii is not as exotic as the Seychelles or Bali or Bora Bora. But it also lacks many of the downsides of those places.

If your SO can't find things that suit and please him or her in any of the Hawaiian Islands, it's not Hawaii that has the problem.

Need specific suggestions?
Just write back.

(Of course after today, I won't be contributing here any more as I will not register).

xxx

Hooray. Does that mean we can expect a few less Hawaii posts, I hope, I hope?

xxx

Anon, why won't you register ?

x

Anon- What if you're not American-- do you feel Hawaii still offers as much? What, do you feel, are the down-sides of those other places you mentioned?

anon

When I travel, (if I'm travelling to relax rather than for cultural reasons) I sometimes tire of the hassles of language barriers, currency exchange issues, differences in customs, etc. Those things are part of the experience and can even be fun and challenging to master if you're on a cultural trip.
But on a relaxing trip, I just want minimal stress. So that's one downside to many of the more exotic places.
Food quality is also subpar (IMO) in many of the more exotic tropical destinations. Also, the small exotic islands offer very little variety for dining, shopping, etc.
For non-Americans, the extra 'cultural difference stress' would depend on the actual difference in culture. Not much of a problem for Brits. Much moreso for those from the Middle East. Not too bad for the Japanese since there is such a strong Japanese influence in most of Hawaii.

charlotte

Hi Judy!!

My husband had the same negative attitude about going to Maui(even though he had never been there before) and thought it would be so boring.He wanted to go to Oahu where there would be more to do(I had been there before and it was ok but wanted to try Maui for more relaxing vacation).Anyway, he remained unenthusiastic right up until we left for a 10 day stay in early Dec. Well, needless to say as soon as we were there he fell in love with Maui (we stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua) and we had a fabulous vacation.He even wanted to look for a house so we could go every year and when we retire( we live in Canada so our winters are very cold).Don't give up hope, just drag him there and he will never want to go anywhere else!! We are going to try the Big Island for our trip this year. Have a great trip!!

p

Charlotte,
your story sounds like me ... in 1999 my wife had expiring AA miles - just enough for a Hawaii ticket, I had little interest but went along with it for harmony (and having no particular alternative to offer at that time) .. and now we're both fanatics .. Maui & Kauai so far. There is lots to do & see on either island: hiking, snorkeling, driving/sightseeing or just calming down and relaxing.. if you stay in a condo the eating needn't cost a whole bunch either ! It's magic.

lisa

Not to repeat what previous posters have said, but ditto for us. We've traveled widely and had avoided Hawaii, thinking it was commercial and not exotic enough.

One year, I got on a tropical island kick and did a lot of research on Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Figi. I decided that was all too expensive (especially with kids) and the flights too long. So, I bit the bullet and "settled" on Kauai. It turned out to be a wonderful vacation. We loved Hawaii. The north shore of Kauai was as I'd envisioned paradise. There's a great trail along beautiful cliffs there. Poipu, where we stayed, was beautiful. (Bali Hai is there.) We never ran out of things to do. Hiking, snorkling, exploring, eating shaved ice, visiting shops, going to the farmer's market, looking for whales, going to a luau, going to the fern grotto, hiking in Waimea Canyon, just looking at the colorful flowers and ocean from our condo. There was kayaking, boating, fishing, lots of things we didn't have time for. Wish we could go back tomorrow.

You can fly between islands with relative ease, and might want to visit Pearl Harbor while you are there. I hear the former leper colony on Molokai is interesting.

As the old expression goes, "Where there's smoke there's fire." You won't regret going to Hawaii. Get a book about Hawaii and your hubby will realize it is hard to be bored there. Aloha!

Rosario

However great Hawaii may be (and I don't mind it myself, but wouldn't choose it as the best place to use up scarce vacation time & money - especially in JULY!!) it sounds like your husband has made up his mind that he won't enjoy a Hawaii vacation. I'm not sure of the background (has he been there before and had a bad time? Or is it just hearsay?) but I think that if you want to convince him to go, you need to address his specific concerns. You say he feels like there's nothing to do but swimming & eating. Well - what else does he like to do most? If it's seeing pre-Columbian ruins, I've got to agree that Mexico's better. But if it's watersports, or wild landscapes, or indigenous cultures ... Hawaii has those, too. Post back with specifics, and we'll try to help.

Finally, you say you want to stay in the USA, but your vacation is in July. Seems like the Hawaiian climate isn't a deciding factor. Is there a better place for you two to compromise upon - like NYC, or Boston, or the Maine coast, or the Utah national parks, or the Pacific Northwst, or a cruise to Alaska, perhaps?

Graeme

Hawaii is commercial and all the other things that people complain about but having said that I am sure your husband will not regret it.