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Hawaii is one the most romantic
places on earth. To make sure your trip has time for romance on family trips to Hawaii pick a hotel or stay in a condo that will keep your kids busy and safe so you can spend time with your spouse or loved one.
Hotel Keiki Clubs
One way to get some time away from the kids is by using the hotel kids program (Keiki clubs), assuming that your kids are ages 5-12. These programs keep your kids active doing art, playing games, and water sports for hours. Call the hotel in advance to verify the program will be operating during the time you will be stayng there and that there is an opening for your kids.
We also recommend checking out the the location of the program to make sure the rooms and activities are ok. Our son enjoyed the programs when he was young but was bored and unhappy with them when he was older. We occationally had issues with other kids that were aggressive. All in all, these clubs can be a great option.
Babysitters
Hotels often have a list of local babysitters that will come take care of your kids in your hotel room, so you can go out and enjoy the night life together. One of the sitters we used arrived with an entire setup for art projects. It went over very well.
Romance
There is nothing like an evening together in Hawaii to get the romantic fires burning. Some of our favorite romantic activites at night are to go out to the beach to watch the sunset and listen to the ocean, go to a restaurant with a beautiful view of the ocean and have great meal with wine (or sometimes just the wine), and to take walks along the beach after dark in the moonlight. We like being in the hot tub too, with a Hawaiian drink, to watch the traditional lighting of the torches at dusk and the sky turn incredible colors as the sun sets.
We don't need babysitters anymore, so we have the freedom to take long walks at night. We were recently in Waikiki staying at a condo off the beach. We took a long walk every night along the beach. Each night we stopped at a different hotel beach-front bar to sip on wine as the sun went down. There are so many hotels on Waikiki beach and each has one or more bars that have magnificent views of the ocean and the happy crowds. We like the views and fun buzz at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki. They have a Hawaiian show every night. Weekdays the crowds are small, but on Friday night and the weekends, the place is packed. Every Friday night they have a fireworks show - a wonderful way to end the evening before heading back to the condo. The Sheraton on Waikiki has an awesome place to sit next to the pool. Our chairs overlooked the ocean and we saw turtles and a seal swimming in front of us.
I am sure you can come up with lots of other fun and romantic things to do. Hawaii is filled with them.
Some Advice
Here are some pointers on what NOT to do based on years of observing couples having a really awful time.
- Don't go for a joint kayaking trip if you are out of shape or unfamiliar with it. In a rough ocean, kayaks flip. I have observed newly married couples discussing divorce after flipping their kayak over ten times on a very rough trip that lasted 8 hours instead of the advertised 4 hours.
- If you get seasick, don't go on a long snorkling excursion or take a ferry between the islands. Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific ocean and the waves are extremely rough. A trip to Molokini from Maui can sound so fun and make you so sick it can take the rest of the vacation to recover.
- If you get seasick easily, a dinner cruise can be the opposite of romantic.
- Don't hike off the beaten path; disaster can happen on a slippery slope or if you get lost.
- Don't take a walk out to lava without water, sun protection, a flash light and study shoes. Getting lost, dehydrated, or burned just to catch a look at the lava can be miserable. Prepare in advance.
- Make sure to come up with fun things to do with the kids. Here are some suggestions of fun things to do with kids in Hawaii.
Romance can be yours in Hawaii, even with the kids in tow, just make it a priority.
Copyright 2008, 2009
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