My Son Attended a Hotel Kids’ Camp Designed for Toddlers—and It Was the Best Decision Ever

We’ve taken our son on dozens of trips over the past two and a half years, and each time, he’s looking for one thing: more entertainment. And ideally, more kids to play with. So, when I learned the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai was hosting a camp specifically designed for toddlers, I knew we had to hop over to the Big Island to check it out.

My husband and I have stayed at the Hualalai before, but as with most things, parenthood has changed up our amenity priorities. Now in its 30th year and current ranking as the best resort in the country, according to the U.S. News & World Report, (and a 2026 Sunset Wellness & Beauty Awards winner) I’d like to take it a step further and call it the best resort in the country for kids and multi-generational travelers.

The Four Seasons has mastered the art of luxury vacations for adults and kids alike. From the moment you check in, little ones are given a special shell necklace and a glass of authentic POG (short for passionfruit, orange, and guava) juice. Even weeks later, our son requests to wear his necklace around the house from time to time. During our walk through the property, I felt an overwhelming sense of calm, something I didn’t expect from a resort crawling with babies and kids.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Sprinkled along the coast, you’ll find room blocks in one of five “crescents.” We were conveniently appointed to a room in the Sea Shell crescent, arguably the most family-friendly of them all. This set of rooms overlooks the infinity edged Sea Shell Pool and the Keiki Children’s Pool, a shallower, white sand-bottomed pool with a crate of toys. It’s also home to an all-you-can-eat keiki buffet, serving up favorites like mac and cheese, burgers, and fruits and veggies from 11 to 2 p.m. each day—a.k.a., a kid’s dream setup. Around 3 p.m., pool attendants stop by with complimentary popsicles in flavors like Kona coffee and POG (This soon became our post-naptime ritual). 

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Steps away is the Ocean Pool, the Four Seasons’ name for the “pool” in the sea, created by natural lava rock. A short walk down the coast, King’s Pond crescent provides families with a chance to see (and swim) with more than 1,000 tropical fish and an eagle ray named Kainalu in the saltwater aquarium pool. And no trip is complete without shave ice from the Surf Shack.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

On day three of our visit, our son attended the Christopher Robin Summer Camp, a four-day offering led by mother-daughter duo Susan Huber and Elizabeth de Roo. Together, they co-direct Christopher Robin Preschool in Los Angeles, originally founded in 1960 by Susan’s mother and Elizabeth’s grandmother, Vera Sandler. Their program’s core values are belonging, empowerment, and complexity, which they’ve highlighted in the Hualalai curriculum.

“They’re completely interconnected, and that’s what makes our program unique,” de Roo explains. “When you have belonging, kids feel a sense of community. They’re connected to each other and the teachers, and we’re facilitating and supporting that. We also really want children to feel empowered, confident, and capable. Complexity is our third value, and that really speaks to bringing in more complicated and challenging elements. Yesterday, we went on a hike with a group of children, and they were saying, ‘We’re strong! We’re mighty! We can do this!’”

Most luxury resorts have limited options for toddler parents, but for the past two years, Huber and de Roo have brought their play-centered educational skills for Big Island fun and learning. From the moment they joined the class, pint-size participants were encouraged to engage in arts and crafts, water play, and seashell and rock collecting. Our son was beaming when we picked him up; so much so that he begged to stay longer. He raved about his experience, and spent the rest of the trip talking about the “adventure” they went on—a short hike on the property led by the three instructors and four other campers—and the tasty snacks, of course.

“We thought there was a way to combine what we do best with preschool and really think about the surroundings, and incorporate nature and the culture, and really be rooted in a sense of place,” de Roo continues. “[Ages] 2 to 5 is a wide range, which is why we have activities that are open-ended, so that the children are able to approach it at their level.”

While he was busy at camp, my husband and I had a rare moment for a stroller-free stroll through the property and the surrounding area, and I squeezed in a prenatal massage at the Kona Spa. I found out I was pregnant shortly after planning the trip, but the resort readily accommodated my last-minute modification. My masseuse was also a trained doula, who guided me through the gentle, relaxed 50-minute treatment. At one point, she needed me to loosen up and drop the weight of my arm, but I inadvertently resisted.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

“It’s hard to let go, isn’t it?” she asked kindly.

In more ways than one, I thought to myself, but simply replied, “yes,” with a nervous giggle. But when you and your child are in the trusted, five-star service hands of the Four Seasons staff, it’s that much easier to exhale.