chaya

My family will be traveling to Hawai in June of 2007. Our 1st week will be on the Big Island staying at a Fairfield timeshare. There will be 19 of us here. Looking for great ideas for what to do with such a big crowd.
Our 2nd week we (my husband and 5 children) will go to Oahu. We are looking for a place to stay that we don't have to spend a fortune ... 2 hotel rooms every night. Most places I have looked at only accomadate 6 guests. Any ideas for a family of 7? Again we would love to hear your ideas about activities.
Kids range in age from 21 - 12 years and we love to hike/swim/bike in moderation.

wally34949

The big thing on the Big Island is to visit the Volcanic National Park. Tours could be expensive so I would rent a couple of vans. Visiting the top of the Mountain during sunset is another popular activity.

TravelTess

Book a horseback ride through Waipio Valley. It's so much fun and very picturesque.

dusty56438

This thread is mostly for Oahu, but lots of sites are good for all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

Also:

www.bigisland.org Free brochure

http://www.konacoffeefest.com/drivingtour/map.html

Lots of budget ideas all islands:

http://www.budgettravelonline.com/bt...aii/index.html


These give snorkeling sites that you can do on your own:

http://www.snorkeling-hawaii-insider...com/index.html

www.snorkelbobs.com Scroll to the bottom & click on Map'nTips

On Oahu, Resortquest Waikiki Sunset is a condo with 1 & 2 bedrooms. Resortquest Waikiki Banyon is a condo with 1 bedroom.

chaya

Thanks for all the great info. Now to make some decisions.

PollyR

I just got back last week from Oahu. I stayed with a friend so I can't give advice on hotels (I know, lucky me) but there's a ton of things to do on Oahu. If you want to hike, go to Diamond Head and hike up to the top. It's not a bad hike and your kids should be able to handle it. THere were plenty of kids there who were younger than yours when I was there. I also went horseback riding, if that appeals to you. The kids might like the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Of course, there's plenty of swimming. I personally am not a good swimmer, so my friend took me to beaches with calmer water. I'd recommend Ko'olina (which is a resort but anyone can go on the beach). Waikiki is nice, but very crowded and touristy. If you have a car, you can drive to the North Shore where the surfers go. I'd also recommend going to a luau at Paradise Cove and going to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

My friend is in the military and will be leaving Hawaii at the end of this year, but I would like to return to Oahu in the near future. I got all of the touristy things out of the way on this trip and would just sit on the beach next time around!

iamq

Hi Polly!
Glad to hear that you had a good time. Are you going to post a trip report?
-Bill

PollyR

HI Bill,

I'm still working on my trip report! It's taking forever to write because I'm afraid I'm going to leave out some detail so I'm trying to capture everything before I post it. I hope to have it done later today. Will let you know.

tmt

6 people vs. 7 - Is it a "big" person?

Do you have to tell them?

when you find some hotels that you might like, take a look at tripadvisor.com, plug in the hotel name and its a quick way to tell if you would like to stay there or not depending on what folks say

PollyR

I just posted my trip report. Check it out. I don't know how to link to it, but if you search under Oahu trip report, you should find it. Enjoy!