Maui

Maui, Maui, Maui! How do I begin describing this place? Our travel agent assured us that this island is a must-see and would be the highlight of our Hawaii trip, but in retrospect we're not sure we'd agree. In one sense it is true, Maui is much less developed than Oahu and has a more traditional Hawaiian feel, but the downside to that is that there are less palm trees, less dancing girls, less 'aloha' and 'mahalo' greetings, and it feels more like an unpolished volcanic island rather than sun-kissed tropical paradise.

Maui is blessed by natural beauty, no doubt, but unless you're a water sports fanatic, you may find yourself wondering what all the hype is about.

We had some good times scuba diving in the Molokini Crater, learning to surf, driving the 'Road to Hana', biking down Haleakala volcano, watching the windsurfers at Paia, walking through natural bamboo forests and seeing the classically Hawaiian waterfalls and seacliffs.

The downside to Maui for us was the weather. Coming from England, the last thing we want on a holiday is sunshine one minute and then sideways lashing rain the next ... I mean save yourself a few thousand bucks and book a week in Skegness!

Maui ... a beautiful place, a windsurfing shrine, but don't be deluded into thinking that you'll get a deep sun tan there.