hawaii july 2012- family of 6
 

looking for advice for our family of 6 vacation July 2012 to Hawaii- considering Maui for 4 days and The Big Island for 4 days. any advice for hotels, sightseeing or tips would be greatly appreciated. looking for accomadations for 6, on or near beaches- water lovers and advernturous travelers :) thanks!

You don't mention the ages of the travelers. With a party of 6, I would not try two islands. Pick one and enjoy the fun without adding additional stress in the packing and airports.

oops! their ages are 16, 14, 11 and 10~ what are your thoughts on staying on 1 island and then day tripping a couple of others? ?

another question would be is it better idea to fly into Oahu and then shuttle to Maui or just fly into Maui? by better, i mean, time and cost efficient? thanks!

I would never fly to an island for a day any more...too much of a hassle - we went to Oahu in early 2000 with our family of 6 ages close to what you are traveling with and rented a house on the north shore. We LOVED it. Rented a mini-van and really enjoyed our time. We have since been back to several different islands a few times and are returning again this June.

I would rent a house - not go into a hotel with your family -

we have had good success with VBRO

I am sure that you feel like you are traveling so far, so you should see as much as possible. If you transfer from one island to another, you do forfeit a good chunk of time spent packing, airport check-in, car rental, etc. Two years ago we took our adult kids and grandkids to Maui for 7 days, and everyone agreed there wasn't enough time for beach time, shopping and all the adventure stuff. They are agitating for 10 days on Maui next year. I suggest flying into Maui and staying put!

thanks for the advice- if we stay on one island, Maui or Oahu? we like to sightsee, want hawaii culture, beach, snorkle, hike? i am leaning towards Maui but hate to not visit Pearl Harbor or DiamondHead. Location is more important for us than where we stay as long as it is comfortable, clean and near beach. there is so much information and options, i may have to go with travel agent even though i have not used one before!

Stay on Maui and take the ferry to Lanai as a day trip. I prefer Maui because of it's terrific beaches, good easy snorkeling, and the Haleakala volcano which has hiking opportunities.

Flying to the other islands for day trips consumes an inordinate amount of time and money(especially for a family of 6). Having said that, people do fly to Oahu to do Pearl Harbor as a day trip.

Start looking on the TripAdvisor posting boards for Hawaii. Those boards are very active and you will be able to search for other people's posts about Pearl Harbor day trips.

I agree with others who recommend one island only for an 8 day trip. Each of the major islands IMO require a full week to enjoy all the sights and activities plus have time for relaxation. If my choice was between Maui and seeing Pearl Harbor & Diamond Head, I would choose Maui. For a family of 6, I would recommend renting a 2 or 3 bedroom condo. There is a huge selection on vrbo.com.
Since you have a long time to plan, I would recommend reading a good travel guide. My favorite one for Maui is Maui Revealed. Each island has different areas to stay with different things to offer. Reading up on the differences will help you choose the area that will be best for your particular interests.

I am just looking at flying to another island and we only have 3 people and it is pricey... I love Maui and Oahu... I do not think you can wrong with either personally. We did a horse back riding one day with our family of 6 on Oahu and it was great over on the north shore if you end up going to Oahu.


I also think the day trip on the Trilogy would be great from Maui http://www.sailtrilogy.com/lanai/

Good advice to stay on one island and take the ferry to another, if you feel you need to see another island. Hawaii is so wonderful, you practically can't go wrong with which one you choose (unless you spend too much time in transit, and not enough 'mahalo' time!)

<<<i am leaning towards Maui but hate to not visit Pearl Harbor or DiamondHead. >>>

Pearl Harbor is a must-see if you are on Oahu, but I don't know that I would go from another island to visit (although it's one of those places I think every American should visit at some time). Diamondhead is okay -- nice views, but the hike isn't much or attractive. The drive through the center of the island is much more beautiful (spectacular actually).

I'd vote for a house on either the north shore of Oahu or eastern Oahu in the Kailua/Lanikai beach areas (non-touristy areas with gorgeous, low-key beaches, excellent kayaking), or Maui. But, in the interest of full disclosure, I don't do <i>any</i> traditional sightseeing when I'm in Hawaii -- I go for the weather, the sunshine and relaxation, a few gorgeous views, and poking around towns such as Haleiwa and Lahaina. I've been on Oahu at least five times and have never been to the Bishop Estate, Doris Duke home nor the Dole Plantation (and in all honesty, don't feel like I've missed anything LOL).

I've been on Oahu at least five times and have never been to the Bishop Estate, Doris Duke home nor the Dole Plantation (and in all honesty, don't feel like I've missed anything LOL)...

Been twice - going back for a third in a few months and I have never done any of those either... wonder if my 14 and 17 year old girls would like any of it?

I would love to stay in Kailua..

There's a picture of Lanikai Beach in this blog that was linked to in another thread. It is so beautiful....

http://www.oahufamilyactivities.com/...y-beaches.html

Mom, where are you staying this time? (We were thinking of returning later in the year, but we just got back yesterday from three weeks in Southeast Asia, so I'm not sure anything other than Palm Desert is in the cards LOL)

You mention culture--Oahu has the Bishop Musuem, Iolani Palace, the Pali where King Kamehameha I drove his opposition over the cliff, and Punchbowl Cemetery, as well as Pearl Harbor. It's my favorite island with peaceful beauty on the "other" side of the island, the busyness and shopping (and beauty) of Waikiki, and all the water sports anyone could want.

Sf - are you doing a trip report?? We are staying for 5 night s at the Ko Olina Marriott again - bringing the girls this time and need to book the remaining 3 nights..I wanted to go to Kauai or the Big Island but think with just 3 nights we will most likely just stay on Oahu and will stay at a Marriott property (Platinum members now and want to use points) - sorry to hijack!

Traveling from one island to another is very time consuming. Especially when traveling with larger parties (children etc). By the time you check out of the hotel/condo, arrive to the airport early, fly to the other island, pick up luggage, check into the other hotel, it takes up the better part of the day.

Also keep in mind most hotels/condos offer discounts the longer you stay. For example, a condo might have a 5th night free promotion on your dates. It would behoove you to stay 5 nights on one island and maybe 3 on another. Or, if a property had a 3rd night free promo you might want to stay 6 nights at one location. It all depends on the property, the time of year you travel, and that could help you decision prcoess.

If you are looking for economical (but decent) I would suggest a condo. You can fit 6 people in one condo, have a full kitchen, and be on the beach!

If it is me and my wife, Maui. If it is with the kids, Oahu. There is more to do on Oahu. We stay on the North Shore and hike, snorkel, and poke around in small towns. The kids like to surf, and head up into the mountains. The Polynesian Cultural Center is a full day and is near by. There is a ton of history and culture on the island.

>>i may have to go with travel agent<<

Don't!! You'll get more and better help here and at TripAdvisor. Having once been a travel agent myself, I can state that with confidence. ;-)

As to your particular question, I agree with others here; choose one island and stay put. It's not as if you won't find enough to keep you as busy as you want to be. And since it's July you'll be traveling, I suggest you also consider Kauai. From my perspective, there's a more diverse array of activities and sights there. And you won't find a better place to soak up the Hawaiian culture.