- Hawaii is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
- But no place is perfect, not even the Aloha State.
- There's an extreme amount of traffic in Honolulu, and the affordable hotels can be less than ideal.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
When planning your honeymoon, a family vacation, or a treat-yourself trip, Hawaii is probably one of the first destinations that comes to mind. There are beautiful beaches, volcanoes to hike, great food, and historical attractions. It seemingly has everything.
But despite so many desirable qualities, there are a few negatives, too. Overcrowded beaches, overpriced hotels, and less-than-breathtaking views of skyscrapers are some of the realities that come with visiting the 50th state.
Keep scrolling to see what visiting Hawaii is really like.
The minute you hop off the plane, you'll probably want to drive around and see the beauty of the islands.
Hana Highway in Hawaii is one of the most scenic drives in America. The coastal highway takes 620 twists and turns along the outskirts of Maui. You'll see waterfalls, rainforests, and dramatic cliff sides.
But depending on which island you're staying on, you might not be the only one on the road.
Traffic in Honolulu on the island of Oahu is maddening, according to locals. In 2015, Honolulu's traffic was ranked second-worst in the entire US.
Depending on where you stay, driving will be anything but smooth sailing.
But once you're out of traffic, and you finally make it to the beach, you'd be forgiven for craving some peace and quiet.
Hawaiian beaches regularly win the top spot on lists of the best beaches in the US.
But popular beaches like Waikiki Beach are anything but relaxing.
Waikiki Beach is just one of six beaches that Honolulu Magazine called overrated. There are plenty of other things to do in Oahu besides Waikiki, but that doesn't stop tourists from flocking there.
But even if crowds don't bother you, you're probably still expecting clean, pristine sand for your sunbathing pleasure.
On Hawaiian beaches, the color of the sand ranges from white to green to black.
Read more: The World's Most Colorful Beaches
However, beaches are sometimes covered in trash.
Per CNN, "Hawaii has a serious trash problem" as tons of trash has been washing up on its beaches.
Hawaii is also home to one of the dirtiest places in the world: Kamilo Point.
When some people think of Hawaii, they think of nearly untouched landscapes, and islands that are isolated and serene.
For some people, it's a chance to unplug and refresh. The state has amazing hiking, waterfalls, volcanoes, forests, and beaches — it's a nature lover's paradise.
There's plenty of land that's exactly like that — but there are crowded urban spaces, too.
Honolulu is a super urban city filled with skyscrapers. It's a little bit like Miami — which would have probably been cheaper and easier to travel to.
Not every view in the entire state will be of a gorgeous waterfall or beach.
- Read more:
- 19 things people commonly get wrong about Hawaii
- Hawaii's iconic Waikiki Beach could be engulfed by the ocean in 20 years — here's the plan to save it
- Less than a week after a yoga teacher missing for 17 days was rescued from the Hawaiian jungle, the body of another missing hiker has been found
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