Friends with children often ask us for kid-friendly vacation ideas, and the Hawaiian island of Kauai is always at the top of our recommendation list. Whether it’s hiking Waimea Canyon or sailing along the Na Pali Coast, spotting a humpback whale breaching offshore or taking a surf lesson in Hanalei Bay, Kauai is filled with incredible experiences you’re bound to bond over.

One of our favorite, family-friendly hotels on the island is the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. It’s a big property (602 rooms) but, spread across 50 acres, it rarely feels crowded. This hotel is a particularly great pick if your kids love to swim—between two outdoor pools (one is adults only), a 1.5 acre saltwater swimming lagoon, and the beach, there’s plenty of waterside real estate to relax by. The hotel also offers a day camp for kids, where activities like hula and ukulele lessons keep them happily entertained should parents want time to play a game of tennis or a round of golf overlooking the Pacific at Poipu Bay Golf Course. One must-do while you’re here: a massage at Anara Spa, the largest on the island, where guests wind their way through quiet paths lined with hibiscus and bougainvillea to thatched-roof treatment rooms that include private, outdoor lava rock showers. We’d spring for the p0haku treatment, an 80-minute massage with hot stones and warm Hawaiian oils.

swimming lagoon

suite bedroom

Anara Spa treatment room with outdoor shower

Poipu Bay Golf Course