Articles
Islands Of Enchantment Hawaii For Families
It has blowholes and lava tubes, the wettest spot on earth, and the nation's only royal palace. Whales breach the warm turquoise waters, surfers ride 30-foot waves, and Hawaiian cowboys, called paniolos, ride the range. Imagine taking a hawaii family vacation in this island paradise, where flowers grow taller than your children, people flock to the latest volcanic eruption, and hundreds of torches are lit in a nightly ceremony that keeps alive traditions of the ancients. Hawaii is an enchanted land, where the extraordinary becomes commonplace--just watch a hula danced by the sea as the sunset streaks across the sky in shades of flaming mango, or photograph your child underwater, framed by fish in a rainbow of irridescent colors. Little by little, a spirit of aloha will wash over the entire family, smiles will radiate more freely, and family bonds will be renewed. The Hawaiian word ohana means family, and the concept of ohana holds great importance here in the Islands, where children are warmly welcomed.
So take the sandals and bathing suits, plenty of sunscreen and a day pack or two, and prepare to penetrate the layers of the Islands' magic and mystery.
OAHU
Home to Hawaii's capital city, Honolulu, and its world-famous beach resort, Waikiki, Oahu is cosmopolitan and full of life night and day. Yet with 50 miles of beaches and two mountain ranges, there's also no shortage of natural beauty. In fact, Oahu's the island for families who want to mix active adventure with the best cultural choices.
For example, follow an early-morning swim in the clear waters off Waikiki with a beachside feast of taro pancakes with lilikoi (passion fruit) syrup and fresh island fruits, or try dim sum in Chinatown. Poke into an herbalist's shop, a bustling food market, and a traditional lei stand, and begin to distinguish the heady perfume of pikake (jasmine) from tuberose and ginger. Then immerse yourself in the exotic oasis of nearby Foster Botanical Garden* (522-7060), and send the kids sleuthing for chocolate, cinnamon, and chicle (chewing gum) trees, amid other varieties.
Wander the cool galleries of the Honolulu Academy of Arts (532-8700), which open onto tiled courtyards with splashing fountains.
Learning is hands-on and fun at the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center (524-5437), and even at some of Oahu's most revered institutions. At the Bernice P. Bishop Museum (847-3511), world-renowned for its collection of Pacific artifacts, kids communicate through interactive exhibits--whether on Hawaii's cultural and natural history or how a squid propels itself, a chameleon changes color, or a fly walks on ceilings. Don't miss the daily hula performance at 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. and Family Sunday-Island Style is held quarterly. The Hawaiian Maritime Center (536-6373) engages families with exhibits on everything from surfing to tatooing to outrigger canoes.
Family-Friendly Trends in Hawaii
Hawaii hoteliers understand the growing importance of the family market, and are finding new and innovative ways to serve it. Children's programs have been refined over many years, moving beyond child care alone, to programs involving active adventure, art and crafts, music, stories, and legends. A return to Hawaiiana is based on a commitment to deepen understanding and appreciation of the Islands' culture. There are hula, ukelele, and lei-making lessons, tidepool, petroglyph, and living history walks. Kids are chaperoned on off-site excursions, such as museum visits and hawaiian island cruises. Cost averages $40 to $50 for a full day with lunch, snacks, and transportation.
Outrigger has created a "family-friendly certification" that rates each of its properties on amenities. Marriott sees time-share as a growing trend that offers distinct advantages to families. ASTON revolutionized hawaii family vacations by providing spacious condominium units with hotel services. Marc Resorts focuses on value and flexibility for families. Independent properties like Kona Village Resort (800/367-5290) on the Big Island was an early pioneer in the hawaii family vacations concept. The resort has been rewarded as families return generation after generation to its unique thatched-roof village complete with "plush primitive" hales or cottages by the sea, with meals and activities included, a wonderful children's program, and a loyal staff.
