Beginning to plan a vacation for summer (2004). We will be getting together 3 couples, a single, 3 early-20s, a teenager, and 2 2-year-olds!! (12 total)
When we all went to St. John a few years ago, we rented a villa with a pool/hot tub, etc. That went really well, and we'd like a similar thing again.
So my questions (please forgive my ignorance of hawaiian island cultures) -
Which island would suit us best? If choosing between large # of activities and peace and quiet, I'll take peace and quiet (we can make our own fun!)
Do you know of any good, reasonably priced, 5 bedroom villas/vacation homes - preferably with a pool?
Thanks in advance for any help! Oh, and some of our party have specifically requested whale and/or dolphin watching... is there a certain season when they are around, or do they stay around hawaii year-round?
Thanks so much...
Gretchen in Missouri

Whale watching season is generally November - May.

As for places to stay: I am biased because I live on Oahu. It has a wide range of activities as well as peace & quiet. Maybe you can rent something in a rural area, like the North Shore or Lanikai, to be past the hustle & bustle of town. This way you can still be on the island with activities, in case you get an itching for stuff to do. Try www.bradleyproperties.com for starters.

I think this is something you need to explore on the internet Gretchen. There are many properties similar to what you are talking about in black point near Diamond Head, some in Kahala, Kahala Coast on the Big Island.

All of the islands are special and different. Oahu is great for commercial stimulation, culture and fine dining. That can work really well with kids when you can zip out to a mall, sea life park, Byodo Temple for everyone.

I like to hike/kayak when I have gone with kids. There are easy walking hikes on all the islands that even a large group like yours could enjoy together. You also want to look at ancient sites, ect. A lot of ancient sites on Oahu but I love Kauai for the natural beauty you have the wide open landscape of Kauai on a smaller scale on Oahu but no canyon, Koke Park or Haena.

I went with a family of 6 (kauai), then with a family of 3 teens two adults (Oahu & BI). Our condo on Kauai can be found at vbro.com it did not have a pool, air-conditioning and was a block from the beach. There are other selections out there if you wanted something higher end. I saw a lot of different family reunions on this past summer. Consider renting the top and bottom of one unit.

Hanalei North Shore Properties has a large number of rentals also.

Kauai is a great choice because your driving will be cut down considerably if you all are shooting out to the opposite end of the island for a sunset or dinner. Big Island would be difficult for me to not select because of the volcano, Parker Ranch, Kealakekua bay, Waipio Valley. Yeah you have to see what your family is looking for. No wrong choices out there and it is all incredible.

Those properties are on the Kohala coast on the Big Island not the Kahala which I am confusing with Oahu.

Hi Gretchen! You are getting lots of different advice here, we all have our favorite islands! I love renting villas in the Caribbean, went with my husband for the first time to Maui and Kauai this year. I think Maui would fit the bill, especially the Wailea area, which has natural beauty, golfing, shopping & dining, hiking and snorkeling. We rented a small villa and snorkeled out our front door every morning. In the summer there's no whales, but we had a great turtle show - lots of 'em! Anyway, for a wonderful collection of Maui villas, try Tropical villa vacations. Here's the URL:
http://www.tropicalvillavacations.com/

There are not nearly as many villas for rent in Hawaii as in the Carib...most people go for condos, which are quite affordable. But I still prefer the privacy and grounds of a single home!

P.S. What villa on St. John did you rent? We're looking into going with a group of ten this fall. Would love to hear of a "reasonable place with pool and hot tub"! Thanks.

Joan I always rent a single stand alone home in Hawaii, not so difficult.

Thanks for the advice, so far! Joan, wanted to give you the name of the villa... it's Morningside Villa, and it is great. We got married there! 4 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, and then a sleeper sofa in the living room. There were 9 of us, but 10 would work too. And, pool and hot tub. AND, gorgeous gorgeous view. You can get info on it at lime-coconut.com... but I have to tell you -- I got a much better deal by peeling the sticker off the brochure lime-coconut sent me so that I could see the owner's name (l-c had taken the owner's brocure and slapped their label on it) and then calling the owner directly.
If you are interested, e-mail me and I'll go through my files and get you the #.

Thanks Gretchen, I'll check it out! That was very clever of you!