We Go With Kids!

Category: hawaii

Things to Do in Kauai with Kids

Kauai has long been high on my list of destinations to visit. Having just moved from the East Coast to the West Coast last summer, a trip to Kauai suddenly became much more feasible for our family of four when it was no longer a 12+ hour journey. When time came to plan our spring break, I did some quick research and within hours had my family of four booked (flights + hotel) for a week long stay in Kauai for next to zero dollars out of pocket. A busy work schedule coupled with two kids in different schools prevented me from doing as much research as I would have liked, prior to our trip to Kauai. Thus, we ended up embarking on a relatively unscheduled and unplanned week in Kauai, with just broad notions as to what we would like to do, but not actually having activities scheduled in prior to departure. We ended up having a ast in Kauai and I would say it is one of my Top 5 Family Vacations – perhaps even Top 3! Here’s my list of things to do in Kauai with kids!

1. Shaka Guide North Shore Kauai Driving Tour

Shaka Guide offers guided GPS tours on four Hawaiian Islands: Oahu, Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. In 2013, my family visited Maui with our then 4 year old and did purchase a guided CD tour of the Road to Hana. I don’t believe Shaka Guide was available at the time, but given the rave reviews online, I decided to download the Shaka Guide prior to our trip to Kauai and it turned out to be a great decision. The Shaka Guide North Shore Kauai Driving Tour provides three hours of audio guidance and although my husband was skeptical at first, it ended up introducing us to some of the highlights of our trip, including the “Gilligan’s Island” Beach and our hike down to “Secret Beach,” all of which we likely would not have found had it not been for the Shaka Guide.

Gilligan’s Island Beach; likely my favorite beach on the planet.

The walk down to Secret Beach; we followed a woman carrying a surfboard on her head because, of course we did.

Secret Beach

The beaches we experienced as part of the Shaka Guide were so great that we ended up planning a whole day around a return trip to one of the featured beaches, Gilligan’s Island Beach. Our Shaka Guide tour ended up being approximately 3.5 hours, including numerous stops and hikes down to various places, like Secret Beach, so for $10, it was money well spent. Our kids enjoyed it as we were definitely off the beaten path in Kauai.

2. Kayak Hanalei Bay

One of the fun memories I have of my pre-college years is kayaking with my brothers. When I was in high school, we had some crazy kayaking adventures in Catalina Island and San Diego. Suffice it to say, kayaking is high on my list of things to do, anywhere we are, and my husband and kids have become accustomed to my building in kayaking time wherever we are.

Kayaking Hanalei Bay was one of the kayaking adventures I was really hoping to experience in Kauai. Although my four year old has kayaked with us before (usually as the middle person on a two person kayak), I didn’t know if he’d be able to go the distance as part of a larger kayaking excursion. Kayak Hanalei offer double kayak rentals at $60/day for pre-1pm rentals and at a reduced price of $45 for post-1pm rentals. After a morning spent exploring the North Shore, I decided that we might as well see how my four year old would do on the kayak. Given that it was after 1pm, we paid $90 for two, double kayak rentals, which came complete with wet bags.

He was so comfy, he fell asleep on the ride down to the confluence and had to be shaken awake

To my surprise, we had a fabulous time! We barely made it back by closing time, 5pm, as we decided to extend our little kayaking excursion from the bay to the confluence; but long story short, we saw sea turtles, disembarked to enjoy a snack (and beer for the adults), and just overall enjoyed being out on the water. I highly recommend this adventure with kids.

3. Spend the Day at the Beach

My husband and I are busy people who like to be on the go when we are on vacation. Our kids, however, can happily spend the day at the beach. We made sure to build in plenty of beach time and Kauai’s unspoiled beaches were the perfect backdrop.

To get the most of our beach days, we actually spent a few dedicated beach days going from beach to beach. Some beaches offered protected areas for snorkeling and others were just good for general lounging. We simply packed a picnic lunch, stocked up on towels from the hotel, and took off for the day. Apply sunscreen as I definitely got a bit singed one day!

4. Coffee Plantation

Lyndgate Farms chocolate farm on Kauai offers a three hour “branch to bar” tour and tasting. Knowing full well that tour wouldn’t hold my kids’ attention, we skipped right to the important part: the chocolate tasting. Lyndgate Farms offers free tasting of all its chocolates and my kids each got to pick their favorite. We purchased a number of bars and I was glad to see they came with complimentary cooler bags to keep them from melting. My kids also enjoyed swinging on the giant swing in the parking lot, before getting back in the car.

5. Attend a Luau

Although I’ve been to Hawaii a handful of times, I never attended a luau until this trip. Although hokey and probably not worth the money to experience again, I’m glad we did it this time. As an added bonus, my kids loved the fire dance.

6. Take a hike!

There are a number of great hiking opportunities in Kauai and we took full advantage of these great adventures. On a rainy morning, we took a short hike near our hotel in Kapaa, and the boys not only managed the whole thing on their own two legs, but had a great time as well.

Anyone else hearing the Jurassic Park theme song here?

7. Hawaii Shave Ice

No trip to Hawaii is complete without Hawaii Shave Ice. We happened to stumble across Jo Jo’s, a Kauai classic, after a long hike up Waimea Canyon, and were happy to partake.

8. Miniature Golf

Mini-golfing at Kauai Mini Golf, located at Anaina Hou Park is a wonderful way to spend a few hours with kids. Not only is the course littered with native plants, but my kids really enjoy mini golfing, something that we rarely get to do in the hustle and bustle of daily life.

9. Visit Waimea Canyon

We spent a full day hiking Waimea Canyon and absolutely loved the experience even with our four year old in tow. But, for those who aren’t up for the day long hike, know that there are plenty of ways to experience Waimea by car. There’s not only a great lookout near the main parking area, but we took a tour down a road (that ended up leading to a restricted military base) and climbed a random hill (yes! all four of us) where we were treated to some amazing views. Do it. You won’t regret it.

