Hawaii's Top Family Resorts

4/26/07

Hawaii is no longer just for honeymooners. The islands are fast becoming a paradise for keiki, the Hawaiian word for children. On Maui, O'ahu, Kaua'i, and the Big Island, family resorts are going beyond high chairs and children's menus to attract families. Now, amenities like spacious rooms (often with kitchens and lanais), water park pools, children's clubs, and activities designed for families are making the islands a family destination. Here are a few of our picks for great family resorts.

Maui

Maui is for adventurers -- surfing, zip-lining, snorkeling with sea turtles, or watching the sun rise atop Haleakala are a few of the major draws.

Grand Wailea Resort Hotel and Spa

The Vibe: Part theme park, part art museum, this sprawling resort is set on 40 acres of lushly landscaped property, dotted with pools, splashy fountains, and an extensive collection of modern art by masters like Picasso, Warhol, and Botero.

The Draw: The multi-level Wailea Canyon Activity Pool is heaven for kids, and kids-at-heart: caves, waterfalls, a Tarzan-style rope swing, and several speedy slides. A water elevator drenches you as it lifts you to the top of the three-story Lava Slide. For tots, there's a shallow wading pool. Want to chill out? Head to the Spa Grande for a Seashell Massage. Teens and kids (ages 6 to 12) can get pampered too, with treatments like the Chocolate-Coconut Scrub.

The Cost: Double rooms with two queen beds start at around $605 per night, plus $20 daily resort fee. (Children under 17 stay free in room with parents.)

Napili Kai Beach Club

The Vibe: Suites come with equipped kitchenettes and daily complimentary activities including lei-making, hula dancing and ukulele lessons.

The Draw: It's on one of the West Side's best beaches for snorkeling and swimming. A low-rise condominium resort, the Napili Kai's large suites are just right for big families. The resort is a short drive from Whaler's Village open-air mall and Front Street in historic Lahaina, with its kid-pleasing restaurants and eclectic shops.

The Cost: Hotel rooms with private lanais and mini-fridges start around $220 per night. Ocean-view one-bedroom suites start at $415 and can sleep up to five.

O'ahu

Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach -- this is Hawaii's most cosmopolitan island. The energetic pace makes it an exciting choice for active children, eager to bodysurf or hike up Diamond Head Crater. On the island's North Shore you can ride a train through pineapple fields at Dole Plantation, trek through Waimea Valley, or watch master surfers ride monster waves.

Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort

The Vibe: This sprawling 22-acre resort is a crowd-pleaser thanks to the many choices it presents its guests. Planning a reunion with multiple generations of your family? Twenty-two restaurants, five pools, and a long list of activities means there's something for everyone.

The Draw: The green lawns of neighboring Fort DeRossy make for a nice buffer between the resort and Waikiki's central string of high-rise hotels. The Rainbow Express Kids Club keeps the resort's youngest guests entertained with its full and half-day programs.

The Cost: Rates start around $209 per night for a garden view in the Tapa Tower. Some of the ocean view deluxe rooms in the Rainbow Tower, starting at $329 a night, look directly out onto Diamond Head.

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani

The Vibe: You'll feel like royalty at this resort, set on the former estate of a beloved Hawaiian princess. Cozy rooms overlook the glittering lights of Honolulu and the Ko'olau Mountains.

The Draw: The Keiki Aloha children's program, for ages 5 to 12, offers the perfect balance of action and learning. Mornings are for snorkeling, kite flying, and boogie boarding. Afternoons might include guided parent-child field trips to the Waikiki Aquarium and Honolulu Zoo. At night, crab-hunting, cookie decorating, and star-gazing occupy idle hands. Children receive a backpack with disposable camera to record their hotel adventures.

The Cost: Rates start at around $185 per night for a double room, with kids under 18 staying free in room with parents. Kids under 13 eat free with a paying adult at select restaurants. If you have a big family, ask about the Family Vacations Package (when you book one room at regular price, you get 50% off a second room).

