If there is one thing that got our hearts through the past couple years, it’s been the hope of revisiting Hawaii Island (you might know it as “the Big Island”) with our family. We went with my parents and my sister and her family in 2019 and it was one of the most special places we’ve ever stayed. So this summer we were so thankful that we could return to Kamilo at Mauna Lani again. (We have now rented from a company called Paradise in Hawaii twice and we really love this place.). It is relatively easy to get to the Island of Hawaii from Seattle, there are at least a few direct flights daily with Alaska Air.
Staying at the Kamilo at Mauna Lani as a family
When we travel with my parents and sister and her family we are a group of 10 people. We found the Kamilo at Mauna Lani when searching for rentals in 2019 and it has rentals that accommodate 10 people. We also like this rental because it comes with a pass to a clubhouse on a beach where we can park easily-it has its own area and it is walkable to the Mauna Lani hotel and by some gorgeous salt ponds where we love to go and watch the sun set. The snorkeling at this little beach is pretty incredible and it is one of our favorite spots on the island. It’s also a very peaceful place where we don’t usually see many other groups.
The other nice thing about having a townhome rental like this is that it has a kitchen. This makes a vacation more reasonable and I find I have a hard time eating in restaurants and looking for food if we are away from home for longer than a few days. We stop at the Costco near the airport to stock up on things that we need for a week like milk, eggs, salads and snacks and then we go to local grocery stores to get the rest. My mom really liked going to the KTA in Waimea and I appreciated having the Woodland nearby (we’ve biked there from the rental before on days it’s not too hot).
The rental houses at the Kamilo at Mauna Lani also all have amenities like bikes, beach toys, umbrellas, chairs and boogie boards which make the beach more fun and it’s nice not having to buy or rent these things. At night time we also really love to end the day with a.swim at the pool-the stars and palm trees make it really beautiful. And last time we liked the Surrey bike rental but this trip it was a little too warm to ride it around and we spent many of the mornings going snorkeling instead.
Things to do nearby the Mauna Lani
Since we last came to the Island of Hawaii there are so many new things that have popped up. Last time we visited we loved the luau at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. This time we spent a lot of time at the beaches and visiting local farms. I really wanted to go to the Octopus Farm and the Salt farm (we’ve been to a really cool one in Okinawa before) but we did not book in time for the Octopus Farm and ran out of time for the Salt Farm. There is even an abalone farm you can visit too. Instead we checked out a vanilla farm, a chocolate farm/factory and a few coffee places. There are now 600 coffee farms on the Island and many of them are growing chocolate now too.
Our biggest family highlight was renting a private boat tour from Alii Ocean Tours that was recommended by a friend. The dock is not too far from Costco so it’s an easy trip to pair with a shopping/gas trip and we did a four hour tour that included lunch. Because we were the only ones on the boat, we were asked what we wanted to see and do-we said dolphins, Kealakekua Bay and see a few sea caves and somehow we managed to get to see everything we asked for along with a reef shark and a few sea turtles too.
We also wanted to revisit the Coffee Shack together but didn’t get a chance for all of us to go. So we’ll definitely have to come back again one day.
Could there be a more perfect resort for a multigenerational trip?
After two visits, we know this is the perfect type of place for a family trip. Closer to home, maybe Seabrook in Washington state is one of the only other places we’ve found with this type of variety of house rental that can give everyone something they like to do too. Next year we’re thinking of looking in Europe-I saw many families booking trips to villas with pools in Spain and France this summer. Having ample space to relax and eat together as well as being close to activities seems to be key with these kinds of trips. (And especially if there is a pool for the kids too!)
Have you ever been to the Island of Hawaii? And do you have other suggestions for our next big family trip?
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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