Kauai and Maui tantalise, but can't dazzle on short exposure

When I returned home from my cruise I Googled the Marriott Kuaui to remind myself of the beach at which I'd spent my day on that island. Up popped a mouthwatering vision of a tropical paradise, rich in vibrant greens and blues. It bore little resemblance to the beach I remembered, with dun coloured sand and views of brownish-green, scrubby hills under a gray, blustery sky that reminded me of nothing so much as Cornwall.

This highlights one of the greatest dangers of cruising. You have a tiny window of opportunity in each port. The weather and your choice of activity have a disproportionate impact on your whole perception of the place. And on Kuaui, I made a mistake. This island is famed for rugged natural beauty, but you don't see anything very spectacular around where the ship docks. Here, I should have invested in a tour to go see some of the natural wonders. Instead (and, to be honest, trying to save some money), I opted to hang out on the beach that was walking distance from the ship.

An impressive Marriott lays claim to most of the land behind this small bay. There's a boardwalk along the beach, lined with hotel bars, restaurants and services more than happy to make some extra cash off the cruisers. Then a strip of grass and palms, then the beach itself. As with all our other stops, it was fairly rough and too cold to go in past your knees. We had a pleasant day sitting at a picnic table in an adjacent public park, watching the surfers, drinking cocktails in cans procured from the local ABC shop and worshiping the sun when it occasionally deigned to shine. It was a pleasant but unremarkable day. Of the glories of Kuaui I can report nothing, as they clearly required an investment in exploration that I didn't make. Learn from me, dear readers...

I fared better on Maui, thanks to a combination of a good tour, a charming tourist town and better weather.

This island is famous for its whales. They caused the original Western colonisation of this place as hunters followed them for their oil, and today they rake in just as much cash, I'm sure, as a tourist draw. They come here to mate and give birth, and they love to wallow in the channel between Maui and the smaller island of Lanai. It is almost impossible not to see them during the winter season, so large are their numbers. The whale watching boats are skilled at catching their signs, then piloting to the right area and loitering for a look. Over the course of an hour we saw at least ten different animals, both close and in the distance, and spent most of our time with one mother and child. We were blessed to see the mother breach (leap all the way out of the water and splash back down) and we watched many times as they flipped their tales up before diving. I wasn't quick enough to grab a photo, but it looked exactly like the professional shot substituted here.

Satisfied with our aquatic adventures, we headed to shore for an exploration of Lahaina. This is a quaint, small ocean-front town, with a curious feel of the Northeast coast of America due to the whalers who first settled here. To its disadvantage, it's heaving with tourists. Inevitable when 2000+ cruisers disgorge on what's actually a cozy backwater. But I found it a delight to wander around in, and imagine it would be particularly lovely on a day when no ship loomed on the horizon.

Lahaina's shops impressed with more than the usual selection of tropic wear and macadamia nuts. There are art and craft galleries, jewelry stores and interesting little boutiques. Top quality buskers play jazz under tropical trees. There are some proper cultural offerings, including a courthouse, a Chinese heritage museum and a remarkable banyan tree that's been an outdoor assembly area for centuries. My favourite attraction was a little park filled with reconstructions of native Hawaiian houses assembled as a village across from the local Hilo Hatties outlet. We were the only people there; clearly, local history is not high on most visitors' agendas.

We treated ourselves to lunch at Kimo's, one of the best known restaurants on the strip. I say treated because when you've already paid for food on the ship, and there's so much of it, buying a meal ashore can seem like a waste of time and money. It would have been hard to beat this setting, however. A large, black stone terrace hanging right over the sea, with views to neighbouring Lanai and, every so often, of a whale's hump. Blazing sunshine. Giant Mai Tai's served in gloriously tacky glass tiki god heads. (I was extremely tempted to buy a couple, dreams of tiki parties at home dancing in my head, but resisted.) The burgers were satisfying, followed by their trademark Hula Pie, which was memorable enough to stand out on a cruise laden with great desserts. (Chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, chocolate fudge topping, more macadamia nuts.)

Of all the islands, it was Maui that left me with the deepest sense of disappointment when we pulled away. There was obviously so much to do. The views from the ship were the most spectacular (greenest, highest hills, distant islands), and the beaches in sight suggested that I might find something closer to my desires here. I was practically salivating at the thought of snorkeling Molokini, a volcanic crater, now mostly submerged, that time has transformed into a rich reef.

We visited four islands, each with their own allure. If I had a chance to return? With the taster tour complete, I'd say the ideal is ten days on Maui with a long weekend in transit through Honolulu. But given expense and distance, dear reader, I suspect it will be quite a while before Ferrara's View comes from the South Pacific again.