Guam holiday - Christmas 2008.

Over Christmas 2008, my wife & I spent a week on the Pacific island of Guam, a destination seldom featured in UK tour operators products. The island is in the far western Pacific, which sounds like taking an eternity to reach, but is actually slightly less flying time than Hawaii is by going via Japan. Tokyo - Guam is just over 3hrs, and flights connect with the overnight direct flights from London. So why choose Guam over, say, Indian Ocean or Caribbean destinations ? Air fares and hotel rates over Christmas don't rocket to the extent they do to many destinations was one attraction, Guam's peak is more over New Year than Christmas itself, and we left there on 29 December. Most of the internationally recognised brand of hotel chains have resort hotels on Guam, we choose the Westin Resort and upgraded to a club room on the 20th floor. The Westin is on Tumon Bay with other resort hotels nearby, Tumon is one of two lovely bays some mile or so long, reef protected from the open ocean and great for swimming and snorkelling. Guam is the holiday playground for the Japanese and Koreans, especially in winter, and this is reflected in the restaurants and shops in the area of Tumon, with recognised American brands vying for your dollars with Oriental products and food. Guam is US territory, customs and immigration is like anywhere else entering the US. Tumon is only around 15 minutes from Guam's modern airport, so no long transfer times. We took a day out from the beach with a guide to drive us around the island to show us the colonial historical side of Guam. Guam was in Spanish hands from being discovered in the 16th century until 1898, and evidence of Spanish influence is preserved today. World War 2 saw Guam in Japanese hands, and was liberated again in July 1944 by the US. Since then, and due to it's strategic position, a considerable US Air Force and Navy base has built up, occupying a fair proportion of the overall island. Our guide drove us around the southern tip of the island, which save for a few local villages isn't developed much for tourism. This is the Pacific side, and the sea here drops into the vastness of the Marianas Trench, the rough water having a menacing dark blue colour to it, so it's understandable no tourist hotels have sprung up in this area. With regular stop-offs at points of interest, it was about 4 hours around the island and well worth doing. Guam has a typically tropical climate like the Caribbean, so no problem to go there in our winter, but beware of rainy seasons during summer. All in all, an interesting, different island and one easily combinable with any trip to Japan.