10. Sunset Cruise of the Napali Coast

Experiencing the Napali Coast was a non-negotiable item on my list of things to do in Kauai. I’m glad we were able to find a vehicle in which to do it — Captain Andy’s Na Pali Sunset Cruise. Click here for my review of Captain Andy’s Na Pali Sunset Cruise.

Our family trip to Kauai was such an amazing experience that I really think I’ll be hard pressed to ever be persuaded to go on a beach vacation somewhere else. I hope our list of things to do in Kauai with kids will help inform your trip to Kauai!

June 21, 2019
Review of Captain Andy’s Na Pali Coast

Spanning 17 miles along the North Shore of Kauai, the Napali Coast of Kauai was high on my list of things to experience. There are many ways to experience the Napali Coast, but simply driving up to it is not one of them. There are air and sea options, of course, as well as the Kalalau Trail hike, which runs along the Napali Coast and is a rough 11 mile hike. In April 2018, a massive flash flood incident resulted in the closure of many roads on the North Shore of Kauai. The roads were just beginning to open up during our visit in April 2019, but I was glad that hiking the Kalalau Trail was not an option due to road closures as the thought of even attempting an 11 mile hike with young children is not something I’m eager to do. Having done a bit of internet research, however, I quickly decided that our best bet for experiencing the Napali Coast was to book a sunset cruise. Given that one member of our party of four is not only four years old but also prone to sea sickness, I did quite a bit of internet sleuthing before deciding on Captain Andy’s. Here is my review of Captain Andy’s Na Pali Coast Sunset Cruise!

Booking:

Online booking is the easiest option and as an added bonus, the website show very clearly the number of spots left on any given day so even though I was a bit worried things would book up if I delayed too long in booking, I just simply logged in every day or so and checked to make sure there were ample tickets. I was mostly concerned about weather/rain, but about a week prior to our trip, the forecast looked clear for our first full day in Kauai so I decided to go ahead and book the trip. At $135/adult and $105/child, tickets are not cheap, but given that our hotel and flights were essentially free, I felt like we could splurge a bit on this boating excursion, despite having my concerns about how my four year old would respond to being contained on a boat for hours.

The Experience:

We arrived at the harbor at 2pm on the day of our excursion and were able to quickly check in. Each group was given a card upon check in with their boat information written on it. It turns out that Captain Andy’s has the ability to run multiple boats each evening (I believe there were four going out that evening), so we all sat around waiting for our boarding assignment to be called.

As our Captain introduced himself and walked us down to the dock, we were reminded that shoes are not permitted on board. We all took off our shoes and loaded them onto a wheeled shoe rack, before walking onto the boat. After the basic instructions were given (where to stand, where to sit, bathrooms, no picking children up, etc), the boat took off and, well, my four year old loved it.

The boat ride out to the Napali Coast took a while and we mostly just enjoyed the sea water. Once we got close to the Coast, however, the water was definitely choppy and people got wet. It’s no surprise then that alcohol and dinner is not served until the ride back to shore.

My nine year old absolutely loved the experience and stayed out front nearly the entire time. He got sprayed by water on numerous occasions, but thoroughly enjoyed being able to wander around himself. My four year old, husband, and I mostly hung out near the back of the boat as it was much calmer there, and although I did experience some motion sickness myself, my four year old was fine the entire time.

The Napali Coast itself is gorgeous and we ooohed and aaahed the entire time.

The Captain did a fantastic job of explaining various features along the coast, including where old fishing villages had been located and pointing out small waterfalls that we likely would not have noticed on our own. Once we reached the end of the coastline, we turned back for the smooth ride home.

Dinner was served buffet style and the drinks flowed readily. The crew was really top notch and my notoriously picky eater of a husband even said that the food was “not bad,” which is high praise coming from him. The crew was really great about bringing out more food when the supply got low, and they also came around and made sure to refill drinks. All in all, it was a pleasant experience and despite my concerns, we had a great time.

Final Thoughts?

I am definitely glad we experienced the Napali Coast and Captain Andy’s Na Pali Sunset Dinner Cruise was a great way to do it, given our kids. Had they been older, I likely would have explored a snorkeling or kayaking day long adventure, but there was simply no way of guaranteeing that we would be able to be on board for that long a time with our four year old (not to mention many activities have age limits that he would not have qualified for). The Sunset Dinner Cruise is advertised to last four hours and indeed, it lasted every minute of the four hours. I felt bad for one woman who had a horrible case of motion sickness and spent three of the four hours with her head in a bucket. My four year old definitely got tired and the waves helped lull him to sleep after dinner. In fact, I even found myself lying down to enjoy a little bit of shut eye on the ride back, having gotten up at 4am for conference call that morning!

June 20, 2019
Review of Courtyard Coconut Beach in Kauai
With two young children, my husband and I typically opt against staying at a hotel when planning a week long vacation. Earlier this year, we found ourselves in possession of two seven night stay certificates at a Category 1 – 4 Marriott hotel that were set to expire in mid-July. After a few hours of online searching, we were happy to secure a seven night stay at the Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach during our kids’ vacation. My review of Courtyard Coconut Beach in Kauai, however, is decidedly mixed. On the one hand, we paid zero dollars out of pocket for our stay (there was a $20/night resort fee that was waived for our stay) that would have otherwise cost just over $4,000; however, the level of construction the hotel was undergoing was well beyond what had been disclosed. While we found the initial appearance of the hotel and the noise to be jarring, at least we had some inkling of the construction. Many other vacationers had no idea that the hotel was under construction, much less that the hotel’s pool and dining facilities were largely nonexistent. While I heartily recommend the Courtyard Kauai Coconut Beach for its location and the amazing staff that did everything they could to accommodate its guests, Marriott’s handling of the situation was subpart and has me re-thinking brand loyalty going forward.

The resort’s “entrance” during our stay.

The Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach is located approximately 30 minutes from the Lihue Airport. There is a large parking lot and it is easy to walk right into the resort. Given the construction, however, the main lobby was not open and thus, the makeshift lobby was all that was available during our one week stay. Upon checking in, I was somewhat dismayed that there were just folding tables set up for check in and that there were extra staff on hand to help guide guests. During the check in process, I also received no explanation of the amenities, which I guess should not have surprised me given that well, there were none available during our stay due to construction; I was not provided with a map of the “resort,” nor was I given a map to the nearby hotel with the reciprocal pool access. I was simply told “construction, 7 days a week from 9-5pm and the pool down the road at the — hotel is available for use.” This was definitely a sign of poor things to come in terms of both the level of construction, as well as the staff’s ability to manage disappointed guests.

My four year old has extremely sensitive ears and the jackhammering was too much for him.

After checking in, we went up to our room, which was located on the top (4th) floor.

As described, it was a two bedroom, ocean view room. While surprisingly small (even my 9 year old commented on the small size and he’s not one to notice these things), it was newly renovated and as described. The view of the pool from directly from our balcony, however, left much to be desired.

Particularly when, during our stay, the hotel’s website and app still boasted about the “pool” features as one of its available amenities.

Admittedly, we did not spend much time at the hotel, opting to leave early every morning after breakfast to explore the island. However, it would have been nice to have had the option to sit by the beach/pool and order drinks or even evening snacks. A few evenings, we simply picked up pizza before returning to the hotel and ate in our hotel room, since there was no suitable outdoor seating.

Another aspect in which we were disappointed was that while the website/app advertised its “dining” options as “HIGHLIGHTS,” there was, in fact, only one very limited option for dining.

Indeed, the main dining room was completely boarded up during our stay and the only option was this banquet/conference room that had been converted into a makeshift dining area.

That said, my Titanium Elite Status provided us with a complimentary credit of $20/day to use towards food and beverages and kids under 5 eat free so we ate breakfast every single day before departing for our days’ adventures and the food, and the service, were both quite excellent in the dining department.

Papaya/Granola bowl we requested one morning “to go.”

The children’s menu offerings.

During our stay, I briefly peeked into the gym, but it was small and not enticing in the least. I chose to spend my days kayaking and hiking instead, which I also encourage you to do if you find yourself in Kauai. Of course, the option of a treadmill or elliptical is always nice to have and at least this portion of the hotel was not under construction and available for use.

As advertised, the hotel does have access to a beach which is a very short and easy walk from the rooms. We enjoyed the beach tremendously and it was the first place we went after dropping off our bags.

Path down to the beach. Note the heavy construction.

That said, the hotel did not have any feet washing stations or towels available at or near the beach. Instead, towels had to be picked up at reception and dropped back off at reception, so that was a tremendous hassle in terms of using the resort’s beach. Because we could not clean off our feat easily, we didn’t end up spending anytime with the kids at the beach.

I would have loved the option of sitting in one of these chairs, ordering drinks, while watching the kids play in the sand, but alas! Not this time.

At bottom, the hotel’s lack of amenities did not have any significant impact on our vacation, given that we were using a certificate for a free stay. A few nights into our stay, a group of new guests arrived and were clearly incredibly dismayed by the level of construction. There were angry words at reception and lots of disgruntled guests wandering around. One group approached me and asked if we had been aware of the construction, in particular the pool closure, and it was clear that they had no idea prior to their trip and that the lack of amenities was going to significantly impact their stay. At that point, I spoke with the hospitality manager who was entirely sympathetic to our claims (and waived our $20/day resort fee without us even asking), but she noted, sadly that there was nothing she could do. My only guess is that there is some issue between the hotel being unable to finance construction while closing the hotel down for operation and that it is staying open during construction because it has to. Although I don’t know where the blame rests (Marriott or the hotel itself), and I imagine it to be some combination of both, I think the negative impact will be mostly felt by Marriott as anyone who stayed during this massive upheaval will likely negatively reflect about the Marriott experience. The hotel’s central location on Kauai’s eastern shore and it’s gorgeous beach access means that it will always have a steady supply of visitors, but I know that this stay definitely has me questioning the benefits of maintaining Marriott status.

Final Thoughts?

There are a number of things that the hotel did poorly, in particularly, failure to disclose the level of construction. But it would be unfair not to point out the things the hotel did well:
- excellent food at the operating dining room, including incredibly patient servers, despite the fact that they were clearly understaffed and operating in sub optimal conditions;
- availability of beach towels for use on and off property; and
- availability of beach chairs and bicycles for use on and off property.
The only ways we were truly impacted by the construction was that we couldn’t really enjoy the hotel’s beach as much as we likely would have had it been operating. That said, we also probably saved money by not ordering expensive drinks at the resort and had there been a pool option, we likely would have had to negotiate with the children about spending a day hiking and kayaking and generally out and about as they would have definitely advocated for staying put and just swimming the day away. In the future, I would definitely stay at the hotel again, on a return trip to Kauai, but I suspect this construction will bump the hotel from a Category 4 to a Category 5 hotel, thus raising significantly the redemption costs. And that is a real shame.
June 1, 2019
How to Book a Family Trip to Hawaii on Points

A few weeks ago, my husband and I found ourselves slightly glum as it has been raining pretty much nonstop for the past few weeks. The adults, the kids, and even the dog were getting a little house crazy and I decided it was time to really start thinking about where we wanted to spend the kids’ spring break this year. Last year, we went to Costa Rica and and stayed at the Andaz Papagayo entirely on points. This year, having just moved across country and purchased a home, we had no desire to spend beaucoup bucks (or really, any bucks) on an expensive vacation. Instead, I decided to take an inventory of our miles and points situation and quickly realized that it was possible to book a family trip to Hawaii on points!

Booking a Family Trip to Hawaii on Points

Our first order of business was to decide which island to visit. My husband and I honeymooned on Oahu and the Big Island, and we traveled to Maui with our oldest son in September 2013, when he was four. We had our eyes on Kauai and so with that in mind, I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to try and use one of our seven night Marriott stay certificates.

