The best family hotels in Waikiki

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

West end

Why we picked it: The lagoon, a slide pool and a separate keiki pool inside one gate make it the Waikiki hotel where a family can skip the car.

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is a 22-acre resort with five pools and the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, a five-acre saltwater lagoon with calm, circulating water for gentle swimming. The Paradise Pool has a waterslide, and there's a separate keiki pool for the smallest swimmers. Daily activities run from hula and lei-making to surf lessons.

It's the west end of Waikiki, so the walk to the Royal Hawaiian and the main shopping strip is a real one. It's also huge, and getting from your tower to breakfast can be a real walk.

Ask for a room in a tower close to the lagoon so the daily trips to the water stay short.

Pool

Yes

Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort

Middle of the strip

Why we picked it: It's the pick for the middle of the strip: a family pool area with a waterslide and connecting rooms, beside the Royal Hawaiian.

Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort has a family pool area, the Helumoa Playground, with a waterslide, a children's splash zone and two freshwater pools. The famous infinity pool along the ocean is adults only, so don't count it in the kids' day. Connecting rooms can be requested for a bigger group, subject to availability.

It's on the beach beside the Royal Hawaiian, in the busiest part of Waikiki. That's great for restaurants and shops and less great for a quiet nap schedule. It doesn't suit a family that wants calm.

Connecting rooms

Yes

Suites

Yes

Pool

Yes

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

Diamond Head end

Why we picked it: Across the road is a jetty-sheltered, calm stretch of beach, and the family pool has fountains and a splash pad for smaller kids.

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has a family pool with fountains and a kids' splash pad, with fire pits and cabanas on the same deck, and a separate adults pool. Across the road a rock jetty shelters a stretch of beach into a calm, shallow spot, the easiest water here for a nervous swimmer.

If you need more room, ask about a suite. There's no waterslide here, which will matter to kids who've been promised one.

Suites

Yes

Pool

Yes

Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach

Diamond Head end

Why we picked it: The Monkeypod Kids Club for ages 5 to 12 and cribs on request, at the Diamond Head end near the calm-water swimming spots.

Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach is the one with the Monkeypod Kids Club (ages 5 to 12, with indoor and outdoor activities), a rooftop pool and bar, and cribs available on request.

The rooms are modern but not big, so a family of five will want the family room type. It sits at the Diamond Head end of the strip.

Cribs

Yes

Pool

Yes

Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk

Beach Walk, a short walk from the sand

Why we picked it: Every room is a suite with the bedroom behind a door, so it answers bedtime trouble without a resort price.

Every room at Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk is a suite: a living room with a pull-out sofa, a microwave and a mini-fridge, and a bedroom behind a door. The one-bedroom suite does a lot for a family of four, and there are two-bedroom suites for a bigger group. The pool has a separate kids section.

The made-to-order breakfast comes with the stay, and there's a free evening social on the Grand Lanai. It isn't on the beach: you cross a street or two to reach the sand.

Suites

Yes

Fridge

Yes

Pool

Yes, heated

Free breakfast

Yes

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa

Across from Kuhio Beach

Why we picked it: Two-bedroom family suites, Camp Hyatt and babysitting through the hotel, facing the beach in front of the Duke Kahanamoku statue.

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa faces the Duke Kahanamoku statue and the beach in front of it. The family suites have two bedrooms and a living room with a large sofa, and there's a kids program called Camp Hyatt for ages 5 to 12, with a daily summer day camp. Babysitting can be booked through the hotel.

It's a big, busy hotel with a tall atrium lobby. It doesn't suit a family that wants a quiet, small place.

Suites

Yes

Pool

Yes

Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club

Lewers Street

Why we picked it: A boutique, retro-styled change from the big resorts, with a fridge in every bungalow and suite of up to three bedrooms.

Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club has one-room bungalows and one-, two- and three-bedroom suites, each with a fridge, and a courtyard pool. It's a boutique, retro-styled hotel, which is a change from the big resorts.

The beach is about three blocks away. There's no kitchen, so you're still eating out. It doesn't suit a family that wants a kids club or a slide.

Suites

Yes

Fridge

Yes

Pool

Yes

Prince Waikiki

Ala Wai Yacht Harbor

Why we picked it: The quiet-end choice that isn't Hilton: harbor views kids can watch, two outdoor pools and rooms with space for a crib.

Prince Waikiki looks over the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, and the floor-to-ceiling windows are a good show for kids who like watching boats come and go. There are two outdoor pools, and the rooms have space for extra beds or a crib. Waikiki Beach and Ala Moana Beach Park are each about a ten-minute walk.

It's close to Hilton Hawaiian Village, so it shares that quieter end, but it has no beach at its door. It doesn't suit a family that wants to walk straight onto the sand.

Pool

Yes

Holiday Inn Express Waikiki

Kuhio Avenue

Why we picked it: The step-back-from-the-beach pick for less: a pool, a free hot breakfast and family room types.

Holiday Inn Express Waikiki has a pool and a free hot breakfast, and there are family room types. That breakfast saves a lot of money and a lot of morning temper.

It's on Kuhio Avenue, a block or more back from Kalakaua, so the beach is a walk, not a step. It doesn't suit a family that wants resort grounds or a slide.

Pool

Yes

Free breakfast

Yes