10 Days in Paradise - Our Oahu (Aulani) and Maui Big Summer Blowout (Finally updated! 06/30/2020)

[BigTex71]

Aloha!
As some of you may have read in my itinerary planing thread - we had big plans for our 10 day vacation between Oahu and Maui. How much of the itinerary did we follow? What would we do differently? How do you treat a jellyfish sting? Why would you vacation anywhere else? Where are the best shave ice, fish tacos, and garlic shrimp? Who cares what some egotistical old guy did on his vacation? These questions and more may be answered in this trip report - or not. I hope this report can help others with their plans or provide a way to live vicariously through our trip. I am all about making people smile (or roll their eyes at bad puns and dad jokes.)

A little background about my family - because the last big trip report I did (in my signature) was over 8 years ago. We are a close, loving, happy, Disney-fied family from the DFW area in Texas. We have been visiting Disney destinations (mostly Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort) since 2004. We finally joined DVC last summer and bought points at Copper Creek. My wife and I are 40-somethings who are soulmates and have been married for 20 years (well, when December comes around.) My daughter is 12 and is a hormone-filled diva, yet she remains sweet most of the time. [I think those of you with 11-13 year old girls know what I mean.] My son is 18 and just graduated from high school a few days prior to this vacation and he will be leaving the nest to study Bio-medical Engineering at the University of Houston in the fall. We have been promising to take the kids on a Hawaiian vacation for years, but usually ended up going to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Southern California for our summer family vacations. Well, this was our last chance to go before our son goes off to college - so this was the year. We had banked last years' DVC points (since we bought-in while already in WDW on vacation last year.) So for our 5-night stay at a 1-bedroom garden view villa at Aulani, we used the banked points, our current (2019) points, and borrowed some from next use year (2020).

I have a Nikon D90 DSLR camera (crop sensor), but wanted a full-frame camera for our vacation memories - so I rented a Nikon Z7 mirror-less camera and a 24-70mm f/4 Z lens (made for the Z-series Nikon cameras) from Borrow Lenses dot com. I fell in love with this camera and now I need to find a way to be able to afford one for myself. In the meantime, I plan to rent this camera again for any major life events that we want to photograph for memories. I am no professional photographer (though I would love to be some day), just a hobbyist. I usually prefer to tweak my photos in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop before sharing with others, but I want to get a trip report started and I think the photos straight out of this camera (even JPEG down-sized images) looked good enough to post. I may update the photos later after I get a chance to be creative with them in Photoshop. I plan to post a lot of photos here, so I hope they post OK on the new boards here.

And now, the moment we have all been waiting for... day 1! Coming up after these messages from our sponsors (or whoever posts before I can post Day 1.)

 

[BigTex71]

Day 1 - Getting There is Half the Fun (?)

We started our day early to go to the airport for our non-stop flight from DFW to HNL. We flew American Airlines on a 777-200 aircraft (flight AA123) that departs at 9:15 am and arrives at 12:41 pm local time. It was an 8-hour flight, but the entertainment options on board made it a very pleasant flight. Well, and we splurged for the First/Business Class seating. We figured this is our Big Summer Blowout (you may see many Disney references in this trip report), so we wanted to travel in comfort. And the fact DW may not be able to handle 8 hours in coach seating due to some health concerns. We had our own 'pod' for the flight.


With the legroom we needed to stretch.

They provided nice noise-canceling B&O headphones.

Nice sized-monitor.

I watched Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Bohemian Rhapsody, and a few episodes of Big Bang Theory. By then, we were coming in to land in Honolulu.


We grabbed our checked bag from Baggage Claim and hopped on the shuttle to Alamo Car Rental. Note: if you rent a car from Alamo (even if you do it via Costco like I did), be sure to go to the Alamo website before your flight to fill out any needed info (driver's license number, etc.) to do the 'skip the counter' reservation. This allows you to not wait at the counter - which may have long lines. You just take your printed paperwork from the website with you to the area where the cars are located. Someone with Alamo will verify your paperwork once you go out those doors towards the cars and you pick any vehicle in the class you rented. I am glad I remembered to do that the night before we left! We had rented a mid-sized SUV. Though we could have grabbed a Honda CRV like we have at home, I decided to try a Nissan Rogue. We inspected the vehicle, got in and drove around to the exit. They check your license and paperwork there and off you go. I think it took a total of 10 minutes from the time we got to the Alamo site until we were on the road. So I highly recommend the 'skip the counter' option for Alamo. I think some of the other car rental places do a similar option.

