Hawaii help?!

[Kristilyn1]

Okay, I've searched other threads but can't find exactly what I'm looking for. We are planning a summer trip to Hawaii (too hard for us to get away during the school year). My boys will be 9 and 12 when we go. We just can't figure out where is the best area to be in? We will more than likely be staying in a time share condo, as it offers us a pretty darn good deal--we really must have a kitchen. So unless someone knows a great deal on a nice condo type resort, we will probably be able to find something in whatever area seems best.

Anyway, we are interested in beaches of course, some sightseeing of natural places, and then the opportunity to do some active things like snorkeling, fishing, hiking, etc. We want to be in a place with lots to offer, but it seems from my initial searching that places like Waikiki Beach are not for us (we are not looking for a Miami Beach type of place). We also want to experience sights that are uniquely "Hawaii" as it is unlikely we will ever be back (at least with the kids). Restaurants are not really a priority as we will eat most meals at our place. We will probably plan on getting a car wherever we end up. Also, is rain a problem on any of the islands in the summer?

HELP!?

Thanks,

Kristi

[Gumbeaux]

I've been to Maui several times and love it.

[cocoa'smom]

We went to Oahu with our 2 kids a couple of years ago (DD was 14, DS was 9). We stayed in a town called Kailua which is about 20 minutes or so from Waikiki, but a world away. It has beautiful beaches (a mecca for windsurfers), great restaurants (although we cooked many of our meals) and was a good base for exploring the island. The North Shore is beautiful, and great for day trips, but I don't think I would stay there.

We found our accomodations through www.vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner). These are condos, villas, homes, etc. that are listed by the individual owners, rather than through a real estate agency or as part of a resort. It is an awesome website with listings all over the world - we've used it several times. There are tons of listings for Kailua and most are very reasonable.

I highly recommend Kailua. Waikiki definitely was not for us, either, although DD & DH went there one day and took surfing lessons. We explored the entire island. We were there for 8 days and still didn't see everything. Honolulu is like any big city, but the rest of Oahu is absolutely amazing.

This is a great website: www.alternative-hawaii.com
We used this a lot. They have driving tours that I printed out and we used those to explore the island. Highly recommend this website. Feel free to PM me if you want any more info. I'm jealous!!

[cocoa'smom]

Me again. Answering a couple of your specific questions. We rented a car, although the bus system is supposed to be great and goes all around the island, I would definitely recommend getting a car. We were there towards the end of June. It never really rained - it "misted" a couple of times a day for about 5 minutes. That was it. We climbed Diamond Head, went snorkling at Hanauma Bay, went to Pearl Harbor, drove around a lot, stopping at several different beaches each day. Every beach has its own personality. In the summer, the waves are not very big, so you don't get the huge, massive waves you think of when you think of Hawaii surfing (the Banzai pipeline is like a swimming pool in summer!), but there are a few beaches where the waves are pretty big and the surfing is fun to watch.

I've never been to other Hawaiian islands, but as you can tell, I loved Oahu - so much to do with kids yours' ages.

[luvItalian]

We are headed to Hawaii too this summer with girls 7, 11 and 13. We are going on Tauck Bridges which is a tour just for families. Check out their web site even just for beacha nd activity ideas. We went last year with them to the Grand Canyon tour and it was great for everyone.

[jheaphy]

We stayed at the Papakea resort in Maui. These are all condos and it was very reasonable. I would highly recommend it!

[KristaMB]

Kristi, While I love Maui and Kauai, I think you should stay somewhere on Oahu. I think it will provide the best sight seeing things to do with your boys, and Pearl Harbor isn't to be missed. The only time I've been to Oahu I was in 5th grade, and visiting the USS Arizona still stands out vividly in my mind. All these years later I still remember exactly what the ship looks like under the water, and standing on the memorial looking at the names of those who died. We stayed on Waikiki Beach, which even as a kid wasn't my favorite, so I don't have any suggestions on where exactly to stay. I know we took a bus to Pearl Harbor, but we had a car to visit Diamond Head and Hanuama Bay. We stayed on Oahu a few days, then went to Maui where we took the Road to Hana, went whale watching (it was December) and also on a snorkeling "cruise." Have a great trip!

[jamisen]

Kristi, I'll second the idea of coming to Oahu and staying in Kailua. There are lots of beach rentals on that side of the island and the beach itself is fabulous. You would appreciate the slower pace on the windward side of the island, with the option of being able to get to most sight seeing destinations within 30-45 minutes. Another option would be a beach rental on the North Shore. We had friends rent one near Haleiwa last year for their wedding and it was fabulous. Being on the North Shore is a little restrictive because its an hour drive into Honolulu, but there are beaches for miles. You'll want to be sure and rent a car. The bus system here is fabulous, but I wouldn't want to be reliant on it for seeing the whole island. The nice thing about Oahu is that there are lots of free/inexpensive activities. Such as climbing Diamond Head, snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, USS Arizona, and the Honolulu Zoo.

