<p>Can anyone recommend hotels on the islands of Oahu and Maui? My family and I are taking a long overdue vacation this summer to both islands. It will be my husband, myself and my two kids who are 19 and 16. My kids both love action and so we are planning to go to Waikiki Beach in Oahu and possibly Kaanapali in Maui. I have looked into Wailea and Kapalua in Maui also but would appreciate any recommendations.</p>
<p>Check Honua Kai on Maui - it is an upscale condo-style beachfront hotel (NOT a timeshare!) with a couple of fabulous pools and on-site Dukes (yummm!!!). We stayed there twice (took advantage of the introductory rates) and absolutely loved it. The hotel is located just north of Kaanapali North, and the beach in front of the hotel is not very swimmable, but a 5-minute walk towards the Westin will lead you to a swimming and snorkeling heaven. Look at the reviews on Trip Advisor - this hotel gets awesome reviews. We liked the flexibility of having a kitchen and we used the grills by the pool quite often. The bed was very nice and luxurious, and it is ahuge deal for my hubby to have a comfortable bed when we go on vacation. There is a boardwalk going all the way to the heart of Kaanapali nightlife - it takes about 30-40 min of leisurely walking to get there. If you need more details about this place, I can gladly help. Westin Vacation Villas on Maui is another hotel we tried a couple of times, but last time we stayed there we did not like the swarms of misbehaving kids. Wailea is kind of boring - golf clubs and a cluster of upscale shops.</p>
<p>On Oahu we avoided the city and stayed in Ko Olina, but your teens might find it too peaceful for their tastes.</p>
<p>In Waikiki we’ve stayed at the New Otani Kaimana. It’s down toward Diamond Head and near Kapiolani Park and the Aquarium. Less crowded and busy than the heart of Waikiki, but an easy walk to the busier parts.
[New</a> Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel with Hau Tree Lanai and Miyako Restaurant](<a href=“http://www.kaimana.com/]New”>http://www.kaimana.com/)</p>
<p>In Maui we stayed at the Wailea Beach Marriott on the southern end of the island. It was pretty nice. We wanted an ocean front resort - not a condo. It’s also across the street from a nice shopping center that has additional restaurants, shops, ice cream, etc. We also ended up with a free room upgrade at the Marriott when I (in a nice way) whined about knowing about the construction they were doing in a tower they were going to put me in. I asked nicely (with my cute D by my side) if there might be any other room that would be better for my family to enjoy their hotel and hung around patiently while they checked. They ended up finding us a very nice room closer to the beach with a nice view and didn’t charge me extra for it even though I think it was notmally a more expensive room. I thanked them profusely.</p>
<p>However, we ended up heading up to the Black Rock beach by the Sheraton-Maui on the northern side for snorkeling a few times since it’s pretty nice and gentle there. I’ve stayed at that Sheraton in the past as well but it seems that the Marriott was nicer.</p>
<p>A lot depends on how much you want/are willing to spend. Ala Moana Hotel is where my BIL stayed – it’s attached to the Ala Moana Shopping Center, with the Ala Moana Beach & Waikiki Beach across the street.</p>
<p>A pretty inexpensive place is Ohana Maile Sky Court. We’ve enjoyed the Hilton Hawaiian Village (big resort hotel) and Waikiki Prince Hotel (free shuttle & popular buffet brunch, lunch & dinner).</p>
<p>On Maui, have stayed at the Maui Palms, I think in Kihei (cheaper than Wailea). Also stayed at Outrigger Wailea for a splurge. Kaanapali is a nice place, especially for golfers but not as interesting for others.</p>
<p>In addition to golfing, Kaanapali South has a long stretch of beach with nice, soft sand and very swimmable waters. There are plenty of tourist activities appealing to teens offered right there on the beach: parasailing, dinner cruises, surf lessons, jet ski, etc. Black rock is a nice place for snorkeling, but there are more fish at beach near the Westin Villas in Kaanapali North. Whalers’ Village is a shopping center in Kaanapali with a bunch of good restaurants and live music at night. We enjoyed our romantic night time walks from our hotel in Kaanapali North to the Village to get some macadamia nut ice cream. 
