kinate

Help Please! I am planning to take a family vacation with husband and kids ages 6,7, and 10 in late June or early August. We are undecided wether to spend a week in Maui or Puerto Rico. For accomidations we are planning to stay at a condo. We enjoy swimming, snorkeling, and some sight seeing excursions. What do you recommend- what are pros/cons of each? Thanks for your help (also if you could recommend what areas of Maui or Puerto Rico are nicest for families)!

tcapp

We have done both trips, and have loved both, but I would pick Maui hands down. On Maui, I would stay in either the Kaanapali, Napili, Kapalua, or Lahaina area.

LynnieD

Where are you flying from? For me, travel times with 3 children would be a major consideration.

suze

Depending on your location the flying times and flight prices might be drastically different? I'd factor that in.

That said, MAUI!

colombiana

kinate: Puerto Rico is one of my favorite places but, Maui without a doubt first it is easier to get around, Puerto Rico can get complicated the best parts as with everything are hard to get too, the weather in Maui will be a lot better (not as hot)and Maui offers more activities in more places than Puerto Rico. that said there are no cons to Maui except it is further and of course a lot more expensive. Lahaina is a nice place to stay, don't miss going to the summit (I can't remember what it's called,) don't forget to take a warm sweater (it's usually 30 degrees colder )

MelyChaps

My ten year old son and I just went to Puerto Rico for his spring break and we had a great time. We live in Los Angeles, so it was certainly a longer flight than if we had gone to Hawaii, but I found it far more interesting to be in Puerto Rico. I enjoyed the fact that most people there are bi-lingual, they could flip from Spanish into English no problem.
We were there for 10 days and only covered the north east part of the island.
We loved the Rain Forest in El Yunque, camped at the Flamenco beach in Culebra- truly beautiful but it got too crowded and loud at night simply because of so many mainlanders over for their spring break holiday. We snorkled around Culebrita and someone in our group saw a giant sea turtle.
We also enjoyed walking around Old San Juan - I especially loved the cobblestone streets and brightly painted buildings. The cemetary just below the fortress wall is impressive.
We also took the public ferry to Vieques to enjoy the bioluminescent bay - stayed at a guest house Hotel Cocoloco, which was a last minute find and was a two bedroom apartment with full kitchen and bunk beds for kids. Had guava pastries and coffee from the bakery down the road for breakfast, ate at Bananas for dinner after the power came back on. Found Vieques to be more calm than Cuelbra, Esperanza was prettier than any other part of Culebra or Vieques. Our final day we went horseback riding in the rain forest.
Overall we loved the vibe, the people were all very nice and even the rowdy college kids were fun to be around.
Hawaii seems more commercialized, and yes, more expensive.
If you are still making up your minds, email me and I will give you specific reccomendations where to stay and visit.
Good luck!

jill777

Done both, Puerto Rico was interesting due to the spanish culture, was surprised how little English was spoken there, we had a heck of a time asking for directions. The fort was the highlight of our trip with it's panaramic views of the beaches, and beautiful quaint shopping streets nearby were all charming. Maui has more excursions and is more of a luxury trip in my opinion, fancy restaurants and tons of trips and activities to do, be ready for $16 hamburgers and fries by the hotel pool side, it is pretty expensive. Maui is a lot more easy to get around and user friendly.