Maui Activities with 5 yr olds

[danb]

We are going to Maui this July. It's been 10 yrs since we have been there and this time our son, dil and twin 5 yr old grandsons will be going with us. We are looking for some activities for the 5 yr olds. In addition it is our 40th aniversary so we will do something special for ourselves as well.
Suggestions appreciated.

[DeniseM]

Most for-pay activities are designed for adults and are $100 per person. Your little ones will enjoy the pools and beaches more. They may also enjoy the Maui aquarium, but I can't think of any activities that are ideal for little ones. Do their parents a favor and give them a day to do an adult activity, while you watch the kids.

[Luanne]

We've been taking our dds to Hawaii since they were toddlers. Denise is correct. Their favorite activities were beach and pool. I don't remember how old they were when we started doing snorkel trips, but probably older than 5. Their other favorite thing was getting ice cream.

[clsmit]

Depending on where you are staying there are a variety of options. The Maui Ocean Center is a really nice aquarium. There's a pizza place next to it that is owned by the Pacific Whale Foundation with good pizza and off menu kids items.

Many shopping areas have free hula dancing to watch. Use the free brochures to see when/where they are.

The Lahaina Sugar Cane train is seen by some as a ripoff but 5 year old train lovers would like it.

Lahaina also has a number of public playgrounds. I don't know about other areas of the island.

Run them around all day in the sunshine and they will sleep well! (The kids and grandkids!)

For yourselves, there are a number of options depending on what you want to do. Luaus, golf, tennis, art shows, local food -- tons of ideas to explore!

Have a great time.

[fluke]

If a luau is in your plan avoid the Old Lahaina or Feast of Lele(some people think these are the best) they charge significant fees for younger children. Stay with the hotels, for example Hyatt's (Drums of Pacific) is free for kids 5 and under.

[icul8rg8r]

Our children were a little bit older, 6 & 7, but ALL they wanted to do was swim - first at the pool, and then the beach. AND get shaved ice treats!

We did two islands - Oahu (we toured the Dole Plantation w/maze and train, drove to the North Shore and saw huge waves & surfers, and of course toured Pearl Harbor). On the Big Island and saw the volcanoe, visited a coffee plantation, saw some cool waterfalls. But guess what? They were bored and all they wanted to do was get back to the hotel and swim!!!

[spencersmama]

My kids loved luaus at that age, especially the fire dancers. We also did "waterfall hunts," basically hikes looking for waterfalls. It's definitely a place to enjoy the sun, sand and surf, though.

[Richierich2]

We were there in Oct when they were 4.5 and a little over one. We did a day boat ride/ snokeling trip, saw tons of turtles and the 4 yr old loved it. We had to take turns cuz of the little one. But the staff even helped us get her in the water.

We did the underwater subamarine in Lahaina. (overrated, if u decide to it, do it before a boat ride)

Need to get or buy a boogie board with hole in middle (not plastic). It was the only way to keep her head under water to see fish.

As first time Maui and 5 years since Kauai, we were very tourist, next time we will do less, feel free to message me about more info, but usually troll the Starwood board.

[danb]

Well I booked the Old Lahina Luau yesterday. I hope they like the show.
Spencersmama, where did you go for the hikes? Sounds like something they would enjoy.
Anyone have any opinions on Roy's, Maui Fish Market and Dollies Sports Bar?
68 Days and counting!

[PamMo]

Our 4-year old grandson entertained us for a few days while his mom and dad enjoyed some alone time in Maui. He loved hiking around the 'Iao Needle Valley (he saw the countless steps as a way to exhaust us!) and playing in the streams there. The Maui Ocean Center was a fun couple of hours, and he never wanted to leave Baby Beach (Puunoa) on the north side of Lahaina. This was before he learned to swim, so it was the perfect place for him to get comfortable in the ocean. It is a wide beach with very shallow, very calm water. Lots of little fish and crabs to chase after!

[andy25g]

Originally Posted by danb

Well I booked the Old Lahina Luau yesterday. I hope they like the show.
Spencersmama, where did you go for the hikes? Sounds like something they would enjoy.
Anyone have any opinions on Roy's, Maui Fish Market and Dollies Sports Bar?
68 Days and counting!

If I recall I think dollies sports bar is directly across the street from the sands of kahana. If we are talking about the same place, they had really good pizza and reasonably priced drinks. Seemed like a locals hangout, on the smaller side. Lots of games on the televisions, I went often the last time I stayed in Kahana.

[Luanne]

I've only eaten at the Roy's on the Big Island, not on Maui. I thought the food was good, portions were small and the restaurant was noisy. For the money I thought there were better restaurants (mostly for atmosphere). I've seen a few comments from people who prefer Merriman's restaurant in Kapalua to Roy's.

[daventrina]

Originally Posted by Luanne

I've only eaten at the Roy's on the Big Island... . For the money I thought there were better restaurants (mostly for atmosphere).

We'd pick Leilani's or Hula Grill... Just for the better location

[Luanne]

Originally Posted by daventrina

We'd pik Leilani's or Hula Grill... Just for the better location

Great choices as well.