We decided to drive directly to Aulani to check in. You all have seen to wonderful photos of the resort, so I won't post a ton of those pics - just a quick shot I took as we approached the lobby area.


We got our room assignment, room 606, but the room was not ready yet. They said they would text us when our room was ready. They gave us a one-time use key for the Luana Lounge, so we grabbed our swimsuits and left our luggage with bell services while we checked out the pools. This was a deviating from our original itinerary - which had us going to Costco/Target for groceries and supplies. But after the long flight, we wanted to chill (read: DW wanted to enjoy the resort, so I just went with it - see, I'm flexible and I don't require being rigid in the itinerary.) We went to the lagoon, which was our favorite, with the lazy river a close second. We were starting to get hungry, so DW and DD got Margherita Flatbreads from Ulu Cafe. DS and I were going to just wait for dinner time - as it was around 3:00 pm local time. We also grabbed a popcorn bucket from Ulu Cafe. Note: if you are a DVC member, you get free refills of popcorn in the bucket if you show your blue DVC card!





We got the text stating the room was ready, so we got to the room and called bell services to bring our luggage up. Our view was not bad from the room, even a partial ocean view. We overlooked the spa area and had a parking garage in view from the Four Seasons, as well as the Four Seasons resort. But we did not spend too much time in the room anyway, so we were pleased with our accommodations.


The sunsets were not bad from the balcony - but the sunset from Paradise Cove was amazing (those were another day coming up.)


We were getting tired and that is when we realized we did not go get groceries yet. (Maybe we *should* have stuck to the itinerary, huh?) So we opted to go across the street to Monkeypod for dinner and the ABC Store for a few groceries for breakfast (eggs, bacon, bread, POG juice.) Another note: the POG juice in the Kalepa's Store at Aulani has surprisingly cheap POG juice! It was the same brand sold at most places on the island. The 1/2 gallon at Aulani was $3.29. I was pleasantly surprised, considering we saw the same brand in a 12-ounce bottle at other convenience-like places around the island that were over $4.

Monkeypod was very good. My son had the Fresh Fish Sandwich, He said it was a life-changing experience. He loved it and thought it was the best fish he had ever had (other superlatives will be coming later in the trip report, so consider yourself warned.) (And a lot more parenthesis!) I had the Fish Tacos. Actually, I was trying to decide between the Fish Tacos and the Bulgogi Pork Tacos - so the waitress brought me 2 fish and 1 pork, since they normally come with 3 tacos. They were VERY good. I think the Pork Bulgogi Tacos were slightly better than the Fish Tacos. In the photo below, the pork is on the left.




We walked back to Aulani and were so ready to go to sleep. It did not take long to fall asleep after a long day - it was around 1:00 am back home by that time (8:00 pm local.) I felt like a senior (as in old, not as in the fourth year of school) going to bed right after sunset. Now I know what to look forward to. Ha!

Overall we had a good day. The flight was nice, the rental car process was easy (skip the counter!), and Aulani is such a great Hawaiian-inspired resort with awesome amenities. I recommend Monkeypod, too. It was easy to get to - just a 10 minute walk from Aulani. And don't forget the POG juice!

Up next: Chillin' and North Shore

 

[Maggie Gallagher]

I'm looking forward to your report on the pool. I keep reading about how it's impossible to get a chair by the pool...much worse than the WDW pools. We are thinking about Aulani for a future trip, but a lot of people are urging us to stay elsewhere in Hawaii.

 

[eagle29]

Hey Big Tex, very similar to what my crew just experienced (including the flight from DFW, though we connected from Boston) Alamo skip the line and Monkeypod 1st night! Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[BigTex71]

I'm looking forward to your report on the pool. I keep reading about how it's impossible to get a chair by the pool...much worse than the WDW pools. We are thinking about Aulani for a future trip, but a lot of people are urging us to stay elsewhere in Hawaii.