Maui is also a nice place to go. There are lots of condo rentals over there and we usually stay in the Kaanapali area. When we go to Maui, it seems like the cost of food and activities is higher than it is here at home. Maybe that's just because were tourists like everyone else and tend to do more costly things on vacation.

Kauai and the Big Island are beautiful and have plenty of activities, but probably not as many options as Maui or Oahu.

Maybe Felice can give you her thoughts about visiting.

[Kay Henderson]

Thought on Pearl Harbor. If you want your children to see this, now is the time to go. It is my understanding that the docents are survivors, very few of whom are under 80. This is not an experience that the kids can have 15 years from now.

As for me, I have been to Hawaii three times, all to the outer islands and all without children. Kauai met my expectations as to what a tropical island should look like -- exceptionally lush with many areas of extraordinary natural beauty. Hawaii is the biggest and has an active volcano and many other activities. Maui (our most recent trip) also had great variety.

My three trips were December, March, and February -- two without and one with air conditioning. We are California wimps and not at all used to humidity, so in our case, we would require air conditioning in our condo if visiting during the summer and especially August. Others who have actually been there during this season may have thoughts to offer.

Kay

Editing to add: I am fond of the Weather Underground site here (http://www.wunderground.com/) to plan vacations. Type in the location which interests you. Scroll down to "Calendar View." When there, you can press the right arrow key and go to the month of your choice where averages are posted. They are also listed in chart fashion below the calendar.

Once you get yourself narrowed down to an island, I recommend the "xxx Revealed" series, currently available for Maui, Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii (the Big Island). Toward the beginning of the book we used this winter, "Maui Revealed," was an excellent rainfall map that helped us plan our activities.

Have fun!

[Gecko]

If you are looking for something away from the chaos that is Waikiki, then Kailua could be your place. Kailua Beach Park is constantly voted one of the best beaches in the US. Kailua has great water sports available, and it is easy to rent a kayak or a sailboard. There are also plenty of restaurants should you wish to go out rather than cook. I know there are a lot of B & B's there, but I would think that there are plenty of houses or condos available too. I would get in quick as you are coming at the height of the season. I have had to try and book accommodation for visitors at work and the market is very tight - although, they were "official" visitors, and therefore had to have deluxe accommodation. Here (http://www.bestplaceshawaii.com/oahu/accommodations/condos_kahuku-kailua.html) are a couple of names and numbers to get you started. I have no affiliation with any of them, I just got their names off the web. There are usually some listed in the local paper too, so let me know if you want some numbers. Another one I found is this one (http://www.kaysvacations.com/) . Kailua is also convenient if you do want to come into Waikiki or downtown for the day. Although it is on the windward side, and it typically gets a lot more rain, it should be drier by then. Of course the weather is the one thing that you cannot control. At least if it does rain you know that it will be warm water :D . Also, it is not unusual for Hawaii to have short rain showers, we call them "Hawaiian Blessings". And we would not be the Rainbow State without a little water to help us out ;)
If you wanted something even more quiet then you would probably have to look at the North Shore or possibly Ko Olina (on the west side of Oahu). Here (http://www.bestplaceshawaii.com/oahu/accommodations/condos_makaha-barbers_pt.html) is one number for Ko Olina and another (http://www.bestplaceshawaii.com/oahu/accommodations/condos_haleiwa-sunset.html) for the North Shore. You could probably find more by doing a quick search. Keep in mind though that both places are a lot further away from the tourist attraction, but both have their benefits too.

Let me know if you need any other info. I have some saved on various places because Hawaii has been popular at the moment. Also, the book I always recommend to everyone is "Name the island" revealed - so you would need Oahu Revealed. Once again, I have no connection whatsoever, I just have these books and they tell it like it is.

[Becky13347]

When I was 12 my parents took my brother and I to Hawaii. (He was nearly 8) We stayed on the "Big Island" of Hawaii (which is called Hawaii) for 7 days. We stayed in a condo there, just across the street from the ocean. I have wonderful memories of this island. It was very calming and relaxing. Not terribly touristy-and we went during spring break. We went to a white sand beach and black sand beach. We explored water falls and the active volcano there. We also toured the mansion that belonged to the Hawaiian royal family and learned some of the history of the island. We also enjoyed a hula dancer in a local outside restaurant as we watched the sunset. I remember there not being alot of people there while we ate dinner and watched the dancing. It was so calming.

