Families visiting Hawaii soon find themselves drawn to gentle ocean parks with sand-castle-building potential, simple meals for elementary palates, convenience stores loaded with snacks, and floaties. The perfect resort depends on your experience—whether you want to see, do, or escape it all. Not to worry; courageous holiday visitors are carrying strollers and tablets. Beyond the minimum requirements of kid-friendly pools and adults-only quiet areas, these three Oahu resorts have excellent family options that highlight the appeal of their sites. Match your travel plan to the appropriate location to ensure you have the holiday of your dreams at the best family resorts in Oahu.
Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
Location: Waikiki Travel Type: City Slickers
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort puts you exactly in the middle if sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment are your main concerns. Short Uber rides to kid favorites including the Waikiki Aquarium, the Honolulu Zoo, and Diamond Head Crater are here. Ala Moana Center, International Market Place, and the hip Kakaako area offer plenty of close food and nightlife choices for people still running after dark.
Hawaiian music fills the vibrant atmosphere of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, with open-air lounges and sidewalks humming with activity. There is no shortage of watery enjoyment with five pools, a saltwater lagoon, and 22 oceanfront acres; the hardest part could be getting your youngster away from the longest slide in Waikiki. The Atlantis Submarines excursion, which offers a sight of underwater life without having to get wet; the Waikiki Starlight Luau, where children may sample poi but have tater tots as a fallback; and Friday night fireworks lagoon-side, a huge crowd-pleaser at any age.
Turtle Bay Resort
Location: Kahuku Travel Type: Explorers
Perfect for the ocean lover, Turtle Bay Resort is the only resort on Oahu’s North Shore. In the winter, you will be front-row to see surfers charging down multistory waves; in the summer, you may float easily along the coast on a board or boat for miles and miles. Dreamy views abound around the hotel’s rocky peninsula between two bays, with many places to simply sit and marvel at the sea.
Whether on foot, bike, horseback, or even Segway, the 12 acres of trails and 5 miles of rocky beach on the property appeal to landlubbers for peaceful exploration. A day trip to the adjacent Polynesian Cultural Center offers an interesting, hands-on introduction to Pacific island cultures; the amazing night performance, “Ha: Breath of Life,” is a reasonable excuse for children to remain up past bedtime.
Can’t you see your four-legged family members? Aspiring groms—kid surfers—can learn from a surfing pup or stroll under the shady ironwood trees with Pono, Turtle Bay’s canine ambassador. Pono is a joyful snow white labrador. A unique delight for keiki under 7 is the Pony Experience, a meet and greet with Lilikoi or Misty, tiny horses that youngsters can feed and groom before saddling up for a brief ride around the seashore meadow next to the stables.
Ko Olina is home to Four Seasons Resort Oahu.
Location: Ko Olina Travel Type: Comfort and Leisure
“Leave your worries behind” is a promise never entirely applicable to parents on vacation with children in tow. The Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina fully understands this, and its commitment to the highest hospitality standards ensures that the staff takes care of much of the worry for you. It promises a safe swimming beach with free boogie boards and stand-up boards, lei-making and outrigger canoe paddling instruction, keiki yoga, and even a skate camp. Another fairly cool thing is luxury.
If your dream is to have a magnificent hideaway, this one meets that need for best family resorts in Oahu. Its atmosphere is natural to its surroundings—beauty free of commercialization, natural, not manufactured. There is always a seat in the hot tub, and there is no elevator waiting, even during busy seasons. Parents who use the free Camp Kohola, an activity-packed daycare program for children ranging in age from five to twelve, can relax with a mai tai in the longest infinity pool on the island, heated to a very comfortable 85 degrees.
Making memories defines a vacation, and the sensory stimuli here are rich and varied. Mina’s Fish House’s fish sommelier presented a vibrant splay of fresh fish on the table. The breathtaking West Side sunset illuminates the heavens with pastel hues. And maybe the most luxurious moment of all is the quiet silence as you slide into the soft Four Seasons bed to get what every parent most deserves—a whole and restful night’s sleep.