Ahhh… I want to go back!</p>
<p>
Me too, me too! We went to Maui 4 years in a row, the last time 3 years ago. Two trips were just H & I, and 2 were with our teenage D & S. (One trip also included time on the Big Island.) On Maui we spent time in Hana, Napili, and Wailea. In Wailea when it was just H & I, we stayed at the Fairmont, which is very plush – but we weren’t paying! 
When we had the kids we rented a condo right near the Shops at Wailea. Having a kitchen saved a lot on food, and we could walk down to the beach. In Napili we stayed also stayed at a condo-like place with a full kitchen, etc. (Sorry, can’t remember the name – there are a bunch of places along the water there.)</p>
<p>We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Oahu, in a concierge building with breakfast each day, a private pool, along with access to the rest of the “village” and all the other pools and shops. We enjoyed it, walked everywhere, and our two teens LOVED the location, all the pools, Waikiki Beach. The big mall was just blocks away. You could easily walk off the property for meals. There were lots of shops and things to do.</p>
<p>PS it was the Ali’i Tower at Hilton Hawaiian Village.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your relpies!!! I think that we are going to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village while in Oahu. I have stayed there before but it was many, many moons ago. I think that is the type of place my kids will really enjoy. As for Maui I am still unsure although BunsenBurner seems to have described what I am looking for. I need to stay near some action for teens and your description seems to fit the bill so I think that is the area I am interested in. I welcome any more feedback.</p>
<p>glad to find this thread. I am also planning a fall trip to the “big island”. </p>
<p>Do we must have a car on the big island? How much is the gas price there? Is one full week too long to stay on one island? We plan to stay on the Kona side. Could I assume there are cheap place to eat within walking distance? Is any of the Oct, NOv, and Dec month a relatively lower season?</p>
<p>I have heard of cruises that go from one to the other. Kauai is another island of interest.</p>
<p>PS, just check the map and found Kauai is on the other side. So, proabaly just big island and Maui.</p>
<p>I would definitely have a car on the Big Island unless you plan to stay at a large resort and you typically enjoy staying at the resort for meals and activities. There is beautiful sightseeing, including rainforest, mountain terrain, ancient holy sites, etc. all over the island. It’s also interesting to visit the population center in Hilo and see how the locals live – the Kona coast is a great vacation area, but can be pretty touristy.</p>
<p>Gas is usually quite expensive in Hawaii, but my feeling is that if you’re spending the money to fly that far, it’s worth it to get a real look around.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree that you need a car. And don’t forget to check out Volcanoes National Park. Very cool. We had the best sushi EVER at a little hole-in-the-wall place in Hilo.</p>
<p>I would LOVE to go to Hawaii…but even with tuition payments ending, it’s just not in our budget. We have paid for two kids to go to college and our vacations are just now resuming (after 7 years). I envy those of you who are able to fund expensive college vacations while your kids are still in college. Maybe we need a thread here on “how to be able to spend on trips and other luxuries while also paying college bills.”</p>
<p>I want to go to Hawaii too.
My inlaws have a condo there- our family has never been- - well younger D has been to Maui, when she went on the high school marine bio field trip in 8th grade.</p>
<p>They camped in Lahaina, and moms who had made the trip practically every year for decades made me feel more comfortable about not being able to go.
[Camp</a> Olowalu - Home Page](<a href=“http://www.campolowalu.com/]Camp”>http://www.campolowalu.com/)</p>
<p>They had a great time- surfing and snorkeling and climbing Haleakala [Haleakala</a> National Park (U.S. National Park Service)](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm]Haleakala”>Haleakalā National Park (U.S. National Park Service))</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go to Hawaii to eat at Dukes though- is that the same Dukes in Seattle?
However- I am not a big spam eater either.