We also went to Oahu for 2 days, which was too much city and too many people for me, even at 12 years old. It seemed more like the tourist show instead of a paradise tropical locale. Of course this was all in 1985 and things may be different now. I would definitely look into the Big Island.

Also-Can I go with you? :D

Becky

[Kristilyn1]

Okay, first off, thanks so much to everyone who has responded! It's been very helpful, though in other ways it makes it much harder to decide! LOL

I've looked around and I really like the looks of Ko'Olina Beach area on Oahu. It doesn't appear to be TOO out of the way, is it? I don't mind drives up to an hour to see sights. The Marriott has a condo place there that looks just fine for what we are looking for and not priced too outrageously. I looked up Kailua, but for some reason I'm not finding any condo type places--we prefer that to private homes as we do enjoy a fancy pool :p is Kailua listed under another name? Like Ko'Olina was listed under Kapolei.

That said, I'm really torn about Maui. Is it possible to do both? A few days on one, few days on another? Do I have to fly between the islands? Or am I asking to be exhausted and not worth it to try both? Since we have active boys, our vacations to date have been visits to NYC, Disney World, etc. so it's not like we sit around soaking up sun and reading books, so if it's not the most peaceful plan on earth, it's not the end of the world--but if it's a hassle for not a lot of payoff then it might not be worth it for us. Even typing it sounds overly ambitious---but maybe not?

Thanks again!

Kristi

[Gumbeaux]

That said, I'm really torn about Maui. Is it possible to do both? A few days on one, few days on another? Do I have to fly between the islands? Or am I asking to be exhausted and not worth it to try both?
Kristi

I've done two islands several times. Years ago (I mean years) you could buy a week pass and fly to as many of the islands you wanted to as often as you wanted to.

There is not much flying time between the islands.(you can see at least three of them from the beach on Maui) If you are island hopping I would suggest a 10 day vacation rather than a week. There is a lot of work in unpacking, repacking three days later, repacking etc. Keep in mind that a 7 day vacation is actually a five day vacation. The first day you will arrive late, have to get your rental car, check into the hotel, unpack, etc. Your last day will be taken up, for the most part, by packing, turning in the rental car, and arriving at the airport early.

I've flown to Oahu and back from Maui for one day guided van tour. It was really worth it. Oahu is really crowded and the van driver would drop us off at the front door of everything to see. This saved time and effort and allowed us to see a lot of stuff. Being as the driver was a local he was able to answer all kinds of interesting questions people had.

If I had my choice I would spend more days on Maui and fewer on Oahu.

Another tip: Be sure to get a window seat on the plane. The view of Hawaii from 20,000 is spectacular; especially the snow capped peaks on the big island.

[Gecko]

I really depends what your budget is. You are absolutely correct in saying that there are not many condo's in Kailua, there are many more homes that are for rent. I guess this is what helps is stay quiet and not turn into a "Waikiki". I found a couple of houses that have pools, but the price per night is quite steep. This one called Blue Ginger (http://www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com/Hawaii/Oahu/Kailua/BlueGinger.htm) seems quite reasonable considering it has a pool, and considering what you might pay in Waikiki. There is a whole range of vacaton rentals here (http://www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com/Hawaii/Oahu/Kailua/rentals1.htm) .

There is a someone who posts here who will also be staying at Ko Olina, so she might pop in to give you some more information about the accommodation there. It is quite a distance from downtown, but as long as you do not try to travel Eastbound during the peak hours of 6.00 am to 9.00 am and Westbound during 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm, you should be OK. Unfortunately the traffic can be horrible, and there really aren't too many alternatives. There are quite a few dive places at Ko Olina, the waterpark is close by, and Paradise Cove luau is in Ko Olina. The man-made lagoons there are a beautiful and safe place to swim.

http://www.koolinamarina.com/features/lagoon.gif

As for the other islands it is definitely not out of the question. Maui is only a 30 minute flight away from Oahu. I like Maui, but I am very partial to the Big Island (about a 40 minute flight). Just the fact that it has 10 out of the 15 types of climate zones means that there is a lot of variety. Also, taking your kids to see an active volcano would be amazing. Let me know if you want more info on the Big Island. There are also plenty of condos there for rent, especially in Kailua-Kona - the main tourist area.

http://www.nps.gov/havo/images/lava_20050628_janet.jpg

[Kristilyn1]

so, let me get this straight--Kailua is on the big island? Not Oahu? I think I'm confused on your last post. I thought you were talking about Oahu. As far as reasonable---I'm finding places I like for about $300-400 a night, which I really wouldn't want to be MORE than that, with full kitchens and pools. Is that in the range of a small rental house? I'd also like to be on the beach, is that possible?

