FAMILY VACATION TO HAWAII
SHARED BY LAILA

17 NIGHTS/7 STOPS

Once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Hawaiian islands: a breathtaking diversity of mountain landscapes, volcanoes & beaches.

After California and Maine, Laila and her family wanted to explore another state during their time as expatriates in the United States. They chose Hawaii because they didn’t want excessively long driving distances during their trip. Thus, the average driving time from one place to another was 2 hours max. Island-hopping was easy and quick thanks to good domestic flights. Also, they considered it would be easier traveling to Hawaii from the US than from Europe. A non-stop flight with United or Hawaiian from NY will take you to Honolulu before you know it! Hawaii’s extraordinary biodiversity, ranging from volcanoes to magnificent waterfalls and colorful beaches, made this trip unique. The family tried to avoid the tourist-popular part of each island concentrating instead on the more authentic places. They found charming lodging options that allowed them to basically stay away from the crowded all-inclusive resorts. Do enjoy this stunning itinerary created and tested by Laila and her family. The budget for the whole trip was around $ 3420 per person for 17 nights (excluded food and activities) .

17 nights and 7 stops
$$
island hopping with domestic flights
All year round. Best months from July to march
island hopping & nature discovery

ABOUT LAILA: Laila and her husband have always taken advantage of travelling in and around the places where they lived. They have 3 boys, so you can imagine the challenges that come with keeping them boosted and active during the holidays. She actively seeks unique locations, thrilling activities and authentic hotels with charm and character. Her ingredients for a perfect trip: sporty activities, good food, charming locations, and local culture.

WHAT LAILA LOVED ABOUT THIS TRIP

Variety of beaches: red, black and green
Hana road, swimming in water falls and trails
Hiking Waimea Canyon in Kauai
Sleeping in tent on Pohihale Beach

O'ahu: Honolulu

Kauai: Hanalei Bay

Kauai: Polihale Beach

Kauai: Koke'e State Park

Maui: Lahaina

Big Island: Volcano Park

Waikoloa Village

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP

O'ahu Island: Honolulu

Hawaiian spirit
Hotel on Waikiki beach
Pearl Harbor

NEW YORK – HONOLULU
KONA-NEW TORK

10 hours

+

DOMESTIC FLIGHT & RENTAL CAR

3 domestic flights (o’ahu-kauai-maui-big island)
5 hours on the road & 3 hours in the air
7 stops

AVERAGE BUDGET PER PERSON

TOTAL = $ 3420 /pp for 17 nights
$ 840 pp for 17 nights
$ 455 pp Hiking tour for 2 nights + 3 days all included (food, car and guide)
$1100 /pp intl flight
$485 /pp domestic flights
$540 /pp car rental

AIRPORT O’AHU ISLAND TO HONOLULU

15 km / 20 min

Honolulu - Waikiki Beach

Hawaian spirit

2 NIGHTS

HONOLULU (O’AHU) TO
PRINCEVILLE ( KAUAI)

+

40 min flight+ 25 km / 25 min

Princeville

Beach & boat trip

3 NIGHTS

Where we stayed?
What we did?

Wander in Halanei: small design shops and typical Hawaiian restaurants. We loved the beach in Halanei. Unfortunately the road was closed and we could not reach lovely Ke’e – Tunnels Beach.

Early boat tour with a zodiac with Napali Riders, Boat tour started from Waimea, a 2-hours drive from the hotel. We entered caves, we looked out for whales and dolphins. Beware for the strong swell if you are sensitive to it. One of the passenger was sick….. A nice way to discover the beautiful variety of landscapes of the Napali coast. A must do!

Don’t miss a sunset dinner/drink at the St Regis Hotel in Princeville. Breathtaking view from the terrace of the hotel. UPDATE: Princeville Resort has closed for its transformation into 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. Opening soon again.

KAUAI: PRINCEVILLE TO
POHIHALE BEACH PARK

100 km / 2

Pohihale State Park

Beach camping

1 NIGHT

Where we stayed?

We booked a 3 day hiking tour with Kauai Hiking Adventures, owned by Andrew. This was an amazing journey. We hiked for 3 days in Waimea & Koke’e State Park. The first night, we slept on the beach in Pohihale State Park. Kauai Hiking Tour takes care of everything. Andrew and Makana, a Kauai native, cooked breakfast, dinner and our picnics for each day. They also provided us with all the camping equipment: tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, head lamps, etc… We had great fun. Each day we hiked for 5-6 hours. We discovered a variety of breathtaking settings, all very different from each other. We highly recommend this tour:2 nights and 3 days was perfect for our family. Andrew drives you in his 4×4 Toyota which can fit 8 people, he does cook very high quality food for the trips and bring lots of fun things like coconuts and fresh eggs from his chickens and fruits from local farmers. They specialize in getting you to some of the best hikes around the island especially off of the beaten track. He shares all is knowledge of history, culture, flora, fauna and animals of Kauai.
What we did?

KAUAI: POHIHALE TO
KOKE’E STATE PARK

45 km /1h

KOKE'E STATE PARK

Hiking & camping

1 NIGHT

KOKE’E SP (KAUI) TO
MAKAWAO (MAUI)

+

70 km/1h30+40 min flight+20 km/20 min

Maliko Retreat

Volcano, snorkeling, waterfalls & surf

5 NIGHTS

Where we stayed ?

We stayed 5 nights in Maliko Retreat. An amazing place in up country of Maui. We just loved it and felt really at home in Sydney’s cottage. We were welcomed personally by Sydney who had organized a delicious veggie curry meal for us upon late arrival. The cottage is nestled in a jungle, with birds, tropical fruit, a river and so on. The rooftop with its lounge chair is a perfect place to relax and read a book. Located very centrally on Maui, you can easily discover the island from Maliko retreat. No need to change location.
What we did?

