What Island in Hawaii would best suit my family and me?

Question

My husband and I have been talking about going to Hawaii on vacation in July. We have 3 children who are well behaved that we would be bringing along with us. I understand it is expensive but we are not trying to go Crazily expensive.

Anyhow, I am not to crazy about being around large crowds. I would really like to be in a quite atmosphere with beautiful scenery. Near (pretty close) to a beach (which is not overwhelmed with alot of people). We just want to relax but all the while make it enjoyable for the children and of course ourselves.

We have been on Vacations before, like the Florida & Carolina Scenes, the theme parks that come along with it and such on. Seems like everytime we go on vacation it ends up so hectic and though we have enjoyed it to an extent, it can be more stressful than the work atmosphere. We have always been so exhausted afterwards from the vacation.

Just to be able to go somewhere (hawaii) beautiful, swim, and just hang out with each other quietly.

Answer 1

Go to the Island of Maui, a little town called Kihei (pronounced "key-hay"). It is near the swanky resort town of Waialea, but it is low key and not dominated by the big resort hotels. It should be a little less expensive than Kapalua and Ka'anapali over on the other side. It is right on the beach and there are numerous hotels and apts/condos that you can rent by the week with lots of reasonable restaraunts and food stores nearby to stock up for the week.

It is very centrally located to the scenic attractions too. It is just a few minutes drive from the Maui Ocean Center and the road up to the top of Haleakula (a 10,000 FT peak with an observatory on top). It is a great drive to the peak and there is even a Bike Tour called Bicycle Bob's that will let you coast all the way back down to the bottom. It is pretty cool.

There is a black sand beach open to the public about 5 miles to the west and you can get hooked up with any snorkel,surfiing, or fishing excursions from Kihei. Make sure you try the fish tacos at Maui Tacos. They're pretty good.

Answer 2

I will respectfully disagree with the Maui recommendation. Kihei is not that quaint. Strip mall on one side of the road, condos and mega resorts on the other. I think Maui is the next congested island after Oahu.

However that being said both Oahu and Maui have good beaches and hotels away from the hustle and bustle of shops and traffic. On Oahu Turtle Bay and the Marriott at KoOlina would be viable options.

One other poster said Kauai. I would really recommend you look there and on the Kohala Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kauai will have more lodging options ($$$ varieties) but either will have more wide open space than either Oahu or Maui.

Answer 3

Maui and the Big Island would be good, like those guys said.

I'm from Oahu, and from what you wrote in your question, I don't think you'd like it at all. I mean, yah, you got the nice weather and some great historic and natural places to go see. But I would predict your trip would end up being like your theme-park vacations: stressful at times. Even if you don't stay in overcrowded Waikiki, you'll still end up having to drive all over the island to get to the places you want to see. And traffic here seems to be crazy at all hours of the day. I always see tourists idling along on the H-1 Freeway and I end up thinking, "I wonder if this is what they thought their trip to Oahu would be?"

Stick to the neighbor islands. Maui and Big Island is good. Don't forget about Kauai, though. It's kind of a cross between Maui and Big Island, in terms of pace. Kauai can get pretty crowded around Lihue, the main town on the east side on the island. But as you get further away from Lihue, life just slows down. The drive north on Kuhio Highway is unbelievable. One side of the car is Mt. Waialeale, the other is the ocean.

Check out some of the pics:
http://kauai.aloha-hawaii.com/hawaii/kauai

No matter what island, be aware of ocean conditions. Always be safe.

Answer 4

Maui.
You can stay at Kaanapali (the Kaanapali Beach Hotel is my favorite), where you can get your beach time, it's quiet, you're like a 10 minute walk to Whaler's village (a little education), nice restaurants. About a ten minute drive you're in Lahaina which has your shopping and activity stuff.
You can get nearly anywhere on the island in 30-45 minutes.
There's a neat aquarium, you can drive up to the top of a volcano, and the road to Hana, all on the cheap.
One of the hotels on Kaanapali has cliff divers that do their thing in the evening, again for free.
Even the hotel has stuff for kids to do, and if they're old enough, they have scuba lessons (again, free) in the pool.
It's the best.

Answer 5

go stay on the big island (hawaii)- the kona side is warm and usually much sunnier than the hilo side which is rainy and wet...
the beaches are not super crowded, not a touristy island,, take a day trip and drive around the island, see the volcano, walk thru and old lava tube,etc...
http://www.gohawaii.com/big_island/
http://www.bigisland.com/

Answer 6

I would suggest the main island, it isn't as you would envision it, it's LOVELY, we stayed at the sheraton, which backs right up to the beach.....FABULOUS........the food is great, there are many things to do....seaworld for the kids, or surfing.....one fun thing we did, was having a "picnic" cruise.....have a BLAST!!!! Sure wish I were going!!