We want to take a family trip to Hawaii next year but are clueless since we always go to the carribbean and Mexico.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Best calm, white sandy beach, w/snorkeling
(have a 2 and 3 1/2 year old.)
Prefer a very nice rental on the beach.
Best time of year to go?

Hi Hobie, to my knowledge there are no white sand beaches on any of the islands. You can find golden sand beaches, black sand beaches, red sand beaches and green sand beaches, but probably not what you're used to in the Carribean or Mexico. I was a little disappointed when I found this out my first trip, since many published materials will refer to white sand beaches, but the beaches have much to offer none-the-less.

Thanks for the info on the beaches, do you know of any in particular that have calm water, no lava rock?

The calm, white sandy beach is in Lanikai! Do a search on Lanikai or Kailua and there will be a ton of posts for rentals.

Many recommend Poipu for small children.

Hi hobie1,

Maybe this will help:

www.snorkeling-hawaii-insiders-guide.com

We stayed in West Maui last year and there were some very nice beaches. We snorkeled at Honolua Bay which was easy enough for my little one. We got a nice Body Glove short sleeved wetsuit thing with built in flotation at Sam's Club. She practiced snorkeling in our soaking tub.

We also snorkeled an Hanauma Bay in Oahu and she loved that too. It was a good experience all around.

My understanding is that summer is generally better if you're looking for calm ocean conditions.