We didn't have any problems getting a chair at the pools and we were usually there around the mid to late afternoon. Granted we never got 'front row' seats, but we found them easily at the Waikolohe pool. We also found chairs (with umbrellas) at the lagoon without any problems - even on the front row. You really don't need to worry about it, IMO.

Aulani is one of the best themed resorts on Oahu. I prefer the Ko Olina area over Waikiki, because Waikiki reminds me too much of most big urban cities (minus the actual beach.) Parking sucks in Waikiki area - and that is one of my pet peeves. We stayed on points at Aulani so the parking was free and it was right there on property. I'll get to the Waikiki part of the trip report on the day 5 part for more of my opinions.

 

[BigTex71]

Another note: the best time to eat out on Oahu or Maui (like Monkeypod) is lunch or during Happy Hour. It may vary, but it appears the 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm range is usually Happy Hour. Places will have at least a few items discounted for Happy Hour - not just drinks.

 

[rwalker1304]

Great start on your trip report!

 

[alohamom]

Excellent so far-going to follow along!

 

[dachsie]

Love your trip so far. Can't wait to hear more. Good to know about the POG juice too

 

[BigTex71]

Thanks.
I'll try to get a few more days worth posted tomorrow.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Aulani is on my bucket list. I’m looking forward to following along and hearing more!

 

[BigTex71]

Day 2: Resort Day and North Shore

My original itinerary had us hanging at the resort and getting lunch in Haleiwa on the North Shore. I had changed it to just relaxing at the resort for the day so we would not be doing too much our first full day - since we would be going around the island the next few days. As you can tell from the title, we went back to the original plan.

We woke up around 6:00 am due to the time difference and our bodies trying to adjust to the new time zone. Since we had picked up some breakfast groceries the night before, I made use of the full kitchen in the villa. I made bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast, and we enjoyed POG juice with it. This was a great way to save some money over eating out for breakfast. The groceries we used for breakfast cost us about $20. Even a 'cheap' breakfast place we tried later in the trip cost us $55. Not huge savings, but it all adds up. I just looked at the charges on the credit card we used during our trip - trust me, it adds up!


After eating, we relaxed and drank some coffee on the balcony. The temperature outside was perfect - about 72F. DW, DD, and I went down to the lagoon and pools while DS wanted to stay in bed (well, sofa bed) a while longer. You know - teenager. We were pleasantly surprised that we had the lagoon almost all to ourselves! But that is probably because it was about 7:30 am. You can tell the newbies to the island who haven't adjusted to the time zone yet - the crazy ones swimming in the lagoon before the pools even open.



Once 8:00 am rolled around, we went to get our pool bands and towels. We spent some time in the great pools and the awesome lazy river. I loved just floating along in the inner tube with the sounds and smells of the resort wafting by, without a care in the world. It was very relaxing. Though the lazy river at Aulani is not as long as the ones at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, I like it better than those. Probably because it is in Hawaii and was not crowded like those others can be. So relaxing! Oh, did I already mention it was relaxing? Well, I had to mention it again because it was so relaxing. Oops, there I go again. Relaxing, relaxing. Relaxing. (Did you know the lazy river is so relaxing?)


We were having a great time, but lunch was looming on the horizon. Since we still had not gone for a proper grocery run yet, we decided we would go along with the original plan and get lunch in Haleiwa. So we changed clothes and all (including DS this time) went to the North Shore. It was a pleasant drive - no major traffic. It took about 25 minutes if I recall correctly. We ate at Kono's - which I had heard about a lot in the extensive research I did before creating The Itinerary.

It was worth the drive. I had the Kahlua Pork and it was so succulent and flavorful.

It is a relatively small place. You order at the counter and find a table (inside or outside.) They will call your name when it is ready. And it was not too expensive - about $65 for the 4 of us (which included two milkshakes.) DS had a Cinnamon Roll milkshake that was so good! I highly recommend this place. (You may see that phrase a lot in the upcoming daily reports.)

After eating, we looked at some great art at the Wyland Gallery across the parking lot from Kono's. If I won the lottery, I would buy half of the stuff in that place! It was fun and imaginative art pieces, but not budget-friendly. More like the Budgetkiller. But it doesn't cost anything to look around - so I recommend doing that if you are in Haleiwa - because you will be eating at Kono's, right?

