Waikiki Beach is for swimming, surfing, tanning, and playing, NOT snorkeling

When you take a look around Waikiki beach, it is hard to believe that just 80 years ago, this beach was a swamp. Today, scores of families and visitors make the journey to Waikiki beach, and take advantage of the many opportunities that are presented to them. Waikiki is a very user-friendly beach; easy to find things to do-like getting surfing instructions and going for a jaunt in a sailboat-and easy to get access to.

The general Waikiki area, including the beach, are all about catering to your need for relaxing and enjoying yourself. Depending on the age of your children and their gender, they may prefer playing in the sand and ocean all day long (if they are young) or if they are older, they will probably want to spend their time shopping at the International Market and Royal Hawaiian Shopping center, just off Kalakaua Ave and Duke's Lane. If you plan to go shopping or let you kids shop, please warn them that everything is priced high and you are expected to bargain for your deals. We have seen some unsuspecting tourists walk away paying through the nose for some Hawaiian shirts and grumble about the high cost. That was their fault! You only pay what you are comfortable paying! If it is too high, walk away! This almost never fails to get the seller to lower their prices and give you a more fair deal. If you plan to spend your Hawaii family vacation getaway sunning and relaxing, remember to put a lot of sunscreen on (you should wear at least SPF 15 and preferably 30). Because Waikiki beach and Hawaii in general is on so close to the equator, the sun's UV rays are far more damaging than the rays you experience in the Northern Hemisphere of mainland U.S. or Europe.

If you have heard that putting cocoa butter or some other kinds of oil onto your skin while trying to tan yourself-forget it. Many unfortunate souls who have heard this myth have had to spend time in the emergency room treating 3rd degree burns. Don't use oils to enhance your tan! Your stay at Waikiki Beach will be far more pleasurable if you take the time to put on SPF 30 every few hours or so and protect your skin from burning to a crisp. If your children are going to be playing in the Waikiki beach water a lot, then you should consider buying a gel-type sunscreen. This type of sunscreen will stay on longer. If you just plan to wander around and stay out of the water, then you can use any one of the lotions without worry.

Waikiki Beach really caters to the swimmers and sun-worshipers. Waikiki is not a snorkeling beach. The waters are really crowded with people and many of the surfers don't appreciate having to look out for heads bobbing up and down in the water. If you want a good place to snorkel then take your family to Hanauma Bay or Shark's Cove.

Waikiki Beach is often a favorite for Hawaii family vacation getaways because it is literally right next to some of the big hotels and only a couple blocks away from some of the more inexpensive hotels. Many families with younger children like Waikiki beach because it has a little of everything and you can virtually spend your entire Hawaii vacation in the Waikiki area and never have to go anywhere else. Of course this would be a shame, since the island of Oahu has so much to offer, but every family has their own specific needs and desires.

If you plan to spend most of your family vacation getaway at Waikiki beach, then you should consider the following tips: Waikiki is a very long sandy beach, but the waters have reef and rocks that will cut feet up. Bring along reef shoes or water shoes and save yourself the the trouble of treating cut up feet. You can find cheap throw away shoes at Wal-mart for about $5. If you plan to do a lot of laying around, then buy a cheap bamboo mat to lie on. These mats are easy to roll up and don't retain the sand like beach towels do. You may find them more comfortable than towels too. Check with an information desk for when movies and fun events are planned. During most of the year, the city planning commission will set up a big screen and show a movie on the beach after sunset. This is way cool and your family will love the atmosphere of "beach movie." If you want to avoid some of the crowds, get to the beach earlier in the day and you will find that you can get your pick of the prime spots. As the day wears on, the beach will get really crowded and you will find a good spot harder to come by.