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Aloha Kids
Experiencing Hawaii, Family Style
By Elisa Ast All
800) 819-5053
www.fourseasons.com
Most of the hotels and resorts on Hawaii's Big Island are on the Kona/Kailua side, which is the west side – and the driest and sunniest part of the island. The Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort is an oceanfront resort that has gone to great lengths to provide a memorable Hawaiian experience to groups and families alike. The pace is slow and everything is new, as the hotel recently experienced a multi-million-dollar facelift. As part of this renovation, the d袯r creates a traditional "old-Hawaii" atmosphere with milled bamboo, Koa wood, which is considered to be the king of the Hawaiian forest trees, and a full-size authentic outrigger canoe in the lobby.
The open-air ambience is refreshing, and every room has a mini-refrigerator for snacks and drinks. Kids love the great beach, pool, Kids Club and snack bar. Whale watching and glass-bottom boats leave from the resort's beach, and the snorkeling is spectacular just a few hundred feet from the hotel, with sea turtles and tropical fish in warm, shallow water that stays shallow a long way out.
At the Outrigger, there are both a championship course (the King's Course) and a Beach Course with perfect ocean views. And just as every resort has golf, most also have their own in-house spas and salons. The Outrigger's Kalona Spa offers one of the largest selections of services, with manicures, pedicures and facials.
While you are enjoying the spa or a round of golf, your kids can be entertained at the hotel's Cowabunga Kids Club. Or, for smaller family members, he concierge will make arrangements for a bonded nanny to come to the hotel to baby-sit.
