WHICH ISLAND IS RIGHT FOR MY CLIENTS?
Hawaii is everything your clients dreamed of: Brilliant rainbows over mist-shrouded valleys, white-sand beaches and red-glazed sunsets sparked by the "green flash" as the sun sinks into the Pacific ocean.
With islands so beautiful and alluring, your clients are probably wondering, which island is right for me?
Hawaii's six main islands offer warm Hawaiian hospitality and a multi-cultural mix, which transcends into an eclectic island-life style for cuisine, activities, customs and language.
Here's information about each island that may help them decide:
OAHU
Surfers with a blue crush and fans searching for the real Blue Hawaii and mainlanders with rainy-blues have long known this island to synonymous with "paradise." Oahu is home to some of the most recognizable landmarks in the world -- Diamond Head's jagged facade, somber Pearl Harbor and bustling Waikiki Beach. The idea waves break at Waikiki, where surfing lessons are taught for all age groups. But Oahu is more than just sand and surf. It's the cosmopolitan hub of the island chain with its power center in Honolulu, the state capital and the nation's 11th largest city. Oahu offers some of the state's best beaches, snorkeling, hiking spots, museums, fabulous shopping, nightlife and five-star restaurants.
KAUAI
Filmmakers are lured by the mystic charm of Kauai's emerald green valleys and majestic waterfalls. Honeymooners hike its cliffs along the rugged Na Pali Coast and sun-bathe on its curvaceous beaches. Nature-lovers love its lush landscape and golfers go for its green vistas. Kauai may be quiet and small, but it has all the offerings of a garden of Eden. Without the bustle of Waikiki, the "Garden Isle" offers adventure with a view -- from panoramic helicopter rides to kayaking on Hawaii's only navigable rivers or driving to Waimea Canyon, the place Mark Twain once described as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." There's quiet drama everywhere you look.
BIG ISLAND
If you're set on seeing red-hot lava, this is the place to go. The main attraction is Kilauea, the largest active volcano in the world, which has been giving its most dramatic performance in years, casting an orange glow on the largest island of the chain and spewing lava hissing into the sea. But even without the help of Pele, the goddess of fire, the Big Island has other hot spots. There's the sometimes snowcapped summit of Mauna Kea, which at 28,000 feet above the ocean floor is touted as the best place on Earth for stargazing. There's night diving off the Kona Coast, where you can swim with the manta rays. And there's space for driving through the most varied landscape Hawaii has to offer - from cactus-studded grasslands to Kona coffee fields to coastal highways edged in coral.
MAUI
Ranked Condé Nast Traveler magazine's "Best Island in the World" for eight years running, this is a place that combines scenic wonder with the sophistication of world-class resorts, superb restaurants and spectacular shopping. Here, you can take a breath-taking drive on the serpentine Hana Highway, where waterfalls spill beside many of the 617 sharp turns and 56 one-lane bridges. You can get up before daybreak and watch the sun rise above the clouds at the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakala, the world's largest dormant volcano. You can gaze out over the ocean to look for humpback whales, snorkel coral reefs, golf the same course as Tiger Woods or simply soak up the tropical sun on a white sand beach. No matter where you go on Maui, you're bound to see rainbows.
MOLOKAI
A hand-lettered sign near the tiny airport here says much about what you can expect: "Slow Down. This is Molokai." There are no bright lights on this shark-shaped island. There's no McDonald's, no movie theater, not even a stop light. The "Friendly Isle" is all about the simple life. You can really unwind here. Or you can turn from city slickers to cowboy at Molokai Ranch. If you want to add spirituality and adventure, take a hike or mule ride down the 26 switchbacks of the world's steepest sea cliff to Kalaupapa, the place "Treasure Island" author Robert Louis Stevenson once described as "the painful shore." Until the 1960s, Kalaupapa was an Alcatraz for those afflicted with leprosy. It's now a national park.
LANAI
On an island where pineapple was once king, golf and tennis, now rule. This is where the elite come to play. Microsoft's Bill Gates and his bride exchanged their marriage vows on the golf greens. Celebrities often seek out Lanai's two lavish resorts, which offers championship golfing and gourmet dining and are about as far away from noisy nightlife as you can get. Along the rugged coastline, a few miles from the village that has kept its plantation ambiance, luxury vacation homes crop up next to a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Lanai pegs itself as "still the place for Utopian dreamers seeking refuge from a hectic world. So peaceful and secluded, Lanai feels like it belongs to another time." Tranquility is what you'll find here.