The Big Island

The scene is red-hot on the Big Island, especially in Volcanoes National Park, where you can watch the active Kilauea shoot lava sky-high. Check out the "After Dark in the Park" events, when Hawaiian performers teach kids about Hawaii's heritage. This super-sized island has five volcanoes in all, plus miles of beaches, with sand that ranges in color from white to green to black.

Kona Village Resort

The Vibe: The resort is located on the grounds of an ancient fishing village. You sleep in upscale thatched huts called "hales," swim in a bay that is sanctuary to green sea turtles, and stroll a boardwalk that overlooks tribal petroglyphs.

The Draw: This is one of the only all-inclusive resorts on Hawaii. Your room rate covers three meals a day (including a luau and Hawaiian cowboy barbecue) and family activities (sailing, kayaking and guided outrigger canoe excursions). There's also a free children's program, for ages 6 to 12, focusing on Hawaiian traditions like coconut painting, net throwing, and fishing contests. For teens, sailing, softball, baseball, and volleyball are the main draws.

The Cost: Two-room "hales" (minimum 3 guests) start at around $925 per night; additional children are around $50 per night (for ages 3 to 5), around $175 per night (ages 6 to 12), and around $240 per night (ages 13 and older); children age two and under are free.

Hilton Waikoloa Village

The Vibe: Disneyland meets Polynesia at this spotless 62-acre resort. Dolphins chirp in the lagoon; a pint-size daredevil zooms down the 175-foot waterslide, a bride poses on the grand staircase -- these are the scenes that will make your stay at this theme park retreat feel nothing short of surreal.

The Draw: It may be a manufactured paradise, but it's convincing. Employees access the various areas of the resort via underground tunnels and trams, and Disney-engineered boats shuttle guests from one attraction to the next.

The Cost: Rooms typically range from $199-$649 a night. The resort-s half- and full-day kid's program, Camp Munehune starts at $72 a session with discounts for families enrolling more than one child.

Kaua'i

With its verdant cliffs and cascading waterfalls, Kaua'i looks like something out of a movie. In fact, you may recognize it from films like Jurassic Park and King Kong -- which all were shot here. Take a tour of the movie locations, or commune with nature at Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge, where dolphins, rare birds, monk seals, and sea turtles frolic.

Grand Hyatt Kaua'i Resort and Spa

The Vibe: This elegant 50-acre resort is set against the backdrop of soaring green mountains, and fronts a white-sand beach. Lush and luxurious, there are gardens everywhere. Kids will love looking at the parrots and the koi ponds along the resort's meandering paths.

The Draw: The pool is cool. Float along the lazy river, kayak through its twists and turns, and zoom down the 150-foot waterslide. For something more low-key, hit the Anara spa. As you mellow out in the new open-air meditative lounge, teens can learn about skin care, and younger kids can get hair braids and temporary tattoos. If you need some alone time, enroll kids in Camp Hyatt, where cultural crafts and supervised water activities are the main focus.

The Cost: Double rooms, with full entertainment center, furnished lanai, and spacious bathrooms, start at around $430 per night. Kids under five eat free at the breakfast buffet at Ilima Terrace Restaurant.

Aloha Beach Resort Kauai

The Vibe: Nestled between Wailua Bay and the Wailua River, this low-key, low-rise resort is a convenient place to stay. Ancient temples line the banks of the river and petroglyphs can be found on the rocks to the left of the resort.

The Draw: You'll be right next door to Lydgate Park, one of Kaua'i's only protected swimming and snorkeling beaches. This is where you'll find Kamalani Park, which has mazes, lava tubes, a circular slide, and a suspension bridge. For more family adventure, head to the Wailua River, where you can kayak and water ski. Back at the hotel, you and the kids can play volleyball or tennis, or splash in two pools. Enjoy your meals in the full-service Palms Restaurant or dine casually at the poolside grill.

The Cost: Rooms are in two wings and have views of the beach, mountain, or ocean; rates start at $198 a night. The resort also offers one-bedroom beach cottages with kitchenettes, bright and airy rooms, mini-fridges, coffee makers, and sliding-glass doors that lead to spacious lanais. Rates start at $198 per night.

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