The answer to this question has been the same since 1988. That is when Hawaii got its first mega resort now called the Hilton Waikoloa Village.
Why is this the winner for kids? For a kid, it is almost like living in a real amusement park.
My first visit to the resort was in 1989, with my three young children (6, 9, and 12). I quickly discovered that what seemed like just a really large resort was a magical experience of my children. To them it was a place of constant discovery and fun things to do.
Let’s just go down the list of things my children and now my grandchildren do when we stay here.
- The boats and the monorail tram. The Waikoloa is built on 65 acres of land. The three large residential tower complexes are spread out from each other on the property. Both the monorail and Venetian style boats provide transportation between them and restaurants and the main resort lobby/shops/etc.. They are both kid safe and provide a Disney ride feel. If you, children are old enough, they can ride these on their own.
Five and eight-year-old granddaughters waiting for the boats at Hilton Waikoloa Village (July 2022)
- The pools – The mega pool was introduced to Hawaii at this resort.. They have the 175 foot water slide, the smaller ones for little kids, a river pool, and adult pool, a pool with a large sand beach leading into the water, a swim up bar, a swim under waterfall, bridges over the pools, (tunnels under the pools – I made this one up just to see if you were actually ready this).
- The lagoon and Dolphin Quest – There is a nice sized lagoon which has a popular sand beach along it. It has kayaks and paddle boards. You can snorkel with the kids, or they can do this alone as the water is perfectly still. But maybe the best is the Green Sea Turtles which are there almost all the time. There is a large waterfall into the lagoon and at one end is where a small group of dolphins live. You can watch them all day if you want, or sign up to swim with them.
- Park setting – there are tons of walksway, paths and run around places, even a whale watch point.
- Two golf courses – (guess what, kids almost never ask about this feature – but they do have them as well as tennis.)
- Wave jumping beach – This does not exist at this resort. The ocean facing beach has a very rough coral and lava rock formation. The best boogie board and wave jumping beach is Hapuna Beach – 10 minute drive. This can be a fatal feature to some families. If it is, do not stay here as you will spend everyday driving up the road and miss out on all the reasons to stay at this resort.
- The best weather in Hawaii – the west coast of the Big Island has the most days of sunshine of any area in all of the islands, which on a sunshine vacation can be important.
- And all the other cool things to do on this island – visit the volcanoes (currently active), fishing, whale watching, hiking, horseback riding (the largest ranch in the United States is on this island). Even visit snow (there is a ski area at the top of Mauna Loa with two lifts.)
- Thirteen restaurants – Let’s be clear. You are not staying here for the food. But, this means that they have something for any picky food eater.
- This is not the Ritz, Four Seasons – it has Hilton pricing which is not cheap, but is possible. Also you can stay in nearby condominiums that come with resort privileges, like pools, etc.
Since our first family’s first trip here in 1989, we have been back many times. It has never been a boring visit and the kids and grandkids always want to return.
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