Maui & Hawaii with kids?
 

This is our 3rd trip to Hawaii, the first with our boys ages 7 & 10. We are staying at the Marriott Wailea on Maui and the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii.
Any suggestions for 2 active boys? Years ago we stayed at the Renissance in Waikola and snorkeled right off the beach - is this still possible at the Marriott?
THANKS!

On Maui:
- The Old Lahaina Luau.
- Drive up Haleakala.
- Drive to the Iao Valley and the needle. (The needle is an interesting formation, and there's a swimming hole and water fall. The concierge said it's similar to the drive to Hana, which I skipped, and it's also a much shorter day).
- Lahaina town for dinner. Lots of restaurants and it's a fun place to walk around.
- I missed it, but the aquarium is supposed to be very good.

The above post has some excellent ideas.
We, too, enjoyed the Old Lahaina Luau and the Iao Needle.
The snorkling almost anywhere on Maui is excellent.

On the Big Island, go to Volcano National Park. Other possible activities:
Parker Ranch near Waimea--they have wagon rides, horseback riding, other activities http://www.parkerranch.com/

Waipio Valley -- take a mule drawn wagon tour http://www.waipiovalleywagontours.com/

Whale watching cruise--the humpbacks are gone in the summer--but Captain Dan seems to be able to locate other species http://www.ilovewhales.com/home.html

A good snorkeling beach for kids is Kahaluu Beach--there's a breakwater, lots of fish and turtles. South on Alii Drive almost to Keahou

Some kids might like touring the facility where they raise seahorses http://www.seahorse.com/

Excellent ideas. Thank you all very much!

In Lahaina, my kids love Bubba Gump's for dinner. Its a fun place.

On the Big Island, The Hilton is a great, great choice for kids. However, there is not a swimable beach there. Drive north to Hapuna Beach, which is possibly the best beach on the island.

The is a beach walking distance from the Hilton that had good snorkeling. You could look it up (we called it A-Bay, it's nickname). Actually, I think it is closer to the Marriott.

A surfing lesson -- our 10 year old loved it and you can do it with them. Also, on Maui, the Pacific Whale Foundation does a great snorkel trip to Lanai and they have equipment to "search" for spinner dolphins, we were surrounded by them on the way back and it was incredible -- big hit with the kids.

on Maui, the bike ride down Haleakala could be fun. There are guided rides down. Also, www.ponyexpress.com offers horseback rides into the crater. A couple of summers ago I took the family on that ride. They go in about 4 miles. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Standard disclaimer applies - I am not an owner or employee of Pony Express, just a satisfied customer.

As far as dining goes, Bubba Gump's and Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina are good, fun places to enjoy with boys that age. No, they're not fine dining, but they are right on the water.

How about the zipline with Skyline Eco Tours on Maui. I have read that they recently opened up another site. We did the zip up on Haleakala last year and that was the highlight of our son's trip. He's 13.