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First time in Hawaii - where to?

First time in Hawaii - where to?

Old Oct 3, 2011, 2:38 pm
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Question First time in Hawaii - where to?

Hi FTers,
Started thinking about going with the family to Hawaii April/2012, for some 5-7 days.
Kids are 4.5 & 6.5, love swimming and water activities.
Which island / beach would you recommend?
Hotel / Club / VRBO / AirBnB accommodation?

Thanks,
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Old Oct 5, 2011, 1:58 am
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Originally Posted by ranshe
Hi FTers,
Started thinking about going with the family to Hawaii April/2012, for some 5-7 days.
Kids are 4.5 & 6.5, love swimming and water activities.
Which island / beach would you recommend?
Hotel / Club / VRBO / AirBnB accommodation?

Thanks,
If you do a search in this forum, you'll find lots of ideas. Kauai might be a good choice for little kids since there is no nightlife - and the parents won't be tempted.
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Old Oct 8, 2011, 8:04 pm
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Budget no problem? Go Grand Wailea where they have Disney type water park with slides..

While we've never stayed (as we usually stay at Fairmont Kea Lani), my friends have, and their 5 kids love it there.. For family accomodations in a one bedroom suite in an all suite hotel, we always choose the Kea Lani..

Wailea, Maui is the nicest area in all of the island to vacation.. Their real estate is also out of this world (2,800 sq ft condo in a four plex configuration ocean front priced at $4 million), so be prepared to pay some coin for accomodations in Wailea..
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Old Oct 8, 2011, 10:03 pm
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Poipu, Kauai is a good option

Originally Posted by ranshe
Hi FTers,
Started thinking about going with the family to Hawaii April/2012, for some 5-7 days.
Kids are 4.5 & 6.5, love swimming and water activities.
Which island / beach would you recommend?
Hotel / Club / VRBO / AirBnB accommodation?

Thanks,
Poipu beach area in Kauai is a good option. The "main" Poipu beach is well sheltered by a reef, so good for smaller kids with no big wave worries. Its also not very crowded, certainly not by SoCal standards, which at least for me reduces the worry factor with kids enormously And you have a range of condo/hotel/house rental options to choose from. We always rent a condo on the water and walking distance to the beach, since having a real kitchen and washer/dryer is a huge win with kids, but there are some very tempting houses also. Basically, price is driven by size and location, so you can always save money by either moving inland a couple of hundred yards or by choosing a smaller/plainer space.

And there are still some very good restaurants if you do get a sitter for a night or two.

Lots of good options on all the islands, for us the deciding factor is the lack of crowds and mellow atmosphere of Kauai.

Bob
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Old Oct 13, 2011, 1:29 am
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Big island seems preferred now

So it seems big island is preferred now, flying in/out of KOA.
Stay there? Move around?
Budget IS an issue, so no fancy $zillion hotels for us
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Old Oct 13, 2011, 2:28 pm
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Originally Posted by ranshe
So it seems big island is preferred now, flying in/out of KOA.
Stay there? Move around?
Budget IS an issue, so no fancy $zillion hotels for us
I don't have any specific suggestions on the Big Island, but would strongly recommend condo/house rental vs a hotel. Especially with kids, I find having a real kitchen saves us a lot of money vs eating at the hotel or in restaurants for every meal.

I would bet that even if you pay a bit more for a condo than a hotel, you'd end up saving money overall by virtue of doing most of your own cooking.

Bob
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Old Oct 13, 2011, 2:52 pm
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Thanks, good point

Originally Posted by bpratt
I don't have any specific suggestions on the Big Island, but would strongly recommend condo/house rental vs a hotel. Especially with kids, I find having a real kitchen saves us a lot of money vs eating at the hotel or in restaurants for every meal.

I would bet that even if you pay a bit more for a condo than a hotel, you'd end up saving money overall by virtue of doing most of your own cooking.

Bob
Thanks Bob, already looking @ AirBnB & VRBO.
However, I might be able to use points for hotel, but I'll keep that in mind.
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Old Oct 13, 2011, 3:15 pm
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You might check into renting a timeshare (e.g. Hilton Grand Vacations Club).
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Old Oct 13, 2011, 3:20 pm
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Thanks, good idea

Originally Posted by 1st Cav Vet
You might check into renting a timeshare (e.g. Hilton Grand Vacations Club).
Any other recommended clubs like that?
"There are no HHonors Reward Certificate rooms available for <time I want> at Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort."
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Old Oct 13, 2011, 6:44 pm
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Originally Posted by ranshe
So it seems big island is preferred now, flying in/out of KOA.
Stay there? Move around?
Budget IS an issue, so no fancy $zillion hotels for us
Budget at a hotel.. or do you need room?

