Where in Hawaii for family vacation?

[Elan]

I would consider the summer over XMAS. I suggest pricing out the two to compare. I believe XMAS prices are higher than summer for airfare, car rentals and hotel /condo rental rates. Less Availability mean higher demand and higher prices.

Also, if you choose a summer visit, you'll have more resorts to choose from if you search across all possible summer dates. Keep in mind, summer is also peak travel time (with the height of demand starting from mid June through mid August for two bedrooms or larger).


Good Luck

The only appeal of Hawaii to me personally is to get somewhere warm in the dead of winter . Our summers are typically too packed to wedge in another vacation. I'd consider Spring Break, but I'd guess availability is pretty sparse at that time as well.

 

[Elan]

The thing for OP to consider is how they like to vacation. If it's a "lay on the beach all day" vacation, then Maui beaches are pretty great. If it's a natural sites kind of thing, then driving is in order, and in some cases, LOTS of driving. If the kids want to see a live volcano, then only the Big Island will serve - but that means sacrificing great beaches on most of the island.

Pono Kai is a nice place - good, not great, but has a central location that works well for a leaping off point to see other parts of the island. Kauai has a slower pace, but it's also not as crowded, and likely not as expensive as the fancier places. It depends on how OP wants to spend the vacation time.

Dave

We're definitely not lay on the beach types. We're more into activities. Hikes, tours, biking, etc. But, it would be nice to have a decent resort to hang out at for the "off" days. And it gives more flexibility to our itinerary if there's a fun vibe at the resort.
Not phased by driving. I live in Idaho.

 

[rpw]

Maui

Kauai is too laid back.

I have 2 preteen girls and they were bored pretty quickly with the limited things to do in Kauai (unless you really love hiking!)

Maui has tons of things to do and most of them are whole day affairs (ok, not the whole day, but enough so that you wont spend the whole day laying at the beach). Bike down the mountain, ziplines, etc.

When we go to Maui the rule is we do one event a day. Most of these take 4+ hours, so there is still plenty of time to peek around the island, find a new restaurant, hang out at the pool.

No one is ever bored!

 

[applegirl]

We love Kauai!

Last summer we took our kids ages 12 and 9 to Kauai for 2 and 1/2 weeks. It was truly amazing! We Stayed at Hanalei Bay Resort in the Princeville area of the North Shore. It was truly everything I had hopped for and more. The resort is only one of a few that have direct access to a nice beach (the one in front of the St. Regis). It's not a beach for boogie boarding or surfing, but nice for snorkeling and relaxing. There is a steep, short path to get to the beach but you can also take a golf cart shuttle from the property. We did that a lot as we always had lots of stuff and just carried plenty of $5 bills for tips! Worth every penny!

We did the Napali Catamaran tour of the Napali Coast and it was spectacular. Would highly recommend that company for a boat tour. Not cheap, but it was completely worth it. The scenery, snorkeling and comfort of the boat were great and it went right out of Hanalei, which is nearby. We also did a cool horseback and picnic at a waterfall

It was an absolutely wonderful vacation. We did more but I have to run!

Janna

 

[Laurie]

IMO nowhere beats the Big Island for variety of scenery and activity, esp if you don't mind driving - between snorkeling, horseback riding, volcano viewing (especially if it's actively erupting), coffee plantations, beach time, and interesting cultural places etc. I can't imagine being bored there. Been 4x in spite of the east coast distance, and planning a return!

Maui would be my second choice.

Always diverse opinions of course, when this comes up.

 

[slip]

From what your describing, I'd choose Maui. Especially if you don't have to use
A timeshare. I'm surprised the Pono Kai came up for Christmas week. That week
Always books quickly. I go there every year so if you have any questions
About the resort let me know. While I do think it would work, it not your best
Choice and I think Maui suits your situation better. Kaanapali and the Kahana
Area will keep you close to great beaches and close to most of activities.

 

[judyjht]

I am sort of confused - I look up some of the resorts mentioned and the only one I see in the RCI book is Hanalei Bay Resort.

What am I doing wrong or am I really crazy. I am with RCI - maybe that is the issue.

 

[BocaBoy]

Marriott & Westin are in II, so forget those. I don't think you'll see any Hyatt's. For HGVC, you'll have to wait until April/May of this year for their bulk deposits for 2017.

The Hyatt also trades in II.