Paradise and kids' stuff

I was in big trouble.

Two hours into a Hawaiian vacation, my 14-year-old stepdaughter, Dana, and I sat lounging by the pool at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on the Big Island. Already she had sampled an open-face lobster BLT for lunch, downed a mango smoothie, ducked under the waterfall of the Sea Shell Pool, and swum in the ocean. Relaxing on a lounge chair, she ate a Popsicle and asked quite seriously, "Are we going to do nothing all week?"

"Nothing" sounded like paradise to me, especially because this was our first major trip with 5-month-old daughter Carolyn. Problem is, my husband and I had molded Dana into a different type of traveler. Our vacations usually involved rising with the sun and resting only when our weary feet demanded it.

We chose a Hawaiian vacation for a much different experience. We now had children separated in age by 14 years. Finding a vacation suitable for both was not easy. Plus, my husband and I needed a rest - babies will do that to you.

But there I sat, before having a chance to soak away life's stress or sample my first mai tai, and suddenly this trip had the earmarks of disaster. The 14-year-old wasn't buying into paradise.

"This is Hawaii," I tried to explain. "The idea is to relax, enjoy the pools, play in the ocean."

She simply stared at me. I held my breath. Then she shrugged and asked, "And drink more smoothies?"

Turns out, it involved four more smoothies, two Hawaiian shave ices, a whole lot of seafood dishes, plus snorkeling, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, seashell collecting, arts and crafts, a ukulele lesson, shopping, attending a luau, and dining, with the ocean as our constant companion. Not exactly nothing, but more than enough to keep our entire family happy for five days on the Big Island.

We divided our trip between two oceanfront Kailua-Kona properties: the secluded, five-star Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and the budget-friendly, centrally located King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel (slated to become a Marriott Courtyard this year).

To start our vacation, we had to take care of some important business. Namely, introducing the baby to a real pool.

For that we tapped the talent of Rita Hirai, who oversees the Four Seasons' "Mommy, Daddy & Me" swim lessons, designed for children 8 weeks to 4 years old but also for anxious parents, like me. Hirai works with up to four children in each session.