As far as budget--we haven't fully worked that out yet, but we are kind of planning on this being a once in a lifetime type trip so while we aren't looking to break the bank---we do want to experience as much as we can for our money.

Kristi

[misskitty100]

I'm not Gecko but I believe she was refering to the Kailua on Oahu. However, there is also a Kailua on the Big Island of Hawaii. I also checked a map and it looks like there is a Kailua on Maui too.

Anyway, if your price range is $300-$400 per night I would like to recomend the Hilton Waikoloa Villiage on the Big Island of Hawaii. Your kids will have endless things to do -- you can go to the Hilton website and check out all the resort offers. Another place I recomend is costco.com -- they have a great travel center with amazing prices, often times lots of extras and the people are really nice. You can look into that particular hotel on the costco.com website first, if you are interested. The Hilton Waikoloa Villiage is consistently voted in the top 10 of family resorts by the The Travel Channel as well as on MSN homepage.

P.S. Now that I have recomended the Hilton, I am not sure what their summer rates are -- in the fall the price is about $299 per night, with rental car, lei's & free buffet breakfast everyday :o

[PoppyJ]

We just got from Oahu last week and really enjoyed ourselves even though the weather was bad...lots of rain and wind, but at least it was warm.

We stayed at one of the condos my parents own in Ko Olina. Most of the condos where it is located are rented long term, so that is probably not what your family is looking for, but it was quite and nice. I know there are time-shares there and a really nice hotel. We loved the lagoons and went swimming in them every morning. Our only complaint was trying to get into Waikiki. The traffic was comparable to LA and we spent a lot of time trying to get back and forth. Since the weather was not the perfect beach weather and there is not much to do at Ko Olina besides beach activities, we wanted to go into town almost every day. Plus we wanted to try all the great restaurants in town. The traffic almost made it unbearable. I think next time I would try to stay in Waikiki.

[Gecko]

so, let me get this straight--Kailua is on the big island? Not Oahu? I think I'm confused on your last post. I thought you were talking about Oahu. As far as reasonable---I'm finding places I like for about $300-400 a night, which I really wouldn't want to be MORE than that, with full kitchens and pools. Is that in the range of a small rental house? I'd also like to be on the beach, is that possible?

As far as budget--we haven't fully worked that out yet, but we are kind of planning on this being a once in a lifetime type trip so while we aren't looking to break the bank---we do want to experience as much as we can for our money.

Kristi

Many of the islands have places with the same name, which can be confusing. In the first part of my post I was talking about Kailua on Oahu. On the Big Island I was talking about Kailua-Kona, more commonly referred to as Kona.

I think with that budget you should be able to find something in one of the links I posted. Let me know if you want some infor on the Big Island.

[krispy spo]

Timely thread! We are leaving on 3/31 for a week in Oahu w/2 other families. We have kids ages 4 - 9 yrs. We only have one week for Spring Break so we decided to stay on Oahu the whole time. We want to have a few days for sightseeing and a few days for relaxing at the pool/beach. We are staying at the Marriott at Ko Olina (we picked it b/c we are using Marriott points).

Here are the activities we have planned:
Whale/dolphin watch catamaran cruise
Paradise Cove luau
Sea Life Park (including a dolphin swim)
Diamond Head crater hike
Hanauma Bay snorkeling
Bishop Museum (smaller one, not the main one)
Watch surfers on some of the North Shore beaches
Dole Plantation (probably a quick stop for a Dole Whip only)
Pearl Harbor
Dinner reservations at Roy's Ko Olina & Duke's Canoe Club in Wakkiki

Possible/if we have time - Polynesian Cultural Center, drive through Pali Hwy rain forest, Hawaiian Railway

As you can see, there is lots to do and we will be slowed down since there are 13 of us and our kids are younger. We are using frequent flyer miles for the trip so if the kids do well with the long flight and time difference then we may try to use our miles to go to Maui next year.

If this is the only trip you are planning to Hawaii for a long time then I would consider staying longer than one week and visiting other islands too. We used the Frommers and Fodor's 'Hawaii w/Kids' books and did a lot of research on line. We booked a lot of the activities in advance to ensure availability and also now we have our itinerary set before we even get there.

If you want, PM me after 4/7 and I will let you know how the trip went.

