Kauai

Known as the Garden Isle, Kauai is not only a golf paradise, but one of the special spots in the world for honeymooners, ecotourists and folks just looking to get away from it all. From the world-famous Princeville to Poipu Bay, Kauai is home to some of the world's most scenic and spectacular golf courses, but it's also a place where one can get lost in time and beauty.

Kauai is Hawaii's fourth largest island and also the oldest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain. Its landscape features emerald mountains and valleys, tropical rainforests and towering waterfalls, with some areas only accessible by air or boat.

Besides golf, visitors enjoy an endless array of other outdoor activities such as kayaking, snorkeling, surfing, zip-lining or hiking the trails of Kokee State Park.

But if golf is your goal, you won't be disappointed with 10 golf courses on seven venues from which to choose.

Your experience can begin when you get off the plane in Lihue. For example, there's Puakea Golf Course, a wonderful daily-fee course designed by Robin Nelson. And for something a little more upscale and dramatic, the Jack Nicklaus-designed and redesigned Ocean Course at Hokuala (formerly Kauai Lagoons) features one of the most spectacular ocean stretches in the world. Both courses are also close to the legendary Hamura's Saimin, where crowds line up for some of the best Japanese noodle soup on the planet.

On the North Shore, you'll find the recently renovated Makai Golf Club at Princeville, which was spectacularly re-done by original architect Robert Trent Jones II. Or you can try the famous Prince Course at Princeville at Hanalei, another Jones design that received some recent updates. The Prince Course ranks as one of the most difficult in the world.

The South Shore is highlighted by Poipu Bay, another venue that received recent improvements and served as the home of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

And on the east side is Wailua Golf Course, one of the world's best bargain municipals in the world, also featuring a few great ocean views.