“It’s like my birthday, Christmas and Thanksgiving all smooshed into one!” your little one says, leaping off the couch into your arms.
“Smooshed?” you ask.
She nods. “Smooshed.”
She’s right. Your time together at Koloa Landing has been the best family vacation ever.
You think, How could it possibly be over already? Your friend said Koloa Landing was one of the best resorts in Kauai for families and he was spot on.
Even your teenager has been smiling.
When you first arrived your kids dropped their bags and ran across the resort’s expansive Garden Lawn.
They jumped up and down at the sight of the massive pools and thundering waterfalls and pointed to the crystal blue ocean beyond.
“Race you to the waterslides!” they yelled.
Your villa is a huge suite of rooms with floor-to-ceiling glass doors in the living room leading out to a spacious lanai. You had your gourmet kitchen stocked with healthy local foods before arriving and have used the ensuite washer-dryer six times (and counting). It’s been like having your own family beach house but with the service of a fine resort.
Another shocker: The dearth of electronics in your kids’ hands. Endless fun activities have replaced them.
Yup. You’re pretty sure this is the best family resort on Kauai.
Now your wife and kids are sprawled on the couches, still in pajamas. Everyone is trying hard to stay positive even though it’s the last day here
. “Okay,” you say, lowering your daughter into your wife’s lap. “We can’t just sit here on our last day! Let’s throw out suggestions of what we most want to do.” Everyone starts calling out ideas. You slowly realize that these are all things you’ve done already. They suggest you all could:
Take over a big poolside cabana for the day and order piles of tropical fruit and french fries.
With four acres filled with 350,000 gallons of water, Koloa Landing Resort’s main pool is a show-stopping, eye-popping extravaganza. Voted 2020 “Best Hotel Pool in America,” and a “Readers’ Choice 10 Best Pool” a cabana awaits the pool embodies the concept of mauka makai which in Hawaiian means it flows “from the mountaintops down to the sea.” Takeaway: Lots of room to swim here!
From the swim-through grotto, to endless supplies of food and drink, to cabanas and a friendly vibe – let the young ones play hid and seek in the waterfalls, as your teenager takes selfies over the infinity edge.
And for the adults in the family, escape in our Tranquility Pool…
Videotape each other taking crazy rides down the water slides.
Your spouse waves from the top of the lava-rocks and slides out of the tube like a rocket into the pool followed closely by your teen. Your turn. It’s fast and fun. Your littles announce that they’ll show you all how it’s done. They fly out of the tube into the air, howling with laughter, arms and legs flailing before splash landing into the water. They pop back up and high-five each other.
Takeaway: “That was AWESOME!”
Get gear at the poolside Activity Hut for awesome snorkeling at the edge of the resort.
Let the games begin! Right now, Koloa Landing Resort offers 7 awesome, fun-packed games for the kids: Duck Soup, Frozen Tee Race, Soaked Tee Relay, It!, The Invisible Bottle Quest, Popsicle and Noodle Joust!
Snorkeling is one of the most popular activities for individuals and families during their vacations on the beautiful, big island of Kauai. With our location alongside Poipu Beach, Koloa Landing® Resort offers immediate access to some of the best snorkeling spots on Kauai’s North Shore and South Shore side of the island including Napali Coast, Ke’e Beach, Anini Beach, Tunnels Beach and Lawai Beach.
Snorkeling Kauai is an underwater lover’s dream. Marine life is beautiful and abundant, waters are turquoise and blue, clear as can be, and the sunshine is plentiful all year round. Not to mention, this activity is perfect for all ages of your family.
If you want to be adventurous, cruise and snorkeling adventures are less than $200 per person. They take you on a half-day journey, where you’re sure to gawk over our lush land and seascapes.
If boat tours really aren’t for you, don’t worry. You can still snorkel and see a fantastic array of tropical fish and sea life on most beaches. Poipu Beach is known for its reef and marine life, a place where sea turtles often make appearances and show off their swim technique. Our Kauai resort staff can also tell you where to rent gear so you can snorkel the sea close to your aloha home.
Ask the concierge to book a ziplining adventure.
The Koloa Zipline runs right through a massive rainforest and you will be soaked to the skin by the time you’re done anyhow! Koloa Zipline has the longest lines on the island and offers various zip positions (soar like a superhero, anyone?) making this a bucket list adventure for the whole family.
