Tia Carrere's family guide to visiting Hawaii

The actress has deep Hawaiian roots and loves sharing her culture via music, films and moments spent with family. Here are her favourite ways to find "ohana" in Hawaii.

Twenty-three years after lending her voice to Lilo's big sister Nani in the Lilo & Stitch animated film, Tia Carrere is coming full-circle as she stars in the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch film as a new character, Mrs Kekoa, a no-nonsense social worker. But the role is also a chance for Carrere to do one of the things she loves most: showcase her Hawaiian heritage.

"I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii," Carrere tells the BBC from Maui's pristine Napili Bay, where she's joined longtime musical collaborator Daniel Ho to perform in George Kahumoku Jr.'s Hawaii Masters Tour. "It informs everything about me."

Carrere's Hollywood career famously began when she was discovered at a supermarket in Waikiki as a 17-year-old. "I always say that people come to Hollywood from somewhere else to become something else," she muses. "I think because I was born and raised in Hawaii, it's really grounded me. It's my grandma's homespun knowledge; the golden rule, very simple… and that's Hawaii. I love Hawaii."

Carrere has lived in Los Angeles for decades but has never forgotten the concept or the feeling of ohana (family). "Family to Hawaiians means a solid base that you can trust to have your back – always," says Carrere, who returns regularly to visit. "… [And] Hawaii is a great place to vacation with your family, because the most delightful things about Hawaii don't have to cost you anything more than just flying here and staying here…. Because you walk out your door and you're in the ocean. The kids can build sandcastles on the beach. They can collect flowers. They can go hiking through a bamboo forest. They can see birds that they've never seen anywhere before. They can snorkel and see fishes and coral that they've never seen before. Anywhere you go, it's absolutely delightful, and it's all just right there… It's the Earth."

Here are Carrere's favourite ways to enjoy ohana in Hawaii.

"I love this place for families," says Carrere – mother to 19-year-old Bianca and auntie to several nieces and nephews. "You get off the plane here [in Maui] and [a sign says], 'Maui has eight of the 10 most-dangerous beaches in Hawaii for spinal cord injury.' I guess it's the way the water sucks up and comes down. It's a wicked shore break. So it makes it very dangerous, particularly for kids. That's why I love Napili Bay. It's cove-like, it protects you."

Carrere loves staying at Napili Kai Beach Resort in Napili Bay, an idyllic half-moon-shaped resort beach in West Maui that's refreshingly less-crowded than many of its sister beaches. Napili Kai Beach Resort's vintage gabled wooden structure is likewise a throwback to a simpler time.

Carrere loves staying at Napili Kai Beach Resort in Napili Bay, an idyllic half-moon-shaped resort beach in West Maui that's refreshingly less-crowded than many of its sister beaches. Napili Kai Beach Resort's vintage gabled wooden structure is likewise a throwback to a simpler time.

"It reminds me of when I was a kid," says Carrere of the boutique resort; originally built in the 1960s. "It's not luxe; it doesn't have elevators to get to the second floor with your luggage. But I like it. It's got refrigerators in the room, and whatever you need for kids, but it's mostly about the bay and how simple and charming it is. It's the best quaint time capsule of a hotel in Hawaii."

Napili Kai offers spacious one-room suites with oceanfront, beach and garden views. Visitors can swim, snorkel or relax on the beach, and dine at the property's casual snack bar or award-winning Sea House restaurant. Best of all? The resort offers dining and activity programmes that are free for kids.  

Website: https://www.napilikai.com/

Address: 5900 Lower Honoapiilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761, United States

Phone: +18086696271

Instagram: @napili_kai

A geologist's paradise, Hawaii's eight main islands are home to 15 volcanoes; six of which are active. Seasoned adventurers can take volcano expeditions and hike past cavernous craters and eerie eruption sites, culminating in jaw-dropping views of the Pacific Ocean.

Carrere believes Hawaii's volcanoes can be kid-friendly as well when you visit the Unesco-listed Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii's rugged Big Island. The park, a designated International Biosphere Reserve, is also the site of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa – two of the world's most active volcanoes. But for Carrere, the park is a fantastic place for young people to learn about Hawaii's unique volcanic geological features – like lava tubes; natural tunnels formed by solidified lava flow.

"You can go through a lava tube," she says. "It sounds scary, but the lava tube is long extinct. You walk through and there's water dripping, and there's ferns growing off the side. That lava tube is going to be fascinating for kids."

Volcanoes National Park is also where you'll find another of Carrere's favourite family-friendly spots; the Volcano House Hotel. Sitting 1219m above sea level on the edge of the Kilauea Crater, the historic property offers vintage bungalows and cabins on the nearby campsite, allowing visitors to explore the park's natural beauty in comfort.

"There's another part of the volcano that has steam vents. It's freezing cold, and sometimes misty and rainy," warns Carrere. "You have to wear a raincoat. The hot steam could burn your legs if you're not careful. But it's a fascinating place to share science with kids."

Website: https://hawaiivolcanohouse.com/

Address: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, 1 Crater Rim Drive, Pāhoa, HI 96718, United States

Phone: +18087569625

Instagram: @hawaiivolcanohouse

Whenever Carrere returns to Hawaii she has one goal: "I'll eat my way around the island," she laughs. "Every place that I ate when I was a kid!"

