Looking For A Family-Friendly Place To Stay? Try The Big Island
“Mom, I’m bored.”
Even while on vacation, that seems to be the mantra of many kids. It is for mine, anyway.
There might be sea shells to collect and waves to bodysurf, but what my 6-year-old daughter, Claire, really wants is to play with other kids.
That’s why I was thrilled to learn about the kids’ programs run by a number of the resorts on the Big Island of Hawaii, the most family-friendly of all the Hawaiian islands I’ve visited. These fun retreats are a lot like summer camp without the risk of getting homesick for Mom and Dad.
On a recent trip, our family stayed at a couple of different places which offered complimentary “keiki” (children’s) programs. And the adults had nearly as much fun as the kid.
At the famous Kona Village Resort on the Big Island’s so-called Gold Coast, everything is laid back. There are no locks on the doors of individual thatched-roof guest hales (cottages.) The rooms have no phones, televisions or air-conditioning.
If you believe the brochures, this is the way Hawaii used to be.
What the place does offer is one of the prettiest beaches on the island, and the use of all sorts of beach equipment, from small sailboats and kayaks to masks and flippers. (While snorkeling in the protected bay there, I nearly collided with an enormous sea turtle and was shadowed by a barracuda.)
Each day, the youngest Kona Village guests are invited to participate in a variety of activities, everything from playing Marco Polo in the pool to hunting geckos and dropping a line in fishing contests.
One morning, my daughter spent a happy hour digging alongside other kids for sandbugs. The counselor, a young woman named Tanya, seemed as intent on finding these creatures as were the kids. She was on her hands and knees scooping up sand by some rocks.
It didn’t look like much fun to me, but Claire was all smiles.
Later that day, she went with a group of kids on a coconut hunt in the dense palm grove. She painted her brown husk with a rainbow and insisted on bringing it home with her. That turned out to be her most treasured souvenir from the trip.
Before the afternoon was over, she dove into the pool after plastic eggs and strung her own shell necklace. It was fun for her, but I felt compelled to tag along because the supervision seemed a bit lax.
Every evening, kids are invited to a keiki dinner, where the kitchen cooks up such delicacies as hot dogs or gooey macaroni and cheese. After the last bite of dessert is gobbled, the group heads out to the beach with flashlights, where they hope to spot manta rays gliding through the shallow water. Or, they might grab a bag of fluffy Campfires for a marshmallow roast.
At the new Four Seasons Resort nearby, the Kids for All Seasons program is much more structured, and they have a facility that is a child’s dream come true. It’s bulging with toys and game imaginable, including a miniature pool table. There are shelves laden with art supplies and books. Bean-bag chairs are situated in front of a selection of videos. There are swings and tiny picnic tables outside, and a sand-bottom kids’ pool a short walk away.
A capable staff puts parents’ minds at ease, as well. There’s at least one counselor for every six children.
Even before Claire discovered the kids’ center, she had decided that she never wanted to leave the resort. When we first entered our room, she found her name spelled out in sponges in the marble bathroom, next to the special kid’s shampoo, conditioner and bubble bath in a teddy-bear-shaped container.
There was a sea lion stuffed animal on her bed and a pint-sized robe hanging in the walk-in closet. She happily munched on chocolate chip cookies left for her. All this VIP treatment is part of the standard greeting for the resorts’ youngest guests.
“Can we live here?” she asked.
Later, Claire made friends with a little girl named Erica who was celebrating her birthday. The staff had decorated the kids’ center with balloons and a banner, and there was a cake.
A more typical day might include hula classes, lei-making lessons, a trip to nearby petroglyphs or kite-flying on the beach. The center is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and children can spend as little or as much time there as they want.
After dropping the kids off, the grown-ups will find plenty of activities to fill their days. There’s a world-class health club with classes that range from the trendy group cycling exercise called spinning to calming yoga. There are six pools on the property, including the massive King’s Pond, a man-made mini ocean fashioned out of natural rock and filled with thousands of native fish.
There is also a gorgeous golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus on the property that’s open only to guests and residents of nearby condos.
And, of course, there’s much exploring to be done throughout the Big Island - from the Volcano National Park in the south to hiking the gorgeous Waipo Valley in the north.
Even though we spent time on the other islands, including two weeks roaming around beautiful Kauai, Claire often reminised about her fun-filled days in the kids’ programs.
“Don’t you wish we were back at the Four Seasons?” she said.
Rates at The Kona Village Resort start at $425 for a double, with the price including three meals a day, tennis and water sports. The complimentary children’s activities run year-round except September, which is reserved for romance and adults only. For reservations, call (800) 367-5290.
At The Four Seasons Hualalai, room packages start at $390, which includes a car rental or a full breakfast buffet. That $390 package includes the Kids for All Seasons program and a host of daily activities at the resort’s cultural center, including lei-making and ukulele lessons, exploring tidepools and touring nearby historic petroglyphs. For reservations, call (888) 340-5662.
Other resorts on the sunny Kohala area that have kids’ programs include the Hilton Waikoloa Village (800-221-2424), the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (800-882-6060), the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel (808-885-6622) and The Orchid at Mauna Lani (800-325-3589).
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