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

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

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

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!

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

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