I know many CCers travel to Hawaii.
I’d like to take 13 of us over to the Big Island for Christmas next year. Wondering if you have a preferred agency for finding a large home.
When we did this in Costa Rica, we found a lovely private home in a resort community with access to resort amenities. Would love to find something similar. My Costa Rica contact has no ties to Hawaii.
Something to be aware of re: VRBO and AirBNB rentals in Hawaii is that in the last couple of years, the state and local governments there have cracked down a lot on VRBO style short term vacation rentals. Some nefarious property owners still run illegal VRBO units despite local ordinances not allowing it. So buyer beware.
Another option you could consider would be a timeshare rental.
Following.
Do you know which island?
We are considering the big island Hawaii.
I’m inclined to use a local rental agency, but would love to know if any folks have recommendations for agencies or resorts.
I know nothing about that island. On Kauai Ive heard of a property manager people have been happy with but would have to search for it.
I don’t have resources for Hawai’i, but my family has used Parrish for decades for many different places on Kauai and they’re excellent.
I would note that many rental properties will open up bookings 12 months (occasionally 13 months) to the day for the next year. And for anything around a holiday, be prepared to book immediately in the morning, precisely when it opens. (And once you have that booked, book your rental car as well.)
Many places may also have a standing reservation for the Christmas-New Years period; ask in advance so you don’t get your heart set on a place and then discover that they rent to the same family (or use it themselves) annually.
Parrish… that’s the one I recall hearing was good through multiple sources, probably including here.
No help with the Big Island rentals, but on Oahu we’ve had good experiences with Ola Properties.
Where on the Big Island are you thinking about staying? Kona or further south like Waikoloa and beyond? I know Marriott has rental houses in Mauna Lani/Hapuna area.
Parrish is good. Note that they are the co-rental agent on many properties, so guessing you might find the same array on the big island.
Thanks for the responses.
I’m at the beginning of my research. So far, we’ve narrowed it down to definitely NOT Oahu. One DDs MIL lives there and would be insulted if they came and did not stay with her. That DD mentioned the Big Island.
I haven’t researched areas of the island and I’m not sure we couldn’t choose a different NOT Oahu island.
I’ll do a bit more research and come back for more advice.
I’ve never used them, but they’ve been popping up in all my social media for a couple of years now - Wander (dot com). They have gorgeous homes all over the place (many are brand new because I think they are relatively new).
Big Island has less availability for that type of rental compared to the other islands. Be aware that the big island is BIG. Things are more spread apart and it takes a lot longer to get around compared to the smaller islands.
Yes, Big Island is much bigger than the other islands! The touristy areas of Waikoloa etc. are a good 30-40 minute drive from the airport in the opposite direction from the volcano NP. The beaches in that area are much better but the ocean can be very rough that time of the year. We found that the best bet for ocean swimming in Hawaii around Christmas was the lagoons of Ko Olina on Oahu. When the North Shore was having record waves, we could still swim across those lagoons! 
Nohea Kai in the Mauna Lani area may be a good place to look.
We rented a lovely, brand new 4 bdrm home w/ pool through Abita Rentals on Airbnb. (They are licensed, and Big Island has a pretty good sized inventory of legit Airbnb listings relative to the other islands because of all the new construction.)
The Mauna Lani area is a good location in general, many rentals there have access to the Mauna Lani Beach Club, and it’s a short walk to the Mauna Lani and Fairmont hotels. A car is necessary, though, to explore the island.
And there is a shopping center in Mauna Lani with a Foodlands Farms grocery store and several less expensive restaurants than those at the oceanfront resorts. Waikoloa is a short drive away and has many shops and restaurants.
We rented via airbnb on a golf course on kona side of Big Island. It was a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit. For that many people you might need several units.
If you decide on Kauai and go in the winter, I suggest staying on the southern side, NOT the northern side. (Poipu/not Princeville). I’ve heard waves are much bigger on the north side than the south in winter.
Yep, that’s certainly the case on the north side in the winter (to the point where it’s not safe to swim in many places due to the high surf, and/or the low visibility in the ocean there due to more rain in the rivers and the amount of churn coming from on shore winds there on the coast. The south side of Kauai has far, far less rain in the winter than the north and many more options for good swimming and snorkeling then.
My family’s been going to Kauai for close to 50 years (since I was a toddler), and we always stay around Poipu when we’re there in the winter months.
The north side is where all the stunning Jurassic Park coastal landscapes are, but you can always do a great day trip up there if you’re staying on the south side, by picking your weather window for it on a day by day basis while you’re there.