What age for Hawaii?

[kristenk]

DH and I have been hanging onto some airline miles with the idea of taking DD to Hawaii. We've never been and I think it's safest to plan that this will be our one-and-only trip to Hawaii while DD under college-age.

Now the question: What's a good age for DD for Hawaii? DH just thinks that she needs to be "older" but doesn't know what "older" means. I think that it would be great to go when she's 10 or 11. DD, who is anti-most airplane flights is ready to go tomorrow!

Anyone - especially those of you have been to Hawaii - have any opinions on whether or not there's a good age to go?

[codex57]

One and only? Ooohhh, that's tough. I'd say anywhere from 10-14. You don't want a full blown teenager there who might not fully appreciate it (if they're in the full throes of being a stereotypical teenager). 10 should be old enough to appreciate some of the history and culture in addition to the fun stuff.

[twowhat?]

Which island? Would you just hang out on beaches or try to go see some of the cooler (and potentially more dangerous) sites? Like hiking over hardened lava on Big Island and walking up to craters with vertical drops of hundreds of feet? We went for our honeymoon and saw PLENTY of young kids that I honestly thought were too young for some of these things. The thought of hiking in the middle of the night over hardened razor-sharp lava wearing shorts and tevas with no park rangers carrying a tired kid on my shoulders does NOT appeal to me...but apparently appeals to lots of other parents...these parents also let their kids poke at the moving lava - WHUCK? We witnessed and helped with an accident on the lava involving 2 adults, a deep cut and lots of blood and I would NOT take an expedition like this lightly but I think it would be a very cool thing for a mature older child to experience.

Maybe I'd change my mind as the girls get older, but for now I feel like I'd rather wait until they were old enough to be reliably responsible about following rules, knowing how to be safe around water and formations around water (like blowholes), etc. And old enough to really appreciate WHAT it is that they're seeing. Like brand new land being formed right before their eyes:)

A responsible 10 or 11 years old or even older sounds about right to me:)

[waver]

I think it will be wonderful at any time. I guess the best time (for us) would be when there is a good deal on airfare.

Hawaii is one of my parents and our own family's favorite places to go.

It is so convenient and easy, because we live on the West Coast.

My first time was in high school. But we've taken our kids about twice a year since they were 4-5 months old. They are now 7 and 4.5. They love to snorkel and hike.

We usually go when there is a fare sale. The islands are different. My personal favorite is Kauai, which is slower, less developed, fewer restaurants. But it depends on what you like to do.

Hope this helps.

[ahisma]

We took DD when she was 8. She had a blast!

Trips get a bit...emotional around 10-11. Not awful (usually), but challenging. I don't think it's just my DD - I've heard similar things from most of her friends' parents. I think once puberty hits it just gets overwheming for them.

[citymama]

Any age is great! I guess my pick would be pre-puberty so you aren't dealing with all the beach vacation tween angst and can have a sweet kid along instead of a moody one. :) so 6-10 sometime. Be prepared for her to beg you to take her back!

[stinkyfeet]

I also think it depends where you currently live. I live in the DC area, and we went there for our honeymoon. It was a tough flight for just us bc it was SO long. If I remember correctly, the flight back is a long red-eye with a plane change too. I couldnt imagine taking young children on that flight if I didn't have to bc I think I'd go nuts. However,if you live on the west coast, I think it would be no problem.

[mom2one]

We took our DS in Feb this year. He was just 2 weeks before turning 8. We all had an AMAZING time! He did everything we did and we all loved everything. We went to Maui. If you go in Jan-May (I think I have the months right) it is the prime whale watching season and it is amazing to watch so many whales breaching out of the water all.the.time.

Let me know if you have any questions or want info on Maui.

Susan

[cono0507]

Our plan is to take the kids when they are proficient swimmers and hikers so we can do all the activities we want to do as a family (lots of hiking, snorkeling, surfing lessons, etc). For us, that will mean DD will be at least 7 and DS will around 9. My kids are pretty good hikers already since we live in the mountains and go regularly, but I really need them to be more proficient with swimming. So we are looking at going in about 2-3 years.

[lizzywednesday]

We took our DS in Feb this year. He was just 2 weeks before turning 8. We all had an AMAZING time! He did everything we did and we all loved everything. We went to Maui. If you go in Jan-May (I think I have the months right) it is the prime whale watching season and it is amazing to watch so many whales breaching out of the water all.the.time.

Let me know if you have any questions or want info on Maui.



I think prime whale-watching is December-April ... we honeymooned there in early May 2007 and didn't see any whales. :(

I will say that I noticed a lot of kid-friendly things around and about - there's something about the overall vibe of Maui that really welcomed keiki (children) and families, in my opinion.

I'm still dying to visit the Big Island, but that will have to wait until DD is older. Even in a hiking pack, I don't know that I'd trust her not to freak out.

[bostonsmama]

My BFF has a 7-yo who is AMAZING and mature for her age. She always does great on family trips like this. She's inquisitive, adept at swimming, well-balanced on hikes, and she's the perfect age for such a trip. I think 11-12yo's eyes can start to glaze over when surrounded by so much nature and lack of constant stimulation, but most 6-10yo's love being with their parents still, are curious, and can handle the lure of the great outdoors. Can you prepare her with a trip somewhere closer and see how she handles it?

[janine]

LOL, I was hoping to go this year (winter) with a 1 year old and 4 yr old! I think Hawaii is an easy trip for child of any age.

For 8-12 range (great age to travel IMO), I am thinking Europe....seems so far away though.

Keep us posted what you decide!

[codex57]

If it's your one and only trip, I'm firmly in the belief that you should visit Oahu.

