Hawaii - advice/tips/etc

[weech]

DH and I are trying to plan a trip to Hawaii in January or February of 2012 (DS will be 19 or 20 months). We've never been to Hawaii, so could use some insight.

- Has anyone ever been in Jan/Feb? Is the weather okay?
- What island(s) should we go to? I've heard Kauai is nice.
- Is one week long enough, or should we plan to stay longer? We're on the east coast, so it's A LOT of travel time. We'll be booking a week through our timeshare, but we could certainly stay a few extra days somewhere else. Is that necessary?
- Is this crazy to do with a 20 month old? I'm a little weary of the travel time.

Anything else we should know? TIA!

[AnnieW625]

We went to Maui in February in 2003 and loved it, it was our honeymoon. We stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea, in a Garden View room, but still had a nice ocean view. The room was huge too so you could easily have your daughter in a pack n play in the living room and not feel cramped at all. The staff there was wonderful and they had a nice selection of pools, and it was on the ocean. I believe they also had a kids club, but kids weren't our priority then, and there were a variety of kids aged toddler to teenager there. We stayed for 7 days, came on a Monday and left on a Monday. We arrived on February 10th and left on the 17th and I could tell as the week went on the hotel got busier so I definitely would not go the week that presidents day starts (the third week) because I think people take advantage of that or some districts have snow breaks in late February.

This was almost 8 yrs. ago but the airfare, rental car, and hotel (including breakfast buffet---totally worth it as it was $25 per person (so it was nice it was included in the room price) but kept us full until dinner most days) was $3800. I think we tipped the house cleaning staff $25 when we left. The concierge desk was awesome too. We booked through a travel agency.

If you can get a good deal on air fare alone through the airline check out using a service like VRBO.com or HomeAway.com for house or condo rentals. We did this in Boston and saved a lot of money.

If you want to do a luau the Royal Lahaina it's suppose to be the best one on the island. Most luaus have 2 seatings so you could do an early seating with your DD. There is also an aquarium (we didn't go) and the drive to Hana is fun as long as it isn't raining as non of the shops are open (we went on a day it rained).

[mezzona]

jan/feb are the cooler months of the year in hawaii. also not as humid. non-peak, therefore cheaper. kauai is beautiful. so is maui and hawaii. i always go to oahu to visit family. cant go wrong with any island, imho. if you run out of things to see/do, ask the locals. theyre usually very nice and helpful and have insight on the less touristy spots.

eta jan sees tons of rain. less in feb. hawaii has the volcano park, kona coffee farms and macadamia nut farms. kauai has beautiful beaches and incredible mountain ranges and waterfalls. maui has haleakala and the seven sacred pools. oahu has pearl harbor, shopping, north shore, and disney resort should be open by then. all islands have beaches and luaus. you'll have a great time.

[zag95]

I have been to both Maui and Oahu, and I much prefer Maui!

We went there for our honeymoon in 2000- we stayed at the Sugar Beach Resort in Kihai, which worked well for us, because we were interested in a condo type set up. It was more in the middle of the island, so the exploring was easier in my opinion!

There are lots of fun things to do on Maui, especially with keikis!

You could take a road trip around to Hana- and have little stops along the way, if you have a rental car.
You could go up to the top of Haleakala (the volcano) and watch the sun rise or set.
You could explore the Aquarium, play on and in the beaches, walk around LaHaina, etc. My DH and I rented snorkel gear from Snorkel Bob's and took a picnic lunch and followed a snorkeling suggested map..... along the shorelines- we hit several places, including a gorgeous marine preserve!

Also the Iao Valley and Needle, is cool- there are some nice little paths and places to walk.

The Old Lahaina Luau was also a great place to see the traditions- but may not be the best with a toddler, depending on how finicky of an eater you have!

If you are craving a little more activity- then Oahu is nice. We stayed with friends in Ewa Beach, so had a more "local" experience. I found Waikiki Beach disappointing, after the gorgeous beaches of Maui!

The Arizona memorial was cool (go early!), there is the zoo near waikiki, the volcano to climb(Diamond Head)- you may not be able to climb with a little one but you could go and see the visitor center! There is a Hanauma Bay, which is a popular swimming site- and I think you can swim with dolphins also! We went around the majority of the island on the first day, and then would take little trips to different sections.

