<p>As far as the Kona suggestion…Well, I live there.</p>
<p>I’d recommend, if you want to go to Hawaii, staying at one of the resorts if you have the money. My top pick is the Waikoloa resort–the BEST place for family stays I can think of. HUGE pools with water slides, a private lagoon with dolphins, I think there’s a private beach there, but if not, I do know one of the most popular beaches on the island is within 15 minutes. Great golf, great everything…plenty of room for “exploration” considering the place is so big they have a tram to get you around. Other good choices are the Four Seasons and Mauna Lani resorts.</p>
<p>Of course, the King Kam’s not bad at all. It’s right in the middle of town, right on the water. A couple minor attractions within walking distance, as well as some shopping and great restaurants. Definitely not bad for the price.</p>
<p>momsdream, we’re partial to Coconuts (formerly Villa Caribe) – it was the first villa we rented, and while it is a little dated it has a lot of good memories. We would also highly recommend La Encantada – central air for an affordable price! And a short stroll to a pretty good beach area. We’ve been very happy with Caribbean Villas </p>
<p>Hanalei, northsore of kauai. No high rises, great swimming/ beginner surfing beach in Summer. We always rent a house, 1/2 block from the beach. If you like the name of the agent we use, you can pm me.</p>
<p>Dani, we owned a condo at the Mauna Lani for four years (sold in 2003). It’s a great resort but our kids were bored silly once they became teenagers. The Waikoloa has shopping but still isn’t much fun for teenagers. OTOH, they really like Kona, esp. that they can get around and go lots of places.</p>
<p>For younger kids, I think the Waikoloa’s pool is a blast (we stayed there once or twice before we bought at the Mauna Lani) but the place makes me crazy because everything costs so much.</p>
<p>Our son went to HS on the Big Island, and he likes Kona over the resorts.</p>
<p>LOL dmd. It is hard to defend Florida against Hawaii, but with all due respect, there is a HUGE difference between the northern coast and the western coast of the panhandle. No comparison for the sand, the surf or the atmosphere. So says me ;).</p>
<p>My choices would be Hawaii - Maui or Kauai, Kiawah, South Carolina or Costa Rica. There is great world class fishing in Costa Rica - sailfish. It really has everything but I believe the rainy season is during the summer so may not work for your daughters! Our three kids all loved it despite protestations about hikes and nature trips. They managed to get enough beach time in and the wild life is unbelievable - monkeys, sloths, etc. at our condo rental. Have vacationed in Kiawa three or four times. It does get hot during the summer but is a very nice community with miles and miles of beaches, world class golf and tennis, biking everywhere (no need for a car once you arrive), pools and close to Charleston and not that far from Savannah. Although from the east coast, I would prefer Hawaii over any location but it is a long flight for us! My teens are begging for a cruise - something for everyone. We may do it next year before oldest D heads off to college. I did a company sponsored Caribbean cruise once and much to my surprise both H and I loved it…but…the boat was not full to capacity and it was all paid for including tips.</p>
<p>Cheers, I do know there are people who like Florida. I was one of them until I started going there regularly. The first time I ever drove a car was at 2AM in Miami, in fact (because the 18-year-old distant cousin who was supposed to drive me home was too drunk to drive, she decided that teaching a 14-year-old with no driving experience to drive a stick shift was a better idea). Amazingly, we survived. Probably because it was 2 AM.</p>
<p>Anyway, I have fond memories of a few trips to Florida’s eastern coast (from the 1960s, I’ll add)–and none at all of trips to Florida’s Gulf Coast. And I do not plan to ever go back.</p>
<p>Dani, I don’t know that my son prefers Kona as much as he’s appalled by the price of the resorts; keep in mind we don’t get kamaina rates! We now go to the Big Island primarily to go scuba diving and so we don’t spend much time in the hotel room, just on dive boats and in our favorite restaurants (big round of applause for O’s, Merriman’s and Bamboo). The King Kam is great for that. (The Kona Seaside was just too cheap.) As for where my son went–his school is a boarding school that’s known for its football team (he was not on it) and yes, the cultural tensions between the haoles and the locals were considerable.</p>