# Hawaii for kids?



## MinnesotaChill (Feb 9, 2008)

We are looking at trading a week for Hawaii through II.  We have three kids and people at work convinced my husband this would be a great idea.  Personally, I'd rather do Hawaii with just my husband the first time, but our DVC timeshare points are typically used for family vacations.  

Any ideas for the best Hawaii resort for kids?  I know DVC is building one on Oahu, but that won't be open until 2011.  I'm tempted to wait, since I know any dvc resort will be kid friendly... what do you think?

Kids will be 10, 11 & 11.  Love beaches, nature and volcanoes.  Not "plugged in" kids.


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## Palguy (Feb 9, 2008)

Maui Ocean Club, the pool is tops as far as kids are concerned. But then again I am partial. My grandkids absolutely love it there.:whoopie: 

Tom


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## ciscogizmo1 (Feb 9, 2008)

Gosh... my kids have been going to Hawaii since they were 1 year olds.  I find Hawaii more kid friendly than WDW.  WDW is a vacation where you need a vacation when you return.  The kids are always exhausted after a DVC trip.  But Hawaii they are relaxed and tanned.  We snorkel, hike, play on the beach all day, sight see, etc...  It is a perfect vacation for us.  We've stayed at Ko'Olina, Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Marriott Waiohai, Marriott Kauai Beach Club, The Cliff's Resort (Princeville)...  I love them all and they were all great vacations...


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## philemer (Feb 10, 2008)

I would not take kids to HI on your first trip. Leave them with relatives. You'll be so busy herding them around you won't be able to really relax. 

Easy on the "flames" now.   Seriously, folks. We've been to HI, alone, six times and each time I see many young couples with two, or more, kids and they look tired and harried. JMHO. Go by yourselves first. Kids won't appreciate it until they're 11 or 12.

Phil


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## kapear (Feb 10, 2008)

We have stayed at what was the Embassy in Kauai (Poipu Point now, I think ) and the Pono Kai in Kauai. Both were fine. We tend to spend most of our time at the beach. On Maui we've stayed at Kahana Falls. We also stayed in two different condos on Maui prior to buying our timeshare. This summer we're staying at the Kaanapali Beach Club (former Embassy). I would love to stay at the Marriott as we stayed at the Maui Marriott for our honeymoon in 1995 when it was still a hotel. 

We've done Hawaii with 1, 2 and 3 kids. This year we'll do it with 4. It is more work than if you go on your own but still quite enjoyable. Like I mentioned, we spend a lot of time at the beach. We walk around Lahaina. We've been to Iao Valley and driven up Haleakala to see the sunrise.  We've been on snorkel trips and Napali Coast boat trips. This year we plan to take surfing lessons. My MIL and FIl will be along as well so we may have a dive trip to ourselves. We have hired a sitter on a few of our Hawaii trips so that we could go out for a nice dinner on our own. Usually we bring the kids along and head out for an early dinner. We also cook plenty of our own meals in the unit. Some day we'll go back to Hawaii on our own but for now the kids come with us. They really enjoy themselves and talk about the trip all year long.


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## jehb2 (Feb 10, 2008)

We just got back from a 2 week stay on the Big Island with a 3 year old and a 7 month old.  WE also took my 3 year old when she was 18 months so this was her second time.  The kids had an incredible time.  We alternated between the beach and the pool.  You wouldn’t think a 7 month old would know the difference between home and vacation but like my 3 year old she loved being in the ocean and playing in the sand.  We stayed at the Bay Club and everyday we took walks through the Hilton Waikoloa.  

I brought a lot of toys from home but mainly they played with a cardboard box from Costco when we spent time in the timeshare.  By week two it was just a flat piece of cardboard but they still played with it.  Kids.  We went to other parts of the island a couple of times too.

We have been going to Hawaii for 8 years and I thought with kids it might be a little boring because we couldn’t do as much and would have to go at a much slower pace.  We did do less but I returned home way less exhausted then usual.

I also didn’t realize what a break this would be for me—no house to clean, no running errands, no racing to play groups.


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## Avery (Feb 10, 2008)

MinnesotaChill said:


> We are looking at trading a week for Hawaii through II.  We have three kids and people at work convinced my husband this would be a great idea.  Personally, I'd rather do Hawaii with just my husband the first time, but our DVC timeshare points are typically used for family vacations.
> 
> Any ideas for the best Hawaii resort for kids?  I know DVC is building one on Oahu, but that won't be open until 2011.  I'm tempted to wait, since I know any dvc resort will be kid friendly... what do you think?
> 
> Kids will be 10, 11 & 11.  Love beaches, nature and volcanoes.  Not "plugged in" kids.