I've done Oahu twice (once as a kid, once as an adult) and Maui once (as a parent). I dunno, maybe it's cuz I'm from SoCal. I think Hawaii's weather is crappy (too hot and humid) cuz I grew up on the beaches of Orange County (think LA County beaches are crappy too and too cold) with an easy shot to the paradise that is San Diego. So, for the best combo of tropical paradise that you can't get on the mainland, Oahu has the most to offer. You've got places like the Hawaiian Cultural Center, USS Arizona Memorial, Dole plantation, etc. for history/culture. If you want the tropical paradise and lush greenland, you just escape Waikiki. If you want restaurants and shops and stuff, you've got Waikiki. Diamondhead is great for nature, as is that one former crater that now is open to the sea (where you snorkel). THere's also that one beach where you can hand feed fish that swim up to you.

I never was blown away by Maui. It's like Oahu, without all the cool stuff to do. If I wanted to get away from it all, I'd go to Kauai.

[citymama]

LOL, I was hoping to go this year (winter) with a 1 year old and 4 yr old! I think Hawaii is an easy trip for child of any age.

For 8-12 range (great age to travel IMO), I am thinking Europe....seems so far away though.

Keep us posted what you decide!

It's great for your kids' ages.

We took DD1 first at 18 months, and again at 3.
Last year we took both kids for the first time, ages 5 and 1. FABULOUS.

I agree, I'm thinking 8 and up for Europe or South America! We have taken both kids to Asia already. ;) I doubt we'll make it to Disney without a lot of begging from the kids, but sign us up for Hawaii anytime!

[maestramommy]

One and only? Hmmm, that's a tough one. We went to Maui when Dora and Arwyn were 2.5 and 9 months. But that was for MIL's bday. SIL's kids were 10 and 8, and they got to do a lot more. We did have fun. Because MIL stayed with the kids for a nap Dh and I got to do some snorkeling, and we went to a brunch Luau, which was a lot of fun. We also drive up to Haleakala National Park and hiked around near the summit. Mostly we went to the beach. But if you have older kids, as I said, you can do more. SIL's kids took a surfing lesson with their dad. How about 12?

[kristenk]

Thanks for all of the input! It sounds like 5th grade would be a good time to go age-wise for DD.

Someone asked which island and what we wanted to do. At this point, your guess is as good as mine! I'd love recommendations on where to go and what to do.

Also, are there better times of the year to go than others? I'm guessing we're limited to Spring Break and summer. I don't think the family would take kindly to us heading to Hawaii for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Finally, how many days is a good amount of time? We'll be flying from Dallas, so the flight's not as horrible as it could be, but it's still pretty long.

And, yes, I realize that I'm dreaming about a trip that's at least 2 years away and I probably don't *need* to start planning it right now. I'm guessing that getting a general idea of costs now would be good so we know what to budget for. Plus it's fun to think of!

[twowhat?]

Thanks for all of the input! It sounds like 5th grade would be a good time to go age-wise for DD.

Someone asked which island and what we wanted to do. At this point, your guess is as good as mine! I'd love recommendations on where to go and what to do.

Also, are there better times of the year to go than others? I'm guessing we're limited to Spring Break and summer. I don't think the family would take kindly to us heading to Hawaii for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Finally, how many days is a good amount of time? We'll be flying from Dallas, so the flight's not as horrible as it could be, but it's still pretty long.

And, yes, I realize that I'm dreaming about a trip that's at least 2 years away and I probably don't *need* to start planning it right now. I'm guessing that getting a general idea of costs now would be good so we know what to budget for. Plus it's fun to think of!

I've only been on Maui and the Big Island but between those two...Big Island HANDS DOWN. We used the Hawaii Revealed (Maui Revealed, etc) book series for our trips which were really fantastic, though the authors admit that now that everyone uses these books, some of the "secrets" aren't exactly so secret anymore...and it was really kind of funny running into other people looking for the "beaten path about 100 yards south of the speed limit sign - go through the bushes and straight about 100 feet to be treated to a crater like no other" types of things in the book:)

The Big Island was amazing, wondrous, and we easily spent 10 days there staying at various B&Bs - a couple days on the sunny west side, 3 days on the middle/south and at Volcano National Park, 2 day on the rainy east side, 2 days on the waterfalls-and-valleys-filled north side. It's hard to pack for though because you need both cold weather and warm weather clothes if you want to go up to the higher elevations at Volcano Nat'l Park (which was my absolute favorite part of the trip and we were lucky enough to be able to hike right to the flowing lava - AMAZING). The north side was beautiful too - gorgeous valleys and waterfalls and we did a horseback riding tour which was amazing and so much fun! The West side is for the beach and sun folks. There were a few interesting things on the rainy East side. It was simply amazing to be treated to such drastic differences in the landscape depending on where you were on the island and how high. It was truly incredible to basically SEE before your eyes life taking hold of brand new land from hardened lava - I mean YOU SEE LAND FORMING! That's the coolest!! And South Point - wow - it was just such a surreal experience. The landscape, the wind, all the vegetation leaning in one direction, the colors of the land contrasting with the most beautiful blue you've ever seen in the ocean. It was completely surreal - DH and I had our breaths taken away because we didn't expect it...we were only going to South Point so we could claim that we were there but it was simply breathtaking!

[123LuckyMom]

Which island really does depend on what you want to do and see. Oahu has the big city, Pearl Harbor, the cultural center, the North Shore, the Dole pineapple plantation. Maui has a much more laid back vibe and lots of resorts, also Mt. Haleakala and the Road to Hana. I love Maui, personally. The Big Island has the volcano park, and there was a great cultural attraction there, too. I can't remember the name. The Big Island is BIG! You won't be able to see it all by any means unless you want to spend your whole vacation in the car. Kauai is wonderful for nature. There isn't much by way of shopping or attractions, but it's gorgeous. It really depends on what you want, but you've got lots of time to research!