Last fall, prior to the merger of SPG and Marriott, I redeemed a bunch of Marriott points that I’d been sitting on for two Marriott Flight and Hotel Travel Packages. The goal at the time was to acquire as many Alaska Airlines miles as possible with our eyes towards a future redemption to Asia, and the seven night stay packages were just an added bonus to the redemption. We certainly did not plan to redeem them, as online travel experts had cautioned that the certificates were extremely hard to use in the United States due to availability, but I decided to call Marriott reservations and see if they had anything available on Kauai that we could use our certificate for.

Lo and behold, I was delighted to find that there were seven available nights at the Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach during our kids’ spring break week. I quickly confirmed that there was a room with two queen beds available and was thrilled when the booking agent asked if I would like an ocean view room with balcony — yes please! Total out of pocket cost for seven nights? $140. The resort fee of $20/day is not waived for award redemptions but it includes two daily cocktails and parking so I am happy to pay it!

The price without points? Over $4000 (and a garden view room to boot).

After confirming our hotel reservations, my next order of business was to book round trip flights for four from LAX to Kauai. After poking around a bit online, our preference was to fly American Airlines nonstop from LAX to LIH. However, tickets for four would have cost over $2000, so I wasn’t quite willing to pull the trigger, despite the major hotel coup.

The easiest option, of course, would’ve been to use Alaska Airlines or American Airlines points to book four round trip tickets. However, a quick search indicates that each round trip ticket in economy would cost 40,000 or 50,000 miles, depending on date/time availability. Luckily, I remember that British Airways is an American Airlines partner and that British Airways charges award redemptions based on miles traveled. Thus, a trip from the West Coast to Hawaii is only 25,000 British Airways Avios points. I don’t happen to have any Avios points, but I do have Chase Ultimate Rewards points in abundance and after confirming: 1) award availability on my desired dates/times of travel and 2) that points transfers happen instantly, I transferred 100,000 points from my Chase Ultimate Rewards account to my Avios account. 100,000 miles and $44.49 later in taxes and fees, I found myself with four confirmed, economy, round trip tickets from LAX to LIH.

Conclusion?

I’ve posted previously about how my family uses miles and points to travel around the world. Typically, we use our miles and points to help defray some of the cost of a large trip OR to travel business class or take a trip that we otherwise would not have been able to afford, such as our trip round-the-world. While I certainly did not plan to book a trip to Hawaii entirely on miles and points when I first started planning, that’s where we ended up and I am counting down the days until my family of four travels to Hawaii for a total out of pocket cost of $184.49 for airfare and accommodations which otherwise would have cost $6,105.46.

February 10, 2019
WGWK’s Fun Family Beach Wrap Up

Our series on Fun Family Beaches gave us the chance to live vicariously through our contributors and their idyllic beach destinations but also reminded us of some of our favorite beach visits.  Even if visits to any of those stunning Australian or South Pacific beaches have been only in our dreams, we have been fortunate to visit quite a few amazing beaches around the world and look forward to our next beach vacation. Putting together our list of beaches reminds us that some beaches we visited pre-kids are not necessarily ideal family vacation destinations, and so we haven’t planned recent return trips. While not all the beaches we’ve visited with kids are picturesque sand beaches, our boys have a lot of fun skipping rocks.

Some of our favorite beaches, both close to home and far away:

Alleppey Beach – Kerala, India

After a day on a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala, we stopped at a beach to dip our toes into the Arabian Sea.  Our driver did not understand my need to take the kids to this practically empty beach with no amenities, but I admittedly have a thing about dipping my toes in a new body of water and didn’t want to miss this chance for my kids to experience the Arabian Sea. Years ago, I arrived in San Diego close to midnight and practically skipped down to the beach for my first touch of the Pacific Ocean. The salt water even stained my pants in the process. The boys are always up for a visit to a beach – new or old, and we were all glad we made the stop on the way back to our hotel. – CMD

Boulders Beach – South Africa

As part of our tour of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa, we stopped at Boulders Beach, which is definitely one of my favorite beaches on earth. Definitely not your typical beach experience, Boulders Beach is an enclosed, protected penguin habitat. We enjoyed walking along the newly constructed enclosed boardwalk, which provided great views of the penguins and were in awe of just how amazing it was to see these beautiful birds in their “natural” habitat. – NKC

Clearwater Beach – Clearwater, Florida

We recently spent an afternoon at Clearwater Beach during a long weekend escape from the cold Ohio winter. Clearwater Beach, which received the Traveler’s Choice Award for the best beach in the US by Trip Advisor in 2016 and 2018, had beautiful powdery sand and gentle Gulf Coast waves.  After a delicious lunch at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, we rented two lounge chairs and an umbrella. The water was a bit too chilly to fully enjoy during our February visit, but the kids had a blast in playing in the sand and kicking around a beach ball.   We grabbed milk shakes from Ice & Cream on our way back to our hotel. – CMD

Conneaut Beach – Conneaut, Ohio

We make a day trip to Conneaut, Ohio each summer with my parents. We always eat a picnic lunch at White Turkey and grab ice cream at Heavenly Creamery, which is housed in a former church. However, the highlight of Conneaut is spending the afternoon at the beach. Honestly, the safety of the water quality in Lake Erie is something that concerns me, but the numbers looked good on the day of our visit last year, so the kids enjoyed some time in the water with their seven cousins and also found some sea glass. – CMD

Geneva Beach – Geneva, Ohio

One of our favorite weekend day trip destinations is the Grand River Valley wine country in nearby Northeast Ohio. After lunch at Ferrante Winery and Ristorante, we often visit the beach at Geneva State Park.  While this can be much rockier than a typical sand beach, our boys have a great deal of fun skipping (or throwing) them into Lake Erie. – CMD

Kaanapali Beach – Maui, Hawaii

Once named America’s Best Beach, Kaanapali Beach in Maui offers three miles of pristine white sand and blue waters. Even with a large number of resorts lining the shore, we never felt crowded and some of our favorite memories are of kite flying at dusk. – NKC

Naples Beach – Naples, Florida

I spent a weekend in Naples with a friend years ago. We stayed at her parent’s beach-front condo and split our days between the beach in front of their condo and the pool behind. The Gulf water was warm during our March visit, and the white sand was particularly soft. I’ve been dreaming about retiring to beach front property ever since this trip. – CMD

