Family-Friendly Hotels

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Back to OahuFamily-Friendly Oahu Hotels

If you're traveling with the kids, you'll be welcomed by many of Oahu's resorts, condos, and B&Bs. Our favorite family-friendly accommodations on the island are listed below. If you're looking for a hotel that has supervised activities for your youngster, you might want to consider the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, which has a great children's program. For a more moderately priced option, try the Waikiki Sand Villa in Waikiki, Schrader's Windward Marine Resort in Kaneohe, or Ke Iki Beach Bungalows on the North Shore.

Waikiki:

Hilton Hawaiian Village -- The Rainbow Express Keiki Club is Hilton's year-round daily program of activities for children ages 5 to 12. The program costs $50 for a full day, including lunch, and another $6 if you want the excursion, or $25 for a half day with lunch (add another $3 for an excursion). It offers a wide range of educational and fun activities: Hawaiian arts and crafts, nature walks, wildlife feedings, shell hunting, fishing, and much more. Everything about this hotel is kid-friendly, from the wildlife parading about the grounds to the submarine dives offered just out front. In three of the resort's restaurants, 4- to 11-year-old kids eat free.

Halekulani -- Between early June and mid-August and during Christmastime, the Halekulani, possibly my favorite hotel in the islands, has a wonderful supervised program for children ages 5 to 12, called the Keikilani (Heavenly Child) Club, available Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. The $50 fee includes goodies like a complimentary backpack with matching water bottle, plus lunch and admission to activities. Daily programs include crafts, games, sightseeing, and excursions (to Children's Discovery Center, the Waikiki Aquarium, or the Honolulu Zoo). Plus there's a children's menu in the restaurants House Without A Key and Orchids, plus coloring books and crayons to keep youngsters occupied.

Sheraton Waikiki -- The Keiki Aloha Program offers year-round activities for children ages 5 to 12 ($40 for two same-day sessions 9am-9pm, $30 for one session either morning, afternoon, or evening), and supervised meals are available for lunch ($6.50) and dinner ($12). Activities include boogie boarding, kite flying, sailing on a catamaran, and watching nightly movies. The program is complimentary to children of guests of any of the Sheraton hotels in Waikiki paying rack rates or in certain upper-category package rates. Meals, however, cost extra. Free shuttle services for guests of Sheraton Moana Surfrider and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotels during the summer months. Just added are Family Days (Mon, Tues, and Sat) for both parent and child, where the family can visit attractions (such as Waikiki Aquarium and the zoo) or participate in activities including hula, lei making, and boogie boarding. Cost is $10 per parent.

Hawaiiana Hotel -- This budget hotel in the heart of Waikiki, and just a block from the beach, has some terrific deals for families of four or less. Starting at $99, all the concrete, hollow-tiled guest rooms feature kitchenettes (that will help out on the food bill by offering the option of making breakfast and sandwiches for lunch), plus two beds (a double and a single or a queen plus a sofa bed), and a view of the gardens and two swimming pools. The friendly staff welcomes families and will happily point out great places to take the kids.

Ilima Hotel -- Very popular with locals from neighboring islands, this hotel was designed with families in mind. The units are large, and all have full-size kitchens. Although there's no formal children's program, you'll find free HBO, the Disney Channel, and Super Nintendo video games in each room, and the coin-operated laundry is a big help to mom and dad. The beach and the International Market Place are both only a short walk away, and TheBus stops just outside.

Beyond Waikiki:

Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hawaii -- The Keiki Club is the year-round activities program for kids ages 5 to 12. Your youngsters will have a blast dancing the hula, making leis, designing sand sculptures, putting on puppet shows, learning to strum a ukulele, making shell art and fish prints, listening to Hawaiian folk tales and legends, playing Hawaiian games, and more. The cost is $50 for a full day, 9 am-4 pm (including lunch), $40 for a half-day, with lunch and $30 for a half day without lunch.

Leeward Oahu:

JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina -- The Keiki Beachcomber Club, for children ages 5 to 12 (4-year-olds are admitted at the discretion of the program coordinator), is available daily. Activities (9am-3pm) include kite flying, tide-pool exploration, snorkeling, water games, shave-ice making, beach Olympics, crab hunting, and fishing. Hawaiian cultural activities include lei making, hula dancing, and so many other activities that you're unlikely to even see the kids until you're ready to get on the plane to go home. The cost is $58 per child, which includes all activities, lunch, and a souvenir on their first day at the club; half-day rate is $37 with lunch and $32 without.