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows (885-6622) on the Big Island's Kohala Coast makes good use of a stunning setting that is home to ancient fishponds and volcanic caves that gave shelter to early Hawaiians. Its fishfeeding tour and annual July 4th turtle release program never fail to delight.
"Area code for all numbers is 808 unless noted.
HAWAII FOR FAMILIES
At the Waikiki Aquarium* (923-9741), sign up for a reef walk, make close observations of creatures at the Edge of the Reef exhibit, or simply be awed by the undersea life. Then swim with some of these newly familiar creatures at Hanauma Bay (396-4229), a marine sanctuary scooped out of a collapsed volcanic crater. Go one step further and visit Tamashiro Market (841-8047), a bustling fish market awash in local color.
With all the hype surrounding the current blockbuster movie Pearl Harbor, kids will clamor to visit the USS Arizona Memorial (422-0561) and battleship USS Missouri (877/MIGHTYMO). At Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park at Kapolei (WILDWAVE or 945-3928) they can be wet and wild all day. Adults will want to make a beeline for neighboring JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa (679-0079) to play the award-winning 18-hole championship Ko Olina golf course or take a rejuvenating treatment in the full-service spa.
Save a whole day for a leisurely north shore circuit. At Dole Plantation (621-8408) kids can navigate the world's largest pineapple garden maze, made of 11,400 colorful Hawaiian plants, along a path 1.7 miles long.
A must-visit on any north shore tour is Matsumoto Shave Ice (637-4827) in Haleiwa, the former surfer/hippie hamlet now bustling with boutiques. Order a tropical fruit-flavored ice combination, local style, with vanilla ice cream and azuki beans packed into the bottom.
Kids love learning the games, dances, and rituals of the Maori, Samoans, Tongans, Tahitians, and other Pacific Islanders at the Polynesian Cultural Center (293-333; 800/367-7060), Oahu's top family attraction.
KAUAI
Oldest in the Hawaiian chain, Kauai has been sculpted, chiseled, and polished to such perfection that its beauty is continually immortalized in song; film, and painting. If you've ever considered "flightseeing" by helicopter, this is the place to fly over the double--or triple--rainbow, cozying up to 1,000-foot waterfalls streaming down Kauai's rumpled cliffs. To view the legendary Na Pali coastline from the sea, consider a Zodiac boat or sailing trip with stops to snorkel in waters of utmost clarity.
On Kaurai you can orchestrate a new reality for your family each day. On the north shore, the emerald patchwork of taro fields watered by the Hanalei River is idyllic and peaceful; exploring the river by kayak is a most-harmonious experience. Across the island, the lush green taro is replaced by the copper and umber striations of Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, whose colors grow red in the late afternoon light. Take a short, family-friendly hiking trail or a long trail to the canyon floor.
Further up Waimea Canyon Drive, take the turnoff into Kokee State Park. Visit the lodge, an excellent cafeteria-style restaurant, and Kokee Natural History Museum (335-9975), which has trail maps, suggested hikes, and displays. The air is cooler here at over 3,600 feet, where plums ripen in summer and endemic forest birds like the elepaio fill the forest with song. In summer, join a Saturday workshop to make baskets from forest "weeds" or a Sunday guided wonder walk; there are 45 miles of trails on 4,345 acres of terrain.
Families love the protected waters of Lydgate State Park, Wailua's ancient fishpond, Salt Pond in Hanapepe, and Kalapaki Beach fronting the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club (245-5050). Poipu Beach was recently named Hawaii's Best Family Beach by the Travel Channel for its picturesque golden sand crescents, ideal water conditions, and family-friendly amenities.
En route to Poipu Beach, explore some of the twelve points of interest on the brand-new 4-mile Koloa Heritage Trail--by foot, bike, or car. Lava rock pedestals topped with bronze signs mark monuments as diverse as Kauai's first sugar mill in Koloa town and Spouting Horn Park along the shoreline. Channeled through a lava tube, the sea can roar and blow its spray as high as 50 feet.
