Leah and her childrenMy name is Leah Villalobos.  I work in the Awards Office at Student Financial Services at the Vancouver campus. One of my family’s favourite places to visit is Hawaii, specifically the island of Oahu.

When we visit, we stay at our “home-away-from-home” The Hilton Hawaiian Village located in Honolulu which is just steps away from the main strip in Waikiki. We stay at one of the Hilton Grand Vacation buildings, The Lagoon Tower or The Grand Waikikian, using our time shares as they have fully equipped kitchens and laundry facilities which help keep the costs down. The resort is a perfect place for families or if you are on a romantic getaway. We enjoy the Friday night fireworks but the resort has so much to offer from access to one of their many family-friendly pools, shopping, restaurants, to their on-site spa, Mandara Spa (I recommend everything there).

The Island of Oahu itself has so many activities that will keep you busy. Here are a few of our favourites:

beatiful drive1)      Driving out to the North Shore. The drive takes about 45 minutes (depending on traffic). We rent a car for each trip since it makes things easier to drive around the island than relying on public transportation (which is also doable). Our stops include stopping in Haleiwa (small town, great place to grab a breakfast burrito at a place I never miss, Kono’s), Waimea Bay (home of the Quicksilver’s Eddie Would Go big wave surfing competition and great location to see wildlife from the shores – last visit I saw humpback whales, before that a pod of dolphins, before that sea turtles), Waimea Falls, Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck (my choice for shrimp scampi), and Turtle Bay Resort (for those into movie locations, this place is where they filmed Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Leah’s Tips:

  • Leave early but not too early – The Dole Plantation opens at 9:30a and is usually the first stop of our drive to the North Shore.
  • Pack food – Eat at the beach or in the park. It’ll save money. There are FoodLand markets (grocery store) along the way too where you can pick up pre-made deli items too.

2)      Kapiolani Community College Farmers’ Market. Saturdays 7:30am – 11am behind Diamond Head. This market is what I look forward to every Saturday morning. Great place to buy locally grown food and flowers as well as enjoy some of their great cooked food. Every trip we make sure we stop off to grab some of their roasted corn, barbecued sausages, and homemade mozzarella, basil, tomato pizza. Leah’s Tips:

  • Get there early – The market is set up in the college’s parking lot so parking is limited.
  • Bring your bags – Think green and bring your own bag to pack your purchases.
  • Cactus Garden – There is a cactus garden right next to the parking lot. It’s an amazing site to see if you have never seen cacti that size.

dancers3)      Favourite family activities. There are plenty of family activities on the resort. Here are a few things that have been 2-yr-old & teen approved:

  • Honolulu Zoo – Great kids area with petting zoo and areas for them to crawl and look through.
  • Polynesian Cultural Centre – A center run by the students and staff at Bingham Young University teaching tourists about Polynesian culture through displays, presentations, dance, and song. A fantastic luau dinner and after dinner show can also be attended at an additional cost.
  • Aulani – Disney resort located in Ko’Olina. A 30-45 minute drive from the HHV. I haven’t visited it myself however the resort is situated near the Marriott resort where we frequent to take a dip at one of their 4 man-made lagoons. Great place to go to where the waves are minimal due to the man-made blockers.
  • Hanauma Bay – A low-cost activity. Best time to go would later in the afternoon, near closing, or early in the day before lunch. You are required to watch a 5 minute video about the conservation and protection of the coral in the bay before you can walk or tram (additional $2USD) down the hill to the beach.
  • Waikiki Beaches – Who doesn’t love a beach? For extended stays I would recommend visiting the local Walmart or Sears (near Ala Moana Mall) and purchasing a beach umbrella and chairs. We normally spend about $50 for an umbrella and a couple of chairs to use during our trip and then pass the items on to a family that may have just arrived on the resort.  Kids love it when we are passing on sand toys too… a great “pay it forward” idea as we inform the family that it would be great if they did the same.

Hawaii’s Island of Oahu is a fantastic family-friendly destination and I would recommend it to everyone. For more information here are a few websites I suggest to take a look at:

If you are planning a future trip to Oahu, I would be happy to talk about other areas to visit as there are much more to see than what I can fit in this post 🙂

Happy travels!