I am trying to plan a trip to Hawaii in late March for our 3 adult children and their spouses and our two grandsons aged 6 and 2 to celebrate my wife's 65th birthday. Looking for a resort that is upscale but low key. Any island.

How many rooms do you need?
What is your nightly accomodation budget?

Do you dive? Snorkel? Shop? Boogie board? surf? Hike?
What are your interests?

Condo-type accommodations or hotel?

This is such a broad question that it is hard to give any meaningful advice. Everyone has their favorite island, mine is the Big Island, others love Kauai. Some loath Oahu, others like myself love its North Shore. So can you at least narrow down your choice of island.

But in lieu of that I will throw out an unusual suggestion: the Four Seasons at Manele Bay, Lanai--luxurious, upscale and very low key.

It would be hard to go wrong with 4S Manele Bay, but Lanai alone might be a little limiting for most (presumably) first timers, trying to get a feel for the islands. Assuming that you have 8 days or so, I'd suggest two islands; Lanai, and given its proximity, Maui, as you could hop on the ferry to Lahaina, and stay in, say, Wailea. I found taking the ferry to be a lot less hassle than flying.
Info requested above is needed, for more detailed responses.

With a big party, I'd want to stay put and maybe just take a day trip to Lanai.

We have done family gatherings at the Mauna Kea on the Big Island and have found it the perfect place. Haven't been since the renovations post earthquake, but I am sure it is still a lovely and understated place.

I stayed at the Marriott a few years ago, and that might fit the bill for you. It's was really nice and on the beach, which many of the resorts on the island are not. It wasn't as upscale as some of the other places like the Mauna Kea, but the room rate reflected that. The rooms and grounds were very nice, though.

Andrews, there are many Marriotts in Hawaii - which one are you describing?

Andrews seems to be describing the Waikoloa Marriott on the Big Island sf. I think that might be a good low key choice for a gathering. While I love the Mauna Kea idea, it can be pricey for a family gathering

When my family does gatherings, its normally W Maui, and everybody ends up at different resorts to fit budgets, but we are all close enough to hook up.

Uhmmm! Wonder where the OP went after he/she dropped this wide open question on us trusting soles?

er.....souls.

My family did similar for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. None of us are really "resort" types so we chose Lanhaina Shores (condo hotel) walkable to the town of Lahaina. Then with day trips around the rest of Maui and an evening at Old Lahaina Luau.

SF, sorry about that. For some reason, I had it in my head that the OP was going to the Big Island. So FrankS is correct, I am describing the Marriott Waikoloa.


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sf7307 on Dec 4, 11 at 10:21pm

Andrews, there are many Marriotts in Hawaii - which one are you describing?"

Late March is Whale Season, so I'd choose Maui or Lanai, where the whales are most abundant in the channel between the two islands.

Separate condos in one complex work well for family groups, especially if there are children involved. Maui has a large selection of condos -- problem will be finding availability starting so late. Between annual snowbirds and whale watchers, cars and lodgings will be in short supply.

We could help the OP more if we had a lodging budget.

napali point on maui. get rooms facing the ocean and you may be lucky enough to see some whales (we same them most every day). there a nice little inlet that has lots of turtles swimming in. good for snorkeling. a beach within walking distance and towns within reasonable driving distance.

We lived on Oahu for a few years and I would really recommend Marriott's Ko'Olina Beach Club. The resort is about 30 minutes outside of Honolulu and is ideal for families. Our kids love the pools there. The rooms are large and are more condo style so in the evenings if you want to sit around and enjoy each others company you're not cramped in a little hotel room or out in a lobby. There is a Costco within 10 minutes drive if you want to load up on drinks and other items and store them in your fridge. Flights are generally cheaper going in and out of Oahu than other islands which often include an island hopper flight.
Also, the resort sits on protected lagoons with calm waters, so if the kids want to get out in the ocean there are no currents to deal with. If the Ko'Olina is booked, there private condos next door that are often for rent called Ko'Olina Beach Villas that are very new and very stylish (a little expensive). You can find them for rent on VRBO. Ko'Olina is a private resort development that also has a great golf course on the property. There is also a marina if you want to charter fishing trips, whale watching trips or snorkel trips. Oahu has a reputation of being fast pace and not the "Hawaiian Feel" people are looking for, but Ko'Olina is its own oasis. It's perfect with kids!
www.worldfamilytravellers.blogspot.com

Geesh - what happened to the OP? Love all the islands - and there are some great suggestions - and depending on what they can afford - Mana Kea on Big Island is great - and the St. Regis Hotel in Princeville - at the North end of Kauai - is also top drawer with beautiful views.