Many, many years ago, my husband and I went to Hawaii to visit my uncle without my mother coming along. My uncle took my husband and me to visit Kauai, which is probably the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands, and we had an amazingly good time. My uncle was a bit of a tartar and a bit of a stuffed shirt at times, but when he decided it was pau hana and he was in the mood to have fun, he was a great person to be around.
He was also an excellent tour guide (neither Larry nor I had been to Kauai before this), and driving around the island to see places my aunt had lived when she was growing up was enjoyable (see above about beauty) and moving (since my uncle wasn't the greatest at showing emotions.