Aloha Reader, If you're in the middle of planning a summer Hawaii trip, one of the first things you need to lock down is where you're staying. Prices go up fast and availability disappears faster. So today I'm sharing my actual favorite hotels on each island, the ones I personally recommend to families and have either stayed at myself or know really well. Let's go island by island. Oahu The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach is where we stayed in February and I came away genuinely impressed. The...
5 days ago • 2 min read
Aloha Reader, Something funny happened last week. Within a few days, several different people reached out and asked me basically the same thing: "Marcie, can you just look at my itinerary and tell me if it's good?" So I built a service for exactly that. Starting now, you can submit your Hawaii itinerary for a full review. I'll go through it, flag anything that concerns me, answer your itinerary-specific questions, and send it back to you within 48 hours. It's $50. This is a great fit for you...
8 days ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader! I'm just going to be upfront with you: Hawaii is not cheap, and the numbers have gone up. If you've been Googling "how much does a Hawaii trip cost" and getting estimates that feel surprisingly low, it's probably because those articles are using old data. Here's what the realistic picture looks like for a family of four in summer 2026. Flights This is where a lot of families get sticker shock. The old benchmark of $450 to $900 per person roundtrip that you'll still see in a lot...
14 days ago • 2 min read
Aloha Reader! I got a version of this question a lot in February: "We have 10 days in Hawaii. Should we do one island or two?" Sometimes it's "should we do Maui or Oahu for our first trip." Sometimes it's "we really want to see both but we're not sure we have enough time." The wording changes but the underlying question is the same. How do we make sure we're making the right call on something this big? Here's the honest answer: it depends, and the things it depends on are really specific to...
19 days ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader! Here's something I wish more families knew before they started planning: the activities are not something you figure out once you get there. The good ones sell out. Sometimes months out. And finding out your must-do luau has no availability for your dates is a really deflating moment when you're excited about a trip. So let's talk about what to book, when to book it, and a couple of things to watch out for. Before anything else, check the fine print. If anyone in your family...
21 days ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, This week alone, I've gotten 7 emails and 15 Instagram DMs asking some version of the same question. It even came up in two of my consultations. So if you've been wondering whether you should cancel your upcoming Hawaii trip, you are not alone, and I want to give you a real answer. A powerful Kona low moved through Hawaii starting March 10th. It brought flooding, road closures, wind damage, and disruption across all the islands. It was a serious storm, and communities are still...
27 days ago • 2 min read
Aloha Reader! If you've been casually thinking "we should do Hawaii this summer," this is your sign to stop thinking and start booking. I know that sounds dramatic, but I hear from families every year who waited too long and ended up with fewer options, worse rooms, and higher prices than they expected. Summer is genuinely the most competitive time to visit Hawaii, and the window for getting the good stuff is closing faster than most people realize. Here's why: when school lets out on the...
28 days ago • 2 min read
Aloha Reader! I just got back from two weeks in Hawaii — Oahu and Maui — with my 12-year-old, and I'm still in that phase where I'm unpacking my bag and thinking "yes, glad I brought that" and "ok, never packing that again." So while it's fresh, here's what actually made the trip better. The tripod This was my best decision. Traveling solo with my son means either asking strangers to take our photo (hit or miss) or handing the phone to a 12-year-old who will absolutely find a weird angle or...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Aloha Reader! If planning your Hawaii trip with kids feels overwhelming… you are not doing it wrong. Hawaii just has too many options.Too many islands. Too many resorts. Too many “must-do” lists. And most parents don’t have time to sit and read blog posts for hours. So I made this easier. Here's a pic from our recent Maui trip. I pulled together the most helpful podcast episodes for overwhelmed Hawaii parents. These are the ones that walk you through decisions step-by-step in a way that...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read