Hawaiian cuisine is a reflection of the islands' multicultural heritage. "[There was] a huge plantation culture here," explains Carrere. "All the different cultures came from the Philippines, China, Japan, Portugal. They couldn't speak each other's languages, so the way everybody came together was with their food. Portuguese sweet bread, Filipino rice and fish dishes, Chinese noodles. All the flavours became this delicious mélange of local cuisine.. If you have a macaroni salad here, it's not gonna taste like any macaroni salad you've had anywhere else. The roast pork is a different flavour. Those flavours are just different."

Carrere's Hawaiian culinary picks involve the kid-friendly experience of curating your own meal, like Gina's Hawaiian-style Korean barbeque or St Louis Delicatessen, a Japanese okazuyaestablishment selling prepared foods to pack into a bento (lunch) box. For sweet tooths, Carrere loves shave ice. "I always go to the School Street shave ice off the freeway. But by new favourite is Ululani's," she says. "They have the most delicious all-natural flavours like guava and coconut. They're meticulous with their shave ice. It's very, very fine. I can't stand shave ice that's hard and crunchy… it should melt in your mouth, like the softest snow. That's what shave ice is; a huge block of ice that's scooped around and shaved. That's the only correct way."

But Carrere's first stop off the plane is always Liliha Bakery in Honolulu. "It's the same counter that I grew up at when my grandma took me there; I must have been maybe eight the first time," she says. "I like the hamburger steak plate with rice and macaroni salad and a butter roll and fruit punch…. my grandma used to have the cheeseburger – and of course, the bun is divine, because [it's] homemade. They have the best pancakes for breakfast. The bakery goods, like ensaïmada and lady fingers. Ensaïmada is fantastic; it's a golden sweet bun with butter and sugar on top." She pauses. "I'm dying right now just thinking about this."

Website: https://www.lilihabakery.com/

Address: 515 N Kuakini St, Honolulu, HI 96817, United States

Phone: +18085311651

Instagram: @lilihabakery

The human history of the Hawaiian islands began with settlement by Polynesian peoples between 940 and 1200 AD. In the late 18th Century, Kamehameha I unified the islands and became the first ruler of the new Kingdom of Hawaii. The arrival of Europeans in the 17th Century led to the settlement of plantations and, eventually, a forced overthrow of the monarchy in the late 19th Century. Hawaii became a US state in 1959 and attracts millions of visitors with its spectacular beaches, towering volcanoes and laid-back lifestyle.

Carrere recommends families visit Honolulu's Bishop Museum, "if you want to learn about Hawaii and Hawaiian culture. They have an observatory too, with a whole thing about how to circumnavigate when you're on a boat and follow the stars. Bishop Museum for kids, 110%." 

For a dive into Hawaii's imperial past, Carrere also recommends families with older children visit Honolulu's 'Iolani Palace; an opulent structure built in the "American Florentine" style which served as the Hawaiian royal palace.

"It's not my most favourite part of Hawaiian history," says Carrere. "It's poignant and painful, but also fascinating [because] it's the only place in the US that was a royal palace. It's where Queen Lili'uokalaniwas imprisoned when [white businessmen] overthrew her monarchy. It's a fascinating period in Hawaiian history, but incredibly painful also to know that sugarcane plantation owners overthrew a sovereign nation by force."

Visitors can explore the palace's first and second floors, which include reception rooms and bedrooms, as well as Queen Lili'uokalani's Imprisonment Room, where she was held under house arrest for nearly eight months after the coup.

Website: https://www.bishopmuseum.org/

Address: 1525 Bernice St, Honolulu, HI 96817, United States

Phone: +18088473511

Instagram: @bishopmuseum

Website: https://www.iolanipalace.org/

Address: 364 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96813

Phone: +18085220832

Instagram: @iolanipalacehi

The views, perfumes and sounds of Hawaii have remained with Carrere her entire life, and even more so since she moved to Hollywood. "I used to take this for granted," she says. "The colours, the blue of the ocean, the green of the trees and the grass. Everything is more vibrant. The air smells more beautiful…. the Earth is much more inviting; it invites you to her pleasures."

For an unforgettable, memory-making sight, Carrere suggest families head to the Hale'mau'mau Crater overlook.

"I love [it]," says Carrere. "I went up there when my kid was small. You have to wake up before dawn to go up to see the sun rise over the caldera. It's stunning."

The Hale'mau'mau Crater is located within the larger Kilauea Caldera. Closed in 2008 due to perilous volcanic activity, Hale'mau'mau's floor sunk 457m after a volcano eruption in 2018. Visitors with kids can drive up to the overlook point, where they can peer down at the immense, otherworldly gaping hole below. Or descend through the rainforest to the Halema'uma'u Trail; a moderate-level hike that takes you to the floor of the caldera.

"It's the adventure of going up there before dawn and up this windy, windy road, and just to stand there and see the majesty of the earth again," says Carrere. "It just takes your breath away… the mountain moonscape of the volcano. It's the way the light hits it. It's magic. It just – poof – opens up before you."

Views like this can create family memories that last a lifetime.

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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