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

[BigTex71]

Day 5 - Pearl Harbor and Waikiki

I wanted to wake up early so we could be down at Pearl Harbor when it opened at 7:00 am so we could get our free tickets for the USS Arizona (even though you don't actually get on the memorial, due to structural damage.) But I was OK with sleeping in a bit, since our only true plan for the day was a reservation at Duke's at 4:45 pm. I was up around 6:15 am to take a shower and get ready for the day. The rest of the family slept until 7:00 am, which seemed to be our normal wake up time while in Hawaii.

We decided to go to breakfast at a place I had a few people tell me we needed to try - Koa Pancake House. There are a few on Oahu - we went to the one in Kapolei, which would be on the way to Pearl Harbor. It was a small place. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. I had the Koa Omelette, which had Portuguese sausage, Mushroom, Spinach, and cheese.

It was very good. DW had the Macadamia Nut Pancakes with coconut syrup. Very tasty!

Though these pancakes were very good, and I recommend trying Koa Pancake House, we did have even better pancakes at two other places. But those were on Maui. So these were the best pancakes we had on Oahu. And the prices were not bad. The whole family ate and were totally stuffed for about $55.


We decided that we would try to go to Lanikai Beach again today - since it was our favorite, and check out Ala Moana Beach Park. So we would need a beach umbrella. We stopped by the Longs Drugs store that was in the same shopping area as Koa Pancake House. We got a beach umbrella and a cheap body board to use at the beaches. Then we were off to Pearl Harbor. We arrived around 9:30 am. I was hoping they would sill have the free tickets for the Arizona boat ride, but I knew it may be for later in the day. We walked up and asked about tickets and the guy in the booth said he had 4 tickets for 9:45 am! So we walked over and waited just a few minutes before they opened the theater and let us in to watch the documentary movie. For those of you who have not been to Pearl Harbor and have not seen this movie - be warned. It is well done and very powerful. I will admit I cried watching this. Take tissues.

We then boarded the small watercraft that took us down Battleship row, past the Arizona Memorial, and around the USS Missouri.








We were brought back near the visitor center and walked around reading the placards and taking in the sights.



(I still don't know how to rotate the pictures)

The kids decided that was enough Pearl Harbor (we spent a few hours there total.) We then went to the Ala Moana Center to try to find the awesome coffee drink DW and I had there 20 years ago.

Continued in Part 2.

 

[BigTex71]

Day 5 - Pearl Harbor and Waikiki (Part 2)

So we drove over to the Ala Moana Center and tried to find a coffee drink similar to one we had 20 years ago when I had brought DW back when we were dating. The drink was a blended coffee drink with macadamia nut, coconut, and white chocolate. It almost tasted like a milkshake. We loved it and had always wanted to find it again. We tried a place called Honolulu Coffee Company since it was a kiosk sort of similar to the place long ago. But the drink was nowhere near as good. We looked a little longer and then decided the place must no longer be in business. So sad.

We then went across the street to the Ala Moana Beach Park for a while. We found a parking spot easily and set up the beach umbrella and some towels to relax on. It is a nice beach area.




Now it was nearing lunch time, so we headed over to the International Market Center. We looked at the 'food court' area, but nothing really caught our attention. We then walked out on Kuhio Ave to look for a place to eat. We saw an ABC Store, so we went in to look for the awesome Coconut Bread - no luck. Then we saw a Paia Fish Market. That is one of the places I wanted to eat when we go over to Maui. I did not realize they had one on Oahu. It turns out it had just opened at that location recently. So we ate there.

DW and I both ordered the Fish Taco - hers with coleslaw and fries, mine with coleslaw and Cajun rice.

That was the best coleslaw I had ever had - and I have had my fair share. The Cajun rice was good and tasted freshly made. The fish taco was amazing! DW thought this was the best fish taco she has ever had, and I did too at the time (that would change when we go to Maui.) So this is yet another place I highly recommend (I told you there would be a lot of that phrase thrown around in the report.) I consider myself to be a foodie, and this may have been the best vacation for great food we have done. Walt Disney World has some great restaurants, but this trip was in another league. But I digress.