~Kristen

[Gecko]

Timely thread! We are leaving on 3/31 for a week in Oahu w/2 other families. We have kids ages 4 - 9 yrs. We only have one week for Spring Break so we decided to stay on Oahu the whole time. We want to have a few days for sightseeing and a few days for relaxing at the pool/beach. We are staying at the Marriott at Ko Olina (we picked it b/c we are using Marriott points).

Here are the activities we have planned:
Whale/dolphin watch catamaran cruise
Paradise Cove luau
Sea Life Park (including a dolphin swim)
Diamond Head crater hike
Hanauma Bay snorkeling
Bishop Museum (smaller one, not the main one)
Watch surfers on some of the North Shore beaches
Dole Plantation (probably a quick stop for a Dole Whip only)
Pearl Harbor
Dinner reservations at Roy's Ko Olina & Duke's Canoe Club in Wakkiki

Possible/if we have time - Polynesian Cultural Center, drive through Pali Hwy rain forest, Hawaiian Railway

As you can see, there is lots to do and we will be slowed down since there are 13 of us and our kids are younger. We are using frequent flyer miles for the trip so if the kids do well with the long flight and time difference then we may try to use our miles to go to Maui next year.

If this is the only trip you are planning to Hawaii for a long time then I would consider staying longer than one week and visiting other islands too. We used the Frommers and Fodor's 'Hawaii w/Kids' books and did a lot of research on line. We booked a lot of the activities in advance to ensure availability and also now we have our itinerary set before we even get there.

If you want, PM me after 4/7 and I will let you know how the trip went.

~Kristen

Kristen it certainly sounds like you have done your homework. You have some great activities planned, and you are smart to book ahead and avoid the disappoinment of missing out. I hope you have a wonderful vacation. Let me know how you like Roy's at Ko Olina. I have been to his other restaurant on Oahu (at Hawaii Kai, nice and close to me), and although I loved the food, I did not like at atmosphere. I have heard that the Ko Olina is much nicer.

[jellyben]

Here are the activities we have planned:
Whale/dolphin watch catamaran cruise
Paradise Cove luau
Sea Life Park (including a dolphin swim)
Diamond Head crater hike
Hanauma Bay snorkeling
Bishop Museum (smaller one, not the main one)
Watch surfers on some of the North Shore beaches
Dole Plantation (probably a quick stop for a Dole Whip only)
Pearl Harbor
Dinner reservations at Roy's Ko Olina & Duke's Canoe Club in Wakkiki

Possible/if we have time - Polynesian Cultural Center, drive through Pali Hwy rain forest, Hawaiian Railway



We are going in a few weeks, and I think I will just copy your itinerary!! I was planning on making our reservations for stuff like whale watching and dinner places when we got there, but should I be doing all that before we get there?

[Kristilyn1]

Kristen,

Yes, I would love an update on your trip. That hotel is one that I was particularly interested in as it looked fairly reasonable and nice. I also like your itinerary--I'll be printing out all this great info from everyone.

Yes, we are planning on staying for 10 days, as for us--it's too long a trip for just 7 days.

Thanks,

Kristi

[cocoa'smom]

Wanted to mention that the Dole Plantation has a fun maze that you walk through - the kids will love it. I think it is free (can't remember for sure). You don't have to do the plantation tour to do the maze.

[Gecko]

Wanted to mention that the Dole Plantation has a fun maze that you walk through - the kids will love it. I think it is free (can't remember for sure). You don't have to do the plantation tour to do the maze.

As far as I know it is not free.

[Gumbeaux]

As far as I know it is not free.

You're right. It seems rather pricey also.

Dole Plantation (http://www.dole-plantation.com/index.aspx)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/bayoutitan/Second%20Album/plantation.jpg

[tbb113]

The maze is alot of fun and much harder then it looks. If you want to spend the time doing it, it's worth it. My sons were 8 and 11 when we did it.

[tippy7]

Not to totally hijack this thread but has anyone been to Hawaii in November? Would you recommend it as a good time of year? My BF and I want to take an anniversary trip in November and neither of us have ever been to Hawaii. I think we would want to stay on Oahu as he is very interested in going to Pearl Harbor. I've copied all of the very helpful information on this thread--thanks!

[Gecko]

Not to totally hijack this thread but has anyone been to Hawaii in November? Would you recommend it as a good time of year? My BF and I want to take an anniversary trip in November and neither of us have ever been to Hawaii. I think we would want to stay on Oahu as he is very interested in going to Pearl Harbor. I've copied all of the very helpful information on this thread--thanks!

Hawaii in November is actually a nice time of year. The weather has cooled down quite a bit, and the rain hasn't started as yet (ususally). Pearl Harbor is a very moving experience - at least, I thought so. Let me know if you need more info.