Vacationing on Big Island with kids

[pixelprincess]

We are planning on a trip to the Big Island, Hawaii in Oct. Has anyone been there with babies? Am wondering if there is enough to do with kids. My first choice would have been Maui, but dh has a medical conference at the Big Island for 4 days. Our total stay would be 7 days so am wondering if we should stay put or island hop?

any suggestions would be helpful.

thanks.

[anutalp]

I've been there while being 6 month pregnant, not a big help :)
I don't know where you're staying, we've been in Fairmont and I don't think it would be a good place to stay with kids. Hilton, on the other hand, is a great place for families with kids. I hope your DH's conference is in Hilton or close by.
Have fun, I love Big Island!!!

[jk3]

We went to the Big Island + Maui for our Honeymoon. We stayed at the Four Seasons on the Big Island + had a fabulous time. There isn't a ton to do at this place but there were a lot of kids. The Hilton has more of a bustling, Disney feel to it so it might be a better choice. There is a terrific public beach on the Kona Coast. We made the trip to the Volcano which was interesting but I would not recommend doing so with an infant/toddler. It's a long, monotonous drive. You will have a fantastic time. Hawaii is the best!

Jenn
DS 6/03

[classyt]

We just went in September (no kids yet) and stayed at the Hilton and it was awesome!!! Very family friendly...lots of kids, including babies. The Hilton also has the Dolphin Experience where you can swim with the dolphins, so even though a baby would be too young for this, I bet a baby would love to see the dolphins, which can be observed each day and they do shows.

The volcano is also an amazing thing to see and would be great for kids (again, not sure about babies). It's about a 3 hour drive and there's a ton to see, so it may be beneficial to get a room for one night there (that's what we did).

In general, the Hilton has so many wonderful beaches and pools and a monorail and all sorts of things to do and see on-site, if you can stay there, you'd be set. They also have a kids camp. There's also things to do and see in the major towns...shopping, eating, etc. And then, of course, there are just some beautiful drives with waterfalls and other things to observe.

Good luck. A great book, btw, is: Hawaii: The Big Island Revealed. We used it for all of our plans.

Have a great time!
Mom-to-Be, Due July 27th

[Tondi G]

Can I recommend a website to look into! I emailed back and forth with an agent and she was SOOOOOO helpful! I'll bet even if you don't book with them she might be happy to answer a few questions for you... she has children herself! The site itself has a lot of info on ALL the hotels in Hawaii and has some pretty honest agent reviews as well!

http://family-vacations-hawaii.com/

Good luck you are going to love Hawaii with kids! Keep in mind..... babies/toddlers are just happy to be with mom and dad having fun! Any beach is fun for kids..... bring along some good sunscreen and a couple of toys and ENJOY!

~Tondi and Mason 7/8/01

[pixelprincess]

Thanks all for your suggestions. Love the idea of swimming with the dolphins and will check out the website too! I found a great deal at a 4 star condo in Waikoloa. :-)