italianmom

hello,

i'm planning a trip to hawaii in august 2009 , pls which island do you think is better with a small child?? We wud like to visit max. 2 islands, we need a condo preferably near a beautiful beach with calm sea or better with small waves for a beginner surfer...
thanks !!

sf7307

Poipu Beach in Kauai would suit you perfectly. Shallow calm swimming areas, easy off-beach snorkeling, beginner surf lessons. I don't know your budget, but there are different types of accommodations - a Sheraton hotel, Hyatt, Kiahuna Plantation condos, a lovely Marriott timeshare resort (called Waiohai) and others.

dusty56438

Oahu is the most kid friendly island.

Maui is second.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...trip-to-hi.cfm

PeaceOut

I think all the Hawaiian islands are kid-friendly. We've taken our two kids to Hawaii several times, since they were toddlers. We did find Maui was more for honeymooners than families, but that was just our feeling at the time. We have returned to the Big Island more times, because it has a little bit of everything and feels less hectic to us.

Changing islands can take the whole day, so I would not suggest it unless you're staying longer than a week. Especially since you're coming from Italy, and will have enough airtime in that.

On the Big Island, a very nice little condo complex is Sea Village. Very well-kept, pretty grounds, free tennis, little pool, amazing ocean views from most condos. It does not sit on a sandy beach, but is a very short car ride to a very popular little place. If you Google Sea Village, you will find lots of them listed by owner.

sf7307

How old is your young child (2 I believe you said in another post?). We've been to Poipu Beach, Kaanapali Beach and Waikiki when our kids were 2-4 and loved every trip. Kids that age are easy to please -- good weather, warm water, sand to dig in, a lawn to play on, maybe a shallow pool to swim in -- and each of the islands has all of those in abundance. The one thing that's different in Maui and Waikiki is there is some more development, so for example, you can walk around Lahaina town, or Whaler's Village or Waikiki at night, less of that (none really!) in Kauai.

italianmom

My child is 2 years old. Coming from Italy ( so with a long trip via San francisco) we wud spend 6 days on 1 island and other 5 on another...preferably in an apartment than hotel..
thank u.

suze

I would suggest 6 days on Maui and 5 days on Oahu. You'll need a rental car for Maui, but not as much for Oahu if you stay in Waikiki.

I like The Hawaiiana Hotel in Waikiki, all the rooms have kitchenettes, and it has nice tropical gardens and two small pools. My family stayed at Lahaina Shores on Maui, which is condos, walking distance to town.

PeaceOut

I think a car is a necessity on Hawaii, so you can explore. Going to Oahu and only staying in Waikiki for 5 days doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

suze

Sorry I didn't say that well... I meant on Oahu there are other alternatives to tranportation, when you are staying in Waikiki (where most of the hotels are) to get out and around the island... There are loads of companies that do various tours, The Bus, etc. which you could use to see some things even if you chose not to rent a car.

dfr4848

As noted, all the islands have some nice places for kids. We particularly liked the Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island. We went there when our daughter was 3 and the staff was very accommodating to kids. There was even a "Kiki Beach" (Kiki being Hawaiian for "child") with small tables, chairs and loungers. The beach was a lagoon and the water was protected by a barrier and was very shallow. Special activities for kids. Really nice.

sf7307

I think it would help if you could tell us approximately what your nightly budget is. The Hawaiiana recommended by Suze and the Mauna Lani recommended by dfr4848 are at opposite ends of the price/luxury spectrum (and there's plenty at both ends and in-between, too).

PeaceOut

Suze, good point about public transit.

Budget is also a good question. We stayed at the Mauna Lani with our two kids, and it is lovely, but it is expensive.

italianmom

Thank u everybody ! you're right , I have to speak about MONEY !! not too much, I wud like to spend about 150usd per night ...not more...if possible..better in a condo so we do not spend also too much money for food...
thanks!!

suze

The Hawaiiana Hotel fits that price range. Though it is not technically a "condo", all the rooms have full kitchens, plus they have BBQ grills available (for a very small fee) if you want to get fish or steaks from the grocery store and cook in the yard. And it's a family friendly place.