Hawaii with a toddler

senoritaemily

Hi everyone -

 Anyone been to HA recently? We are considering going and trying to figure out what the best spot would be with a 3 year old....Maui, Kauai? Any hotel or activity recommendations?

TIA!

1026pumpkin

We've been to Maui and Big Island- the resort we stayed at on Big Island (Hilton Waikalua) was awesome for kids because it had so many pools, lagoon, beaches, etc., but it was a really long drive to go see other parts of the island.  If you don't mind sticking to the hotel, though, this place was awesome.

In Maui, we stayed in Kanapali, and there were a lot more things to do (boat rides, snorkling, hiking, aquarium) in a relatively short drive.  I'd recommend finding one of the bigger hotels that has plenty of pools, waterslides, etc and make sure to pack floatie/swim toys, and you'll have a blast.

IMO Hawaii is an awesome vacation spot for kiddos that like the water. 

wedsept

I have been to Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.  IMO, Kauai would not be good for toddlers.  A lot of the activities on Kauai are hiking, snorkeling, kayaking, etc.  The Big Island is so large that it is hard to get around with a toddler.  You have to drive (sometimes long distances) everywhere unless you want to just stay at the hotel.  (Don't stay at the Sheraton on the Big Island--it was horrible.)

IMO, Maui is the best for those with toddlers.  We also stayed in Kannapali, and it was great.  We stayed at the Sheraton, but the Westin looked nicer.    

 

moonfaerie

1026pumpkin:

We've been to Maui and Big Island- the resort we stayed at on Big Island (Hilton Waikalua) was awesome for kids because it had so many pools, lagoon, beaches, etc., but it was a really long drive to go see other parts of the island.  If you don't mind sticking to the hotel, though, this place was awesome.

IMO Hawaii is an awesome vacation spot for kiddos that like the water. 

We stayed at Hilton Waikoloa too, but didn't have a toddler. I think it would be a great place for kids. We hope to go back someday and take the kids.

courtneyt13

We took DD to Oahu in the spring. It was a blast. We stayed at the Hilton Resort on Waikiki Beach- which was beautiful. They have a little lagoon that is very shallow and perfect for toddlers. Hannah loved the Zoo and aquarium. We took her to a luau which she thought was amazing.

We did the pearl habor tour and a city bus tour- she even enjoyed those as well. All of these things we walked to or the tour group had transporation. We rented a car but didn't need it at all.

My only suggestion is that things are pretty expensive there so  I made sure to bring enough diapers, wipes, even some easy microwave meals and snacks.

dragon_chica

We took DD to Maui when she was about 18 months.  We rented a condo in central Maui in the little town of Maalaea.  We LOVED it!  DD was still too young to have the attention span to hang out at the beaches or pool for long periods of time so we didn't need to stay in a resort.  We liked that the town we stayed in wasn't touristy so naptime and bedtime was fairly quiet.  With a child we couldn't do things like ziplining, snorkeling, etc so all the kid-friendly activities were easily 20-45 min. from our location.  Whereas if you stayed at Kaanapali and wanted to go to the goat farm it would be over an hour drive.  As cool as the farm was and letting DD feed them I would've never driven that far.  From Maalea it was only 20 min.  If you wanted to brave the road to Hana it's a lot closer than if you stayed in Kaanapali.  We were close to all the small touristy towns and a good amount of children beaches.

ambrlynn8

I believe Oahu has a disney resort. One of DH's family members stayed there on a "staycation," so you might want to look into that.

marleyc

We went to the North Shore of Kauai with our 2.5 year old and our baby a month ago, and had a great time.  We stayed at the St. Regis in Princeville.  We went there last year too when DD1 was a year and a half.  We love it there.  It's one of our all-time favorite hotels.  

DD1 had a great time.  We mostly stayed at the hotel during the day because there aren't too many activities that you can do with 2 LOs, but we enjoyed hanging out by the pool or beach every day and relaxing.  We go to Hawaii every year, and have been to all the islands.  I think any of them would be fine with a toddler.  My only recommendation would be to make sure to choose a hotel that has several restaurants, a nice beach, and is clean/comfortable because you will definitely spend a lot of time there.  We also always splurge for an ocean view room with a balcony so that we can sit on the balcony and enjoy the view while the kids are napping.

katroses3

We just got back from a trip to Hawaii with our boys, 3 and 1 yrs old.  We went to Oahu and did stay at the Aulani which is the Disney resort and we totally could have stayed at the resort the entire time and the boys would have had a blast...We also took the kids around the island and went to the beach. Sand and water was really all the kids needed Enjoy your vacation!!