Hawaii for a family of 5, where to start?
Monique asked:
We would like to take a first time trip to Hawaii and don’t know where to begin. Our family of five consists of mom and dad, 13boy, 11girl and 10girl. Where in the WORLD do you begin to plan a trip there and are there any tips for doing this without breaking the bank and yet still making the most out of your trip? We don’t want to be cheap about it, but don’t want to get taken advantage of either. We are frequent disneyworld goers and always seem to get the greatest deal on a disney resort. This is new territory and I don’t want to be a typical starry-eyed tourist that doesn’t know what i’m doing. What is the best bang for your buck, maybe going during spring break in March? Do you find any good deals this time of year? do you do a straight flight? which island do you stay at? ( I know NOTHING about any of it) do you rent a car? take a bus? what are the “must do’s” while you’re there? what area would be best for our aged children? anything would be appreciated!! Thanks!
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We would like to take a first time trip to Hawaii and don’t know where to begin. Our family of five consists of mom and dad, 13boy, 11girl and 10girl. Where in the WORLD do you begin to plan a trip there and are there any tips for doing this without breaking the bank and yet still making the most out of your trip? We don’t want to be cheap about it, but don’t want to get taken advantage of either. We are frequent disneyworld goers and always seem to get the greatest deal on a disney resort. This is new territory and I don’t want to be a typical starry-eyed tourist that doesn’t know what i’m doing. What is the best bang for your buck, maybe going during spring break in March? Do you find any good deals this time of year? do you do a straight flight? which island do you stay at? ( I know NOTHING about any of it) do you rent a car? take a bus? what are the “must do’s” while you’re there? what area would be best for our aged children? anything would be appreciated!! Thanks!
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November 11th, 2009 at 3:46 am
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Okay let me first start out by saying, this trip is a wonderfull idea!
This is a pretty expensive trip, but there are ways to make it less costly. First of all I don’t think they have any straight trips there, unless you live in California of course…
I would suggest staying on the Island of Oahu! This is the most popular island for tourist, and you will see why. My favorite low-cost hotel to stay at there is the Ocean Resort Hotel which is only 1 block away from the beautiful white waikiki beach. It is only a 2 1/2 star hotel, but it was actually very nice and very inexpensive! You can see the ocean from out the windows!=&eapid=33316-1&kword=ocean%20resort%20hotel%20waikiki&&zz=1201107943991&
You DO NOT have to rent a car! Almost no one drives their own cars! My suggestion would be to take a bus! Pick up a bus schedule at the airport and you will only have to pay a few bucks to go anywhere. Or if you are in a hurry, taxis are EVERYWHERE!
There are a few “must do’s”!:
See the Pearl Harbor Memorial- very interesting.-%20Pearl%20Harbor%20Memorial%20-%20Hawaii%20-%209-8-2001_sm.jpg
Swim at the Waikiki beach- Most gorgeous beach I’ve ever seen.
Dole Plantation- I highly reccomend going here! Especially if you have kids. It is a very interesting place, I always thought pineapples grew on trees until I went there! They have a really neat maze made out of plants, and they sell delicious fresh pineapple ice cream!
North Shore- Go there to watch the HUGE waves, and crazy surfers.
Hana Uma Bay- Beautiful place for snorkling!
Diamond Head mountain- Best place for hiking, if you like to do that..
Along with these suggestions I would say you should check out the flea market near the Aloha Bowl. You can get souveniers for cheap! (about 5 bucks for a t-shirt or neclace).
Also there is a really neat aquarium on Waikiki beach that I would suggest going to, they have some unique animals.
And very lastly, I would say check out the ala moana mall. It’s a pretty neat 3 story mall. It has a canal in the middle of it!
November 12th, 2009 at 4:23 am
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Try Funjet.com.
November 15th, 2009 at 10:15 am
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Aloha! Start by doing your research. Get brochures from a travel agent.
Oahu has the Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor, Diamondhead, Waikiki Beach, etc etc.
