Best Place For Family Vacation In Hawaii - Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase through my links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Read more about our affiliate policies here.
Choosing a hotel for your family on Oahu is a big decision. There are so many to choose from and they all offer different amenities at different prices. But there are a few hotels on the island that stand out as the best places to stay with children.
Best Place For Family Vacation In Hawaii
You can find our reviews and we have a video tour of each hotel so you can make the absolute best choice for your family vacation.
Best Family Resorts In Hawaii
Before reading the detailed descriptions of each kid-friendly hotel on Oahu, take a moment to watch the video and get an overview of what each family-friendly hotel on Oahu has to offer.
The resort and family-friendly areas of Oahu are Waikiki, Ko Olina, and the North Shore. There are other beautiful places on Oahu, but they don't offer a variety of family-friendly resorts or lack activities for the whole family.
While there are many luxury resorts on Waikiki, this one offers a perk that makes it hard for others to compete.
When you stay with your family at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, you are staying in the luxury of the Pink Palace of the Pacific.
Looking For The Best Family Vacations In Hawaii? Try These
You will also receive a voucher for a free bag of pastries in the hotel's bakery. Sometimes the little things make a stay that much better.
But they also offer something some other luxury resorts lack: access to the kid-friendly amenities of the adjacent Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. Your children can splash about in the Helumoa playground with two pools, a slide and a fountain. When your kids want some alone time, they can join the Sheraton Waikiki Kids Club.
So if you have kids who love the big (fun!) resorts and parents who want to be able to escape from a crowded environment with kids and relax, this is the place. This is truly a resort that the whole family will love.
Biggest Pro: This resort caters to all age groups. A quiet, luxurious retreat for parents (a reminder of where we were before Henry) and amenities the kids will love.
What I Wore In Hawaii
Biggest downside: there were times when we felt inadequate while our kid was enjoying himself (rather loudly).
🍍 Kids Club: Poppins Keiki Waikiki is available at the adjacent Sheraton Hotel for ages 3 months to 12 years and is open to everyone, not just hotel guests
The Sheraton Waikiki rises above the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. This 32 story hotel has over 1,600 rooms and is located on the waterfront in the heart of Waikiki.
Compared to other hotels in the area, the Sheraton feels like a megahotel at times, but with its size it comes with amenities that others don't have.
Why Family Vacation In Hawaii Is Amazing!
🍍 Central location, you're in the center of everything, but you're paying a lot less than staying next door at the Royal Hawaiian or the Moana Surfrider, the other nearby Marriott properties.
Biggest advantage: location. Right in the heart of Waikiki and with easy access to everything you could want in town. It makes it much easier to get to nearby places with family.
Biggest flaw: It's a seafront hotel with no direct access to the beach. The beach has eroded and you can no longer walk on it, meaning there are no hotel loungers if you want to enjoy a day at the beach.
The step-by-step route takes you to the best beaches, dive sites, restaurants, and attractions. You'll get six days of excursions carefully planned to help you see the must-see stops, no matter how limited your time is.
Best Family Vacation Ideas & Destinations
Get all the details on our itinerary and download it for a memorable and easy-to-plan trip to Oahu.
🍍 Kids Club: Poppins Keiki Waikiki is available for children from 3 months to 12 years old and is open to everyone, not just hotel guests (although it is located at the Sheraton)
🍍 Pools: An infinity pool and an adult-only pool for families, including a waterslide for "big kids" and a small waterslide for "toddlers".
The Hilton Hawaiian Village is the most family-friendly hotel in Waikiki. And it's not really a hotel.
Best Resorts In Kauai For Families
As their website states, "We are the only resort in Waikiki." Having stayed at several hotels in the area, I agree with that statement.
Set on 22 acres on the outskirts of Waikiki, this is the largest Hilton and one of the largest hotels in the world. There are 3,386 rooms, so this place is always busy and bustling. There are five pools, multiple water slides, and an artificial lagoon where beginners can easily splash around.