Playa Bavaro – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The first all-inclusive my husband and I visited together was Punta Cana’s Iberostar Bávaro, which has recently been renovated and rebranded as Iberostar Bávaro Suites.   The Iberostar Bávaro included the preferred club rooms of three affiliated resorts. So, we had access to the facilities on the other two resorts, but guests of those resorts could not use the Bavaro’s facilities. The Caribbean Sea water was a crystal clear blue, and the sand was pristine white. I thoroughly enjoyed the week of rest and relaxation bouncing from the beach to the pool and read a record four books during the trip. – CMD

Playa Nacascolo – Papagayo Peninsula, Costa Rica

Located just a few minutes away from the Andaz Papagayo Peninsula Resort, the Andaz Beach House located on Playa Nacascolo offers beautiful white sand beaches and stunningly clear, blue water. It’s truly the perfect place to enjoy a drink or two while watching your children splash safely in the mild waters. – NKC

Puerto Morelos Beach – Riviera Maya, Mexico

We so enjoyed our visit to Riviera Maya during my maternity leave with our second child that we repeated it when our third was born. The all-inclusive Now Jade and Now Sapphire were ideal resorts for our family. Between meals, we spent most of our days lounging at the pool or the beach. The Caribbean Sea was warm, and the waves were calm. The Now Sapphire had sailboats available for guests to use, and my husband took our oldest on an extremely memorable snorkeling trip. These resorts also offered nighttime family entertainment and on-site local marketplaces so that it was not necessary to leave the resort to purchase handmade souvenirs. – CMD

Reynisfjara Beach – Southwest Iceland

Reynisfjara Beach is one of the most stunning beaches we have ever visited, even though it is not one where visitors spend the day lounging in the sun. We didn’t actually see the sun when we were there during a typical June day, which was cold, wet, gray and windy. Nevertheless, this a black sand beach on the Atlantic Ocean, which featured the stunning Reynisdrangur sea stacks and phenomenal basalt sea cave, Halsanefshellir, was breathtakingly beautiful.

It’s important to note that Reynisfjara was also the most dangerous beach we ever visited.   We took note of the cautionary signs regarding recent tourist deaths that occurred in 2016 and 2017 due to the dangerously unpredictable waves and strong undertow. We thought we were keeping more than a safe distance from the water’s edge, but our nine-year-old tripped and fell running away from a sneaker wave that came inland much further than previous ones and was immediately covered by the water. My husband was able to safely pull him out before the wave retreated, but it was a very scary experience for all of us. Luckily, the only casualty was the pair of shoes he was wearing that had to be discarded due to the overwhelming stench of sea water. – CMD

Santa Monica State Beach, Santa Monica, California

The Santa Monica Pier was my favorite spot in Los Angeles. The Pier adds a great deal of excitement to the otherwise typical Pacific Ocean beach. Pacific Park, the amusement park, features the world’s first and only solar paneled ferris wheel and eleven other rides, including a roller coaster.  I particularly loved how the bright colors of Pacific Park popped against the ocean and sky. On our stroll down the pier, we passed musicians, artists, magicians, souvenir shops, carnival games and various food stalls. My son was particularly intrigued by a magician doing tricks for a crowd and a painter who was painting the pier on a piece of slate.  As the sun began to set, we headed off the Pier and onto the beach. It was a pretty amazing end of a quick trip to feel the sand between our toes while we stood at the water’s edge and listened to the waves ebb and flow. We really savored those moments as we waded into the Pacific. – CMD

Treasure Island Beach – Treasure Island, Florida

During our recent visit to Treasure Island, we stayed at Treasure Island Beach Resort, a new beach front property. The sand is not quite as pristine as it is at the nearby Clearwater Beach, it was still great for sand play and also much better for collecting shells. The Gulf Coast waters are relatively calm but were still pretty chilly in February. We spent time on the beach each of our days in Florida but only rented an umbrella and chairs on the one day that we really dedicated to Treasure Island beach. We definitely enjoy the quieter beach as our home base, especially with the amenities of a resort nearby. – CMD

Vieques Beach – Vieques, Puerto Rico

My husband and I honeymooned on Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island years ago.  Vieques’ Mosquito Bay is the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay and a remarkable nighttime experience.   We recently saw Mosquito Bay featured in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s recent special exhibit, Creatures of Light. While we would love to take our kids to Mosquito Bay, we have not prioritized Vieques as a family travel destination because of the challenges associated with its remoteness. We rented a Jeep so we would could travel on the unpaved roads that lead to some of the most beautiful and secluded beaches in the Caribbean. These beaches were certainly pristine and breathtaking, but ultimately, we decided that we prefer beaches with nearby services, particularly when traveling with kids. – CMD

Villa Caletas Beach – Jaco, Costa Rica

My husband and I traveled to Costa Rica pre-kids and spent a lovely few days at Hotel Villa Caletas, which is probably our favorite hotel ever. Hotel Villa Caletas is a small resort, and we saw the most fantastic spider webs, macaws and other exotic birds during our stay. The beach is extremely secluded and accessible by an hourly hotel shuttle or rented 4×4 vehicles. While we were often the only guests at the beach, services were available. I enjoyed relaxing on a sun bed while my husband explored the wildlife in the rock pools, including the crabs. Even though the beach was rocky, our kids would absolutely love the animal sightings on this luxurious property. Unfortunately, Hotel Villa Caletas does not offer rooms that accommodate families with three children. – CMD

White Sand Beach – Paia, Hawaii

One of our favorite ways to to travel is to rent a vacation home and stay for a few days. It’s a great option when traveling with kids as you generally have more space and can cook some meals at home, without always having to rely on restaurants or take out. One of the most unexpected surprises of our vacation rental in Maui was access to a private beach. My son’s favorite memories of Maui are of running from the ocean in his pajamas every morning. – NKC

Now, we really wish we were headed to a beach vacation.