[If you see Boom, get a pic for me](<a href=“starbulletin.com | Features | /2007/04/20/”>http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/04/20/features/story02.html</a>)</p>
<p>It was many moons ago that we did an extended stay in SF on our way back from our vacation at Honolulu. We drove down 101 and passed Palo alto. “hey, Stanford is here. May be one day you all could attend this well known university” I said jokingly to both kids. We still talked about that moment when we actually set our foot on the campus the first time 2 years ago. - travelling with family are such a wonderful thing.</p>
<p>back to the original discussion, </p>
<p>Thanks for the tips. Since we will be visiting the Volcanoes National Park. I guess we better hire a car.</p>
<p>
If I remember it right, the island people say:<br>
visit Hawaii one time, you are a tourist;
visit Hawaii two times, you are a friend;
visit Hawaii three times, you are a very rich person;
visit Hawaii four times, you are a resident;</p>
<p>What about folks who visit twice a year? ;)</p>
<p>We are likely going back in December for our second time due to a business trip H has, but it will be in Honolulu. The first time around, we went to the Big Island for a few days, then Oahu/Honolulu. We flew into Hilo, rented a car, then drove/stayed on the Kona side at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. We were supposed to do the Volcano National Park, but the second leg of our flight from LA to Honolulu was delayed nine hours (on a Friday the 13th), and we missed the last flight out from Honolulu to Hilo the night we were to stay at the park. So we had to stay in Honolulu, then get the first flight out in the morning to Hilo, but had to go directly to the other side of the island as our reservations were starting there that night. It was a large resort, but I’m glad we had a car. Of course at the time, we had an 11-year old and two 14-year olds (D1 brought her best friend) with us and the resort was not necessarily geared toward their ages, although they had a great time. At night, we’d go out on the golf course, lay down and look at the stars. There were no bugs, and the sky was absolutely breathtaking without any city lights to obstruct the view. Honestly, there was no noise whatsoever… no traffic, no planes overhead, etc. It was one of the most relaxing vacations I ever had. </p>
<p>When on Oahu, we stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort, up toward the north shore for a few days before ending up in Honolulu for the last couple of nights. It was under renovation, which was unfortunate, but I imagine by now it would be a nice place to stay at. We also had a rental car for that part of the trip and did some short day trips to visit other beaches, tour the Dole farm/plantation, etc. </p>
<p>Once we got to Honolulu (can’t remember where we stayed… honestly, the other two places we stayed at made any place we stayed at in Honolulu forgettable), we did the typical tourist stuff… went snorkeling at Haunama Bay, Pearl Harbor, etc.</p>
<p>One thing we did that I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone who wants to have a lot of fun, is to do a day trip with this group: [Hawaiian</a> Fire](<a href=“http://www.hawaiianfire.com/]Hawaiian”>http://www.hawaiianfire.com/) They are firefighters/paramedics/rescue squad workers who teach surfing to beginners on a secluded beach on Oahu. My girls had a blast! There were people as old as 60 on the trip, learning to surf for the first time. The crew was great and as a parent, I felt safe with my daughter out in the surf with them (H and I were there, but on the beach we wouldn’t be much good if anything happened).</p>
<p>We went to Maui a couple of times over the years. Stayed in the Sheraton twice and the Westin once - both on the black rock beach. Much prefer the Sheraton for the walk out onto the beach rooms and the great snorkeling. Google the Ohana rooms at the Sheraton - they have a murphy bed that pulls down and gives you a little more sleeping space. </p>
<p>Goofy foot surf school was awesome - they had my DD surfing on her first run into the coast and riding decent sized waves by the end of the first hour. She went back for a second time she liked it so much.</p>
<p>Dad II</p>
<p>Gas here is $3.70 a gallon. You will want a car. There are some tremendous deals on lodging on the Big Island right now because hotel occupancy is only at 60%. We had friends rent a very nice 2br condo at the Mauna Lani for under $300 a night two months ago. Look on VRBO for condo listings. Get “The Big Island Revealed” Guidebook. PM me if you need help sorting out the VRBO listings.</p>