I want to go with my son during his winter break. Never been to any of these 2 but he really likes the beach so I’d like to take him to a proper tropical place this time.
Hawaii. Beautiful scenery, culture, food. Florida has a beach yes , but also ugly cities and some terrible. floridians
Hawaii. I used to live in Florida and while it has some pretty places and neat things, most of it is generic grubby little towns, trailer parks and lots and lots of rednecks. And most of isn’t very tropical.
Plus, Hawaii has volcanoes, which are always cool.
YMMV.
I grew up in Hawaii and used to visit Florida because my grandmother had a winter place there. I agree with your comment completely.
Florida is canceled. Hawaii.
I’d consider Puerto Rico as well, it’s the best place to see bioluminescence and that seems worth the trip to me.
It’s great, but expensive. Although I guess I only thought so because of the American dollar at the time (not American).
I mean… the alternative is Hawaii, which isn’t at all the bastion of ‘cheap vacations’.
Fair. Never been. Just was surprised at the cost back in the day when I wasn’t exactly sure what currency was used in Puerto Rico. Great place though. Should go back at some point.
Thanks
Hawaii, because Florida.
In reality, you’re asking a VERY left part of the internet. Florida is a diverse and varied pla…
Nah just kidding, fuck Florida. Hawaii is incredible, too, and I’d really consider it if the budget allows. Also look at Bermuda, Bahamas, Puerto Rico
Hawaii has been calling for tourists not to come because it’s an exploitative industry iirc.
Like all positions, this is nuanced. There is a lot of rebuilding on hold in Maui due to toxicity concerns with debris. So locals are rather upset tourists are getting lodging while some locals have trouble being housed. Yet at the same time, tourism is the economy. So the locals can’t both want people to stay away from them and expect their money… this isn’t a marriage.
Puerto Rico.
Hawaii is better than Florida in every way. I like Maui the most with Kuaii in a close second. Florida is packed and full of the dumbest people you’ll ever meet. Hawaiians are generally chill. The weather is better in Hawaii and the state is leagues of magnitude prettier. I’ve vacationed multiple times in both states and I would spend the extra to go to Hawaii everytime, both for political reasons and because it’s way better.
Puerto Rico is lovely
If travel time and cost doesn’t matter, I would always pick Hawaii over Florida any time of year. If travel time matters, then I’d look at the Caribbean before Florida for anyone on the East coast. Florida would be my last choice if I needed to keep things cheaper.
I moved to Florida specifically so that I could live at the beach. Go to Hawaii.
Dec/Jan is the Florida high season, so everything is crowded and accommodations will be pricey. If your vacation truly is in Jan though, Hawaii will actually be quiet (end of December is super crowded tho).
If you do go to Florida, look at Naples up to Tampa on the gulf coast, or key west. The people are much nicer than Floridians on the east coast
People become nicer on the east coast of Florida as you go away from Miami.
I lived in Melbourne for a while and I’ve gotta disagree with you on that.
Hawaii overall is nicer and more expensive than Florida, however Florida easily has the better beaches. Snorkeling is going to be better in Hawaii, but the beaches themselves are pretty rocky and kind of mid, to be honest. Florida knows its beaches are the money makers and goes the extra mile to make them nice. The sand is well groomed and it’s that powdery white sand that feels incredible.
Thanks. My son likes sunbathing / lounging on the beach, playing around / swimming in the water close to the shore the most; so the actual beach is really important.
Waimanalo Beach is what you want!
Black rock or old airport, nā maiki’loa kahakai 🙂
(For those playing along at home, those “best beaches” are on the Big Island, while my suggestion is on Oahu.)
Thanks for the recommendation!
Florida would be the better option imo. During that time frame it won’t be tourist season, so those beaches won’t be over crowded either. Florida beaches get kind of nuts at spring break time. The flipside of that is that not everywhere will be open. I visited Destin in Feb before and some of the more tourist spots, like Shed BBQ for example, were closed.
Hear me out: Belize!
We’re not going to the States for 10 years now, at least.
Try Aruba.
Florida is going to be absolutely overwhelmed with MAGA during that time-frame.