With full bellies, we decided to go drive the H3 highway to see those awesome green mountains again. We dove through and over by the southeast coast before deciding we should get back to Waikiki for our 4:45 pm reservation at Duke's. There was not much traffic, so it went smoothly - until we tried to find the parking garage that Duke's uses. It was attached to one of the Outrigger Hotels, but not the one where Duke's is located. It is a few blocks away. And the signage for the parking will sneak up on you. Luckily, we had Waze on our phone - but it still took me two trips around the huge block to finally get in the parking garage. We walked over to Duke's from there and I checked in right at 4:45 pm. We had to wait a few minutes for our table, but it was worth the 5-minute wait, for sure. We sat at a table just outside the dining area along a short wall by the outdoor pool (which was covered and closed.) There was a large umbrella to shade the sun and a nice breeze blowing intermittently. We had a great view of Waikiki Beach and there was a live band playing Hawaiian music (under the big, green umbrella in the second picture below.)





DW had mentioned that if it didn't cost too much, she was going to see if she could change our Hawaiian Airlines flight the next day for Maui - from a 4:00 pm flight to a 10:20 am flight. This would give us more time in Maui that day and not make it seem to be a 'wasted' day. The first person she chatted with on their website (via her iPhone) said it would cost $400+ due to change fees, etc. I said no way. DW felt the same. But she decided to call and speak to someone to find out why it would cost so much, because the app stated it was just a $30 per person fee, but it wouldn't let her 'check out' to finalize on the app. I'm glad she called. She got the flight changed and it ended up costing $129 total. Good job, sweetie! All of this happened while we were walking from the car over to Duke's and up until our food came.

I was already a big fan of Duke's before the food came out, because of the location alone. Then out came the food. I had the Coconut Ginger Braised Seafood. It had lobster, fresh island fish, shrimp, mushrooms, and spinach. Served with steamed rice.

This dish was awesome! DW had the Sauteed Mac Nut and Herb Crusted Opah. She said it was easily the best fish she had ever tasted. Superlatives were flying around. DS said his Shrimp Pasta was the best pasta he had ever eaten. DW had the Keiki Tomato Pasta and she enjoyed it.

We chatted with our awesome server (I wish I could remember his name.) He had asked about DW being on the phone so long while we ordered our food. We told him about changing our flight to Maui for the next day and that we would be staying at a condo in Kihei. It ends up he was originally from Kihei. He was very friendly and chatted us up for a few minutes each time he came by the table. After we finished eating, we asked to see the dessert menu. He said not to worry about dessert because he would bring out a special dessert on the house. So we got the famous Hula Pie for free. I'm sure they do that a lot - I think I heard you might get one free if you book via Open Table or something. Regardless, it was a nice gesture and that was delicious! It is chocolate cookie (Oreo) crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, toasted mac nuts, and whipped cream.


As you can see from the photo below - we hated it. LOL

Another thing that was so good! So (here comes the phrase yet again) I highly recommend Duke's for dinner. I booked our reservation in advance via their website. Afterwards, I heard someone say that the people with advance reservations get the good tables outside. I'm not sure of the validity of that statement, but if I were to go again I would book on their website again just in case that is the case.

We then drove back to Aulani just before the sunset. We started packing up since we would be checking out in the morning. So if you were paying attention, you may have noticed we didn't use the body board we bought earlier in the day. We looked into taking the beach umbrella with us on the flight to Maui, but it would have cost us more to take it than what we paid for it (over twice as much!) So I went on the 'Disney's Aulani Trip Planning' Facebook group to let people know that we had a body board, beach umbrella, and a popcorn bucket that was free for anyone to have, since we were checking out in the morning. We like to spread the magic like that at the end of our trips. They were given out to two people that were just beginning their stays.

Overall, another great day with great food. A good way to end our last full day. I must have missed putting in the extra times we went to the lagoon and pools/lazy river at Aulani, because we went every day. The grounds are phenomenal and I feel Aulani is one of the best-themed resorts on Oahu. We could have enjoyed our time by just staying at the resort the whole time, but by getting out and around the island - it turned into our favorite family vacation ever. And we still had 4 nights of Maui to go!

Up next: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Condo.

 

[OKW Lover]

I have never seen the cute coffee farm!

We stopped at their shop a couple of weeks ago. Interesting, but over-priced was our take.

 

[Grooovertoo]

Awesome trip report. I'll keep following along and I enjoyed your Instagram posts too. We'll be there in 50 days as of today and can't wait!!