My "plugged in" kids loved Hawaii. A different beach every day if you want to explore, hikes to and swims under waterfalls, snorkeling, rock jumps into swimming holes, volcano, surfing lessons, catamarans, sunsets, nature, beauty, fun. You could stay in a tent and still have a great time, but there are plenty of resorts to choose from. GO GO GO


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## Icc5 (Feb 10, 2008)

*Works both ways*

The first time we ever went and maybe the next 3 times it was just my wife and myself and we loved it.  Maui is our favorite Island because it seems to  have some of the best from all the islands.
We have taken my two kids to three of the islands and they loved it but now my son (17) doesn't like to go anymore because the flight bores him and he wants to be home working (Starbucks) and seeing his girlfriend.
When the kids were younger they always had a great time and showing things to them made us even have a better time.  
Bart


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## ciscogizmo1 (Feb 10, 2008)

philemer said:


> I would not take kids to HI on your first trip. Leave them with relatives. You'll be so busy herding them around you won't be able to really relax.
> 
> Easy on the "flames" now.   Seriously, folks. We've been to HI, alone, six times and each time I see many young couples with two, or more, kids and they look tired and harried. JMHO. Go by yourselves first. Kids won't appreciate it until they're 11 or 12.
> 
> Phil




No flames... but her kids are 10, 11, & 11... So, I guess they shouldn't go?


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## DeniseM (Feb 10, 2008)

If you take the kids, you will probably spend most of your time at the beach and pool.  You may not do too many planned activities, because they are expensive for a family of 5 - purchased activities usually range from $50 - $100+ per person.  Most kids would rather be active, than go for long sightseeing drives in the car, so that may limit what you see.  Fine dining and night life will be out, or prohibitively expensive, with a family of 5.  

I guess my question would be, is it worth it (to you) to pay for expensive airfare and then spend most of the time at the pool and beach and not doing too much else?  Some people would love that, others would feel like they didn't get to experience much of Hawaii.  I guess it all depends on what your expectations are.


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## mepiccolo (Feb 10, 2008)

In less than 10 years your kids will have boyfriends/girlfriends then husbands/wives and you will have plenty of opportunities to do Hawaii alone with your spouse.  We have been taking our kids to Hawaii every year since they were 1 and 2 years old and they absolutely love it there and when they are older we will have many family photo albums of our wonderful memories of family vacations in Hawaii.  We're lucky to usually vacation with friends who also have kids and so we swap one night of babysitting to have one "date night" on our vacation.  Sure it would be nice to just chill and relax by the pool or ocean without having to be vigilant of my small children but on the other hand watching my kids enjoying themselves is waaaaaay better than sticking my head in a book or magazine.  It's really a small analogy for having kids period, sure it's more work to take them but it's worth it a million times over.  Enjoy your family vacations while you still can...as a previous poster noted, once they have their own life they won't want to join you so don't miss out on building memories with your kids while you can.


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## Cookie121 (Feb 10, 2008)

I can't imagine Hawaii without kids. My parents took me and my sisters when we were little, and now I take my little ones with us! 

I think Hawaii is the best place to vacation with the kids. We do Disneyland every year and only get to Hawaii, every other year.

Hawaii is great because you can spend all your time at the beach, and the kids love that. You can also do sight seeing as well, but our kids just love being able to be in the water...pool or beach. 

My husband and I went one time for a week to Hawaii without the kids. All we did was envy and miss our kids. Never again....we have been taking them since each was one year old.

The worst part is the travel.... we live in Canada.

My fondest memories as a child was going to Hawaii, and I hope to share this with my children. My favorite trip was when I was 13 years  old, with my mother and grandmother --we went to 3 islands together. I loved the history and the volcanoes then, and still do now.


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## ciscogizmo1 (Feb 11, 2008)

I wonder if sometimes the difference in opinions to travel with kids is related to the age we had our kids.  I had my kids very late in life.  I worked outside the home until I was 34 years old.  Now, I work at home to be with my kids after school.  My dh is 6 years older than me.  He'll be close to 60 by time my youngest starts college.  So, he'll be in his mid 60s by time she is finished.  I know that isn't super old but if we waited until then a lot could happen between now and then.  We had a good 14 years of working as DINKS before we had kids.  Does that make sense?  We traveled a ton without our kids before they came along.  We don't need to do all the touristy things when we go to Hawaii every second of the trip.  We kinda of have the go with flow attitude.  Daily life is hard so, doing nothing is great.  And, we can't do nothing at home trust me we've tried.   Plus, since I work at home I need to get away.  I live here 24/7 so, sometimes I need a new environment.  I prefer that environment to be Hawaii.  And, why not I worked hard for it.


