Hi. I am planning a trip to Hawaii next summer (July 2005) for my family (wife, myself, 2 kids boy 8 girl 6). My wife and I went to Hawaii and Oahu 10 years ago for honeymoon. We spent 8 days on Maui and 2 days on Oahu. Now we are going back with kids. My question is what islands should we visit? Should I skip Maui this time and do Kauai? My wife would certainly say she wants to do Maui again, but that is of course without seeing Kauai. I was thinking about Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii, but not sure of what order or how long on each. Is there enough for kids to do on Kauai or should I do Maui again? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I thought I should add that our upcoming trip will be for about 11 days.

You did not mention if your are looking at staying in hotels, condos, or a house. If you are thinking about a hotel, The Hyatt Regency Kaua`i has an amazing pool and lagoon set-up that would keep your kids happy for hours. The beach is beautiful, but not great for swimming. It is a gorgeous resort. It has good restaurants, a great spa, and the rooms were just revamped.
-Bill

Thanks iamq.
I will try and be more specific. I will probably be using Marriott and Starwood (Sheraton/Westin/etc) points for most of the stays. Maybe two nights max outside of that. Also, all of us like the beach and snorkeling. Definitely want to hit the active volcano. I guess my questions are, what islands (and order if it matters) best suit family with 2 kids (8/6).

My choices would be Kauai and the BI. Every time you change islands you lose most of a day. Eleven days is too short to hop around too much. My kids enjoyed the Place of Refuge on the BI and Kelakua[sp?] Bay for snorkeling.

On Kauai, Lydgate and Ke'e Beach were great.

Maui is fabulous with young children! There is a book (I don't know how updated) called "Maui with Kids," and it may be part of a series on other islands. Some really good descriptions of family-friendly beaches/waters, hotels, etc.

We stayed at Napili Kai Beach Resort, which seems to be geared for families, but still has a nice Hawaiin touch to it. Pizza parties for the kids while adults have theme parties, golfing, etc. Always something going on. Beach is perfect---waves are fairly gentle there and Napili Bay is protected. Short walk to Kapalua Beach right next door, with some of the best waters for kid to swim and snorkel.

There is a snorkeling place (sorry! can't remember the name!) North of Kapalua where the water is like glass, so smooth, and it is like swimming in a fishbowl. Highly recommended.

My husband has spent time in Kauai, and that is likely to be our focus next with older kids. But for younger kids, we choose Maui for most of our stay.

Hi,

We (hubbie and I, and kids - 13 and 9) went to 4 islands in 15 days and just got back a week ago. We did a similar trip 16 years ago, before kids.

My 13 year old girl liked Maui and Oahu best. My 9 year old boy liked Maui and Kauai best.

On Maui, we stayed at Marriott's Maui Ocean Club. A lot of people on this forum don't like this property as it is older and in Ka'anapali, rather than Wailea which many seem to prefer, but the kids LOVED the Marriott pool. My daughter loved the shopping in Lahaina.

On Kauai, the kids liked the Hyatt Regency, also because of the great pool. We also stayed a few days in Kapa'a. From there we went to Lydgate Park, a great snorkeling place for the kids (and entire family). We preferred the East and North sides of the island for exploring.

For Oahu, both kids liked the Outrigger on the Beach in Waikiki. They ran between the beach and the pool all day. They loved eating at Duke's too.

As far as the Big Island goes, Kailua Kona was the only area the kids really liked. Kealakekua Bay was THE BEST for snorkeling!! That and Volcanoes National Park were the only thing the kids really liked. The Kohala Coast resorts were too remote from other things for the kids (we stayed at the Hapuna Beach Prince).

With kids and adults going, I'd split the time between Maui and Kauai. As long as you stay somewhere with great beaches, great pools, and near places with Shave Ice, the kids will be happy!!

Oh, also... Next time we're going to go to the Grand Wailea on Maui... also because of the kids!