Hawaii for Fifteen
 

Hi, all!!

My extended family wants to go to Hawaii this summer for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. Everyone has been to the islands at least once. We will have people ranging in age from 10 to 73. We are thinking 10-12 days will do it.

We are rife with disagreements at this point, and I have been appointed She Who Shall Make This Happen. The issues?

1. We know we don't want to do Oahu again. If we are going to do two islands, which of the remaining ones have the biggest variety of activities for a large group?

2. Does anyone have lodging recommendations for getting each family enough space but still being able to accommodate those who want to lie in the sun at a snazzy pool?

3. Would it make sense to consider an island other than the Big Four? In the past, we usually do two islands because we run out of things to do on just one island. Is it possible to just do one island for 10 days without being bored silly?

Any other ideas as I prepare to wade into the abyss and plan this thing?

Big Island fits the bill. Plenty to do for everyone such as
snorkel
swim
swim with manta rays
beaches
golf
tropical gardens
waterfalls
horseriding
star gazing
hiking
volcano national park
hawaiian culture
luau

Maybe you should look into staying in condos with a pool or renting a large house or two with pools.
Another idea ... maybe you don't all need to stay together. There are hotels and condos in the Waikaloa that are close enough to walk between.

For my parents 50th anniversary, 10 of us (aged 40 to 70) went to Maui, stayed in Lahaina for one week. We had a great trip. My Mom used Plesant Hawaiian thru AAA for the arrangements.

Second the Big Island - the snorkeling is wonderful and it's easy to get up to see the Volcanoes - my kids LOVED walking out on the old lava at sunset to watch the new lava hit the water as it got dark . We love the Mauna Kea but it might still be closed - I think the Hapuna is open. They are sister resorts - the beaches are not to be believed with fabulous snorkeling. We have been twice with our extended family - 2 families with kids ranging 9 - 12 and grandparents in thier 70s. EVERYONE loved it! For island #2 - you can't go wrong with Maui or Kauai.

We loved Maui, the BI, and Kauai - any combo of those would be good for you, but if you're looking for two islands with a lot of activities, I'd go BI and Maui.

I'd go for Maui and Big Island. With 10-12 days you won't have any problem seeing both of them.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands. Just ignore the Oahu info:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564