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 seven million tourists per year, including honeymooners from all over the world, frequent fliers cashing in their mileage, and almost two million Japanese, the islands can seem like a gigantic theme park.
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. While temperatures remain consistent throughout the year at between 70°F and 85°F, rainfall is heaviest from December to March. That is nonetheless the most popular time to visit, enabling mid- to upper-range hotels to add a premium of at least $30 per night to their standard room rates. 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.
