hawaii & kids

Not sure if to go to hawaii with my two small children ? any recommendations?

hawaii %26amp; kids

Since there are many, many small children growing up on the islands, having been born on and are being raised on the Islands I would suggest a bit more info! Ages, interests?

hawaii %26amp; kids

Some bring their kids to Hawaii. Some don%26#39;t.

You know your kids %26amp; how they handle long flights %26amp; drives.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862鈥?/a>

It would help to know the ages. We just returned from our first trip to Hawaii with our children ages 6 %26amp; 8. We had a great time. Our kids do like to travel, but I was concerned about the time change (6 hours) and the long flight (13 hours total with connections). It was a bit of an adjustment, but nothing major for us. We stayed on 5 nights on Oahu and 4 nights on Maui, as well as day trip to the Big Island. We did a little sight seeing and a little hiking. You just have to know limitations of your children and try not to push it.

Personally, if Hawaii is one of those trips that is like a once in a lifetime thing, I wouldn%26#39;t do it if your children are still in their ';needy'; stage.

We have always taken our kids from infants to teenagers and have loved it every time. It%26#39;s a great family vacation pick. Every time we would go to Disney World or Disneyland I would stand in line waiting for a ride and wished we had gone to Hawaii instead.

Do you want some alone time for romance with your spouse -- or even time to talk? Then don%26#39;t bring the kids. Do you want to go places that are inappropriate for children or that would ';bore'; them? Then don%26#39;t take the kids. Do you want to eat out whenever you feel like it? Then don%26#39;t take the kids. Do your kids do well on long flights, sleep OK in strange surroundings, tolerate the sun well? If not, then don%26#39;t take the kids.

However, if your kids are well-behaved, enjoy a change of scenery, are adaptable and you need a nice family get-way --- then sure, bring them.

It%26#39;s all up to you.

my kids are 4 and 3

While they are young, my kids have remembered moments from Hawaii better than memories of Disneyland. It is also very relaxing for parents - they have been the best family vacations - go and enjoy! :)

My opinion is that it is time to decide who you are as a family. Families are all different.

As a family we wouldn%26#39;t dream of excluding the kids on a consistant basis. We travel - all of us. My kids 9 %26amp; 13 have been to Australia, Japan, Mexico, Canada, before moving to Hawaii, they had vacationed there 10 times.

We waited to have kids and we know they are growing fast - we won%26#39;t have them forever. There will be plenty of time to do stuff on our own. We choose to be a unit. Our kids are pros at restaurants, airports, security, planes, cabs, subway. We had to teach them though and that started younger and was a process. Because DH travels for a living, we see this as such a life skill.

That said, DH and I get away sometimes too. It%26#39;s pretty rare - but just two weeks ago we jumped on a plane to Vegas and saw Paul McCartney. What fun! Because the kids are such great travellers, they took it hard that they couldn%26#39;t go - but Oh well, they%26#39;re gonna have something to complain about!

So for us, of course you can take the kids unless you don%26#39;t want to.

You can take small children and still have a couple %26#39;date nights%26#39; by hiring a sitter. There are some excellent services in Hawaii. (Yes, it is costly, but it%26#39;s also a way to have your cake and eat it too.)

Or...take a Grandmother along! LOL (sez Grandma Sue)