Family Bliss On The Go to Hawaii
- Beth Bliss
- 6 hours ago
- 14 min read
Our family travelled to Hawaii during the summer of 2025. As I always do, I spent more hours than I care to admit researching everything and planning for a perfect family trip. We took our two sons (ages 7yo and almost 10yo then) with us and met up with some other family memories during a portion of the trip (my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, their almost-3yo-son, and their 4-month-old son). We had an amazing trip but also learned a lot on the journey. In fact, it was during this trip that I had the idea to start this blog. It was during a conversation with my husband on one of our last days, which were spent in the Waikiki-area of Oahu, and I was commenting on how I can't believe so many people vacation in Hawaii and only visit the Waikiki area. Don't get me wrong, there are cool things there too; however, it was the least favorite part of our whole trip! During that conversation, I said how it's a shame I research so much and spend so much time planning and, after our trips, the information just dies there. I wanted to be able to share all my hard work and help other parents to plan amazing memorable trips, learning from my mistakes and benefitting from my successes. That day, Family Bliss On The Go was born....
So here's my blog about Hawaii. We visited three islands: Oahu, Hawaii (The Big Island), and Maui. Our trip was a total of 13 days at the very beginning of June 2025.
Day 1: fly into Honolulu. We had a 5.5 hour layover in Seattle, so we left the airport and ran around to a couple tourist locations (more on that in my Seattle-specific blog and visit my general travel blog on tips about what to do during layovers or killing time at the airport).
We got in around dinnertime or later and had no plans for the evening. I highly suggest never planning to do something on the evening of a long travel day. No one is in their best moods on long travel days!
We stayed at Paradise Bay Resort, which is on the northeast side of Oahu. It was listed online as one of the only hotels in the area near Kualoa Ranch, which is what lead us there. When we were first pulling up to the hotel, we were a little skeptical. It didn't even look like a hotel right before you got there. But we had a great room- a two-bedroom that was right on the bay. It was a beautiful place to have slower mornings and enjoy coffee by the water. They put out a very small (but free!) breakfast spread with fruits, banana bread, and coffee. I wish we would have booked more days staying at this resort because they also offer a free boat tour to a private little sandbar of theirs, and you can also rent kayaks/canoes there, etc.
Day 2: Today we took a tour at Kualoa Ranch. We booked through Viator, which is one of our favorite sites to find cool family-friendly tours. The tour was the Kualoa Ranch UTV Raptor Tour. My husband drove us around in our private UTV while we followed the group (about 10-20 UTVs) through the trails and stopped occasionally to hear facts about the ranch. This is a must-do for anyone with kids who love movies including Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Jumanji, King Kong, Journey 2, Finding Ohana...these were all filmed at this location, and you get to visit various filming sites. My boys absolutely loved it. But I'd also recommend it even if the movie filming part doesn't appeal to you. The ranch is absolutely gorgeous, and this was one of the moments on the trip where I really felt like "wow I'm in Hawaii." Kualoa Ranch is on the northeast side of Oahu, so it's a bit of a drive from Waikiki if that is where you are stationing out of, but I'd say worth it.
Day 3: fly to the Big Island/Hawaii, get some Kona Coffee (warning: pricey!) and go to Kona Brewery for lunch. The brewery obviously would be known for its beer, but my husband and I both agreed this was the tastiest lunch ever too! We also learned about an app from my brother-in-law that gives you facts or acts as a driving tour based on your GPS/directions while you drive (GuideAlong). We really loved having it on throughout our various drives the rest of the Hawaii trip.
That evening, we went to a luau with our family members. It was the Luau at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. Although it was expensive, this included the food, an open bar, and the entertainment. Luaus are obviously touristy, but some things are touristy for a reason. The kids loved the entertainment, and the setting for this luau was perfect. We were in an open field right next to the beach and lava rocks. The kids were free to run around the field and play when they were tired of sitting still. It felt very relaxed and enjoyable.