One of our favorites is still Kimo's in Lahaina, which is part of the same family as Leilani's and the Hula Grill. I will say the quality of the meals goes up and down, sometimes they are fantastic and sometimes just okay, but the atmosphere is always wonderful.

[winger]

Kids, pool and sand are perfect matches. This gives parents some nice R&R time as well, esp at the beach.

[spencersmama]

Originally Posted by danb

Spencersmama, where did you go for the hikes? Sounds like something they would enjoy.

Haleakala National Park

http://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm

We drove up, then went for short hikes along the trails. I forget how long it takes to drive there from the touristy area, but there are a few towns along the way. Since this is a natl park, you may want to get your grandkids a national park passport. They can bring them to any national park and have them stamped. It's pretty fun for them. Unfortunately, I got my kids each one after we visited Hawaii and Alaska, so they missed out on those stamps the first time around. I'm sure we'll be back some day though. I see many adults collecting stamps on passports as well as kids.

There are also some places to stop if you do the road to Hana -Wai'anapanapa State Park has a balck volcanic beach. The beach is very difficult to get to and not very comfortable, but you can see the sea water go in and out of cave formations and a blow hole. I think there was a rainforest garden area and another blow hole area on the road to Hana that we stopped to walk through also. I tried to look it up, but I didn't write down specific info. I could be confused and the garden could have been on Kauai.

We also went parasailing with the kids in Maui. There is a company that leaves from the Westin hotel and villa area. (I'm sire ther is more than one.) It is set up as a tandem, one adult and one child per ride. It was fun, but pricey.

[jnsywg]

Two years ago when our kids were one and three and a half we enjoyed the tour and lunch at the Maui Tropical Plantation.

http://mauitropicalplantation.com/

[daventrina]

Originally Posted by spencersmama

Haleakala National Park
...
There are also some places to stop if you do the road to Hana -Wai'anapanapa State Park has a black volcanic beach.

Sorry, but I wouldn't think that most 5 year old would really be into the trip up Haleakala . And , if you spend much time up there, they would likely suffer from altitude sickness. There isn't much O2 at 10,000 feet.

Could anyone guess how may times a 5 year old would ask are we there yet on the road to Hana?

Denise and Luanne summed it up well. Some additional input from what our kids enjoyed when they were that age. We agree that you'd be better off sticking to the beach, Ocean Center, Iao Valley and short trips. Our Son enjoyed the train with Grandpa. Both kids liked the Tropical Plantation and really enjoyed both the Luau and Ulalena. They liked Cheese Burgers in Paradise (no it's not cheap, but they still talk about it 20 years later). They still both have their photos taken with the Bird Man in Lahaina. But we had to stop and say hi to rainbow every time we went past the birds.
They liked the Endangered Species Store and enough others that they didn't mind wandering down Front Street and stopping at Hilo Hattie's.

You may want to consider renewing you wedding vows either formally or informally.

[lorenmd]

just got back from maui with my 27 year old daughter. i hadn't planned on taking her with me but she said she had never been to maui. i said, of course you have, 3 times. she said it didn't count because she was 4,5, and 6 and she didn't remember a thing. your memories of playing with your grandchildren are the best activities.

[MichaelColey]

Originally Posted by icul8rg8r

Our children were a little bit older, 6 & 7, but ALL they wanted to do was swim - first at the pool, and then the beach. AND get shaved ice treats!

We've been numerous times with the kids (now 9, 6 and 2) and those were their favorite three things as well. When DD6 was 4 (or maybe 3?), she called shave ice "shive ace".

Our kids are a bit more adventurous than most and love to swim (DD6 taught herself to swim when she was 2 and was doing flips off the diving board by 3), and they love the beaches with bigger waves. For most 5 year olds, I would expect them to like the pool and playing in the sand or a calm beach more.

Playgrounds (like at the resorts or public parks) would probably be a hit. I know you can do that at home, but kids love it.

Oh, and pineapples were a huge hit with the kids as well. We always buy tons of them from Costco and eat at least one or two a day on our Hawaii trips.

[danb]

I really appreciate the input on activities. I downloaded the ap for Maui revealed for my iPad and I highly recommend it. I did book the old Lahaina Luau and I think they will enjoy it. Will probably do the Iao Needle hike. If I tell them to stay out of the streams its almost guaranteed they will go in so it will be fun watching them explore.
My wife and I will be celebrating our 40th with dinner. In addition we are finally following thru with our dream of moving to Hawaii and we will be looking at homes in Oahu our first week. We have been in contact with realtors for over a year and it's finally coming together. We sold our business and now have our homes on the market. It's a big move but we are living our dream. The nice part about it is our son,Dil, and twin grandsons are moving as well. I'm a little nervous obout it but everyone is excited. Like starting a new life. Still can't believe all the junk we saves in our attics for so long. Many trips to recycling and donations to local charities.
I'll try to post our experience,so many people love Hawaii on Tug. I learned so much from the many posts here.

Mahalo
Danb