Hawaii

Hello, I am looking at Hawaii for a family vacation. We have two children 9 and 11 so would like some place where there is a pool and swimable beach.

If any one would have a suggestion of a great place to go for first timers that would be grand.

Thanks in advance

West Maui would be a good choice. Try this... www.mauihawaii.org/

robertp237 wrote:

West Maui would be a good choice. Try this... www.mauihawaii.org/

michelleh48 wrote:

Hello, I am looking at Hawaii for a family vacation. We have two children 9 and 11 so would like some place where there is a pool and swimable beach.

If any one would have a suggestion of a great place to go for first timers that would be grand.

Thanks in advance

Mariott's KoOlina Beach club. I lived in Hawaii for 2 years, and that is the best place.

i have been to kauai(the garden island) 4x. I have stayed at hanalei bay resort. itihas swimming, tennis and beach. the beach is used by both princeville hotel guests and HBR. It is beautiful. not overcrowded.

michelleh48 wrote:

Hello, I am looking at Hawaii for a family vacation. We have two children 9 and 11 so would like some place where there is a pool and swimable beach.

If any one would have a suggestion of a great place to go for first timers that would be grand.

Thanks in advance

We own at the Imperial of Hawaii best timeshare location in Waikiki, We have stayed there several times. They have a roof top pool, parking if you need a car and it is only 50 yds to the beautiful Waikiki beach. Close to eveything, walking distance to many of the attractions in Waikiki. Bus stop less than one block to all of the island. Great place for the kids first trip they want to see all there is to see.

We have stayed on Maui, Oahu, the Big Island, and own on Kauai. In order to better answer your question, one would need to know what you are looking for: a. a resort where you are waited on hand and foot, eat every meal out, pay a baby-sitter, do all the tourist attractions, etc., in other words just spend, spend, spend! OR b. a resort with minimal in-house organized activities, full kitchen, nearby grocery store, near to entertaining and educational activities - museums, theme parks, learning activities (like Williamsburg), near to outdoor activities (horseback riding, skiing, fishing, swimming, surfing, golf, hunting, etc.) OR c. a condominium or houseboat - etc.

The west side of Maui can be very expensive (to eat out, and driving since the west side is isolated by a 30-minute drive to get almost anywhere else on the island, etc.) The south side is a more generally residential area with lower pricing, although I don't know if there are many timeshares on that part of the island.

Kauai (south side) has beautiful weather almost always (vs. the north side where it rains a lot!), many activities close by and town (Lihue) is about 20 minutes away. You can have the Hilton or a fully-furnished condo-type unit and everything in between.

You can snow ski on the Big Island in the winter, or tour wineries or cattle ranches, etc. Hilo is quaint, still living in the 50's and 60's (when you phone for a taxi it may or may not show up!), while Kona is booming.

Oahu (Honolulu) is one giant tourist trap - other than the ocean, you can substitute Las Vegas for Honolulu and not miss much. And one of the Vegas hotels has a great pool with a surf generator (no boards though).

Take a look thru the RCI or II books with a list of your criteria, narrow your choices down to a few, then take a look at the Web sites of each of your choices.

If you do the RCI or II swapping, keep in mind that you'll need to book a year in advance for most of the really decent spots - if you can get in with a month's notice, there's probably something wrong with the place! Check out Hawaiia Timeshare Exchange (HTSE) for availability - they will let you browse their inventory before making a committment, as will Trading Places International (TPI).