I should say I thought the artificial lagoon was awful - love the beach! But taking our toddler to the lagoon was the best part. There were no waves to worry about, it wasn't crowded, and he had the best time running in and out of the water. You do not have to be a hotel guest to use the lagoon.
The Hilton is on the outskirts of Waikiki, so you're a bit away from the action. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you're looking for.
Best Hawaii All Inclusive Family Resorts
It's a bit of a hike to get into the heart of Waikiki, which can be tricky when you're trying to round up the kids to get them walking. But it's also remote enough that the resort feels a little more secluded. There is plenty to do if you can't leave the resort for an afternoon (or day), nobody will get bored.
Main Pros: If you are traveling with young children or people who are not good swimmers, the Lagoon offers a safe and fun way for them to enjoy the water.
Biggest Mistake: The resort is on the outskirts of Waikiki. So if you want to go out for dinner or do something more central it is a bit of a walk to get there.
🍍 Activities: Hula and ukulele lessons, lei making, yoga or tai chi classes, walking under the stars on Wednesdays and Saturdays, fireworks on Fridays, daily torch lighting
Where To Stay On Oahu With Kids: The 7 Best Family Hotels
Ko Olina is 30 minutes from Honolulu. Its attraction (weather aside) is the four man-made lagoons, making swimming here perfect even for nervous swimmers.
Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club offers standard hotel rooms as well as one and two bedroom villas, making it easy to find the right accommodation. Located on Lagoon 2 in Ko Olina, the Beach Club feels less crowded and hectic than Lagoon 1.
The resort is immaculate with sprawling grounds that are busy but also somehow peaceful. The pools are what you would expect from a great resort: multiple pools, waterfalls, and slides. There are also free beach chairs -- something you won't find at Waikiki resorts.
Biggest Pro: Though this is a large family-friendly resort, it doesn't feel as crowded as many other spots on the island.
The 10 Best Hawaii Family Resorts
Biggest Mistake: The hotel is a long walk from Ko Olina Station, where you'll find most restaurants and the cheapest place in Ko Olina, Island Country Market.
The newest addition to Ko Olina is the Disney Aulani Hotel. The hotel has 351 hotel rooms and 481 villas, making it the largest resort in Ko Olina.
As you would expect, this place is extremely kid friendly. From the myriad of activities to the characters roaming the grounds, this is the place to go if you have a Disney-loving kid.
The pool is fantastic - it has a lazy river, slides and is huge. And they do a great job of entertaining the pool-goers with a pool party. When we were there the pool party was with Goofy and included a host, dancing and pool games. It was fun, but it was also the most crowded pool scene I've seen at a resort.
Hawaii Overtourism: Residents Beg Tourists To Stop Visiting Amid Post Pandemic Boom
The lagoon was also full right away, but that could also be because it shares a lagoon with the Four Seasons.
This will not be the place for everyone. If you're looking for a more relaxing Hawaii vacation, this probably isn't the hotel for you. But if you are looking for a hotel that caters to children, then this is the place.
Biggest Mistake: The resort was the most crowded and noisiest of all the resorts in Ko Olina (and actually all of the resorts on this list).
🍍 Activities: pool parties for kids, free boogie boards and beach toys, scavenger hunts, storytelling, Disney characters, sunrise yoga on the beach, stargazing, movie nights
Travel To Hawaii: What To Pack, Where To Stay
Sign up and we'll send you our island cheat sheets so you can get to know the islands like the back of your hand!
We share 4 must-do activities on each island, a map of the city's top attractions, and the famous local grindz (food)!
By registering, you agree to our privacy policy. We hate spam and promise to keep your email safe. Unsubscribe at any time.
The Four Seasons is the most luxurious hotel on this list for the price
How To Experience The Best Oahu Family Vacation
Place for family vacation, best place to book hawaii vacation packages, best place to book hawaii vacation, best place in hawaii for family vacation, cheapest place to vacation in hawaii, hawaii for family vacation, best place to vacation in hawaii for family, best place for family vacation, best vacation place in hawaii, best place for family vacation in florida, best place in hawaii for vacation, best family vacation in hawaii
