I love autumn. It’s my favorite time of the year. Unfortunately, it goes by way too quickly and it’s always followed by the season I dread the most—winter. I grew up in Hawaii and now live in Wisconsin where the winters usually last about 9 months. Each year I find myself having to dig deeper and deeper to find the fortitude to withstand yet another round of brutal winter weather.
Thankfully, my family still lives in Hawaii and winter is the ideal time to go home for a visit. There is very little that a few weeks in the Hawaiian sun can’t cure. If you live in a part of the world where winter seems like an endless joke, and you’re the only one not laughing, I would highly recommend escaping to paradise… and bring your kids. (Obviously, I do.)
Some people might try to convince you to leave them with the grandparents or other family members so you and your spouse can spend some alone time in the Islands. But, what many tourists don’t realize is that most of the state’s hotels and condos offer programs specifically tailored to children. It gives your kids time to participate in organized activities with others their age while you and your better half can have “adult time,” and in the end, everyone wins.
One of the most comprehensive and popular kids club programs in the state is located at the Kapalua Villas on the island of Maui. The Kapalua Keiki (Hawaiian for children) Club Program has been profiled on various travel shows and in a number of national publications.
The program is geared towards guests 5-to 15-years-old. Each child is able to choose from a bevy of activities that spotlight Maui’s unique landscape. The Keiki Club Program also provides its young guests with opportunities to learn about Hawaiian history, culture and art through educational activities. Some of the activities encourage parental participation, which allows moms, dads and kids to spend quality time with each other while enjoying a game of tennis or swimming with giant turtles during snorkeling expeditions.
Besides tennis (kids play for free at the Kapalua Tennis Garden when accompanied by a paying adult guest), Keiki Club participants can also learn how to play golf at the Kapalua Golf Academy. Golf clinics are open to kids 7 years and older and take place at the high-tech golf training facility, featuring an 85,000-square-foot grass teeing area, several practice putting greens, greenside and fairway bunkers, an 18-hole putting course, and a full staff of PGA teaching professionals.
After a round of golf your kids can get a view of Hawaii from underwater. As part of the Keiki Club Program, Kapalua Dive Company offers kids a complimentary snorkel set when accompanied by a paying adult guest. In addition to the snorkeling, kids can take advantage of other complimentary water sports equipment, including kayaks, water bikes, boogie boards and surfboards.
The Keiki Club Program also offers a number of educational opportunities for youngsters including an ocean conservation tour where kids learn about unique marine and shoreline species. The free activities range from flora and fauna hikes to marine adventure tours. The kids’ program also features Hawaiian cultural art classes. Here children are taught about the state’s ethnic diversity through hands-on arts-and-crafts lessons.
Before you and your child head back to the mainland your youngster will receive a free gift pack from the Kapalua Villas, which includes a cooler/carrier, Kapalua Resort baseball hat and a voucher for ice cream.
For more information and details on how you can enroll your child in the Kapalua Keiki Club Program click here.
Visiting Hawaii? Check out these other related articles:
Traveling To Hawaii—With Your Pet
Hawaii–Visiting the Big Island’s Best Waterfalls
Hawaiian 101: “Was that Mauka or Makai?”
Adventure Travel–Swimming With Sharks
Adventure Travel–A Trip to the “Valley of the Kings”
Visiting the World’s Largest Outdoor Shopping Center
Destination: Hawaii–A Great Family Beach
Visiting Hawaii’s “White Mountain”