May 1, 2018
Best Beaches in North America With Kids
We spend way too much time looking at other people’s beach vacations on Instagram and wishing we had sand stuck between our toes. While some of the best beaches in the world are known for surf and parties, families generally look for more low key beaches with calmer waves. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, there are so many great beaches for families in North America. We asked some fellow family travelers to share with us their recommendations for the best beaches in North America with kids and came up with this amazing list:

Akumal Bay Beach – Mexico

One of the most kid friendly beaches in all of Mexico’s Mayan Riviera might be the beach on Akumal Bay. Known as one of the best places in all of Mexico to easily swim with sea turtles right from the shore, Akumal Bay Beach is also great for kids of all ages. As an added bonus, it is fairly easy to reach as it is located between the major tourist centers of Playa del Carmen and Tulum on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

With silky, fine white sand and almost no waves due to the natural reef protecting the area, Akumal is a great place for turtles and also your little ones. With many palm trees and places to throw down a towel, it’s a fun beach to spread out water toys and let the little ones enjoy the calm waters.

There are also a few restaurants, plus washrooms just off the beach, so it is easy to grab something to snack on while enjoying a day at the beach.

Recommended by Micki and Charles Kosman from The Barefoot Nomad. Find out more from Micki and Charles about Akumal.

Destin Beach – Florida

Destin, Florida is home to an amazing white sand beach with emerald colored ocean water on the Gulf of Mexico. It is the perfect beach for kids since the sand is super soft and the water is crystal clear. Families can spend all day at the beach building sandcastles and playing in the gentle water and then finish the night off with a beautiful sunset over the ocean. Beach life at it’s best!

For some non-beach action, Destin is filled with great family friendly restaurants, pirate cruises and dolphin cruises, fishing expeditions, go-carts and arcades – Destin has it all!

Recommended by Bryanna from Crazy Family Adventure. Find out more from Bryanna about Destin.

Fort Myers Beach – Florida

Fort Myers Beach is fun for all ages! The northern end of the island is home to numerous bars and restaurants that let visitors dine or drink beachside. The southern end of the island is mostly home to condos and quiet beaches. North or south, a sunset view is on the horizon (literally), and anyone will be glad to pull up a chair. While nearby Sanibel Island is known for being a sheller’s dream, we found numerous sand dollars on Fort Myers Beach that were just washed up on the shore. Beach access points are throughout the island but they do contain metered parking and it’s $2/hour.
Fort Myers Beach is family-friendly because the sand is spacious with no major drop-offs. Being on the Gulf of Mexico, the calmer water makes it easier to watch small children! In perfect weather conditions, it can be as smooth as a warm bathtub. We traveled in November, and there were few tourists, but do note that November is hurricane season.

Recommended by Leah Yoder from Yoder Toter Blog. Find out more from Leah about Fort Myers.

Ko Olina Beach – Hawaii

Ko Olina beach on O’ahu does kid friendly better than any other beach on the island. What sets Ko Olina apart from the other Pacific Ocean beaches are the four manmade lagoons. Instead of waves crashing right on top of swimmers, they crash into a rock wall before gently moving to the shore. This calm water makes Ko Olina the ideal beach for kids of all ages.

For a short trip to the beach or an all day excursion, Ko Olina is set up to accommodate the whole family. Each lagoon comes equipped with showers, restrooms, and changing rooms. If visitors happen to forget sunscreen or sand toys, there are convenience stores within walking distance of each lagoon.

Ko Olina also offers a wide range of kid friendly entertainment. For an authentic Hawaiian experience, head over to the Paradise Cove Luau for arts and crafts, dinner, and a wonderful show. For a more laid back experience, stick around Lagoon 1 for Ko Olina’s Disney Movie Night under the stars.

With everything this beach has to offer, kids and parents of all ages are sure to have an excellent experience at the wonderful Ko Olina.

Recommended by Casey Harkleroad from Our Happy Place.

Lewes Beach – Delaware

Lewes is a Mid-Atlantic beach on the bay; the sand is coarse and the water cool. Houses line up right along the beach and the local Dairy Queen has been the only place to buy food on that beach for 30 years. Everyday, a sand bar pops up at low tide.

Nearby family-friendly activities include:
- Grab an ice cream at Kings Ice Cream and stroll to the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, which features tombstones dating back to the early 1700s.
- Let the kids pretend to be pirates and head out to the Pirates of Lewes Expeditions.
- Fisherman’s Wharf provides head and charter boats for fishing excursions, including gear, bait and fishing assistance.
- Cape Henelopen State Park has a surf-filled public beach. Hike the World War II bunkers, climb the observation towers, and pretend to search for enemy submarines. Buy gear, bait, and a fishing license from the store at the end of the pier, and then drop bait.
- Walk Rehoboth’s boardwalk to Funland, a family-owned carousel. Enjoy its original rides and a few thrill ride for older kids. Afterwards, head for a walk and dinner on the boardwalk.
Recommended by Alison Netzer from Five Family Adventurers. Find out more from Alison about Lewes.

Martha’s Vineyard – Massachusetts

The Island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of the Cape Cod peninsula offers a beach for every type of taste and family. From calm waters and big waves, to beaches only accessible by hiking, families will find a different beach experience to fill their days and nights while on The Vineyard. The cliffs and lighthouse of Aquinnah (aka Gay Head) is an experience unique to The Vineyard. No trip to Martha’s Vineyard would be complete without heading out to the fishing village of Menemsha to eat fresh lobster and watch the sunset. Lastly, families can incorporate history by taking their kids to swim at The Inkwell Beach and watch the famous Polar Bears of Martha’s Vineyard as they engage in their ocean exercise (daily at 7:00 a.m. early July until Labor Day) which is deep in history, community and culture. The Polar Bears are a group of African American men and women who swim and pray each morning in the waters of The Inkwell Beach. Once families experience what the regulars call being on vineyard time, the kids will be asking to make an annual pilgrimage to the island.
Recommended by Ruth Mendes from Have Kiddos Will Travel.