Day 4: Volcanoes National Park
I plan to have a blog about National Parks in general, but one thing to note is that most of the National Parks have a Junior Ranger program. You check in at the visitor center and get a workbook and then the kids have to do a certain number of activities depending on their age. These activities are typically fun for kids and teach them a little about what is at that specific park or about caring for wildlife in general. When they complete the tasks, they turn in the workbook and are sworn in as junior rangers, receiving a special pin or patch. These are great (free!) souvenirs, and my kids love collecting them from all over. We typically hole up somewhere near the visitor center to complete the tasks right then and there and get the pin before leaving, as sometimes your activities around the park are no where near the visitor center where you need to return for the pin.
At this specific national park, we got their pins then set off to drive the Crater Rim drive. Of note, we planned initially to do this part a little bit later in the day, but the toddler was snoozing in the car when we arrived to the National Park. An important part of travelling with kids is being flexible and making naps happen whenever they need to! So we drove the Crater Rim drive first, stopping to see the Holei Sea Arch and the petroglyphs.
As we made our drive back toward the visitor center area, we visited the Thurston Lava Tube. Although it was short and didn't take long, it was absolutely gorgeous. My sons loved pretending they were explorers in the jungle/rainforest and going into the "cave."
Finally, we ate dinner at The Volcano House and enjoyed prime viewing of the beginning signs of the volcano eruption event that officially occurred the next day. Again, travelling with children means letting go of your normal expectations and enjoying the moments....rather than being mindful or amazed by the sprouting lava, they may sing "Steve's Lava Chicken" from Minecraft repeatedly during the event. And that's the way it should be!
Day 5: I found a tour online from the website uluhao.com. It included a five-hour private Hualalai volcano tour. This tour spoke to me because it is with a native guide who educates you on the plants on the mountain, as well as the traditions and beliefs about the sacred mountain. It was supposed to include a hike but we had issues on the day of the tour (not at the fault of the tour guide, who ultimately issued us a full refund because our tour was cut short, even though he was with us for more than an hour and was wonderful!). Also part of the tour includes giving back to the mountain as a way of saying thanks for allowing us to visit, which includes planting a baby tree. Even though our tour was cut short, the guide let my kids plant their two trees. He took pictures and tracked the coordinates of where they planted their trees, so they could visit them if they return to Hawaii in their future! I highly recommend this family/company.
Since our tour was cut short, our tour guide recommended we drive to (somewhat) nearby Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park. This was a sanctuary where people could go to be forgiven if they had broken kapu (sacred laws which previously could be punishable even by death). If they reached the sanctuary before they were caught, the gods would forgive them and they couldn't be punished. My kids equated it to reaching "base" when playing tag! This was a wonderful place- a great mix of beautiful nature and culture/history. A short stop which was totally unexpected or unplanned for, but sometimes the best experiences are random suggestions that natives make, and you have to allow yourself to say yes to those experiences too!
That evening, my oldest son went with my husband, BIL, and SIL to snorkel with manta ray. Although my youngest son technically was old enough that he was allowed to go, I decided to stay at the hotel with him and the other two younger kids. I was glad that I did. From what I heard, it was an absolutely amazing experience but I think my youngest would have been too scared to enjoy it. Essentially, you have to jump into the ocean from the boat and swim a short distance over to the floating area where you observe the manta rays. Because it is nighttime, it is essentially pitch black where you are jumping into, which could definitely cause some kids to be afraid. That being said, if you think your kids can do it, you should. My 10yo listed it as one of his favorite experiences from the trip, and the pictures/videos look so serene and beautiful. We booked their snorkeling adventure through Viator.
Day 6: We woke up early to fly to Maui, which was absolutely my favorite of the three islands we visited. We stayed at the Hilton Vacation Club Ka'anapali Beach hotel. This is not typical for us, but we had won Hilton Vacation nights through a fundraising raffle and were able to use them on our Hawaii trip. The hotel was gorgeous, and we had the most amazing view of the Lana'i and Moloka'i islands right from our balcony. There were beautiful sunset views, beach time, and pool time to relax.