Once you choose an island get the guidebook from Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman; Maui Revealed - Oahu Revealed - Hawaii the Big Island Revealed - etc - they will have info on places to stay, what to see and visit.
You need to start by choosing an island, or did you plan to hop? Each has its own unique character.
A lot of people seem to prefer Maui for starters.
Be aware that you will find it necessary to return again and again, to visit the other islands!
I prefer the Big Island but we live here! Wider variety of climates and you can fit the others on us twice. Also we currently have the only live volcano…
You may choose to get a condo and do your own cooking.
Highly recommend you bring your Costco card if you are a member as it will save you on everything from gas to food to snorkel gear.
Whales are here now, kids would probably love a tour to go see them. Snorkeling is always a good bet - either a tour or check your guidebook for safest areas for the kids; avoid north shore on all islands as that’s for the stronger swimmers.
Only place I know ofwith frequent bus service is downtown Honolulu? The buses do run out to the airport.
DO rent a car; probably your best price is on Hotwire. Do be aware that there are some roads (esp on the Big Island and even the road to Hana on Maui, as well as the one around west Maui) that will negate your rental contract. Don’t get a convertible, tempting as that may be b/c with that many people where will you put the luggage. Entertaining for those of us watching, not so much so for you…
November 17th, 2009 at 2:14 am
Hawaii resort
Late Dec. to March is the most expensive time to travel to Hawaii. Right after Easter hotel/airfare prices drop. First, pick an island, in your situation I vote for Maui or Oahu. The population of Oahu is 1 mil+, the population of Maui is 100,000+. There are tons of coupon books for everything there all over the place, food/gifts 2 for 1 meals, buy one get next at 1/2 price, etc.. You can save lots of $$ w/ coupon booklets.
Stay at a condo or vacation rental w/ a kitchen, search VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner), or “condos”, or “vacation rentals”. West Maui is beautiful & convienient. Napili Bay, Kahana Bay, Kaanapali.
Aloha.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
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If you’re flying out of the west coast you can find some great deals on Hawaiian airlines (http://www.hawaiianair.com/Pages/Index.aspx). If not, you might want to think about booking your flights separately to save some money (you can save a couple hundred, I know, I’ve done the research and save about $200 when I fly to the mainland).
You can take a look here: t check out a few options on what to do on each island. Since you have young kids, I would recommend Oahu or Maui because they have more to do, and better shopping.
You may also want to look into vacation rental homes, instead of the hotel, no matter what island you choose. They’re about the same price, or even less, per night as hotels and you get a whole house. The down side of this: if you stay in a hotel in Waikiki or Ka’anapali, you can likely find a free shuttle or use the public transportation to get around, but if you get a house, you may have to rent a car.
November 20th, 2009 at 11:52 am
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Visit my website. I own a travel website that can help you with different things, from finanical aspect of the trip to what to do while you are there.
Check us out - Time Away Travels
Or email me if you need help planning your trip. I have been to Hawaii, and can give you first hand experianced suggestions.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:22 pm
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Think of it as a step-by-step process.
1) Decide which island to visit or at least which one will be your home base during the trip. I suggest Oahu because it has the most activities to keep your kids interested. A 10 year old isn’t interested in sitting peacefully on a beach and as we all know, If the kids aren’t happy, neither are you. Once you’ve picked an island, decide on what part of the island to say in. There’s a lot of variety between different areas of the island.
2) Decide on accomdations. My suggestion with a family is to rent a condo with a full kitchen so you aren’t eating out every day, 3 meals per day. This can get REALLY expensive. Try vrbo.com for ideas or directly to mine at vrbo.com/85194.
3) You’ll need transportation to get to all the great places on the island. A bus pass is an option but you loose flexibility. Get a rental care at priceline.com
4) Now that you’ve go a place to say and a way to get around, learn about attractions, activities and events that you want to see and create a VERY loose schedule. Don’t plan every hour of every day so if you really enjoyed a certain place you can go back.
Enjoy
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:03 am
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There are tons of things to do and places to stay check out this website