Hawaii - the Aloha State - welcomes and seduces visitors with its plumeria-scented sea breezes and tropical warmth. This is where East merges with West in a blur of hula and hip-hop, soap operas and creation myths, junk food and Japanese tea ceremonies, Shinto shrines and surf clubs.

Mark Twain declared Hawaii to be 'the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean', and not even 50 years of mass tourism have managed to prove him wrong. Whether your thing is volcano spotting, surfing or hanging loose on the beach, this is the place to indulge yourself.