Hawaii Help -- First Trip to HI
 

I am starting to plan a 2 week trip to Hawaii with 2 kids (8 & 12). We are from the east coast and have explored the Caribbean and wanted to see something new. We love to snorkel,playing at the beach (nor sunbathing), hiking, exploring the sites and checking out fun eateries. We tend to opt for villa/home rentals on previous vacation stays and prefer nice but more casual than stuffy/elegant but have not ruled out resorts for maybe a portion of our stay. We are still trying to figure out which islands to visit. We would like to rent a jeep and explore the islands. I am leaning toward Kauai and Maui but my husband would also like to see Pearl Harbor. Any advise recommendations would be most appreciative.

Tell your kids that if they touch a turtle they will get toxic shock and drown
Tell them if they swim too close to dolphins they will loose their hearing.
Tell them if the step on the coral reef they will get gangrene and a tribal doctor will have to amputate.

My virgin trip I started with a week on Maui with 2 nights in Hana and followed it with a week in Kauai. That was many trips ago. You can't go wrong with any island if you have the right outlook!!!

We went to Kauai with our kids a few years ago and rented a villa on the north shore called Makana Akua. We rented it through a company called House of Dreams Kauai, I am not sure whether or not they still offer this particular villa but our kids had a good time. There was great snorkeling a short distance away on Tunnels Beach.

Earlier on the same trip we stopped in Honolulu, there we liked Hanauma bay. They were very young then, now they are closer in age to your kids and I am thinking they might like the Big Island and Volcanoes National Park because they are into all that now. My husband and I went many years ago before the kids and we loved it. Maui was nice but I visited decades ago so my information is probably outdated.

There's plenty to see and do on Oahu if Pearl Harbor is a must. Maybe pairing it with *either* Maui or Kauai??

help with HI trip -- first time
 

Thank you for the information. I think we would prefer renting a villa but our budget is 200-350/night. Can you even rent a villa for this? Also, what island would you recommend if you wanted to hike volcano sites? We prefer less touristy but not so far removed that we can't go out for a nice meal and visit the shops. Any locations on Kauai and Maui? Idelally, we would love to walk to or be on the beach. I assume that you must take a flight to get from island to island.

The one island with an active volcano is the Big Island (Hawaii).

Yes, it's a short flight from Island to island. All have good restaurants, all have options to be on the beach. You could benefit from a goof guidebook to Hawaii.

The Big Island is interesting, but everything you want to see can involve long drives to get there.
I think Oahu would have more stuff to see and do like the Pearl Harbor memorial, and other historical sites such as the Iolani Palace (the home of the last remaining Hawaiian monarch), the Bishop museum which has native Hawaiian history and artifacts, the Doris Duke home, and my favorite place Hanauma Bay (which has a wonderful walk out to the shore - coral reef and a large diversity of reef fish - no boating out to the ocean. I feel Oahu and Kauai are more tropical and lush than Maui and the Big Island. Oahu has a more island feel and is more diverse. Kauai is beautiful

Heharris you may not be able to rent a private villa by the ocean but you should be able to find one a little away or by the ocean. You will rent a car anyway. If you want the beach and volcanoes both you will likely have to split your time between islands - the big island and one other. The big island has ocean front but it is rocky, not beachy.

Heharris you may not be able to rent a private villa by the ocean but you should be able to find one a little away or a condo by the ocean for that price. You will have to rent a car anyway. If you want the beach and volcanoes both you will likely have to split your time between islands - the big island and one other. The big island has ocean front but it is rocky, not beachy.[/QUOTE]

We’d stayed at Makana Akua last April - is there another place you’d recommend like
 

I don't have a recommendation for where to stay, but I love hiking the Kuilau Trail (not to be confused with the Kalalau Trail). It's near the arboretum and the Hindu Temple. It's remarkably lush.

Any recommendations on hotels/resorts to stay at in Kauai, Oahu and Maui? Something that is a good value -- under $300/night, on the beach but not too tourist

Hi there, I'm a hawaii girl born and raised so hopefully I can help a little :)
if you like Hiking (and are up for some slightly challenging hikes) I suggest Oahu--- we have far more hiking trails than any of the other islands---for just a little taste look up Lanikai pillboxes, Kuliouou ridge, Manoa Cliff trail, and Maunawili Falls)...on the beach side of the equation Oahu is also a pretty great bet---go to Hanauma bay for world class snorkeling, Sunset beach on the north shore for deeper calm water (summer only), Kailua beach for a 3 mile long stretch of pristine beach, Bellows and Waimanalo for boogie boarding...head over to little Moks for finding seashells. As for where to stay--- depends on your priorities and how much driving you are willing to do. Laie beach houses are pretty affordable but this will mean a minimum of a 1 hour to 1.5 hour drive for a lot of the amazing hiking, food, or other cultural experiences. If you want great restaurants I would suggest staying closer to downtown (kakaako and chinatown) in an airbnb or vrbo...driving time from downtown to hiking and beaches will range from 15 min to 1 hr. I'd personally avoid waikiki--- very touristic, congested with traffic, and expensive. Kailua is also a good option--- you could probably find a house rental in your budget that is walking distance to the beach, grocery stores, and a few shops, restaurants etc. For contrast, if suggest going to the Big Island next for viewing active lava flow, night snorkel with Manta ray, star viewing on Mauna kea, and turtle beach :)