Hawaii is AWESOME, but so very far from the East Coast. Go to Aruba or Virgin Islands instead (which are kinda similar). Save Hawaii for a very special trip, no shorter than 10-14 nights, 2 islands.

I prefer costa rica/yucatan (closer, cheaper, and I prefer the food in latin america), but Hawaii is fun!

Comparing it to 'Europe' is a bit non-nonsensical.

Anonymous wrote:You cannot get Poke in Europe. Enough said!

https://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/best-for/best-poke-bowls-in-london_9600

https://www.doitinparis.com/en/les-meilleurs-poke-bowls-de-paris-23132

When my parents came back from Hawaii, they commented that Hawaii had similarities to the Caribbean except that it was a lot further and more expensive.

Europe would be a different traveling experience than Hawaii depending on where you go. Europe may not necessarily be cheaper than Hawaii. Traveling in Spain and Germany wasn't expensive but Denmark, Norway Switzerland, and England were quite expensive.

You cannot get Poke in Europe. Enough said!

The first time I went to Hawaii (Kauai) I had literally never seen so much green and so many waterfalls. On the Big Island I have walked next to actual lava. I also have a strong interest in hula and Hawaiian history, so I love Hawaii. That said, Hawaii is far from the East Coast, expensive, and not for everyone. Which is also why I recommend visiting islands other than Oahu (with the exception of visiting Pearl Harbor, but that can be done as a day trip from the other islands). If you would like to experience Hawaii, think about your interests and choose the island that's the best match. And accept that unless you're flying first/business class, the flights there are exhausting. To me, worth it, but not for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything is so expensive and it’s cheaper to go to Europe!

They are completely different vacations. It makes no sense to compare those two locations to each other.

I've been to Hawaii once and Europe many times (and I lived there for a while). This PP is right -- they're completely different destinations (not to mention that Europe is a continent and Hawaii is, like, a single state). It's like saying "Japan is so overrated because London is closer." Ok so.

I loved Hawaii, but if you're looking to spend a weekend on the beach, sure, it's an expensive and long trek when the Caribbean is right there (if you're in DC). Culturally, it's wildly different from any other place in the US except maybe Alaska.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the ridiculous COVID restrictions, yes.

Otherwise, no. It's incredible/otherworldly. and I am not a beach person.

We were just there. It was refreshing how people just wore masks inside without any complaint or fuss, and otherwise just went about their business. Really no “ridiculous COVID restrictions” at all. I was glad everyone had to be vaccinated or tested in order to go. Makes sense and isn’t different from going to Europe or returning to the US in that area.

They wanted 10 day quarantines for *domestic* visitors - they are not a sovereign country, no other US state was doing this. And their definition of unvaccinated (and therefore must do quarantine) included kids traveling with vaxxed/boosted parents. No thanks. I'm not talking about masking; I don't mind masks.

You also need to keep in mind that while it is a state Hawaii is isolated from all the other states. They don’t have the hospitals out infrastructure to deal with a big outbreak so they were a bit more justified in quarantine and other Covid requirements. We went last summer. This who were unvaccinated just needed a negative test no big deal and worth it. At least we didn’t have to test to come home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the ridiculous COVID restrictions, yes.

Otherwise, no. It's incredible/otherworldly. and I am not a beach person.

We were just there. It was refreshing how people just wore masks inside without any complaint or fuss, and otherwise just went about their business. Really no “ridiculous COVID restrictions” at all. I was glad everyone had to be vaccinated or tested in order to go. Makes sense and isn’t different from going to Europe or returning to the US in that area.

They wanted 10 day quarantines for *domestic* visitors - they are not a sovereign country, no other US state was doing this. And their definition of unvaccinated (and therefore must do quarantine) included kids traveling with vaxxed/boosted parents. No thanks. I'm not talking about masking; I don't mind masks.

There is no quarantine if you are vaccinated or take a test before entry. Including kids.

And yes, at times during the pandemic lots of other states had mandatory quarantines.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the ridiculous COVID restrictions, yes.

Otherwise, no. It's incredible/otherworldly. and I am not a beach person.

We were just there. It was refreshing how people just wore masks inside without any complaint or fuss, and otherwise just went about their business. Really no “ridiculous COVID restrictions” at all. I was glad everyone had to be vaccinated or tested in order to go. Makes sense and isn’t different from going to Europe or returning to the US in that area.

They wanted 10 day quarantines for *domestic* visitors - they are not a sovereign country, no other US state was doing this. And their definition of unvaccinated (and therefore must do quarantine) included kids traveling with vaxxed/boosted parents. No thanks. I'm not talking about masking; I don't mind masks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How weird to compare it to Europe lol

Not the OP, but I don’t think they’re so much comparing them as deciding which so-called “must visit” locale is worth their vacation money right now. Many (most?) people might get one big trip a year, if that. Don’t know what you’re lol’ing about.

My initial reaction was LOL as well. OP didn’t clarify. You read a lot into their once sentencr.

Europe is 200x as big! To me it wasn’t the best comparison either. I read it like comparing a very unique state/islands in the pacific to a non-specific place in a country with various climates, cultures, etc. Hawaii vs Ukraine?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Hawaii wants you to leave them alone right now.

Not true after March 26. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/03/02/hawaii-safe-travels-covid-restrictions/

Waikiki Beach is overrated. Other parts of Oahu were worth it. Kauai was much better still. Definitely a must return location. Plan to combine Kauai with Maui (instead of Oahu) on next visit.

Speak for yourself. I love waikiki. Much more fun than Maui and Big Island.

I felt like Waikiki was packed with tacky corporate stores and tacky rich people or tacky people pretending to be rich. If I wanted big city shopping I'd just go to NYC, not to Hawaii.

From the east coast, I think a similarly cool but much cheaper and easier vacation is Costa Rica. Similar weather, lots to do for families, some beaches and outdoors. But it’s only a 1-2 hour time difference and the flight is much shorter, especially direct.

The beaches in Hawaii are better, but if all you want are good beaches, the Caribbean has really nice ones.

On the West Coast it’s a little bit of a different story, and actually every time I was going to Hawaii I was flying back from Asia being stationed there with my family. It was a good stop over.

Hawaii is awesome and so worth it. Depends on what you want. Mountain in the morning and beach in the afternoon or museum by day and rocky beaches. It’s apples and oranges.

I think it’s great but so far away that we end up picking other destinations like the Caribbean, Central America (or yes Europe).