Hellobee Boards

@Rainbow Sprinkles: I've stayed at Aston at Papakea. It was nice being in a condo. The multiple rooms would allow a baby to nap, and I like not eating out every meal. I thought the resort was nice, though not spectacular. But you're in Hawaii, so it's hard to complain. The one thing I disliked was there is basically no beach in front of the hotel, it just is a wall that drops down to the ocean. You have to walk to the beach front of the hotel next door, which would be annoying with a baby.

I'm pretty sure I stayed at #4 two years ago. It was great. I loved it. We did have a friend that got upgraded to a corner suite with a view of the ocean. It was really nice. There were 3 pools and it wasn't too crowded when we went. I would definitely go there again.

@Rainbow Sprinkles: It was very quiet. The pools weren't that special but we basically had them to ourselves which would be nice with kids. If it's enough for you to sit by the pool with a beautiful view of the ocean then I think it could be nice. But if the beach/sand itself is super important I'd probably pass.

@Rainbow Sprinkles: Just to add. I'm looking at pictures on their website. And you can see the beach is on one side of a retaining wall. When we were there, the water came up to that wall (in August) there wasn't any beach. That may have been seasonal and if the beach is there then I'd say it's a nice but not fancy, secluded place to stay.

We always use VRBO. I feel like you can get more for less. We stayed in a condo on Kanapaali beach when we went to Maui. But Maui is my least favorite of the islands so we usually go to the Big Island, Oahu (need to go back soon!) or Kauai.

@Rainbow Sprinkles: I found that we spent a lot of time fending people off trying to get us to go on tours. The road to Hana is amazing, but we were either in crazy tourist land or at an attraction.

On Oahu, we'll spend a day or to in Waikiki to get our tourist fix but then go to the North Shore to just live. I spent a summer on Kauai, so I know how to more or less live like a local there (hidden rope swings, tricks to getting permits to camp in Kalalau or great hikes, best plate lunch). On the big island, we go almost every year so it feels like home. There is so much to do there and it's so big that we don't feel so touristy there. We've also developed a group of friends there and it feels great to "come home" in a way.

@Rainbow Sprinkles: Royal Lahaina--great beach, lousy pools, nice rooms for adults, other amenities are meh. Hawaii is a great place to just eat tasty cheap street food. No fancy restaurants needed.

@Rainbow Sprinkles: we stayed at royal lahaina and the marriot in kaanapali. The pool at that marriot was pretty cool my son was only 10 months when we went but is cool for kids and right on the beach but the rooms are small but they supply a crib. Royal lahaina we went pre kids it was nice and right on the beach but crappy pool. Never stayed in a condo. In Waliea we stayed at the grand wailea and that place was awesome. Hope u can convince him and find a great deal!

@Mrs. Jacks: @Rainbow Sprinkles: I like Maui a lot but Kauai was AMAZING with a kid. Hanalei has a bunch of kid friendly beaches but awesome for adults too. And I would definitely do a condo and cook my own food. Eating out breakfast, lunch and dinner with a toddler got old super fast!

@Rainbow Sprinkles: I'll get my notes together and PM you!

@Rainbow Sprinkles: check out HonuaKai rates via VBRO and see how they compare to Costco. We didn't end up staying there, but walked through the grounds and ate at the restaurant there. It has more of a hotel feel than most condos, for better or worse. We stayed at a condo next door (Mahana) that was right on the beach... I think it is one of the closest high rise condos or hotels to the water because it was built before they were required to set them back further. It had amazing views of the ocean, a great (but very simple) pool and BBQ area. The unit we rented was clean but not super posh: however the views were incredible. The beach right out front might not have been the best for swimming though? Can't remember... I think there was some coral to watch out for. We also stayed at a few other places, but I need to look up the names.

@Rainbow Sprinkles: I've been to Maui and Oahu and if I had kids in your age group I would go to Oahu and stay in Ko Olina (where the Disney Aulani resort is). There are timeshare condos there that Marriot owns and you can probably find a rental on VRBO. There are four manmade lagoons that are sandy and beautiful and tranquil, snorkeling is not bad, car rental is way cheaper in Oahu, and I just feel like Oahu has more to offer kids. We stayed in a Westin once and stayed in condo once and we vastly preferred the condo experience.

@Rainbow Sprinkles: we've always gone to hawaii in December which is rainy season for both maui and kauai. It's much sunnier in southern kauai than the north during rainy season. I don't remember which part in maui is sunnier but we've gone to kaanapali during rainy season and it did rain.