Thanks.
I'd say go and visit. Always great when you've got friends who live in a certain destination. All the more want to visit as they can show you around.
My brother just got back from 5 weeks in New Zealand earlier this year. The girl he's dating ... her best friend lives there and just had her 1st kid. She went down there to stay with her for an extended holiday, and invited my brother to join them. One of the highlights too was getting out of his city for a long stretch of winter. Said it was a good experience The family over there welcomed him in, he got a chance to see what living with her is like GF-wise, and they got to roadtrip for the 2nd half of the trip.