Many years have passed since the last time I was in Hawaii. I was very excited about going back to these enchanted islands, although I had the idea that like all tourist places, Hawaii might have grown so much, that it might have lost part of its beauty. Well, I have to admit that I was wrong. We only had a week and we decided to split the time between Oahu and Maui. Our first visit was to Oahu and of course, it had changed a lot, but not enough to frighten away tourism on the contrary, it had become a more versatile place, with more hotel rooms to offer, lots of good restaurants, beautiful beaches and an impressive number of designer shops. I would say, that aside from snorkeling, surfing and other water sports, the second largest activity in Hawaii is shopping, or maybe is it the other way around? Besides these activities, Oahu offers plenty of other things to do and see; such as the Polynesian Cultural Center, romantic “luaus”, as well as a number of small museums, theaters, art galleries, historic sites and enough activities to keep one busy for at least a week.

Some people say Hawaii has a reputation of being an expensive tourist destination. I personally don’t agree, especially when visiting Hawaii before June which is when the high season starts. What I liked the best from everything I saw, was the great concept of service that the people in these islands have, everybody is so friendly and kind that they really make visitors feel at home.

Maui on the other hand, it’s more expensive, it has much newer and impressive resorts, lots of choices regarding luxury accommodations, a great variety of golf courses, a lot of art galleries, jewelry stores and shops. The restaurants of course, are more expensive. Compared to Oahu, the island of Maui is smaller and prettier. Both islands as is with all of the Hawaiian islands, have gorgeous beaches, with pristine waters, lush vegetation, lots of natural sightseeing such as waterfalls, mountains and volcanoes, pineapple, sugar cane and coffee plantations which are always interesting to see, but the most impressive part of the islands is the way the Hawaiians keep their traditions and the love for their land which they clearly share with all of their visitors from different parts of the world.

Alma P. Lazarevich
www.receptionsbg.com