My DD and SIL are vacationing there as we speak. They are staying in an upstairs of a house that DD says is like an apartment(beautifully decorated, DD stated). Don't know what they are paying, or how many it will accomodate, but is that like something you are looking for? If so, I will have her check into it further and I can get back to you. BTW, it is on the big island.

Wow, nineteen people? That may be a challenge. Do y'all WANT that much 'togetherness'? Would the young adults want to be near some 'action'? (Pretty limited to Honolulu or Lahaina/Kaanapali.) You'll probably want to be south on Kauai, Oahu and to some extent on Maui.

I'm most familiar with Maui because we own a small condo in South Kihei. Try Bello Realty for South Maui and Chase 'n Rainbows for West Maui. We employ an agency to look after our place and our guests. Their main business is vacation rentals: www.crhmaui.com

Best bargains may be on Big Island. RE was booming in the Kohala area...until it wasn't. We once rented a beautiful modern (2 BR) home above Keauhou for only $3K/month. I think they would have taken less. lol

As you know, winter is busy with all of the snowbirds from the mainland and Christmas vacations. Hope you find a wonderful place -- but you may want to consider renting a few separate condos all in one complex.

You might want to try VRBO (vacation rentals by owners). I have used it for our past two trips to the big island. We had several family members join us and we were all able to rent condos in the same complex. Since you are going during the winter time that is considered the high season and rates can double. We spent last Christmas in Kona and had a marvelous time!

Dea, if it's not too much trouble could you ask your DD for more info?

Chisue, Kaanapali would probably be great, thanks for reminding me. We stayed at a big Hilton or Hyatt once, so I guess we could all get our own rooms. Thanks for the realtor info. I thought it would be cheaper to get a house, if we could find one that would accommodate all of us.

Matti, I'll look on VRBO. We've used that before for other vacations and gotten some nice places. Thanks for all the info, folks. Now the work begins.

I don't know if this would appeal, but there's the NCL 7-day cruise around the islands that departs Honolulu every Saturday. I hesitate to call it a cruise -- not deluxe -- more like room, board and transportation without packing and unpacking. Gives a glimpse of the highlights on three islands. It can be reasonably cheap if you book plain cabins and don't take every ship's tour. Some people book rental cars at the ports for DIY tours.

You might ask your question on the TripAdvisor "Hawaii" forums.

My friend owns a condo there. The about 12 story building is on the beach between two tourist cities, one being Kanipali if I remember correctly. It has great views and numerous apartments which are rented out when the owners are not there through the building management. That way, each family could have their own apartment. They have facilities for families, and you can pay for daily maid service - cleaning or just one cleaning after you leave. If this interests you, let me know.

Sheilajoyce, that sounds great. I would need more information, specifically location and price, but if we could each have our own condos in the same building that would be ideal. Does your friend have an email address, or would she prefer to contact me?

I just emailed you a note, and clearly did not proof read it. Just send me an email of what you need, and I will forward the note to her so she can answer you.