We determined it was time to try Matsumoto Shave Ice - since it was also something a lot of people recommend.


It had a long line, and it was getting hot outside. It was also humid there in that town square area. It took about 25 minutes to get through the line. I ordered a Coconut Cream, Pineapple, and Mango with ice cream underneath and condensed milk.


See that big blob of pink ice? That was not pineapple. I was served Coconut (not the Coconut Cream), Mango, and Cotton Candy (at least that is what that pink stuff tasted like.) The mango was good. The coconut was ok. The pink stuff was not good. The flavors were overly sweet and syrupy. So that gave it some negative marks. The ice itself was slightly crunchy - so not a good, fluffy shave. You could hear the spoon digging into the shave ice. That is not shave ice to me - that is a snowball. So I was left disappointed. Definitely not worth waiting 25 minutes in line for. Matsumoto's is very overrated, IMO. We would find other places that were much better in our upcoming days.

We then walked through the General Store near Matsumoto's. We got some macadamia nut pancake mix, buttermilk pancake mix, a few shirts for the kids, and some coconut bread and mango bread. These loaves of bread are small loaves by Shops of Hawaii brand and were like little pound cakes. We found Shops of Hawaii baked items at many shops around the island. The coconut bread was so good - we looked for it any time we bought something at a store. It was hard to find during our stay - apparently, that one sells the fastest, according to one cashier we spoke to about them. It became almost a game - a treasure hunt. This is another thing I highly recommend - if you can find it.

We stopped by Haleiwa Beach Park for a short time to take in the views. It was nice, but not a good place for swimming. We preferred the lagoon at Aulani - so we started heading back towards the Ko Olina area.


We decided not to go to Costco for groceries and opted to just go to Target. We picked up hot dogs, sandwich stuff, syrup for the pancake mixes, etc. After putting up the groceries at the villa, we went back to the lagoon and pools. After we got in the lagoon I asked DD if she wanted me to check out a bodyboard (boogie board) for her to use. She said no. I decided I wanted one, so I trekked up to the Beach Rental shack and got one. These are free to check out, by the way - as long as you are an Aulani guest. I hiked back to the lagoon and started enjoying the bodyboard. DD saw it and those of you with kids knows what came next, right? I should have known and just checked out two of them. So I made the trek back to the shack to get another bodyboard.

We spent a few hours in the lagoon and then went to the lazy river for a few laps. We then went back to the villa and made dinner (hot dogs and chips.) After all the fun we had in the sun on this day, it was starting to take its toll. We crashed early so we would be ready to go on our whirlwind tour of South and East Oahu the next morning.

Overall, another great day. I was glad we were able to try Kono's instead of just staying at the resort all day - although that would not have been a bad thing - the resort is wonderful. But I had heard that the food on-site was not the best, so that was my motivation to try other places.

Up next: Day 3 - Best Sights, Best Food, Best Beach

 

[BigTex71]

Note: Due to the picture restrictions (10 per post), I will need to break up Day 3 into 3 separate posts.
*Spoiler Alert* This was one of our favorite days.

 

[BigTex71]

Day 3 - Best Sights, Best Food, Best Beach (Part 1)

A little background about this day's plans:
Prior to going on our trip, I did extensive research on various websites, read trip reports, checked Trip Advisor, and watched numerous vlogs and videos about Oahu. A few different sites, videos, and trip reports (including Trip Advisor) kept mentioning an island tour company named Oahu Private Tours. It was very highly rated and I read so many great reviews of the company. They are 'private' because they will drive you around in a minivan for the tour. So no big tour groups and the person you do the tour with will customize your tour to do the things you want (sightseeing, snorkeling, cliff jumping, etc.) They do several different tours - one being a whole island tour. I thought about doing that one, but I felt we may feel too rushed seeing all around the island in one day. They also offered a two-day tour that included the South and East side of the island one day, and a North Shore tour on a second day. That is what I opted to do. It would allow us time to see the sights and beaches at a decent pace and still have the late afternoon and evening to enjoy the resort - since the tours were scheduled for 8:00 am - 2:00 pm.

