Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Hawaii (Honolulu), Tahiti (Papetee) or Fiji (Nadi)? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
nites 17:45 UTC 30 May 2007 | Hi, could anybody give me a hint which of these islands is the best to go? I'm planning my RTW-Trip and for this I don't know, which island is the best for me. I like to stay there for 1 week, doing holiday. So please, help me to decide. Thx nites |
nites 18:39 UTC 30 May 2007 | Oh, I forget to ask (and don't know how to edit my above entry): - what kind of people are living on the above islands? - which one of these is the most expensive one? - how is snorkling there? - which one has the best beach? | 1
Laszlo 22:25 UTC 30 May 2007 | Tahiti is widely considered the most expensive (and possibly most beautiful) one. Hawaii is mostly inhabited by non-native people, on Tahiti Polynesians mix with French colonialists, in Fiji Melanesians with Indians. So my vote goes for Fiji - it may not be as strikingly beautiful as the two Polynesian archipelagos scenically, but is both the cheapest one and the one with the best snorkelling, I believe. It's also the only independent country among the three, which does give it a stronger local character, I assume. I am pretty sure you could find great beaches at any of the three, but you must get off the main islands to reach the best ones. People who stick to the main island of Tahiti or Fiji often come away disappointed by poor beaches. | 2
nites 03:30 UTC 31 May 2007 | Thanks Laszlo for your detailed answer! Are there any other opinions? I ask again, because my route will differ on this decision (the prize for it also ;-) ). Perhaps I've to read a few more tourist informations, too... | 3
jeaniej 05:01 UTC 31 May 2007 | Personally, I agree with Laszlo. However, it depends greatly on your budget, interests and exactly what you picture your holiday will give you. If you want swaying palms and white sand beaches, ease of travel (which can mean $$), good snorkelling and have a reasonably flexible budget, go to Tahiti. If you want modern facilities, cleanliness and variety of foods, probably either Tahiti or Hawaii. Fiji is cheaper than both Tahiti and Hawaii, the snorkelling can be great (depending on where you go), food variety is more limited, (although you will be closer to the things you eat ie freshly caught fish and dalo straight from the gardens), some facilities are definitely third world - however, big smiles wherever you go and enough palms to remind you that you are visiting an island in the pacific. I love Fiji. It gets my vote. | 4
copperspoon 07:29 UTC 31 May 2007 | Fiji, then Tahiti, then-way down below buffalo hell-hawaii. | 5
whalesurfs 12:52 UTC 31 May 2007 | Inter-island travel is extremely easy in Hawaii (there are only 6 inhabited islands), and it has the best of both world: you have a real urban city of Honolulu (only rivaled by Rio, IMHO) if you want a weekend of nightlife, Museums, WWII stuff, Universities, etc... you also have great hiking and outdoor activities, probably the best surfing, white, green, and black sand beaches, snorkeling, and of course a live volcano and lava flow (awesome!). If youre looking for culture, then I would say Hawaii is a highly dilluted, no matter how much the immigrants say Aloha! In that regard Fiji would be the better option since you can still find several islands inhabited by real Fijians. Tahiti is expensive and best saved for your honemoon (or so I am told). Both Fiji and Honolulu are travel Hubs, so getting to either one is easy, whereas Tahiti is more remote. Have you also considered Mauritius, Reunion, or Seychelles? | 6
nites 13:56 UTC 31 May 2007 | @copperspoon: I can only choose one - I havn't got enough money to make to much stop overs. My whole journey will only be three and a half months. So, unfortunately, I have to decide. @whalesurfs: Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles are contrary to my route. When I'll visit Africa, I'll go there... @all: Thx for your "impressions". | 7
copperspoon 22:00 UTC 31 May 2007 | I meant in order of preference. Take Fiji-get off the tourist track and you'll be right. | 8
nukuhiva2 22:08 UTC 01 Jun 2007 | Hawaii is an American state with all its advantages and disadvantages: English is spoken by everyone, there are more non-Polynesians than Polynesians, it's very touristy, Honolulu is a large city, there are many gorgeous beaches on all the islands, the mountains are very beautiful, there is an active volcano you can observe, the dollar is really cheap this year which will help greatly when budgeting. Tahiti and its sister islands are all much smaller than the Hawaiian islands. The lagoons are just beautiful, there are many areas with very few tourists, the population is Polynesian, they have the very best dancers (my personal and very obstinate opinion). French is spoken by everyone, English by people involved in tourism related businesses. The currency is directly linked to the Euro. I don't know Fidji except from photos and film and reports from other travelers which range from "I won't go back, it was boring" to " it's so beautiful and the people are so friendly". | 9