BIG ISLAND
Here, artists live and work on the edge of a steaming volcano, and cowboys still ride the range. With a staggering 11 of the earth's 13 climate zones found on the Big Island, features are as diverse as a tropical rainforest, arid sunbaked coastline, and a mountain so tall its summit often wears a mantle of snow.
The largest of the Islands, the Big Island rewards adventurers who allow sufficient time to uncover its riches. Because it is the youngest in the chain, it holds open many windows to the past, through heiaus or ancient temples, a sacred "place of refuge," and petroglyphs--messages from the ancients carved into the lava flows.
After hiking through moist lava tubes dripping with ferns and lichens, following neon-hued fish into undersea caves, or simply watching molten lava pour into the sea, kids will understand that lava defines the Big Island landscape. Pele, Hawaiian goddess of fire, has a powerful presence on this island that was formed by five volcanoes.
Set aside at least one full day to explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park* (9856000), where you will learn about both the legends of Pele and the science and seismology of volcanoes. Stop first at Kilauea Visitor Center, then at Volcano Art Center (967-7565) to view artworks inspired by life in this active landscape. Encircling Kilauea's caldera, 11-mile Crater Rim Drive provides easy access to starting sights: steam vents and sulphur banks and ghostly tree skeletons along Devastation Trail. In contrast, Kipuka Puaulu, right in the middle of a sea of lava, is a lush, native bird park alive with song.
Hilo maintains a funky charm amid orchid and antherium gardens, and has one of the state's best farmers markets. Enjoy the play of light over misty Rainbow Falls and meditate in-the-secrenity of Japanese-style Liluokalani Gardens with pagodas, arched bridges, and a painterly setting on Hilo Bay.
Puuhonua o Honaunau National Park (328-2288), just south of Kealakekua Bay, is a beautifully restored "place of refuge' providing a potent setting in which to ponder the, mysteries of ancient Hawaii.
Driving north you'll pass through hawaiian island coffee country. Stop to visit a farm or hawaiian island coffee mill and sip some freshly brewed "liquid gold." In Holualoa a vibrant artist community is creating a new art center with exciting classes for children and adults. Along the stretch of Kohala coastline north of Kona, some of the world's finest resorts have been carved like oases out of the lava flows, and they offer some of the most inspiring cultural and children's programs. Beyond lies Waimea, paniolo country, and a series of seven magical misty valleys.
MAUI
Ride a restored sugarcane train, bike down a volcano, snorkel in protected waters, and hike through a bamboo forest to a gorgeous waterfall. And that's just for starters. Maui's got it all, drawing whale-watchers and windsurfers, history buffs and art connoisseurs, shoppers and backpackers.
With so many choices, why would you bother to wake up at 3 A.M., bundle the kids into the car, and drive to the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakala National Park (572-4400) and then wait there, shivering, for the sunrise? Perhaps because when the sun lights up this enormous crater and turns the shoreline far, far below into golden sands bordering aquamarine seas, the whole family will understand why Hawaiians named this mountain "House of the Sun." Nestled along Haleakala's slopes you will find picturesque towns with vintage wooden buildings, art galleries, boutique farms, and world-renowned eateries like Haliimaile General Store* (572-2666).
Listen carefully--perhaps you'll hear the haunting songs of the humpback whales, the gentle giants who winter in the winters off Maui's shores. View them from the shoreline or book a whale-watching excursion (December--May) with pacific Whale Foundation (800/942-5311); all profits go to cetacean research.
The Hawaii Nature Center (244-6500) offers family programs and guided hikes into the misty gorges of lao Valley.
|
|
Deal of the Day
$230
To Maui Via Kaizoku Airlines
Disclaimer: We're all doomed. See more for details.
Want Daily Updates?
|
Destination Wiki
Looking for a great hotel? Know of a fantastic bar or a secluded spot to watch the sunset? Find it here or share your experiences!
|
Forum Activity
Have your say! Click HERE to sign up.
What's for dinner?
By Client 1 on 11/16/09
|
|