Where to stay on the Big Island with kids
Written October 2026
The Big Island is Hawaii turned up to full size, and its two sides are nothing alike. We'd put most families on the Kohala Coast, for the swimming.
Kona and the Kohala Coast are the dry, sunny side, with the resorts and the swimming beaches. Hilo is the green, rainy side, with the waterfalls and the volcano. A week splits well as five nights on the Kona side and two in Hilo or at Volcano House.
Kohala has the calm water, sand-bottom keiki pools and lawns to run on.
The Kohala Coast resorts
Half an hour north of the airport, on the beaches the island is known for.
Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection
Kohala Coast
The rooms are big, and the lawns run down to the sea past fishponds. Kids walk into the keiki pool from the sand instead of climbing down a ladder, and it's shallow enough for the under-fives.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
Kaupulehu, north of Kona
The snorkel pond is stocked with fish, and the keiki pool has a sand bottom. It sits on its own stretch of lava coast, closer to the airport than the Kohala resorts, with several pools and suites for when one room won't do.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Fairmont Orchid
Kohala Coast
The lagoon beach is sheltered enough for toddlers, the suites are roomy and the big pool has a lawn beside it. There's an airport shuttle and a laundry on site, which matters more than it sounds once you're past the fourth day.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Kauna'oa Bay
Kauna'oa is one of the island's best swimming beaches, a crescent of sand with gentle water most of the year and lawns running down to it. The pool has been renovated, and there's a kids' club and suites for a bigger family.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
Hapuna Beach
Hapuna is the island's longest white-sand beach, wide enough that there's room for everyone, and the rooms here are oversized. It's next to the Mauna Kea, with a big freeform family pool kept apart from the adults-only one, and there are suites too.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Family pool and adults-only pool
- Laundry
- Yes
Hilton Waikoloa Village
Waikoloa Beach
A tram and a boat run between the buildings, and for kids that's the appeal of a resort this enormous: the tram doubles as a ride to dinner. There are big pools with junior waterslides, and a lagoon with a sandy beach.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Waterslide
- Yes
Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa
Waikoloa Beach
Across the bay from the Hilton, and calmer, with a shallow pool for small kids and another with a waterslide. Anaeho'omalu Bay in front has a sandy beach with gentle water, and the Queens' and Kings' shops are a walk away for dinner without the car.
- Cribs
- No
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Waterslide
- Yes
Waikoloa condos with a kitchen
Past a few nights, a kitchen and a second bedroom beat a resort room, and the beach is the same one.
Waikoloa Beach Villas
Waikoloa Beach
These are condos with full kitchens, across from the Queens' shops and a short walk to Anaeho'omalu Bay. Every unit has its own washer and dryer, and the two pools are quieter than the resorts'. Nothing happens on site, and that's fine by us.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Kings' Land by Hilton Grand Vacations
Waikoloa Beach
The pool complex has slides and a lazy river, and school-age kids can spend a whole afternoon in it. The beach is a drive or shuttle from here, up the hill from the bay.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Waterslide
- Yes
Kohala Suites by Hilton Grand Vacations
Waikoloa Beach
The low-key sister of Kings' Land has two-bedroom suites with kitchens and a quieter pool, and the slides are a short walk up the road.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Kailua-Kona, in town
Kona town is walkable and cheaper, and the restaurants and the farmers market are on foot.
Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel
Kailua-Kona
It's the only hotel in town with a beach, right at the pier. The pier wall protects the small beach, so the water is calm for wading. The pool is a decent size, but the walk to everything in Kona town is why you're here.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Royal Kona Resort
Kailua-Kona
Oceanfront at the south end of the town strip, where Ali'i Drive's shops and restaurants start at the door. Kids can snorkel in the saltwater lagoon without any surf, and there's a pool too.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa
Keauhou, south of Kona
It's ten minutes south of town on Keauhou Bay, where manta rays come in at night. This is a pool resort: the lagoon-style pool has a wading area, and the long twisting waterslide is worth the drive.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Waterslide
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Kona Coast Resort
Keauhou, south of Kona
The villas are big and have kitchens, and they're good value for a longer stay. They sit on the Keauhou golf course, with the Keauhou shopping center close for groceries, and there's an outdoor pool and a separate kids' pool.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Hilo and the volcano
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo, a DoubleTree
Banyan Drive, Hilo
On the Hilo side, close to the waterfalls and the volcano, with a heated pool. Liliuokalani Gardens and Coconut Island are a walk along the shore, and some rooms have kitchenettes.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
Hilo Hawaiian Hotel
Banyan Drive, Hilo
The older of the two Banyan Drive hotels, with bay views and a pool. Coconut Island is out the door, and downtown Hilo's farmers market is a short drive.
- Cribs
- No
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls
Above Hilo
Cottages and suites off the grid in the rain forest above Hilo, some with kitchenettes. You can walk to the 120-foot waterfall and swim under it. It's dark and quiet at night (very much the jungle).
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- No
- Free breakfast
- Yes
Volcano House
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Volcano House has the only rooms inside the national park, right on the crater rim. You wake up looking at Kilauea's caldera, and the crater rim trail starts at the door. The rooms are historic, and one night here is how you see the glow after dark without the long drive back to Kona.
- Cribs
- No
- Pool
- No
More in Big Island
Kona or the Kohala Coast with kids: picking your Big Island basePhoto credits
The Kohala Coast, Big Island: Annette Teng (CC BY 3.0) · Four Seasons Resort Hualalai: Steve Jurvetson (CC BY 2.0) · Fairmont Orchid: Alan Light (CC BY 2.0) · Mauna Kea Beach Hotel: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada (CC BY 2.0) · Hapuna Beach: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada (CC BY 2.0) · Hilton Waikoloa Village: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan (CC BY 2.0) · Anaeho'omalu Bay at Waikoloa: Wasif Malik (CC BY 2.0) · Waikoloa Beach, Big Island: Hotboxers (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Anaeho'omalu Bay, Waikoloa: dronepicr (CC BY 2.0) · Anaeho'omalu Bay from the air, Waikoloa: Kyle Hawton (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Courtyard King Kamehamehas Kona Beach Hotel: W Nowicki (CC BY 3.0) · Royal Kona Resort: Famartin (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Keauhou Bay, Big Island: W Nowicki (CC BY 3.0) · Tide pools at Keauhou Bay, Big Island: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo - DoubleTree: Yoshi Canopus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Hilo Hawaiian Hotel: Yoshi Canopus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls: Frank Schulenburg (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Volcano House: Hawai‘i Volcanoes NPS (Public domain)