We woke up around 7:00 am to get ready for our tour. I was contacted by Jason, the owner of Oahu Private Tours (henceforth referred to as OPT) at 7:30 am. He informed me that Kelsey would be our driver for the next two days and she would pick us up at the front of Aulani at 8:00 am. This is another cool thing about OPT - they pick up at Aulani. Some other tour companies I researched would only pick up in Waikiki or Honolulu - not Ko Olina. We met Kelsey and immediately felt like she was a friend of the family. Very friendly, outgoing, and informative. We headed out and our first stop was to get malasadas (a Portuguese donut) from Leonard's Bakery Food Truck - about 10 minutes from Aulani. Kelsey said the original location of the bakery in Honolulu gets super crowded and the malasadas tasted just as good from the food truck. We pulled up and there was one person waiting for her fresh malasadas order - so practically no wait to order.



When I placed our order, I did not realize how big the malasadas were. I ordered a dozen - 6 original, 3 coconut creme filled, and 3 custard filled.

It took about 10 minutes to get these because they are made fresh right there. OMG! The hot original malasadas were so delicious! I ate one original and about half of a coconut creme filled one and I was full. We kept the extras we didn't eat this morning in our fridge back at the villa and munched on them for breakfast for the next two days. They were not as good reheated as they were fresh, but still very good.

Next, Kelsey said she had heard I liked to take photos from Jason (Jason has good email communication after you book and gathers information to get to know what type of tour you would want.) So she drove us over to the H3 highway and up to the Valley of the Temples and Byodo-In Temple. It was hard to get good photos of the lush, green mountains on the H3 while we were in the van, but it is such a beautiful sight.


Valley of the Temples


The Byodo-In Temple was one of my favorite places to see on Oahu. It is so serene, peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. We each rang the large bell to help cleanse the negativity from ourselves (serenity now!) The temple is magnificent and has a huge tree line behind it, then the towering green mountains behind it. The pictures do not do it justice. And it is hard to put in words how this place affected me.









(not sure how to rotate the image on here.)



Continued on Part 2

 

[BigTex71]

Day 3 - Best Sights, Best Food, Best Beach (Part Deaux)

While at the Byodo-In Temple, we saw the rare black swan.


I also witnessed a wild cat stalk, pounce, and capture her lunch - a bird that was a little too slow around the grounds. Ah, the circle of life.


Other various shots around the temple grounds.






Note: it was a separate fee to get into the Byodo-In Temple grounds, not included in the tour. $5 each - well worth it to me.

We then went to check out Lanikai Beach on the windward side of the island.






This was our favorite beach on Oahu! The sand is so soft and powdery, it did not stick to you or your clothes. Kelsey had a beach umbrella in the back of the van, and a body board and snorkel mask that my DD used (just another reason we loved OPT.) Being that we are all fair skinned, the beach umbrella would be used extensively for the next two days. We had applied a liberal amount of sunscreen before walking out to the beach. I stayed under the umbrella for awhile while I took pictures, did some Facebook Live Video, and just took in all the sights, sounds, and cool breezes. After about 45 minutes, I ventured out to the water with the rest of the family. The waters were calm and so blue - I had never seen such nice blue, aquamarine, and teal colors of the ocean before. Another great thing was that it stayed less than 6 feet deep for about 75 yards out from the beach - so it was like a humongous swimming pool. We spent so much time there because it was so awesome. We lost track of time and DW, DS, and DD forgot to reapply sunscreen (I was under the umbrella for a while before applying mine.) Needless to say, they felt the effects of that later that night with a little sunburn for each of them. We learned a lesson - reapply sunscreen often when out in the water!

I highly recommend visiting Lanikai Beach, be it with a rental car, Uber/Lyft, tour, etc. You need to experience that beach. It is what I always pictured when thinking of Hawaii.

We then went to lunch at a little place in Waimanalo on Wailea St named Ono Steaks and Shrimp Shack. I mention the town and street because there are many places with similar names, but do not be fooled - it is the one in the yellow building.