Haleakala Volcano and National Park. Instead of getting up at 4 in the morning to reach the summit of the volcano for sunrise, we decided to take the trip for sunset! This was a great decision as it was also less crowded.

Discover Hana road: enjoy waterfalls mile 19, 22 and 24.

Explore the black beach at Waianapanapa State Park. It is really worth a visit.

Don’t miss the Red Sand Beach (Kaihalulu) When heading to the red beach on Maui, in Hana, you need to pass by a school at the end of a dead end street and don’t stop at the first little red beach you see there is a much bigger one a few hundred meters further! And it is not dangerous to get there…..unfortunately the beach is not secret anymore 😉

Snorkeling on Olawalu beach, mile 14th on the road to Lahaina beach. Try to get there before or after low tide.

We had lunch in Lahaina at Paia Fish market. Great place with delicious grilled fish.

MAKAWAO (MAUI) TO
VOLCANO PARK (BIG ISLAND)

+

35 min flight + 45 km / 40 min

Big Island - Volcano

Volcano & Jungle & Black beach

2 NIGHTS

Where we stayed ?
What we did?

The Volcano state park was closed!! Check it out again before you plan your trip. There is not a lot of activities in Volcano if the park is closed. We had only planned one day there and it was sufficient.

We drove to The Black Sand Beach, about 45 min. away, with beautiful scenery, nice water and sea turtles on the beach. Further south, visit also the green sand beach.

BIG ISLAND: VOLCANO PARK
TO WAIKOLOA VILLAGE

150 km / 2h

Waikoloa beach

Huricane & rain

3 NIGHTS

GOOD TO KNOW

Prepare or buy food in advance when going to Volcano Park & Hana road because there is nothing on hand nor in the area
Bring very warm clothing for evening sunset in Haleakala. It was windy and freezing cold!
One day in Honolulu was sufficient for us. It’s very touristic, the main attraction is Pearl Harbor and Waikiki beach.
Unfortunately the road was closed in Hanalei, Kauai island and the National Volcano Park was closed on Big Island. We should have adapted slightly our itinerary to stay longer in Maui if we had known. We recommend you to check carefully the situation in Hawaii when you start planning your trip and adjust it in function of conditions.
Kauai island offers great hiking trails. Beware that the trails can be very steep and strenuous. Tell your hiking guide if you have fear of heights! Thrills are guaranteed!
Big Island was quite disappointing for us as the Volcano state Park was still closed and we were threatened by hurricane Lane. We didn’t see what we should have seen.
We loved the little surfer town Paia in Maui. Here is our list of favorite restaurants: Paia Fish Market & Café des amis. Another great restaurant is Nuka in the little town of Haiku (15 m drive from Paia). They serve delicious sushis and margaritas!

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FAMILY VACATION TO HAWAII SHARED BY LAILA

17 NIGHTS/7 STOPS

Once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Hawaiian islands: a breathtaking diversity of mountain landscapes, volcanoes & beaches.

17 nights and 7 stops $$island hopping with domestic flightsAll year round. Best months from July to marchisland hopping & nature discovery

WHAT LAILA LOVED ABOUT THIS TRIP

Variety of beaches: red, black and green Hana road, swimming in water falls and trails Hiking Waimea Canyon in Kauai Sleeping in tent on Pohihale Beach

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP

Hawaiian spiritHotel on Waikiki beachPearl Harbor

NEW YORK – HONOLULUKONA-NEW TORK

10 hours

+

DOMESTIC FLIGHT & RENTAL CAR

3 domestic flights (o’ahu-kauai-maui-big island)5 hours on the road & 3 hours in the air7 stops

AVERAGE BUDGET PER PERSON

TOTAL = $ 3420 /pp for 17 nights$ 840 pp for 17 nights $ 455 pp Hiking tour for 2 nights + 3 days all included (food, car and guide) $1100 /pp intl flight $485 /pp domestic flights $540 /pp car rental

AIRPORT O’AHU ISLAND TO HONOLULU

15 km / 20 min

Honolulu - Waikiki Beach

HONOLULU (O’AHU) TOPRINCEVILLE ( KAUAI)

+

40 min flight+ 25 km / 25 min

Princeville

KAUAI: PRINCEVILLE TOPOHIHALE BEACH PARK

100 km / 2

Pohihale State Park

KAUAI: POHIHALE TO KOKE’E STATE PARK

45 km /1h

KOKE'E STATE PARK

KOKE’E SP (KAUI) TO MAKAWAO (MAUI)

+

70 km/1h30+40 min flight+20 km/20 min

Maliko Retreat

MAKAWAO (MAUI) TOVOLCANO PARK (BIG ISLAND)

+

35 min flight + 45 km / 40 min

Big Island - Volcano

BIG ISLAND: VOLCANO PARK TO WAIKOLOA VILLAGE

150 km / 2h

Waikoloa beach

GOOD TO KNOW

Prepare or buy food in advance when going to Volcano Park & Hana road because there is nothing on hand nor in the area

Bring very warm clothing for evening sunset in Haleakala. It was windy and freezing cold!

One day in Honolulu was sufficient for us. It’s very touristic, the main attraction is Pearl Harbor and Waikiki beach.

Kauai island offers great hiking trails. Beware that the trails can be very steep and strenuous. Tell your hiking guide if you have fear of heights! Thrills are guaranteed!

Big Island was quite disappointing for us as the Volcano state Park was still closed and we were threatened by hurricane Lane. We didn’t see what we should have seen.

We loved the little surfer town Paia in Maui. Here is our list of favorite restaurants: Paia Fish Market & Café des amis. Another great restaurant is Nuka in the little town of Haiku (15 m drive from Paia). They serve delicious sushis and margaritas!