Kauai with young children…

[JC1984]

Hi Everyone! Just back from our annual trip to Aulani and already on to planning next years adventures. We are thinking of doing a few days in Kauai after our next trip. The only island we have never been to. Question is Kauai doable from a young children’s stand point? They will be 6, 5, and 2 just don’t want them to be bored out of their minds. Questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.

 

[cgattis]

Well I’ve only done Kauai once, and my kids were teens, but here are my thoughts until some more seasoned Kauai visitors come along. I personally don’t think it’s the best island for littles. There are some good “baby” beaches for sure, and I really enjoy snorkeling, so I’d say it’s good there. The drive up to Waimea Canyon would still be easily doable too. But most other activities that I like to do (tubing the ditch, hiking, catamaran tour of Napali coast, visiting the little shops in the small towns, for example) aren’t as friendly for small kids. Now if you’re willing to shell out the megabucks for one of the big resorts with the fancy pools, then that kinda changes the proposition. But for me, who generally spends very little time at the hotel, I’d say wait until they get a little older. Kauai is so insanely beautiful…….I really can’t wait to go back.

 

[Stinasmom]

GO!! Kaua'i is the most beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands, by far.
Years ago one had to fly to Oahu then take an inter Island flight to get there, really the only reason we spent some time on Oahu. But now that one can fly directly, we go straight there!

We've taken our kids at from ages infant to adult and have never been without something to do.
They learned to snorkel quite young, but as mentioned above, there are keiki beaches where they can wade and still see fish. Lydgate is a good one just outside Lihue.
We prefer to stay in or around the Poipu area, southern part of the island. It tends to be sunnier. But there are lots of places around Lihue and some up north.
The resorts often don't heat the pools which is fine when it's warm, but in the winter, the temps are in the mid 70's and may be too cold for younger ones.

When we first started going, I relied on a good guide book like The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed by Andrew Doughty. He really breaks it down and would help with finding kid friendly activites and beaches. I think you can access it online too.

Let me know if you have any specific questions... but do check out a book with suggestions!

 

[gmi3804]

We've been to Kaua'i over a dozen times, and love every corner of the island. There are definitely plenty of things for young kids to do, though you're not going to find a lot of pre-packaged "kids activities" stuff like you would at a place like Aulani. Still, the unique family-friendly offerings will stay with them forever. And if you stay at the Grand Hyatt, they'll LOVE playing in the sandy saltwater ocean lagoon area between their huge pool and the sea; indeed, that'll probably be their stand-out memory!