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Actually, that is exactly what I would’ve voted for. Guam is not as expensive as Hawaii, due to lower housing demand.
BTW, you also omitted American Samoa.
Lol and also NMI...I have always been very intrigued with Saipan. Anyway, Hawaii is my pick but Guam, NMI and American Samoa I would really like to visit them all.
Between these, I would go with Hawaii, but overall for tropical U.S. island I would go with the Florida Keys.
The USVI and Puerto Rico are beautiful but are effectively Third World countries with Third World standards in terms of health care and public safely. Puerto Rico especially is very dangerous, almost like Mexico, outside the tourist resorts. Also like Mexico, you have to be careful about the food and water in Puerto Rico if you're not in a major resort. Also most of Puerto Rico is NOT fluent in English.
Hawaii is wonderful but VERY isolated and not just from the mainland. You have to take a plane just to go from one island to another since there's not even ferries linking them, though you can see Maui from the Big Island. Even the Big Island is only an hour to drive across. Everything is expensive because it must be shipped from the mainland.
The Florida Keys are effectively its own tropical paradise that's not as isolated as Hawaii and everything is up to American standards. The Middle Keys around Marathon and Big Pine Key are my favorite parts. Key West is too crazy and too overrun with tourists (especially when cruise ships are docked), same with Key Largo since its the first island by the mainland.
Wow, this entire paragraph is completely inaccurate.
Lol and also NMI...I have always been very intrigued with Saipan. Anyway, Hawaii is my pick but Guam, NMI and American Samoa I would really like to visit them all.
I've been to all but American Samoa. Saipan and the CNMI is beautiful, but poor and has only basic health care and limited shopping. Guam is a little better off and still beautiful, but limited on health care, schools, shopping (though better than Saipan). USVI has some nice parts, but crime is really high and health care/shopping is limited there as well. At least it's a relatively short trip to the mainland. Puerto Rico has adequate health care and shopping. It's infrastructure is actually better than the rest of the Territories, but still below the level of the states. Crime is high and the economy is not great.
That leaves an easy choice for me- Hawaii. Oahu has most on the conveniences of the mainland, it's wealthy, and has low crime The advantage is less for the other islands in Hawaii, but I'd still probably pick them over the Territories if money was not a factor. If money was a factor, I might go with Guam.
I am not sure if it's still that way, but I Loved the tranquility of St John USVI. Almost the entire island is a national park. Love the beauty and peaceful nature of that island.
I am not sure if it's still that way, but I Loved the tranquility of St John USVI. Almost the entire island is a national park. Love the beauty and peaceful nature of that island.
I hope it's still that way. It's a gorgeous and peaceful place.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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None of the above, as island fever would set in for me within 6 months...but from choices, Honolulu, and only Honolulu. The rest of Hawaii (even Hilo) and USVI would have me feeling like Tom Hanks in Castaway. San Juan has suffered too much devastation in recent years.
I would rather Puerto Rico, Hawaii seems too expensive for what it is.
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