Another vote for Maui. South Maui (Kihei or Wailea specifically). Almost guaranteed great weather, the ocean is a gorgeous temperature and so many beautiful beaches

My daughter and I stayed at the Prince Waikiki -- it was great. Nice rooms, beautiful views, nice in-house sushi place, easy access to beaches, which sometimes were crowded but not in a bad way, and other times not crowded at all. I liked Honolulu a lot, some parts of it are quite sedate, and then you can drive to all sorts of other beaches on Oahu. It's the western end of Waikiki so away from all the shops, though those are fun to go to as well

I was there recently and didn't stay on the beach or in Waikiki. But every morning, we did a different hike and then went to a different beach. And the only one that was kind of crowded was Waimea Bay. But otherwise we had so much space to spread out at Waimanalo, Waiʻalae, Kalama, Ala Moana. So if you are ok with driving you can go to a ton of beaches! But they don't have hotels on them. For just a straight sit on the beach vacation, Carribean is a better choice.

I like “The Hawaii Vacation Guide” website and YouTube channel. I have used a lot of their recommendations for areas to stay and hotels.

I live on Oahu and Ko Olina is one of my go-to beaches. It is off the beaten track, culturally speaking, but if you just want to relax it’s perfect. Many local families bring their kids to the lagoons because it is so safe. There are a lot of restaurants and shopping nearby in Kapolei. The weather is cooling down after a hot summer, btw.

Check the box jellyfish calendar before booking if possible. They arrive on southern and western beaches about 9-10 days after the full moon.

https://www.waikikiaquarium.org/interact/box-jellyfish-calendar/

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all this input. Beach and swimming are a priority but I also want to see a little bit of something else while we’re there. We’ll be there five nights total.

Visit Hanauma Bay for snorkeling.

Anonymous wrote:10 day forecast Maui
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Lahaina+HI?canonicalCityId=8e7d5c51a966b71b61e8cc1e0c81a7f4
10 day forecast Honolulu
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Honolulu+HI?canonicalCityId=afcd76627b1330b624c1907273050126

If your kid is too dumb or lazy to google leave her home.

Thanks. When we checked a couple of days ago the weather app showed a 10-degree difference in highs between the two islands. This is helpful, even if your tone is weirdly hostile.

Anonymous wrote:The Sheraton at Waikiki is surprisingly nice.

+1. Or stay in KoOlina if you want a less busy beach. It’s beautiful over there and you can rent a beachfront condo if the hotels are too pricey.

I would strongly advise against Oahu/Honolulu. Expensive and the worst experience of the islands.

10 day forecast Maui
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Lahaina+HI?canonicalCityId=8e7d5c51a966b71b61e8cc1e0c81a7f4
10 day forecast Honolulu
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Honolulu+HI?canonicalCityId=afcd76627b1330b624c1907273050126

If your kid is too dumb or lazy to google leave her home.

I would not travel all the way to Hawaii for Waikiki.

We stay there every Christmas and its a great hotel. You can walk down the beach and its a great home base for all over the island. You can rent a car for a day or even do a one day trip to Maui- flight is less than 30 minutes or so.

The Sheraton at Waikiki is surprisingly nice.

Thanks for all this input. Beach and swimming are a priority but I also want to see a little bit of something else while we’re there. We’ll be there five nights total.