Hotels we recommend

5* Hilton Waikoloa Village 5* Kona Village Resort

All of our featured hotels

Multicentres

Hawaii - the Aloha State - welcomes and seduces visitors with its plumeria-scented sea breezes and tropical warmth. This is where East merges with West in a blur of hula and hip-hop, soap operas and creation myths, junk food and Japanese tea ceremonies, Shinto shrines and surf clubs.

Mark Twain declared Hawaii to be 'the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean', and not even 50 years of mass tourism have managed to prove him wrong. Whether your thing is volcano spotting, surfing or hanging loose on the beach, this is the place to indulge yourself.

Despite Honolulu's skyscrapers and traffic jams, it's one of the most laid-back urban centers in America. Add sandy beaches, waving palms and the balmy weather of Waikiki and you've got a great mix of sun-fun and culture, best enjoyed with a multiethnic plate lunch.

It might be part of the USA, but tropical Honolulu is more laid-back than any mainland capital. With its blend of sunny charm and legislative gravitas, the downtown area is surprisingly fascinating to explore - make the effort to drag yourself away from the Gidget-and-mai-tai scene of Waikiki.


When To Go

Honolulu is a great place to visit any time of year. Although Hawaii's busiest tourist season is during winter (December to February), this has more to do with the weather elsewhere, since many visitors are snowbirds escaping cold winters back home. Average temperatures differ very little from winter to summer. June through October is the hottest period, while rainfall is heaviest between December and March - neither extreme is worth worrying over. Daily temperatures in Honolulu average a high of 84°F (29°C) and a low of 70°F (22°C). Hotel prices are lowest between April and mid-December.

If you're a surfer, you won't want to miss the Christmas-time action around O'ahu's North Shore, but if windsurfing or diving is more your thing, you'll find the waters at their calmest at the height of summer (July and August).