*Spoiler Alert* This was the best Garlic Shrimp I had on the island! Another was a close second, but I will go over that one on the Day 4 report. I had the combo plate that had Garlic Shrimp and Kalbi (boneless short rib marinated in Korean BBQ sauce) and their unique Potato Macaroni Salad. The Kalbi was some kind of awesome, too. If you go out to one meal on the island - this is the place I would recommend. It is small and a bit of a drive from Aulani, but I feel it is well worth the drive. I wish there were a local place near me that made this meal half as good - that would still be awesome. That is how good I thought it was.

I dream about that meal.

Now that we had been fed and refueled, we continued to some more sightseeing on the way back towards Ko Olina.

Continued in Part 3.

 

[BigTex71]

Day 3 - Best Sights, Best Food, Best Beach (Part 3)

We stopped at Makapu'u Lookout after lunch. Nice views of the beach and ocean,


Next was Halona Blowhole and Eternity Beach









Then we went to get shave ice. I was about to ask if we could try Waiola Shave Ice (I had read so many people saying it was great and better than Matsumoto's), and Kelsey informed me she was taking us to her favorite place for shave ice - Waiola Shave Ice!



I had pineapple with Li Hing Mui. This was so good! The ice was a softer shave and very nice and fluffy. You couldn't hear the spoon when it dug into the ice, no crunching - this is what shave ice should be (I'm talking to you, Matsumoto!) The flavor of the pineapple was great and it didn't taste overly sweet or syrupy - just right. They make their flavors with real fruit and pure cane sugar, and you can tell. This was tied for my favorite shave ice in Hawaii. What is the other? You'll have to wait and see.

We then went back to Aulani. The tour was scheduled for 8:00 am until 2:00 pm, but we spent so much time at Lanikai Beach, we were running late. They don't charge by the hour - it is a straight fee, so I didn't have any problems with that. Kelsey said she was having so much fun with us, she had lost track of the time also. We did get on the highway early enough to avoid the rush hour traffic, though. We got back to Aulani around 3:30 pm.

We made sandwiches for dinner in the villa, then DW and I walked over to Paradise Cove to get some sunset pictures. You can walk over from Aulani easily - it is about a 10-minute walk. You access the non-luau beach area from the parking lot at Paradise Cove Luau. There are signs that will point you to the beach access. We saw an amazing sunset - these photos don't do it justice. This is another highly recommended thing to do because you don't get the same type of angle of the sunset from the Aulani lagoon area.








We walked back to the villa and applied some more burn gel to DW and the kids and we picked up some Kukui Nut Oil that is good for sunburns and to keep the skin hydrated.

This was one of our favorite days on Oahu. Taking in the majesty of the mountains on the H3 highway, the temple, the best beach, the best food, the best shave ice, and a wonderful sunset. It almost brings a tear to my eye realizing what a perfect day it was. We could have driven to those places in our rental car, but having someone else (a local) drive, point out history and unique things on the way, not having to worry about the driving (or parking) all day, and being introduced to places we may not have found on our own - made it totally worth the price. So here is that phrase again: I highly recommend Oahu Private Tours. This could also help you avoid renting a car while still being able to see the sights around the island. You will see why they are the top rated tour company on Oahu (per Trip Advisor.)


Up Next: Day 4: You Down With OPT? (North Shore Tour)
'

 

[jagron11]

Great write up so far. I’ll be posting mine soon. We’re still in Maui. Ive been writing as we go, so should go quickly but haven’t wanted to tackle uploading with the photos yet.

 

[linco711]

Checking out Oahu private tours now...Love Byodo Temple..but having a difficult time finding it on their site...How does this work with only two people?

 

[BigTex71]

Checking out Oahu private tours now...Love Byodo Temple..but having a difficult time finding it on their site...How does this work with only two people?

They have pricing for 1 - 6 guests. Usually, the 1 guest price is the 'start' and it is $25 for each additional person if I recall correctly. It should be on their site (ensure it is the one with oahuprivatetours as the name of the URL - I don't think I am allowed to post a link.) A Google search will show some advertiser sites first if you search 'Oahu private tours' - those are not the correct website.

I hope that helps.

 

[AussieDisneyfans]

Really enjoying your trip report - thanks for sharing. My daughter and I are travelling to Aulani in December this year and have already booked the two day tour through OPT, due to recommendations on the DIS!! We can't wait, so taking it all in through your report.