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## LisaRex (Feb 11, 2008)

I wouldn't take infants to Hawaii just because the airplane ride is sooo long for us midwesterners.  I've been to Hawaii twice without my kids and really, really enjoyed it.  The first trip was to celebrate our 15th anniversary and was the first time we'd been away without the kids since we had them 12 years prior.  It was a relief and pleasant surprise to see that we could actually connect as a couple sans kids again.  

The second time we brought along another couple and had an incredible time.  We snorkeled, we hiked, we took sunset sails, we had candlelit dinners on our lanai.  It was fun and romantic.   

This coming year we bought a 2 bdrm/2 bath timeshare so they're coming along.  They're plenty old (16 and 14) now to enjoy everything Hawaii has to offer and we're all looking forward to it.  

So my advice is to do whatever makes YOU happy.  I can certainly see positives and negatives to each scenario.


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## Holly (Feb 11, 2008)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> I wonder if sometimes the difference in opinions to travel with kids is related to the age we had our kids.  .



This is so right.  We had our daughter when I was 42 and my husband was 45...we've been all over the world scuba diving, skiing, and whatever else.  I inherited a timeshare about 6 months before she was born, and you all know the rest of the story.  She's almost four and been to Hawaii, Florida a bunch of times, New Orleans, CA...all in timeshares.  We have a portable DVD and take her everywhere!  The 12 hours from Newark to Honolulu was much more pleasant that we anticipated...we spent a week on Kauai and a week on the BI....she LOVED it and we did too.  We found Hawaii to be extremely child-friendly.  She was two when we went.  Because it's so far, we will most likely go back when she's 10 or 12...old enough to go rafting and hiking.  I wouldn't go without her though.


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## Kauai Kid (Feb 11, 2008)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> Gosh... my kids have been going to Hawaii since they were 1 year olds.  I find Hawaii more kid friendly than WDW.  WDW is a vacation where you need a vacation when you return.  The kids are always exhausted after a DVC trip.  But Hawaii they are relaxed and tanned.  We snorkel, hike, play on the beach all day, sight see, etc...  It is a perfect vacation for us.  We've stayed at Ko'Olina, Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Marriott Waiohai, Marriott Kauai Beach Club, The Cliff's Resort (Princeville)...  I love them all and they were all great vacations...



How about spelling out your acronyms the first time you use them.

Would you know what OGG,MSS, AKI, BOSY, and TAI LI mean? 

Sterling (SHH)


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## DeniseM (Feb 11, 2008)

Kauai Kid said:


> How about spelling out your acronyms the first time you use them.
> 
> Would you know what OGG,MSS, AKI, BOSY, and TAI LI mean?
> 
> Sterling (SHH)



WDW - Walt Disney World

DVC - Disney Vacation Club


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## alwysonvac (Feb 12, 2008)

*Time zone impact for the little ones*

For those who have taken the preschool kids, how do you manage the timezone change?

We've done a three hour difference with our niece (traveling East Coast to West Coast) and she seemed to handle that better than I expected. She had to adjust when she got home but again she handled it better than I expected. 

But 7 hours is a big difference. What do folks do with the little ones to get them adjusted to the new time zone?


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## winger (Feb 12, 2008)

we just got back from 2 weeks at Ko Olina on our first Hawaiian trip. That is a very nice resort for our kids (4 and 5.75 yo) , especially the lagoons and the pools.  Lots to do on the island for everyone.  We will try Maui (or Kauai) next year. We were very relaxed once we passed day 2 - normally it takes me 3-4 days to wind down, this time I was set by mid/end of day two, so taking the kids along worked for us! Plus, they each had show-and-tell when they got back home, so it was a nice experience all around!

some ppl leave the kids at home, but hey then the little guys miss all the fun!  and we just would not think about a long getaway without pics of the kids and us


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## winger (Feb 12, 2008)

Kauai Kid said:


> OGG...


main Maui airport


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## Stefa (Feb 13, 2008)

alwysonvac said:


> For those who have taken the preschool kids, how do you manage the timezone change?
> 
> We've done a three hour difference with our niece (traveling East Coast to West Coast) and she seemed to handle that better than I expected. She had to adjust when she got home but again she handled it better than I expected.
> 
> But 7 hours is a big difference. What do folks do with the little ones to get them adjusted to the new time zone?



Actually, it is only 5 or 6 (depending on season) hours between Eastern and Hawaiian time.  

We've been to Hawaii four times with kids under 5.  The last time our boys were 5 and 2.    We don't do anything special to get them to adjust.   We are realistic that it may take a couple of days, so we don't stay up late knowing they will probably be up before the sun.    I really enjoy getting up early in Hawaii anyway, so that is a plus.   (Note: we only have a 4 or 5 hour time difference.)