Koloa Landing Resort’s Personal Concierge Team is your one-stop adventure spot for activities at the resort and beyond. Beyond Ziplining, our concierge team has an awesome list of Top-Ten must-do activities.
Grill fresh mahi-mahi at the poolside barbecues
with those other fun families.
The Lagoon Pool is the second largest of the resort’s three pools. This lush oasis is peaceful now as the tiki torches flicker against a pink-and-orange sky. Everyone in your family seems to have forgotten what shoes are — and that suits you just fine. The kids dip their toes into the shallow end while you and your husband head to the barbecues.
For more information about our poolside barbecues, fishing spots or where to find the best groceries on the South Shore, connect with our concierge team at 808-240-6600, [email protected] or Koloa Landing Resort. We can even help you find squid bait. Happy grilling!
Family Movie Marathon Night while Mom and Dad sneak off for a champagne couple’s massage at the spa.
Over the decades, Hawaiian culture has been evident in Hollywood. Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra were amongst notable actors who shot films on Kauai, the 1976 version of King Kong was filmed on Kauai, and the island continued to become a choice destination for top directors, including Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner, and the A-list actors they worked with and the top-flight movies they made.
Once the kids are wiped from the poolside activities, let them sit, and enjoy Widescreen HD movies, while Mom and Dad set-off to enjoy the luxurious spa.
The crowning glory of our spa is a warm coconut milk scalp treatment, that is just about the best thing either of you has ever experienced with your towels on. Beyond that, Koloa Landing Resort offers a sprawling 4,000 sq ft day spa with five private treatment rooms, including 2 couples’ treatment rooms and the island’s only all-copper Japanese Ofuro Soaking tub. Treat yourself!
Celebrity chef Sam Choy’s life-altering triple-fish poke platters at the Holoholo Grill
No family trip is complete until Chef Choy cooks up a famous dinner!
A collaboration with James Beard award-winning chef Sam Choy, the Holoholo Grill serves up gastro-inspired Hawaiian comfort food in a modern outdoor space. Choy, a local legend turned television celebrity, brings all the freshest seasonal flavors of the island directly to your plate. Known as the Godfather of Poke (rhymes with “okay”) with eateries from here to Washington state, Choy has helped make the delicacy a global staple. In most big cities today you ca
n’t swing a catfish without hitting a poke restaurant.
Ride in the Jeep with the top off up the coast.
A family vacation in Hawaii won’t be complete until you Jeep off the coast, where you can visit Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
No matter where your starting point may be, pretty much every road on Kauai leads somewhere worth exploring and the drive itself is always a pleasure. With the island prone to microclimates, chances are it is not raining at your new destination.
Hop into a Jeep, and head to The Kalalau Trail extending 11-miles and is broken into four different sections. Depending on the level of exertion you’re looking for, any specific sites you may want to view, and how long you want to spend, you’ll be able to tackle different challenges.
Play hide-and-seek in the main pool’s waterfall grotto with new friends.
Beyond snorkeling and the awesome games listed above, playing hid and go seek in our top-rated pool is adventurous for all. After 37 fist-pumping splash landings into a waterfall-fed pool with high fives all around, you decide you’ve made your point and leave the kiddos to it. Nope! Time to play with them.
Enjoy the rooster-serenaded stroll and see who can count the most baby chicks along the way.
Looking for a way to cool off and enjoy a local specialty during your stay at Koloa Landing Resort? Take a stroll down to Lappert’s Ice Cream for salted caramel coconut waffle cones or try numerous famed ice shavings throughout the community.
Watch dad’s hilarious hula dance moves on stage at the resort’s super cool Royal Luau extravaganza.
“But we’ve done all these!” you laugh. The kids chime in that they want to do them all again!
“Wait!” you say. “Hold on . . . Maybe . . . Maybe we should just extend our stay for a few more days.” There’s a moment of silence as they assess your level of seriousness . . . They look at mom. She’s smiling. Then everyone starts cheering and dancing around the room, pillows flying. The kids are hugging you — and each other. Your wife hugs you, too.
Suddenly it feels like your birthday, Christmas and Thanksgiving . . . all smooshed into one. And you like it.
You like it a lot.
For the best Kauai family vacation ever, go to www.koloalandingresort.com
by Erica Karlin, Koloa Landing