You can get a decent condo in Kona for less than $100 per night.. some of them with an ocean view..

I've heard you can get a hole in the wall hotel in Kona for $140 per night with ocean view as well.. just got to shop around a bit and see what's out there..
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Old Oct 15, 2011, 2:38 am
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Have you looked at the Aulani Disney Resort @ Ko'Olina on Oahu? Great lagoons for swimming and lots of family activities. Easy flight direct to Oahu from S.D.
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Old Oct 15, 2011, 7:18 am
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Originally Posted by Anthemflyer
Have you looked at the Aulani Disney Resort @ Ko'Olina on Oahu? Great lagoons for swimming and lots of family activities. Easy flight direct to Oahu from S.D.
^ I was going to suggest that also. Kids would enjoy it. Reviews on other sites seem favorable. Might start a thread here to see if anyone has stayed. We booked a short stay there this summer (want to check it out. No kids. So figure a 3-4 days will be plenty) and then will head to Waikiki to a more adult location. The JW Marriott Ihilani is right next door and shares the lagoon. Aulani is expensive-- standard room is around $450 - since it is so new haven't seen any discounts yet.
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Old Oct 15, 2011, 9:57 pm
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Originally Posted by Anthemflyer
Have you looked at the Aulani Disney Resort @ Ko'Olina on Oahu? Great lagoons for swimming and lots of family activities. Easy flight direct to Oahu from S.D.
Originally Posted by davesam12
^ I was going to suggest that also. Kids would enjoy it. Reviews on other sites seem favorable. Might start a thread here to see if anyone has stayed. We booked a short stay there this summer (want to check it out. No kids. So figure a 3-4 days will be plenty) and then will head to Waikiki to a more adult location. The JW Marriott Ihilani is right next door and shares the lagoon. Aulani is expensive-- standard room is around $450 - since it is so new haven't seen any discounts yet.
Looked into it.. and at Disneyland, went to Disney Vacation Club, to price out Aulani..

Still its $60K to buy a week peak season.. plus $2,800 a year for maintenance (point fee annual)..

and at $450 to $500 booking outside as public, may as well get other accomodations.. We'll just visit the site at those prices..

There was a 25% off introductory sale.. but I couldn't get spring break, as it was far off in the horizon.. and not bookable..
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Old Oct 17, 2011, 3:50 pm
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Family Travel to Hawaii

Hi ranshe,

I travel to Hawaii every year with my kids (ages 5/9). Hawaii is a great place for families. You'll love it. If you haven't been to Hawaii before each island is very different. I'd suggest visiting the Hawaii Tourism site; GoHawaii.com. They do a great job explaining the differences.

Given your kids are younger I'm guessing you probably won't be straying too far from the resort. I've found a great beach, pool and a condo/villa with a kitchen can really make the trip.

Here are the family friendly hotels/resorts on each island:

Kauai:
Westin Villas - New concept resort in Hawaii. You can rent studio/one bedroom villas with kitchen and washer dryer. Great network of pools. They also offer grocery service.

Sheraton Kauai - Only hotel located right on Poipu Beach. Gentle surf perfect for kids. There are only a few beaches on Kauai that I'd recommend for kids. This island is more about scenic beauty and a laid back vacation. If you want beaches, Maui has the most with over 80 beaches.

Oahu:
Aulani - Disney service done in an authentic Hawaiian way
Kahala - They have dolphins and green sea turtles right on the property. You can pay a little extra for a dolphin encounter where you get in the water with them.
Outrigger Reef - located in Waikiki. Completely renovated and a great value right on the beach.

Maui:
Westin Villas - New concept resort in Hawaii. You can rent studio/one bedroom villas with kitchen and washer dryer. Great network of pools. They also offer grocery service.

Grand Wailea - incredible network of pools. They also have an elevator that is pushed up by water. Very cool!

Big Island
Marriott - has a nice protected sand beach perfect for kids Not all hotels on the Big Island have a beach. You'll want to ask that question before booking. A lot of ocean front isn't friendly for kids or swimming.

Hilton Waikoloa Village - Huge network of lagoons perfect for snorkeling. They have a Dolphin Qwest program on property where you can see the Dolphins and pay extra to interact with them. This is a big property with a lot to explore. It has a tram and water ferry to take you around the property.

Hope this helps.

Aloha,

Jim - owner - Travel Beyond
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Old Oct 17, 2011, 6:05 pm
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Thanks Jim, this is great info.
I'll head to the web site you provided later.

How's the Sheraton on the Big Island (beaches / other aspects)?
Any other beaches / cities to explore on the Big Island?

Thanks,
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