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#1
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Hawaii versus Palau?
Hello Folks,
I'm hoping people on the group can give me some advice. My father wants to treat myself, my wife and my new baby son to a vacation. We live in Taiwan, and he would like to meet somewhere sort of halfway between Taiwan and North America to meet his grandson. Between us all, and have traveled all over Asia and been to some great resorts (both mid-range and 'bungalows on the beach') all over Asia. Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines etc... My dad is suggesting a vacation in Hawaii. I don't know anything about Hawaii. After living in Asia for almost ten years, Hawaii seems a bit like Florida to me. This, although I have never been there so perhaps thats a little unfair. He is open to other suggestions to places outside of 'mainland' Asia (other Islands and such) I was thinking of suggesting Palau, which we have also never been to but know plenty of people who have and think that its great. Myself and my dad are avid scuba divers so Palau would be a no-brainer in that regard, but I'm wondering, overall, in terms of opportunities for a nice peaceful, fun vacation with some diving and golf, bike riding and sight-seeing (and a whole lot of sitting around the pool) is Hawaii a good destination? Would Palau be superior? Are there any other islands (Guam for example) that are sort of in between Taiwan and North America that might be a good vacation destination? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers |
#2
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Hawaii versus Palau?
On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:47:24 -0700 (PDT), driftwork
wrote: Hello Folks, I'm hoping people on the group can give me some advice. My father wants to treat myself, my wife and my new baby son to a vacation. We live in Taiwan, and he would like to meet somewhere sort of halfway between Taiwan and North America to meet his grandson. Between us all, and have traveled all over Asia and been to some great resorts (both mid-range and 'bungalows on the beach') all over Asia. Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines etc... My dad is suggesting a vacation in Hawaii. I don't know anything about Hawaii. After living in Asia for almost ten years, Hawaii seems a bit like Florida to me. This, although I have never been there so perhaps thats a little unfair. He is open to other suggestions to places outside of 'mainland' Asia (other Islands and such) I was thinking of suggesting Palau, which we have also never been to but know plenty of people who have and think that its great. Myself and my dad are avid scuba divers so Palau would be a no-brainer in that regard, but I'm wondering, overall, in terms of opportunities for a nice peaceful, fun vacation with some diving and golf, bike riding and sight-seeing (and a whole lot of sitting around the pool) is Hawaii a good destination? Would Palau be superior? Are there any other islands (Guam for example) that are sort of in between Taiwan and North America that might be a good vacation destination? I haven't been to either Hawaii or Palau, but I've been to both Guam and Saipan, and I'd say either of those would be nice for the kind of rendezvous you're looking for, although probably for not more than a few days. If you bring the opportunities for scuba-diving into the equation, then I would think Palau, Guam or Saipan would be a better choice than Hawaii. Chris |
#3
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Hawaii versus Palau?
I live in Hawaii.
There are ample scuba and snorkling spots. If you want a luxury mega-resort atmosphe Hawaii [Maui or Big Island]. For more adventu Palau. "driftwork" wrote in message ... Hello Folks, I'm hoping people on the group can give me some advice. My father wants to treat myself, my wife and my new baby son to a vacation. We live in Taiwan, and he would like to meet somewhere sort of halfway between Taiwan and North America to meet his grandson. Between us all, and have traveled all over Asia and been to some great resorts (both mid-range and 'bungalows on the beach') all over Asia. Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines etc... My dad is suggesting a vacation in Hawaii. I don't know anything about Hawaii. After living in Asia for almost ten years, Hawaii seems a bit like Florida to me. This, although I have never been there so perhaps thats a little unfair. He is open to other suggestions to places outside of 'mainland' Asia (other Islands and such) I was thinking of suggesting Palau, which we have also never been to but know plenty of people who have and think that its great. Myself and my dad are avid scuba divers so Palau would be a no-brainer in that regard, but I'm wondering, overall, in terms of opportunities for a nice peaceful, fun vacation with some diving and golf, bike riding and sight-seeing (and a whole lot of sitting around the pool) is Hawaii a good destination? Would Palau be superior? Are there any other islands (Guam for example) that are sort of in between Taiwan and North America that might be a good vacation destination? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers |
#4
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Hawaii versus Palau?
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! |
#5
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Hawaii versus Palau?
On Oct 18, 12:38*pm, (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 |
#6
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Hawaii versus Palau?
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 ... On Oct 18, 12:38 pm, (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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