South Beach, Miami, Florida

Even though many may not consider South Beach somewhere to bring children, it is an amazing, kid-friendly beach. At South Point Park, parking, playground, bathrooms, splash pad and a snack stand are available before even hitting the sand! The beach isn’t as large, so pulling a stroller is just a small workout. There are a lot of locals on the weekends, so come early for a good spot or consider visiting on weekdays. Because there are no chair or umbrella rentals on this section of the beach, it’s necessary to come prepared.

A few more things to do with kids in the South Beach area include:
- Flamingo park with an amazing water park area for the kids
- Bike path following the whole stretch of Ocean Drive
- Lincoln Road shopping, dining and street performers
- Parrot Jungle shows and snacks
- Miami Children’s Museum for a break from the sun or a rainy day activity
Have fun, and pop into Mangos for a salsa show and mojito!

Recommended by Izzy Rixon from New York Nomadic Project.

Outer Banks, North Carolina

The Outer Banks of North Carolina (or OBX as locals call it) is super kid friendly because there is literally something for everyone. With over 100 miles of coastline, kids can surf, skim board, boogie board, and swim to their heart’s content. If they’re not into waves, they can play in the sand or head over to the sound side where adults can fish, crab, kayak, paddleboard, or rent a boat or jet ski. For families looking for a more rustic experience, there are areas to drive a 4×4 onto the beach, camp, or look for wild horses. And when the children get tired of the sun and sand, there is also the aquarium, water park, lighthouse, or the local historical sites. The possibilities are endless!

Recommended by Julie from More than Main Street. Find out more about why Julie’s family loves this area in her kid friendly Outer Banks guide.

Vanderbilt Beach, Naples, Florida

We are lucky enough to travel to southwest Florida every year, and our favorite beach in the region is Vanderbilt Beach. Located in North Naples, at the end of Vanderbilt Beach road, this beach, known as “Vandy” by the locals is such a great family spot! Access to the beach is free, and there is a parking garage adjacent – with only a $7 parking charge. From the garage, it’s a short walk to the sand. The beach is beautiful and clean, with warm, calm and clear Gulf of Mexico water. It’s a great spot to rent a Stand Up Paddle Board, a kayak, or as we always do – a jet ski!

This beach has clamshells and chairs for rent, life jackets for use (free), bathrooms and a little snack bar. It does get crowded, but go early and/or walk down the beach a bit for a more empty spot to lay your blanket. Also, plan to spend the day – Vanderbilt Beach is a very popular place to watch a beautiful, southwest Florida over water sunset!

By Harmony Skillman from Momma To Go. Find out more from Harmony about Naples.

Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Few beaches carry a cachet the way Waikiki does. Mention the name, and the listener immediately pictures hula dancers, royal Hawaiian surfers, and a mile long silky stretch of golden sand slowly melting into the warm embrace of the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii, and the island of Oahu where Waikiki is located, does not need any introduction. This is where people go to enjoy the sun and the sea, to see and feel the tropics and the legendary hospitality of the islands. This is the land of Moana and Lilo, of play and plenty.

It is almost true, at least the part of the silky sand and the warm ocean. Since Waikiki beach literally is located in front of several great hotels – and condo complexes behind them – it is easily accessible for people who want to enjoy the ocean. The beach is accessible with a stroller, but there are not too many public restrooms available on the beach itself.

Although the big surfing waves are not suitable for small kids, a toddler will run and laugh an entire day, trying to avoid the waves (or catch them). There are also several wavebreaks along the beach, creating calm pools where smaller kids can play. The water is shallow, and the sand is silky and smooth.

Those mild breezes rustle palm trees and banyans behind you. The tropical sun illuminates the holiday landscape, coating everything golden. Just remember sunscreen on the kids. The sun is a lot stronger than it seems.

Recommended by Wisterian from Wisterian Watertree.

Xpu-Ha Beach – Mexico

There’s no question that the Mayan Riviera is littered with stunning white sand beaches with turquoise water; however, it was Xpu-Ha Beach that impressed us the most. What we loved most about Xpu-Ha Beach was how shallow the water was for a long time and how small the waves typically were. It was also pretty quiet, with only one major resort and a few other boutique hotels along the beach. As parents of two young children, we enjoyed having the space to let them run and also being able to let them play in the water without worrying they would be knocked over by the waves. With the calm water, it was also a great spot to try stand-up paddleboarding for the first time and letting the kids get out on the board for a ride.

Xpu-Ha beach is located approximately 35 minutes south of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The beach is public and free, but there is a small fee to drive on the access road to get to the beach.

Recommended by Celine Brewer from Baby Can Travel. Find out more from Celine about the Mayan Riviera.

We definitely can’t wait to visit more of these top beaches in North America. Ready to hit the beach right now? Check out our Fun Family Beaches in Asia, Europe, Australia and Central and South America .

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April 22, 2018
Visiting Maui With Kids

In September 2013, my husband, my four year old, and my in-laws took a trip to Maui. Our motivation for traveling to Maui was simple – his parents had taken him and his younger brother to all lower 48 states together before my husband started professional school. My husband and I had traveled to Hawaii for our honeymoon years ago and had visited both the Big Island and Oahu, but we had never been to Maui, so we decided to travel together to Maui for his mom’s upcoming milestone birthday. Visiting Maui with kids is truly an amazing experience and we were happy to work in a number of experiences, including exploring Kaanapali, Paia, and the Road to Hana with kids.

Shortly after we decided to travel to Maui, my husband learned that the Maui Marathon was scheduled to take place while we were there and decided to enter. The Marathon became a good home base for planning our trip. Since we had a good 10 days in Hawaii, we decided to spend a few nights at the Maui Westin, which was sponsoring the Marathon, before moving on to a vacation rental we secured via Homeaway.

The Westin Maui Ka’anapali:

The Westin is located on Ka’anapali Beach in Lahaina. It’s a wonderful resort spot for tourists and if you find that off putting, rest assured, it’s nothing like Waikiki. It’s a much slower paced vacation town than Waikiki and at no time did we feel overwhelmed or crowded.

