Booking a trip to Hawaii with my family (10+ adults and at least 10 kids)

[GirlySports]

I'm team Maui too, especially for kids.
And stay in the south, kihei area. Quieter than laheina

[DuffMan]

Going to Hawaii sounds great, going with 10 kids sounds like a nightmare.

[Royle9]

I'd look at bigger Air BnB places, there are some insane homes you can get for large parties and end up cheaper than trying to stay @ a big name resort.

We've got friends who go down to Maui every year with with 6 couples (only 4 kids though) and stay at the same airbnb mansion basically. I recall them saying it worked out to about $225 - 250 CDN per couple per day... and the photos of the home made your mouth drop.

[jeffporfirio]

Originally Posted by spetch

What are your thoughts on this resort? The wife and I bought DVC with the thoughts of going to Hawaii when the kids are older and maybe even just as a couple for a beach vacation.

Top notch. Any Disney resort to me is real vacation. Kids have fun, adults have some time to themselves, and they care of everything. Although if you're with DVC a Disney cruise might be a better value than their Hawaii resort.

[sleepingmoose]

We just did a 22 person family vacation last year, with 8 kids from 1 to 17 - we chose Maui because the beaches are good and easy to get to by foot. Booked a place in Kihei across from Kamaole beach II, so it was easy just to cross back and forth on foot, and it’s probably one of the best beaches on the island. Not luxury condos, but functional, and really we were only there to sleep. Each immediate family/couple had their own condo, which is essential to have your own space. There’s also things the kids could do outside the beach like the aquarium and mini golf at Ma'alea.
The only other key thing is to book early (like now) if you want to all be in the same complex - you’re likely assembling a bunch of VRBO units together, so you’ll need to book early to get availability in all of them.
Have fun!

[bizaro86]

On Maui, we enjoyed the Westin Villas. Good amenities for kids (water slide, pirate ship pool, snorkeling beach) and generally just a nice resort. Cheapest option for that is to rent from a timeshare owner, there are a number who make a business of it.

I rented from this person: http://www.denisetravels.com/westinmaui.htm
And it went well. Because you are more than 12 months out (which is how far out the timeshare owners can book) it would be easy to get preferred dates.

Gor activities, my kids loved the aquarium on Maui and the jelly fish tour on the big island. My 4 year old keeps asking when he can go for a jellyfish handshake again. There is also a parrot sanctuary on the big island that books via Airbnb that we didn't get to but I thought it looked cool. There is a zoo on the big island that is admission by donation that was a good combo with the waterfalls on the north side.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Going to Hawaii sounds great, going with 10 kids sounds like a nightmare.

Going with any extended family would be more than I could handle. Not just kids. I'm not sure how anyone can do these family trips on a scale like this!

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by spetch

What are your thoughts on this resort? The wife and I bought DVC with the thoughts of going to Hawaii when the kids are older and maybe even just as a couple for a beach vacation.

My wife and I always stay at the Four Season Ko Olina which is right next to Disney Aulani and shares a lagoon.

The Disney resort scares the hell out of me and doesnt seem relaxing at all. I get it if you have young kids, but I would find it to be a complete screaming headache if just going for a couples vacation.
Find a sale and book the Four Seasons instead, they're pretty similar in price when a good sale is on and it's paradise. You can walk over to Aulani whenever you want to check it out or get your disney fix.

[GreenLantern]

Anyone have any experience with this resort or company?

https://www.mauicondohomes.com/maui-resorts/koa-resort/

[DoubleF]

Something to consider about Maui is that if you're not expecting to spend most of the time at the resorts, there's a ton of driving involved. If some people want to explore the island, vehicles might be necessary.

100 mile (not KM) days on average isn't horribly uncommon for Maui. Unlimited mileage is worth considering as a necessity for car rentals. The crater and hana drives would probably be several hundred miles for the day.

[justkidding]

64 miles from our Condo in Kaanapali to the crater of Haleakala. Beautiful drive.

[mikephoen]

Have you considered booking everyone else (including your kids) to Maui and then booking you and your wife's trip to any other island?