 

[five_mouseketeers]

Can’t wait to hear about Maui! O’ahu and Aulani sound amazing . It doesn’t sound like you had any full days that you spent at the resort....is that correct? I currently have 2 full days for us to spend time there, now I’m thinking maybe we’ll be fine with 1. We are not a ‘lay at the beach/pool all day to relax’ type of family. We prefer a few hours at a time, etc. Looking back, do you wish you had spent more time at the pools/beach at Aulani? Also if you don’t mind, did you feel Kailua was more or less crowded than the lagoon area at Aulani?
Thanks again for your awesome review! Looking forward to the rest!

 

[BigTex71]

Can’t wait to hear about Maui! O’ahu and Aulani sound amazing . It doesn’t sound like you had any full days that you spent at the resort....is that correct? I currently have 2 full days for us to spend time there, now I’m thinking maybe we’ll be fine with 1. We are not a ‘lay at the beach/pool all day to relax’ type of family. We prefer a few hours at a time, etc. Looking back, do you wish you had spent more time at the pools/beach at Aulani? Also if you don’t mind, did you feel Kailua was more or less crowded than the lagoon area at Aulani?
Thanks again for your awesome review! Looking forward to the rest!

Thanks.

We did not do any full days at just the resort. We were going to do that the first full day, but then we wanted to get out and about. If it were me, and it sounds like this would fit your family from the way you describe it, 1 full day should be enough - because you can still do the mornings and/or evenings at the resort and go do other stuff in the late morning and afternoon. We loved the lagoon and lazy river the most - we hung out there several times on several days. But I would not consider our Aulani part of the trip to be the 'relaxing' part. We knew Maui was more laid back and we would be relaxing more on Maui - at least that was the plan. I will try to get more posted this evening to let you see how it went.

We didn't go to the Kailua Beach, but it is right next to Lanikai - which we did visit. The beach was not crowded at all when we were there. I would say it was less crowded than the lagoon - minus the early morning hours at the lagoon, which can be nice and solitary.

 

[BigTex71]

Day 6 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Our Condo

We woke up and ate the rest of the fresh fruit we had bought from the fresh fruit stand on our North Shore Tour day (we still had some mango, strawberry, and pineapple.) DS made himself an omelette with the last of the groceries we had (eggs, sausage, and cheese.) Since we had successfully changed our flight to Maui from a late afternoon flight to a morning flight, we finished the little bit of packing we didn't finish the night before and checked out of Aulani.

My thoughts on Aulani: at this point, we thought this was our best family vacation we have had - and we still have 4 nights of Maui to go. Aulani was such a beautiful resort and we loved the Ko'Olina area. The pools were very good, the lazy river was awesome, and our favorite was the beach/lagoon. If we had ended the trip here, it still would have been an outstanding success because of the great times at the resort and traveling around Oahu. We will definitely be heading back to Aulani again as soon as we can. One does not need to island hop from Oahu to have a fabulous vacation.

So we left Aulani. We dropped off the rental car and took the shuttle over to the airport. We made it through security relatively quickly and we had about an hour before our flight would start boarding. I wanted to be there early because I have heard people getting backed up by security at that airport and missing flights. But that was not the case here - maybe because it was a morning flight? But I always prefer to be early and sit around and wait than to rush and worry about making it to the gate for the flight before boarding closes. So we relaxed and waited to board.

The flight was very quick - about 35-40 minutes. They had just enough time to serve water or 'juice' and pick up the empties, then we were getting ready to land.

Wow. A whole 8% juice! But it was still tasty.

There was no music to plug in your headphones to listen to - but that did not matter to me with such a short flight. I was glued to the window watching us leave Oahu, fly over Molokai, then see the large mountains of Maui as we came in to land.



We claimed our one checked bag and made our way to the Sixt shuttle - which was just about to depart, so it was great timing. Once we got over to the Sixt location (just a 2 minute drive from the airport) the fun began.

Remember how we changed our flight time? We were supposed to pick up our rental car around 5:30 pm. I tried to change the reservation on the Sixt website, but it was less than 24 hours before the time, so I couldn't. It was 11:30 am. I knew they might not have the type of car we reserved (a BMW 4-series convertible or equivalent.) I was right. DW wanted a convertible - mainly for the Road to Hana we would be doing in a few days. They could get us in something else until 5:00 pm when we could come back and get the Mercedes C300 convertible, but the lady working at the counter noticed our luggage and asked if we were going to try to fit it all in the car. (uh, yeah. What else am I going to do?) I knew we would have to keep the top up on our way to the condo so we would have enough room in the trunk (the top folds into the trunk, so you lose lots of storage space with the top down.) But she thought it may be very cramped. Long story short, we upgraded to a 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. She gave us a discount, but it still cost way more than I wanted to pay - but what else were we going to do? And we wouldn't have to come back to the rental place to exchange vehicles by doing it this way. We were in and out of there within 30 minutes.