I guess my advice would be to plan a couple of easy days on both ends of your trip.  If you are lucky, your kids will adjust sooner.   A lot may depend on the kids (do they still take naps) and the flight schedule (what time of day are your arriving, how many stops).  

Best of luck and don't forget to take a lot of pictures.  They will love to look back at their trips to Hawaii.


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## pharmgirl (Feb 13, 2008)

On Maui right now with a just turned 3 year old from NY (5 hrs time difference).  He is doing fine with the time chance and also coping with the long trip from NY.  Just being in the sun helps to adjust everyone's inner time clock.  He has gotten cranky at times but eating helped with that.  He is really having a great time and so are we.  Going on the sugar cane train ride this morning and to a Luau tonight.  

We (Grandparents) don't spend a lot of time shopping, going to fancy restaurants, etc anyway so having a little one here has only made our vacation even better.  His parents are also having a great time


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## asp (Feb 13, 2008)

Who needs organized activities, when you see the excitement on a 5 year old's face, because she just snorkelled with a massive turtle??  when she is in trouble for diving too deep to pick up shells?  

From Princeville in June, we went to the beach every day, late lunch at home - or a burger or enchilada in Hanalei, followed by a swim in the pool.  We kayaked with our grandchildren on the lazy Hanalei river, where we had family races (two per kayak, matched size/athletic ability), and enjoyed "Costco catering" every night except when we all dressed up and went to the Princeville hotel luau (sp?) where the children's enthusiasm greatly enhanced our whole families' enjoyment.


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## EAM (Feb 14, 2008)

*Take them if you can afford it*

We took our younger son to Hawaii twice, once when he was 9, and again when he was 12.  He loved it.

There is so much to do.  Get some of the guides from Wizard Publications and choose things that are within your budget.

The most expensive part will be the airfare.

Realize that it has been little more than a decade since you became parents.  The time goes fast.  In another decade, you'll have an empty nest.

Yes, you and your spouse need occasional breaks of being together alone, without the kids, but your opportunities for family vacations to exotic locales are limited by time, money, and school schedules.  In a few years, you oldest may be wanting to have a summer job or attend summer school.  Once they start college, they will have their own lives to lead.  Enjoy their company on family vacations while you can.


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## winger (Feb 16, 2008)

EAM said:


> ...Realize that it has been little more than a decade since you became parents.  The time goes fast.  In another decade, you'll have an empty nest.
> 
> Yes, you and your spouse need occasional breaks of being together alone, without the kids, but your opportunities for family vacations to exotic locales are limited by time, money, and school schedules.  In a few years, you oldest may be wanting to have a summer job or attend summer school.  Once they start college, they will have their own lives to lead.  Enjoy their company on family vacations while you can.


excellent point. Plus family vacations are just that, for the family. if u desire time alone w/ the spouse, bring along a babysitter (aka grandparent, sister, brother, friend, etc.) or hire one when you are on site. We have left our kids alone a few times for quick strolls alone together, we just train our kids to call us on our cells if needed.


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## daventrina (Feb 20, 2008)

What Phil said...


philemer said:


> I would not take kids to HI on your first trip.
> Easy on the "flames" now.  ...
> Phil


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## jehb2 (Feb 21, 2008)

alwysonvac said:


> What do folks do with the little ones to get them adjusted to the new time zone?




WE had a 4 and 5 hour time difference depending on the season.  Going there was not a problem.  In a sense the kids (3yrs & a 7 month old) were just staying up later and later when adjusting to Hawaii time.  If they were tired they slept.  I tend to wake up really early in Hawaii (6am local time) so the kids and I were on the same time.

However, coming back home was a different story for all of us.  It took my husband and I 2-weeks and the kids 3 weeks to get back to normal.  We were going to bed at 3am.


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## lprstn (Feb 21, 2008)

We went to Kaui with our 4 kids, 2 yrs ago (then ages, 2, 4, 8, 10) and with GRANDMA!!!!! She helped us greatly.  We had the best of both worlds and stayed 2 full weeks and NO ONE wanted to go home.  With grandma, we were able to take the 2 older kids on excursions (some I went with them, and some my husband went with them).  My husband and I was able to do an excursion without the kids (because of Grandma! whahoo!).  We stayed at Point a Poipu (which is right next to the Hyatt?) and we went there for drinks, dinner and dancing....which was a beautiful short walk away.  We stayed for 1 week without Grandma and just did the beaches, driving and hiking tours with the kids.  We had a blast either way.  However the AIRFARE for everyone took all of my income tax return, so this year we are going to the Big Island, and Oaho without the kids....


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