It’s not hard to see why Hawaii has become synonymous with paradise. Start planning your family holiday by reading our list of the best of the best resorts, as voted by you!
It’s not hard to see why Hawaii has become synonymous with paradise. Start planning your family holiday by reading our list of the best of the best resorts, as voted by you!
No matter who you are or what kind of vacation you’re looking for, Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort has your back. The resort offers 18 restaurants and bars and six pools, including the longest water slide in Waikiki. The Camp Penguin program is loaded with activities, with off-resort excursions to Honolulu Zoo and the Children’s Discovery Centre, leaving adults free to explore exotic gardens or visit the spa. Movie nights under the stars are on offer Wednesdays and Saturdays, while Fridays are a celebration of Hawaiian culture with a show and fireworks at the Super Pool.
Perched on an idyllic Hawaiian beach, Aulani delivers every time when it comes to family holiday fun. With an emphasis on both Hawaiian culture and Disney magic, the resort offers everything from fire-side storytelling to pool parties, as well as a kids’ club with activities for tiny tots and teenagers. Explore the lazy river and infinity pool in the Waikolohe Valley pool area or borrow snorkel gear and a boogie board to enjoy Ko Olina beach. If you’re after a little R&R, there’s a full service spa, complete with kid-friendly packages. With Disney characters around every corner, it’s sure to be a hit.
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort is the perfect place for a well-deserved beachfront holiday, with rooms that boast stunning views and a picturesque pool looking out on the ocean. Take a surf lesson, visit the Pearl Factory or if you’re feeling luxe, charter the Holokai catamaran for a family sail and snorkel experience. The complimentary Outrigger Trolley service makes a trip to the aquarium or the iconic Diamond Head trail a no-brainer and after a day exploring, there are five restaurants and nightly live music to enjoy.
A pool day never looked as good as it does at Outrigger Reef Wakiki Beach Resort. Reserve a hale (traditional hut) or punee (sun lounge) and engage in a little bit of ‘swim, sunbathe, sleep, repeat’ time, with access to bottle service and the full Kani Ka Pila Grille menu. After the sun sets you can extend your pool paradise experience under star-studded skies, with live Hawaiian music lulling you into a state of bliss. There are also a range of other activities if you want to swap the pool for paddleboard yoga or try your hand at the ukulele.
If a day floating on a water beanbag in North America’s longest oceanfront infinity pool with a cocktail in hand is your idea of the perfect day in paradise, then you’ve come to the right place. Sheraton Waikiki offers this and a range of other water wonderlands, including the Helumoa playground with a 21-metre waterslide, two large whirlpools and an interactive fountain area for kids. Although children under 16 cannot join you in the infinity pool, the kids’ program will have young travellers five and above body boarding, cookie decorating and crafting through the day. Poppins Day Care also offer care for children from three months to 12 years old.
Snorkelling among sea turtles, horse riding along ocean trails and taking to the skies in a replica Magnum chopper are all in a days’ ‘work’ at Turtle Bay Resort. With more than 340 hectares to explore, the property’s magnificent views alone are enough to make it hard to leave. The keiki (kids’) pool features a 24-metre waterslide, while the resort’s main pool allows you to unwind with ocean views. Top it all off with a Mai Tai alongside nightly entertainment for the pinnacle of Hawaiian hospitality.
Your keiki are well and truly catered for at Ka’anpali Beach Hotel, where all kids receive their very own Aloha passport and can collect stamps by taking part in activities like hula dancing and lei making. The tiny tots under three also get to join in on the fun as they receive their own passport card with their personalized Hawaiian name, not to mention a special gift from Hale Hoʻokipa. Once they’ve collected all their stamps, kids can cool off in the whale-shaped pool or enjoy a free sunset hula show.
Enjoy a Waikiki welcome just steps from the beach at Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. Situated on the Diamond Head side of Waikiki, the hotel offers a relaxed retreat after a day spent climbing the Diamond Head summit trail or snorkelling in Hanauma Bay. The hotel’s restaurant, Tiki’s Grill & Bar, offers Pacific Rim cuisine using local and sustainable ingredients; enjoy meals alongside a tropical drink and live music
With spacious suites ideal for families and a complimentary made-to-order breakfast, Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk provides the perfect base for all your Hawaiian adventures. The boutiques of Kalakaua Avenue are only a block away for those wanting to snag a sale, or head to the beach for some snorkelling, stand-up paddleboarding and surfing. For a change of pace, relax at the Grand Lanai on a chaise lounge alongside a heated pool, whirlpool spa and children’s pool.
This 25-hectare property with a 1.6-hectare ocean-fed lagoon makes for an exceptional watery playground the whole family can enjoy. Perfect your golf skills at the seaside putting course, or sample one of 16 beers on tap at Kona Tap Room. Kids will love taking a tour of the resort’s waterways on mahogany canal boats, where they might be lucky enough to spot some yellow tangs or unicorn fish.
Roll out of your opulent oasis and straight onto Waikiki Beach during your stay at The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki. Not only does the resort have the best seat in the house for ocean-front lounging with private poolside cabanas, there is also a swimming pool adjacent to the sea. If you want to sneak away for a beachfront Mai Tai, Poppins Daycare has you covered, offering a variety of cultural, pool and beach activities.
Your little adventurers are sure to love all the exciting activities on offer at the Keiki Club during your stay at The Kahala Hotel and Resort. While you unwind with a treatment at the Kahala Spa, the little ones will be scoop net fishing, exploring tide pools and taking part in Hawaiian games. There a range of restaurants to suit everyone’s tastes, but the resort’s exclusive, premium-quality Hawaiian macadamia nuts are a must-try.
It’s a tremendous achievement to have your property recognised by the people who matter most: the families who stay there. We love seeing how many wonderful options there are for travellers with kids in tow all across the world, and every year the list is expanding.
As you can probably imagine, it’s a massive job to compile the Top 10 each year, and the Holidays with Kids team has been hard at work for the last few months compiling all the survey responses and sorting them into categories.
Holidays with Kids was the first travel magazine in Australia to do readers’ choice awards all the way back in 2001, our editors are pretty much certified experts in this field.
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