The Westin’s facilities were amazing – they had numerous pools (water slide included!), and it was a great home base for the three things we had planned in Ka’anapali – the Maui Marathon, a submarine ride on the Atlantis, and my son’s first real introduction to the ocean.

Because we were there in late September, the resort wasn’t busy and the beach was relatively deserted. We had no trouble doing whatever we wanted to do – swim in the pool, eat at the restaurant, fly kites on the beach.

While we were there, the hotel was in the middle of major renovations and so, while our room was outdated, it is my understanding that all of the rooms were part of the renovation. And, although the room was more worn down that I would have liked, it was perfectly serviceable, and the remaining facilities at the hotel were so outstanding that it did not diminish our visit.

The Maui Marathon

The main event of our stay in Ka’anapali was the Maui Marathon, which was exceedingly well organized. My husband had no issue getting his race bib the night before and the opening festivities, which included their own Hawaiian flair.

One thing we definitely noticed about the Maui Marathon was that the race truly embodied not only the island spirit but also included personalized flair that I certainly have never experienced in any other run we have participated in. Each runner was identified by name and hometown as they crossed the finish line, and when my young son decided to run across the finish line with his dad, the announcer actually added in the fact that my husband was being joined by his young son in the race to the finish! In any other race, this likely would have caused a security uproar – but the Maui Marathon took it in stride and seemed to welcome and enjoy the break from protocol.

celebrating the marathon finish @ the Maui Brewing Company

Atlantis Adventures

Our next big adventure after the Marathon was a submarine ride on the Atlantis. I’ll admit to thinking this was relatively silly when booking online, but a co-worker of mine highly recommended it as she had done this a handful of times with her young child. Surprisingly, this turned out to be an adventure that the adults enjoyed even more than the kid!

The Atlantis begins with a boat ride out to the submarine, after which you climb down the ladder into the submarine. Per the website, children must be at least 36 inches and able to navigate the ladder themselves, so while this is something that worked great for my 4 year old, this would likely not work with a child under 3 years of age.

Once inside the submarine, a digital screen showed the depth of the submarine in relation to sea level.

As we descended, there wasn’t much to see initially, but as we got closer to sea level, we saw schools of swimming fish before coming to the Carthaginian. Per the website,

Atlantis embarked on creating an artificial reef in December 2005 by sinking the aged Carthaginian replica of a 19th century supply vessel. The sunken Carthaginian, which needed major repairs and would have been scuttled at sea otherwise, is anchored to a sandy bottom in 95 feet of water that is devoid of coral reef. The resulting artificial reef will develop into a self-sustaining habitat for indigenous fish, coral and other marine life.

Our group of five thoroughly enjoyed the submarine ride and would highly recommend it. The adventure lasts just under two hours and reservations are highly recommended. We booked ahead of time online and were able to find coupons that ended up allowing my toddler to participate for free. I believe if you were to attempt to book onsite, not only might you run into reservation/space issues, but you would also be paying full price!

Paia:

After a few nights at the Westin, we moved on to our vacation house in Paia, a Hawaiian Plantation Village on Maui’s northern coast. Here, we stayed for 4-5 nights and were able to do small day trips.

Makena Beach Kayaking/Paddle Boarding:

My hands down favorite activity while in Maui was when we rented kayaks/paddle boards and went snorkeling with my son. Unfortunately, the resort that we rented the paddle boards from, the Makena Beach & Golf Resort, closed on July 1, 2016, but I would highly recommend looking into paddle boarding or kayaking during your stay in Maui. There are a number of different outfitters that will plan kayaking / snorkeling / paddle boarding adventures for your family and having done this now in both Maui and Alaska, I can say that with a knowledgeable guide, this can be fun for children as young as 3 years old! At age 4, I felt comfortable with my son kayaking and snorkeling in calm water with a life vest on. Although he did not paddle board in Maui, I think he will be ready to do so when we travel to Costa Rica next year!

Road to Hana:

Another day trip involved driving the famous Road to Hana. Although many websites suggested taking a tour instead of attempting to drive it ourselves, we decided to just drive in our rental car using one of the many guided CD’s available at grocery stores in the area. As we were staying in Paia, we began our drive to Hana by picking up a picnic lunch before embarking on the full day long drive. The drive itself was interesting, but it was also extremely winding and, as someone who is not a fan of long car trips, it ended up being more than I was really interested in. Although we saw interesting things like a poi (Hawaiian for taro) plantation, enjoyed shaved ice, and made friends with the numerous stray but friendly cats who came out to say hello at the various stops, this is not something I would willingly do again with small children. There are also some necessary precautions that you must make, including ensuring that you have a full tank before leaving Paia because there are no gas stations between Paia and Hana!

One surprising and necessary stop on the Road to Hana was the Garden of Eden Arboretum.

Not only did the Garden of Eden provide a necessary break from the long car ride, but it also was a nice provided some nice views of the ocean!

My favorite thing to do in Paia, however, was to just enjoy the beautiful weather and location. Our house was conveniently located only one block from the ocean. A short 5 minute walk and we were in paradise.

The house was well equipped with sand buckets, boogie boards, an outdoor shower, and my personal favorite: a hammock.

The house was within walking distance to the town of Paia so we enjoyed being able to just walk into town for dinner. The town has a number of small artsy stores, a wonderful little hippie grocery store, and little walks that take you to spectacular ocean views.

Although the house no longer appears available for rent, I highly recommend this off-the-beaten-path kind of Hawaiian vacation stay. Although the resorts are lovely, they are also difficult places to enjoy things like rocking away in a hammock for a few hours. It’s also much more comfortable for a traveling family to have space to spread out, instead of being cooped up in a hotel room!

To this day, Hawaii remains one of my favorite vacation destinations. I was thrilled to share Hawaii with my young son, but also experience Maui for the very first time together as a family of three. Although it has now been four years since our trip to Maui, my son still has fond memories of snorkeling together and kayaking in the ocean. When asked just this week, during his first week of third grade, where he would like to visit, his response was “Hawaii.” It’s moments like these when I am really thankful that we have been able to travel with him and take him to the places we have been together.

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September 2, 2017