crf450x

Been going several times a year to Maui for the past 5 years and still haven't taken the Road to Hana. Primarily because we have two elementary age kids and don't think they would tolerate the whole day excursion mostly in the car with occasional stops to see the sights. In fact, I don't think my wife and I would want to burn a whole day doing the Road to Hana from Kaanapali and miss a day of just hanging out at the beach and going snorkling.

The last think I want to do while I am on vacation is sit in the car. We did drive up to see the Blow Hole north of Kapalua and that was cool and the views were awesome but even that curvy road was starting to get too much for the kids and wife.

However, in late May, early June 2013 we will have a week at Kings Land on the Big Island before we head to Maui for a week at WKORV. We will have 3 days and 2 nights between the Big Island and Maui so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to spend a few days in Hana.

My original plan was to spend those 2 nights at the Grand Wailea which we love for the pool, but now that my kids are 8 & 6 I think they can now appreciate the beauty and have a great time checking out the sights in and around Hana. Although if it were up to them, our decision would already have been made for the Grand Wailea.

Looking online for places to stay don't show too many options. There is the Travaasa resort but that seems to be "Adults only" and not good for young kids. Plus it doesn't have TV's. I know, why do you need a TV when you are in paradise? We are not big TV people and our kids do not watch much TV, but when we are on vacation we do like to watch movies at night as a family after we have been out enjoying everything the Islands have to offer. If there were night life options like going to shave ice in the evening, the TV's wouldn't be such a big issue but from what I hear, Hana shuts down early and there isn't much to do at night except RELAX, which sounds great to me but I can see it getting too slow for the kids. My kids do love to read so the TV is not a make or break decision.

I noticed several other B&B's also do not allow young children under 12 and only the Travaasa Hana pop up on the online travel booking sites.

Anyone have experience with places to stay in Hana with children? What activities to do during the day? Good beaches for snorkling, boogie boarding and SUP? Must see places?

davesam12

Travaasa Hana hotel/resort is heavenly btw. Yes, Hana is perfect for quiet, rest and seclusion. If accomodations having no tv is a deal breaker -- Your choices are limited. Contact any rental in advance and make sure tv in room is available for your children. Beware of private rentals a few are dumps. You show up and not what represented. We had a bad experience once, several years ago, ended up leaving booked condo once we laid eyes on it and thank goodness what was then called Hana Maui Resort had openings. Once you commit to overnighting in Hana it can be problematic to change one's mind.

crf450x

Davesam12, thanks for the info. Looking at the list of hotels and B&Bs on Tripadvisor has me considering Hana Kai Maui. They don't have TV's which isn't a deal breaker if we bring along enough books for the kids to entertain themselves with.

Going on their website we can choose between the various rooms they offer and they all seem to have their own character. Prices seem reasonable. What we are afraid of is exactly what you spoke about. Many of the smaller B&Bs have mixed reviews and some peoples adequate may be our idea of a Motel 6, which is not our style. We like "Rustic Charm" but not too much "Rustic". We don't just want a place to lay our head to sleep we want a clean, unique Hana experience and a good base to explore all the area has to offer.

The Travaasa Hana does look very nice but seems like they dont encourage families with kids. That was my 1st choice and seems like the only higher end choice in Hana.

crf450x

Have Booked Room #1 at Hana Kai Maui. Looked and studied each of the rooms and this Corner Ocean Front Room looks great. Very excited to stay here and completely get away from everything yet still have internet access to do a few hours of work each day.

Anybody stay here before?

Recreation

This place was recommended to me on another site.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ui_Hawaii.html

crf450x

That place looks great being right across the street from Hamoa beach but they have a maximum occupancy of 2 in each of their units.

Boraxo

Cannot recommend this establishment as the condo we had was fairly run down. The walls were paper thin and we could hear a lot of noise from other residents and children that were up late into the night.

Both Mrs. B and I agreed that if we visit Hana again we would go with the former Hotel Hana-Maui (now "Travaasa") which we visited and was clearly an outstanding property in terms of rooms, service and food. The only downsides are (1) Very pricey (even by Maui standards) (2) Not child friendly and (3) No TV or internet. I normally don't require 5* accommodations but IMO this is the only establishment where I would spend my $$ in Hana.

Also note at the time we visited (late 2005) there were precious few dining option in Hana outside this hotel. Not sure if that has changed... my favorites was the recommendation to visit "the guy who barbeques fish on his brother's lawn" on the road as you approach Hana for lunch. Great meal there.

As for daytime activity that is actually one thing you don't need to worry about. There are so many beaches to visit plus the national park (7 pools I think) which is a bit of a drive, your challenge will be finding time to see it all.

crf450x

Boraxo, what unit did you stay in? I heard that could make a huge difference.

The reviews on Tripadvisor are very high and there is plenty of talk about the walls being thin. But even with the thin walls most seem to be very pleased with their stay at the Hana Kai. There seem to be a few rooms where people were not as pleased but for the most part it has very good reviews. With kids, there are very few options in Hana and I believe since each of the rooms at Hana Kai are individually owned, each unit has its own character. Unit #1 seems to be nicely renovated and the view with the waves crashing just a stones throw away... I don't think it gets better than that... After a few days, we will be back in the hustle and bustle of Lahaina and living it up at the WKORV.