Originally Posted by CO FF
IMO, the question is "Once you've been to the historical sites of Pearl Harbor, why would anyone want to be in a down-market version of South Beach (albeit with an Asian flair rather than a Latin flair) when one could be enjoying the extreme natural beauty of Maui, from Haleakala, to Hana to the sugarcane plantations of the northwest, to the beaches, etc. etc. etc."
There is much more to Oahu than Pearl Harbor (although the USS Arizona Memorial is a must see and an incredibly moving experience). Think climbing Diamond Head and snorkeling Hanauma Bay for starters.
I find that many who are disappointed with Oahu wound up that way because they failed to go beyond Waikiki. Oahu has some world class beaches that stack up favorably with Maui: Sandy Beach, Makapu'u, Lanikai, and Waimea, just to name a few.