4 Days in Hawaii with Kids: Big Island
Kids ages: 10 & 8
Month of visit: October
To celebrate two big birthdays in the family, we wanted to plan a fun and memorable trip that could be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. With four days off during a much-anticipated school holiday, Hawaii was an obvious choice for our adventure. We had fondly remembered our previous visit to the beautiful Island of Maui and were eager to see more of what Hawaii had to offer. With convenient direct flights to Kona, along with its stunning black sand beaches and a range of great family-friendly resorts, the Big Island quickly became our top choice for this special getaway. We were torn between two resorts so decided to stay at both: one turned out to be a clear favorite.
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DAY 1-3 | MAUNA LANI, AN AUBERGE RESORT
Mauna Lani, An Auberge Resort
Mauna Lani, An Auberge Resort, is situated by a beautiful beach with a mix of white and black sand, surrounded by volcanic rock. Just 30 minutes from Kona Airport, this 333-room property is the largest of the Auberge collection.
The resort, covered in volcanic rock and lava flow, has many outdoor activities to offer, including biking around the scenic golf course and along paths to the peaceful fish ponds.
Ocean View One-Bedroom Suite
We booked an Ocean View One-Bedroom Suite that had a large lanai with a lovely view and a great room set up for families. The room was spacious and well-appointed with lots of natural light from the glass doors leading out to the double lanai.
Holoholo Kids Crew
While the beach and pools were the main attractions here, one of the best features of the resort for families is the Holoholo Kids Crew, a supervised kids club that runs from 9-3 daily (complimentary). The kids loved their sessions here and the staff were great. However, the kids club has a strict reservation cancellation policy and drop-off window that some parents might find overly restrictive.
Kalāhuipua'a fish ponds
Biking around the property was one of our favorite activities. Kalāhuipua'a, a historic 15-acre preserve on the resort with extensive fishponds, was a beautiful area to explore on bike and on foot.
Beach antics
One of the main activities we had planned during our stay was a surf lesson for our ten year old (a birthday present). However, the surf lesson was canceled due to weather, so the kids opted for another beach day instead.
Mauna Lani at night
While we loved the spacious room, beach, and kids club at Mauna Lani, we had a series of service issues that put a damper on our overall stay. On our second night of the trip, we decided to book a room at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai for our final day on the island so we could get a change of scenery and compare the resort experiences.
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DAY 4 | FOUR SEASONS RESORT HUALALAI
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
After three nights at Mauna Lani, we were eager to check out Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, which was about a 25-minute drive away. The experience at Hualalai was a stark contrast from Mauna Lani, starting from the moment of our arrival throughout our short time here: At Hualalai, we were greeted by name as we pulled into the resort, we had a private welcome experience in the lobby lounge, and our room was ready several hours before check-in. At Mauna Lani, on arrival, we were left to our own devices to find the reception desk, waited in line for a pretty generic check-in and welcome experience, and our room was not ready even at the designated check-in time.
Kings Pond, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
The main reason we wanted to go to Hualalai for our final day on the Big Island was King’s Pond — the resort’s saltwater aquarium pool where you can snorkel with an Eagle Ray and 60 species of tropical fish in a lagoon-like setting with water up to 15 feet deep. There is also a normal pool here adjacent to the lagoon for those who prefer a fish-free swim.
Fish, King’s Pond
Touch tank, Marine Activity Center
The resort also has a small but impressive Marine Activity Center with touch tanks and a marine biologist who gives talks at designated times throughout the day.
Kids for All Seasons
The resort also has a sprawling Kids for All Seasons indoor/outdoor kids club compound. After the strict 9am drop-off window at Mauna Lani, we found it refreshing to be able to swing by the Hualalai kids club for drop-off any time during opening hours.
Spa
While the kids were at the kids club, we checked out the onsite Kona spa. The spa facilities are available for guest use even if you don’t have an appointment — there are separate men’s and women’s whirlpools, cold plunges, saunas, and steam rooms, as well as a Waiea Garden River co-ed relaxation space where you can walk through a lovely mini-river.
Outdoor shower
Unexpected highlights of our short time included the outdoor shower in the room and the over-the-top generous welcome amenities the resort gave us on arrival and in our room (we booked through a travel advisor who kindly let the resort know we were celebrating two birthdays — this also got us some extra booking perks).
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GOOD TO KNOW
Sunset, Mauna Lani
The Big Island is a beautiful place to visit for outdoor adventure as well as great beaches and resorts. Kona International Airport is very small and easy to navigate, which made for easy arrival and departure experiences. Our suite at Mauna Lani was an ideal set up for families, with a sprawling veranda overlooking the beach and gorgeous sunset views, and the beach here was calmer than at Hualalai. Both resorts had great kids clubs but, for us, the flexibility of the Kids For All Seasons program at Hualalai gave it the edge. Mauna Lani is also in a dated building that has extensively remodeled interiors but the wear shows from the outside and hallways. And, for us, the service experience was night and day. While we found the staff to be warm and attentive at both places, the service touches at Hualalai were personalized and abundant — at Mauna Lani, it felt more like staying at a 4-star business hotel. We would love to go back and spend more time at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and possibly check out Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, next time we are on the island.
