Oahu (waikiki) with three kids
 

We are going to Oahu in August. It will be my wife and I, son (10), daughter (5) and another daughter (1 1/2). My inlaws will come with us and we are staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Ali'i Tower.

We are going to be there 8 days and are renting a minivan for three. Im looking for info on what would be good for kids in terms of entertainment, food, etc. We are definitely going to Pearl Harbor and the Missouri, Dole Plantation, PCC, Atlantis Sub and Hanuama Bay.

We all enjoy nature and such so looking for places with great snorkeling, turtles, wildlife etc. Also looking for decent, not overly long or strenous hikes, as well as the place all the movies like Jurassic Park have been filmed.
We have Entertainment Books so have an idea of the fare and a lot of good discounts but looking to find good places for the kids. We'll do the HVV kids club at least one day for them. Sea Life Park sounds too much like Sea World -we live in Southern California - so not sure we'd want to do that.

Any suggestions?
jd

Regarding movies - Jurrasic Park was mostly filmed on Kauai. Pearl Harbor (the movie) was (besides being obviously filmed at Pearl Harbor) was also briefly filmed at the Byodo-In Temple on the windward shore of Oahu (filling in for Japan). Very pretty place.

If you've been to Sea World, Sea Life Park will seem really small and insignificant, so I think your instincts are correct in that regard (ie skip it).

I think all your suggestions are pretty good - though do NOT expect to see a lot of sea life from the sub (still an interesting experience though).

Ken

Some of the movie was filmed at the Ranch by Chinaman's Hat...forget the name at the moment.

The two younger kids should like the Childrens Discovery Center. All should like Paradise Cove Luau. The Lagoons at Ko olina, Ala Moana Beach, Kailua, and Waimanalo are great spots for kids. There is a small zoo. An aquarium. A walk through aquarium at the Galleria or a large tank at the Pacific Beach Hotel. Makapuu Lighthouse hike is easy if they don't get close to the edge. The Turtle Bay Hilton has new trails. My daughter likes to watch the kite surfers at Kailua Beach and often there are kite go-cart things at Sandy's Beach. You can feed the turtles at Sea Life Park. For food have them try Mochi Ice Cream, malasadas and Shaved Ice.

If you plan to explore the main street along Waikiki Beach be on the look-out for the men with the parrots and macaws. We were in Waikiki recently and were approached by a "bird-man". Without asking he walks up to tourists and places the birds on either your head or your shoulders setting you up for a photograph. We were surprised and hesitant but camera-ready as usual. He then asked for 5 dollars per photo taken - tourist trap! One of the birds (a cockatoo) dug several deep scratches in my 6 year-old daughters shoulder. She was too frightened to even say anything at the time but as soon as he removed the bird and walked away she began to cry and her shoulder started bleeding. We were furious - at the man and at ourselves for not realizing that we were a) being duped into a tourist trap and b)for not realizing that our kids were frightened. I read your post and thought you should be aware so none of your kids get caught. I'm not trying to be negative - I'm sure you'll have a great time. We can't wait to go back!