Don't let the name fool you. The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa has a lot to offer adrenaline-fueled families. It's so kid-friendly you can take your tot and still get out and explore Hawaii's wildest island. It's also breathtaking: The Hyatt sits on 52 acres (21 hectares) of the southern coast, overlooking the Pacific.
Just make sure to take a break from golf and tennis to explore the island’s 552 square miles (1,430 square kilometers): hike sections of the rugged Nā Pali Coast's Kalalau Trail for access to dramatic oceanside cliffs or paddle the Hanalei River to the mountain-ringed Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge. Sign on for a guided coastal kayaking trip or blast by bike from the rim of Waimea Canyon to the Pacific (12 miles/19 kilometers) of paved downhill. Use the resort as your adventure launchpad—the concierge can help you set up anything from helicopter tours to surfing lessons
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Say goodbye to crowded Alaska cruises. Instead, imagine your family aboard your own floating base camp, nearly one on one with minke whales, barking sea lions, and humpbacks breaching right off the bow. A small-boat expedition with Wilderness Travel lets you explore Glacier Bay at your own pace. “On the big cruise ships you get a lot of shuffleboard, but not much Alaska,” says trip director Barbara Banks. “With our vessels you can sneak into hidden inlets and coves or position yourself near a calving glacier.” And that’s only the beginning. The 52-foot (16-meter) Whale Song is a multisport launchpad, so you can kayak or run skiffs to shore to track bears, pick wild strawberries, or walk out onto a frozen glacier.
At secluded Dundas Bay, towering mountains drop straight down into the glassy water. Your personal onboard naturalist will be your guide as you paddle past river otters and pods of orca to discover moss-draped old-growth forests and wildflower meadows before returning to a dinner of fresh Dungeness crab. Kids dig tide pooling, listening to underwater whale calls with the boat’s hydrophone, or playing with the live-aboard labradoodle, Bear. “Bear is nuts for kayaking,” says Banks. “For some kids, he makes the trip.”