Day 7: We woke up and went to a restaurant called Slappy Cakes where you can make your own pancakes right at the table. Naturally this was a hit with the kids who wanted to make different shapes and add different types of flavors or toppings. Then we did several activities that our hotel offered, including a hula dancing class and feeding the koi fish. Again, we don't typically stay at vacation club types of places, but I always suggest checking out if your hotel offers any activities especially for kids, as they can be a (often free) fun or educational time. Mid-day, we went out and my 10yo and I went parasailing while the 7yo played on the beach with his dad. My son was definitely nervous about the idea, and he can be a more anxious child in general, but he was so glad that he did it once he did. He loved the views and said it didn't feel scary at all once up there! That evening, we headed up Haleakala for the sunset views. My best advice is be prepared for cold temperatures up there! I read it beforehand and was still shocked at the difference in temperature between the day down on the beach and the evening up on the mountain. That being said, it's an absolutely gorgeous view and looks otherworldly. There's also these fascinating silver cacti everywhere, which I was obsessed with.
Day 8: We took a family snorkeling tour this morning. It was booked through Viator and specifically advertised as being appropriate or okay for "non-swimmers." Both of my kids were swimmers by this point, but the 7yo wasn't super strong still, especially in the ocean. I'm so glad we booked the tour we did. He was able to stay floating on this flat surface out in the ocean and dipping his head in when he wanted to see something we were seeing. Although he came fully in a few times, he really preferred this option because the snorkel itself bothered him sometimes, so this way he could hold his breath and dip his head under long enough to see. The rest of us loved our snorkeling adventure, which included seeing a monk seal and swimming wtih several sea turtles. In fact, the one sea turtle actually bumped into me at one point. My 7yo enjoyed sitting adopt his floating board calling out when he saw sea turtles from above, like our captain directing us where to go or look! I will say of all of our various adventures as a family, I think seeing wildlife/animals in the wild has always been the most exciting or memorable for my kids. I'm not sure if it's something about my kids' interests and personalities specifically or if that would be true of all kids, but I strongly suggest any type of wildlife adventure you can take your kids on when they're young.
Day 9: This was perhaps my favorite day of the entire trip- the Road to Hana. I read up so much about this road and felt like...can it really be that magical to just drive a road? Everyone says there's horrible traffic and it's a scary driving experience and it may mess with my carsickness (which yes, I get at times)...is it worth it? 100% yes!!!!! It was the curviest road I've ever ridden on- and we've ridden on some crazy roads in Costa Rica and Egypt. We navigated about 620 hairpin turns with dozens of blind u-turns on what often felt like a single lane road (but was not!). We crossed over 50 bridges and saw the most gorgeous views ever. Honestly, you wouldn't even need to stop at all and could just do the drive and I think it'd be worth it. The waterfalls you see, the lush jungle-like views, all absolutely stunning and out-doing each other one after the other. But, the stops are great too. We ate delicious banana bread at Halfway to Hana and hugged some rainbow eucalyptus trees at Ke'anae Arboretum (both near mile marker 17), hiked to the "7 sacred pools" for their fourth Jr Ranger badge in Hawaii, and explored a sea cave along the black sands beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park (both near the end of the road to Hana). We planned to swim in the 7 sacred pools, but it's not currently allowed, so we had more time at the black sands beach than planned which was an amazing plan B. I will say that these pictures don't do justice to the sights you'll see on the Road to Hana, especially as you continue onto the road further and further in. The internet can't do it justice. Just trust me and go if you can! I've never seen such beautiful sights in my life. But also be prepared with car snacks, road trip games like I Spy, or other ways to entertain kids on what ends up being hours in a car. Again, GuideAlong was a wonderful app to use on this journey, or you can also download tours for Road to Hana specifically as well. Our children were absolutely listening at least at times to the educational information because they would sometimes comment on something said or repeat back something later in the day that they had heard on there.
