HHV or Waikaloa with 4 young boys?

[SCMom]

Hi Experienced Hawaiian Vacationers,

We are contemplating a trip to Hawaii next May for about 10 days. We have only traveled to Maui in the past and have not been to any of the Hilton Hawaiian properties. We are a family of 6 -- 4 boys who will range in age from almost 3 to almost 9 at the time of the trip. We will probably have a set of grandparents accompanying (obviously in another unit) to help with kids and some babysitting.

Would you recommend HHV or Waikaloa for us? We are pretty adventurous and like to do things other than just the pool and/or beach. We usually see lots of the sights when we are places. May is gold season and hopefully not as crowded. What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of the two resorts. At HHV we would be in the Lagoon Tower.

Thanks in advance for what I know will be great advice...

Emily

 

[calgal]

Waikoloa

Emily, I stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa hotel with my family when the kids were 3 and 6. It is a fabulous place for young kids, with a boat shuttle, train shuttle, protected cove for boating, pools, dolphins, etc. Plenty to see on the Big island, too.

 

[alwysonvac]

You might find these old threads helpful.

Which Hawaii resort - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85126
Which Big Island resort - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91821

 

[benjaminb13]

Emily, I stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa hotel with my family when the kids were 3 and 6. It is a fabulous place for young kids, with a boat shuttle, train shuttle, protected cove for boating, pools, dolphins, etc. Plenty to see on the Big island, too.

I agree - the waikoloa is more child friendly- also you will probably need a downstairs floor- not a highrise.

 

[Zac495]

Although we are having a fabulous time on Oahu (staying at HGVC) I don't recommend this resort for small kids unless you want to run around between chairs constantly chasing them. They certainly can't wander on their own -it's a village here. My kids at 14 and 11 like being able to go down and get ice cream on their own - so it works for us - but it's still very crowded -no chairs unless you grab them at 7 am - and I'm not kidding. Of course May won't be as bad.

On the other hand, they're 2 totally different islands. Personally, I would focus on which island is best for you, not which resort. We really struggled with the choice of islands (between Oahu and BI).

No matter what you choose you'll have a blast! Happy planning!

 

[SCMom]

Thanks for the good advice so far...

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. Whichever resort we choose, we will probably do the other one in 2 or 3 years. I really appreciate the thought that HHV might be crazy for chasing my kids at the pool.

A couple more questions...

Several people have referenced the shuttle at Waikaloa. How easy is this to navigate. Could we get a stroller on and off easily? We tend to have lots of bags with us (our younger two will be just 3 and 4 1/2 next May), so will doing the shuttle be a huge pain? I know there are pools at Waikaloa that don't involved taking the shuttle. How do they compare to the ones at the Hilton?

I am assuming that things in May will be not as crazy at the pools at it is gold season and most kids are in school (ours are homschooled.) Can anyone confirm that? I know non-kid travelers also will be at the pools, but will it still be crazy?

We are pretty adventurous with taking the kids on day trips and activities. However, I would love it if the resort/pool situation created the least amount of stress for our family. Our kids will be 9, 6, 4 1/2 and 3 when we travel. Thanks again!

Emily

 

[Bill4728]

I'd choose Waikoloa. The TS are low rise and very nice (although no view) and the pool at the resort is a fine little pool. The shuttle to the hotel pools is very easy but I'd probably only use it a couple times during a trip.

There is lots of other places to visit on the BI.

PS the grandparents being at the Bay Club & you right next door at Waikoloa would be the best use of your points. Other than the buildings, you can't tell were one resorts ends and the next one starts.

 

[dmbrand]

We stayed in the Hilton hotel portion of Waikoloa, and saw many families with young children. They have some awesome pools at this resort; small slides, big slides, rope bridge, waterfalls, lagoon w/turtles, etc. The dolphins onsite are fun to watch, also. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place to anyone.

One thing to keep in mind, restaurants here(within the resort) are very expensive. We shopped at the marketplace within the Queen's shops for sandwiches/bakery/deli items. We were here only a few days, and had no kitchen facilities. You may be able to pick up grocery items in Kailua Kona before getting to your condo.

 

[Bill4728]

One thing to keep in mind, restaurants here(within the resort) are very expensive. We shopped at the marketplace within the Queen's shops for sandwiches/bakery/deli items. We were here only a few days, and had no kitchen facilities. You may be able to pick up grocery items in Kailua Kona before getting to your condo.

When you arrive at the airport, you take a left on the hwy and go 15 miles or so to the resort area. BUT if you turn right toward Kailua-Kona there are several big supermarkets within a few miles. You may wish to do that.

 

[SCMom]

I'd choose Waikoloa. The TS are low rise and very nice (although no view) and the pool at the resort is a fine little pool. The shuttle to the hotel pools is very easy but I'd probably only use it a couple times during a trip.

There is lots of other places to visit on the BI.

PS the grandparents being at the Bay Club & you right next door at Waikoloa would be the best use of your points. Other than the buildings, you can't tell were one resorts ends and the next one starts.

Thanks for the advice, Bill -- I hadn't even realized that Waikaloa only had 2 bedroom condos. If the grandparents were at Bay Club, would there be any trouble with them going to the hotel pool/lagoon etc... with us. I know that technically there are not access rights at the Bay Club. How do they enforce that?

Emily