Hawaii - there and back or round the world

[wintersdawn]

Has anyone done Hawaii with younger kids? Mine will be 5 & 7 when we are looking to go, I'm thinking of a San Francisco stop over for a couple of nights on the way out and another stop over somewhere on the way back. Just thinking it through though and I'm thinking there may well not be much difference in price if we went back via say Singapore rather than back across America via LA. Has anyone done this?

We just got back from Hawaii, it was brilliant :) My two are 3 and 6. We went via LA. Stopped two nights there on the way which was great - we stayed in Santa Monica - and just 8 hours in LA again on the way back (got a hotel room near airport with a pool for the return stopover which made the journey a lot less terrible).
I don't know about going the other way round but the 2 night break on the way was lovely and helped a lot with avoiding jet lag so I'd recommend that whichever way you go.
Enjoy!

First time we flew straight there. Last summer we had a week in New York first and then flew on but on the way back we didn't stop (apart from our connecting flights). My DS's are a lot older though (teens).

as you are practically on the other side with Hawaii, keep going. Longer flights but jet lag easier to handle.

which island(s) and how long for?

there's a good rough guide, check your library.

Yes I have and would suggest you fly to and from Honolulu via one of the West Coast cities like SF or LA (more flights overall per day). That flight duration is around 6 hours.

Was also going to ask which island/s and how long for?. Some islands are quieter as well than others.

Flying back to the US mainland from the Islands will require an overnight stop as these tend to arrive around 9.00pm onwards (there is also a three hour time change between Honolulu and the West Coast).

Direct flights going to Asia from Honolulu (on the island of Oahu) tend to fly into cities like Tokyo, Manila, Sydney, Auckland, Osaka or Seoul (they do not fly direct to Singapore's Changi airport).

Brilliant. Thanks for all the tips everyone. Haven't worked out which island yet. Need to do a bit more research.

We're possibly thinking of making it a 3 week trip if we can save enough and doing more than one of the Islands.

oh...exciting..i am planning same thing for next yr...and had same thoughts. Me and DDs have dual nationality ( australian) so had thought of going on round.

We are looking to go to Hawaii to surf ...any recommendations for islands/hotels etc

me and dp keen surfers, my dds aged 18 and 14 very very keen surfers, dsd aged 16 and 14 less so ...will need shopping outlets proabably to entertain them

I would have a look at Oahu as Waikiki beach is good for surfing. Lots of surfers all year round and they have surfboards for hire.

(Local advice on currents and surf conditions should always be sought before entering the water).

wintersdawn,

re your comment:-
"We're possibly thinking of making it a 3 week trip if we can save enough and doing more than one of the Islands".

Enjoy doing your researches. Will be happy to advise you further if you intend to see more than one island.

I don't know much about surfing, but I understood that Waikiki is rubbish for it, just little tiny waves. (and murky water too - I've been there)

plenty of good spots on the islands, and you do indeed have to do a lot of research on it. There are quite a lot of ways to die in the Hawaiian islands from natural hazards.

Oahu has lots to see outside Waikiki (which has nothing to see but is very small) and I also loved the Big Island with volcanoes, observatories and loads more. Haven't been to the other islands but they also have lots of natural wonders.

much research and planning needed.

We went to Oahu and stayed in Kailua for one week and on the North Shore for one week. North shore famous for surfing but lots of beaches too dangerous for kids to go in the sea during winter months. (I think it's very different in summer). Only popped into Honolulu once or twice. We were glad we didn't stay there but this might depend on the type of holiday you want.
There's loads to see just on the one island, we'd have liked to go to another island too but the trip wasn't long enough to fit in any more travel with kids!

We are off in July . We are going to Kauai and big island via LA. Choosing the islands is good fun but if you island hop most go via Honolulu so you need to factor that in.

Attila, I'd be interested in Island / hotel recommendations for Hawaii. DH wants wildlife and I just need uber luxury with the option of a kids club for a bit of a break. We are considering it for next Xmas still got this Xmas trip to Oz and NZ to look forward to and not really limited by budget.