Day 10: We flew back to Oahu for our last couple days because we had to fly out of Oahu to come home to Pittsburgh. For these last several days, we stayed right in Waikiki. Again, there are absolutely fun and wonderful things to do there, but this is the part of the trip which was our least favorite of all and what most people only get to experience in Hawaii, which is why I started this blog. By all means, do Waikiki for the fun, the tourist places, and the ease of travel. But also try to adventure to at least one other island or at the very least, the other side of Oahu. So today, we went back to Oahu and started our time there with surf lessons for our kids. We specifically signed them up for something advertised as for kids through Kahu Surfing School. I will say this was a mixed experience. On the one hand, both of my children at one point stood up on the board which is so amazing and cool! On the other hand, the instructor was difficult for them and they both left the experience not liking it. He had limited English, which is fine, but it made it hard for the kids to get much from the lesson. He was rather cold and demanding, rather than encouraging, which may work well for some kids but did not jive with my kids' personalities. When you sign up for something specifically advertised as for children, you (or at least I) expect a patient and kind and warm tour guide who knows how to teach kids. That was not the experience we got here. Again, they surfed and both managed to stand, but it was stressful and not enjoyable. Also, they require kids to be "swimmers" when you sign up, which both my kids are. However, aparently what that means to them is not requiring life jackets in the ocean without an adult when they'll be falling off of a board into waves, which is a different level of the definition "swimmer" in my opinion. Fortunately, there is a store right down the street that rents life jackets for very cheap, so we were able to get those easily so we at least felt safe. That evening, we went to the International Market Place for some yummy dinner and souvenir shopping.
Day 11: Today we woke up early to swim with the sharks (in a cage) and then toured the Dole Plantation on our way back toward that side of the island. Little things our captain taught us that we enjoyed learning: 1.) They don't chum the waters which can be bad for the sharks, but they can guarantee sharks will be around because fishing boats throw their scraps overboard so now sharks equate boats with scraps, 2.) The sharks can detect our heart rates and know when we're more nervous, 3.) Sharks do not smell/are not attracted to human blood, only fish blood, 4.) The sharks we saw were actually sleeping. They have to swim to breathe, so they swim even while sleeping....sounds exhausting!
So the tour we took was booked through Viator again (notice a trend), and we loved it. As stated, we liked that they don't chum the water and are environmentally better for the sharks. They were very knowledgeable and also very good with kids and families. My one thing is absolutely be prepared for seasickness if that's a problem for you, as it is for me at times. The earlier you can go in the morning, the less choppy the water will be. Wear the pressure point bracelets if you have them, take ginger chews with you, etc. Once you're at the stopping point and can get in the water, you feel soo much better. The guide explained that getting wet does something internally to you to reset your mindset and it really helps with no longer feeling sick. As I'm reading it back, I realize that's not a very scientific explanation I just typed up, but the trip was almost a year ago now and that's the best of the explanation that I can remember!! All I know is, it's true and it helped! The kids obviously loved that the swam with sharks. They tell all their friends about it still. And as a parent, I can say it felt absolutely safe the whole time in the cage.
The Dole Plantation is obviously a super touristy thing to do, but we were in Hawaii and my oldest son loves pineapples, so it felt like a must-do anyway. I'd say if you're not in the area or with spare time or don't have a pineapple-loving son, this could probably be skipped. It's not to say it wasn't enjoyable...we did enjoy ourselves...but it's crowded and touristy and not a must-do. If you DO decide to go though, I'd say definitely do the maze/scavenger hunt because the kids loved that, be prepared for heat depending on time of year (you're in direct sun most of the time there), and treat yourself to some Dole Whip of course!
Day 12: Today was our last day in Hawaii because we flew home the next day. We spent most of the day relaxing at the beach and pool. When you go on adventurous and educational trips, it's also important to plan in some downtime for everyone's sake! However, in the evening, we finished off the night at another luau. This one was at the Disney Aulani Resort. We didn't stay there at all, but you can still buy tickets for the luau there. Comparing this luau to the other one we went to, I'd say both had their own pros and cons. This one was less low-key and relaxing in terms of kids able to run wild a bit more at the other one, and this one was also not in as nice of an environment. It's just basically at the Disney resort which is beautiful, but the other one had the beach and lava fields right there and was definitely more scenic. However, this one was put on by Disney which meant it was superb in terms of entertainment especially for the kids.
Day 13: Aloha Hawaii!
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