{"id":9654,"date":"2017-02-04T23:24:07","date_gmt":"2017-02-04T23:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aspire-canada.com\/?p=9654"},"modified":"2017-02-09T18:34:00","modified_gmt":"2017-02-09T23:34:00","slug":"travelling-to-hawaii-with-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aspire-canada.com\/?p=9654","title":{"rendered":"Travelling to Hawaii with Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

We recently travelled from Ottawa to the Island of Oahu, Hawaii with our three kids aged, 11, 7 and 4. It was an amazing trip and I wanted to share some highlights and tips to make your trip to Hawaii memorable if you are travelling to Hawaii in the near future with kids.<\/p>\n

Ottawa to Hawaii \u2013 is a long flight that we really underestimated at first due to the time difference. We chose to fly to Hawaii on United Airlines and I came away really disappointed with the service given the long flight. Their internet service didn\u2019t work the entire flight \u2013 so even though we downloaded the United App we couldn\u2019t access any inflight entertainment. The food ran out in-flight (I got the last pasta dish and I paid dearly for it!) and our quarters were cramped in economy. Throw in 3 kids with all of the lack of amenities and it made for a challenging flight. We carried what I thought was boatloads of food on our flight to satisfy three kids on a long haul flight \u2013 that also ran out too! Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Plan wisely and pack more snacks than you need. If there are any flight delays then you will need any extras for the longer hours in the airport. Hawaii is an expensive destination \u2013 and so even if there are leftovers \u2013 you will have extras for the following day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Luckily, once we landed in Hawaii, things got much better. Our hotel \u2013 the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the largest resort in Hawaii, turned out to be a blessing for the entire family. The first night we got there (Friday night) we were lucky enough to catch the friday night fireworks on the beach!<\/p>\n

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Photo: Hilton Hawaiian Village. Courtesy of Blair Global Media<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hilton Hawaiian Village<\/a> \u2013 is just that \u2013 its a self-contained village with all the amenities you need without even having to leave the hotel. It has over 90 shops, 20 restaurants and bars, six swimming pools, a lagoon, a kids club and too many other amenities to mention. We didn\u2019t get to see even half the resort even though we did a seven-night stay.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Front Entrance of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Courtesy of Blair Global Media<\/a><\/p>\n

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Above: The boys at a waterfall at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Photo: Blair Global Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Below: View from our hotel room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Courtesy of Blair Global Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The hotel is also ideally located close to several attractions and restaurants and eventhough we rented a car for the entire week, we could walk off the resort for breakfast at Wailana Coffee House (for good breakfast deals), for shopping at the Ala Moana mall (which I highly recommend) and to get souvenirs and general purpose items at the local ABC Store \u2013 I brought home teas of every tropical flavour possible \u2013 from pineapple to mango! and also brought back the\u00a0famous coconut flavoured syrup.\u00a0We stayed in a two-bedroom suite on the Grand Waikikian Tower, ideal for large families with more than 2 kids! The suite was huge, with flat screen TVs in every bedroom, two and a half bathrooms and a full kitchen.<\/p>\n

Of the restaurants at the hotel \u2013 we got to sample Lappert\u2019s Ice cream \u2013 which the kids loved \u2013 those scoops should be banned! They are huge! The flavours are authentic \u2013 when they say coconut they mean it \u2013 no fake flavours there. The smell of the waffle cones permeated the entire resort, even into your hotel room, good job Lappert\u2019s \u2013 no more marketing needed! Ofcourse, my oldest son kept asking to go there each and every day of our seven-night stay.<\/p>\n

We also ordered pizza from Round Table Pizza \u2013 which was ideal for nights we wanted to just eat in after a long day touring.<\/p>\n

On our last night we sampled Benihana \u2013 our kids loved the experience of having that personalized service and having the meal prepared right at our table.<\/p>\n

Best Attractions for Kids in Hawaii<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Polynesian Cultural Centre<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Polynesian Cultural Centre was truly a rich experience for the kids. Visitors can explore authentic villages from 6 Pacific cultures as they demonstrate their arts, music, history and games.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Learning how to twirl a baton from a fire dancer. First a baton twirler, then a fire-eater. Photo courtesy of Blair Global Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Kids learning how to play with Gigs. Courtesy of Blair Global Media<\/a><\/p>\n

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Waterfalls at Polynesian Cultural Centre. Photo courtesy of Blair Global Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Photos: Fiji Temple at the Polynesian Cultural Centre. Courtesy of Blair Global Media<\/a><\/p>\n

Pearl Harbour\/USS Arizona Memorial<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For many, a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, is not complete without visiting Pearl Harbor. In fact, this site is recognized as Hawaii\u2019s top tourist destination, with millions of people visiting each and every day to soak in a bit of history and pay their respects at the USS Arizona Memorial.<\/p>\n

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Pearl Harbor facts<\/em><\/h2>\n