If you go to Oahu, you must go to the windward side- to Lanakai Beach- it is INCREDIBLE!!!! you may have to walk thru paths, by private residences..... so worth it! The North Shore is cool for having a shaved ice, watching surfers (if it's good surf!) and then stopping at a pineapple plantation!

Here is a resource for you! Have fun!

http://www.gohawaii.com/statewide/di...-hawaii/family

[egoldber]

We went to the Big Island when older DD was 4.5. It is a longgggggg trip from here for a kid. I don't know that I would take a toddler. It's a long way to go and then the jet lag is brutal.

But we loved the Big Island. There is a lot to do and the Volcanoes National Park is amazing.

[mrshalco]

We did the trip from Boston to Hawaii in June of last year. Both boys came with us. They were 6 and 17 months at the time. They both did AWESOME!! Much better than we expected actually! We were prepared for disaster - and it never really came (except for the 6 year old vomiting on the first leg of the trip!)

The trip is long so I would recommend staying longer than a week. We stayed in Kona (Big Island) and then went to Oahu. The big island is beautiful but it's BIG - it was going to take us 2 hours to get from where we were staying to the Volcano National Park. We would have done it if time permitted (we were there to do a 1/2 marathon) but chose to skip it. DH and I went there on our honeymoon 11 years ago so it was just the boys that missed it. I do really like Kona though and could probably spend a bunch of time on that side of the island anyway!

I am a fan of Oahu. I think it has a little of everything. I enjoy walking around Waikiki - looking at the vendor carts and stores. I like to people watch and there are some funny sites there....especially at night! Getting in the car and driving around to the other side of the island gives you more of a local feel to the island. Not as many tourists and lots of great spots to stop and see.

Someday we will make it to more islands but I don't think you will go wrong no matter what islands you decide to see. Feel free to message me if you want any other tips about the flights, etc!

[bubbaray]

If I were flying from the east coast, I would do at least 2 weeks and 2 islands. Its *only* a 6.5 hr flight from Vancouver and we still like to go for at least 10 days.

Our fave island is Kauai. We were married there. We have been there quite a few times. Its very quiet, though. Not at all like Maui or Oahu. I haven't been to the Big island yet.

[csnoop]

We just came back from Maui couple of weeks ago. It was an awesome trip. The last time we were there was for our honeymoon 8 yrs ago. We took our 3.5 yrs old and 6 months old with us. We live in the west coast so it's not as long as a trip for us and time change was minimal.

But just so you know, Jan/Feb is peak season in Hawaii. Cold weather everywhere and warm weather there, in the 80s generally. We were there for one week. But it doesn't affect you since you already have lodging set. We decided to go in Jan because the plane tickets were cheap. But with a 20 months old, I would say that beach is the main attraction. That is what I would plan on... We did a whalewatching cruise that everyone loved (whalewatching season is between Jan and early May). I highly recommend Maui. It's known as one of the more kid-friendly island.

[goldenpig]

We love Hawaii! We're on the west coast so it's one of the few tropical places reachable by nonstop flight. Jan & Feb are peak season for Hawaii, but the weather is really nice and there are whales in Maui at that time! I would recommend either Kauai or Maui depending on how much activity you're interested in doing. Maui has lots of activities, Kauai is a little more laid back. Big Island would be my third choice but it's big so there's more driving involved if you want to explore (like going to the volcano). Oahu is also nice, but a little too urban for us. I would probably just pick one island unless you're staying longer than a week. More time to relax on the beach!

Condos are definitely the way to go with kids--great to have laundry and a kitchen to have food available anytime and not have to worry about them behaving in restaurants.

I posted a long post about Hawaii recommendations here:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin...44#post2823544

Check out the Ultimate Guidebooks for the best info on what to do, where to stay etc.
http://www.wizardpub.com

[mjs64]

I love Hawaii too and would go at any chance. Go to Maui. I honeymooned in Kauai, and it's special too, as are the Big Island and Oahu, but Maui is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD. I swear. On Maui there is a Hawaiian saying to that effect. Go, go, go.