We left the rental place and headed over to the condo management location to get our information for checking in to our condo in Kihei. It was located on the second floor of a large multiple retail stores building. The older lady was very nice and gave me all the info about the location, let me know about recommended places to eat (with discount coupons for 20% off) and a bunch of 20% off discounts for the large clothing store on the first floor of the building we were in. We bought a few shirts from the place downstairs. We had some time to kill because the code for the condo door would not work until 3:00 pm, so we went to get some lunch.

I had heard about, read, and watched YouTube vlogs about a place called Coconut's Fish Cafe in Kihei - so that is where we went.




This right here was the BEST fish taco I have ever had! I have had some great ones in SoCal and the one from Paia Fish Market the day before in Honolulu - but this one barely inched out the win for me over Paia Fish Market. (Sorry for the color in the photo - white balance needs to be fixed.) It was super messy, but it was super good! That pineapple pico on top put it over the top.



I also had onion rings with it. Maui Onion rings. Beer-battered, I believe. These were also extremely good!


So that phrase will be repeated yet again: "I highly recommend" eating at Coconut's Fish Cafe in Kihei if you are on Maui.

We finished and drove to Foodland (the condo management company had a frequent shopper card for us to use to get the lower pricing.) We picked up eggs, bacon, sausage, pancake syrup, butter, bread, deli meat, cheese, hot dogs, buns, etc. since we would have a full kitchen again.

We then drove to the condo unit, since it was now after 3:00 pm. When we first pulled up, the units looks a bit older and dated that what the photos showed on Airbnb. But we had no worries. We knew the view was great - and it was.

That is the view from the balcony of the unit. Really close to the water and a little sand at the beach (just over the berm, but you can't see it from this angle.) Unfortunately, the unit was hot and humid. One of the reasons we chose this unit on Airbnb was because it advertises the air conditioning (since some of the units do not have a/c.) I tried setting the three Fujitsu wall units (fed from a central condenser unit out on the balcony) to lower temp, higher temp, off for a while, and back on. No luck - it kept blowing out room temperature air - which I would guess was about 80 F. It was just a fan blowing - no cold air. I had to guess at the room temperature because the remote controls for those units do not have a temperature reading of the ambient air - only a temperature setting for the unit. We could have opened windows and doors and let the breeze blow through, but DW has a heart condition and her body cannot regulate her body temperature well and air conditioning is a requirement. So this turned into a health safety issue.

I reached out to the condo management group and did not get any response. I tried via Airbnb app also. No response. We decided to go swim in the pool for a while to see if the temperature would come down at all. DS stayed in the condo to watch his Netflix shows (sweaty and all.) We were at the pool for about an hour and came back to the condo. We were kind of cold on our walk back, because we were wet and there was a pretty forceful winds (see those palm trees in the photo?) But we walked into the condo and were no longer cold. Now we were hot again. I tried contacting the condo management again and still no answer. I left messages in the chat for them via Airbnb app. I then contacted Airbnb Support team to let them know about our situation. I told them that we would have to find a hotel to stay at because DW could not stay in the condo overnight like that.

So now we frantically searched various hotels and resorts on Maui to see if there was any availability for our 4 nights (we were not going to stay at the condo at this point, even if someone could fix the a/c the next day.) We ended up finding a good deal at a resort I initially wanted to stay at during our trip planning so many months ago: Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott. The deal was for a Deluxe Ocean-view room with two queen beds. So we booked it, packed up our stuff and left the condo.

To wrap up the condo portion of our Maui stay: the condo management company texted me via the Airbnb app the next day at noon (Sunday) stating they would send someone to look at the air conditioning. Too late - we already booked a resort for our 4 nights at that point. Luckily, the Airbnb Support staff was great. They worked with the condo management company on my behalf and after a few days were able to secure a full refund of our condo reservation. I was just happy we wouldn't be paying for the condo - due to the last minute cancellation request. The resort cost a bit more than the condo, but having to double-dip and pay both would have been crazy. I would definitely use Airbnb again - I just wouldn't rent that unit again.

We checked in to the Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott.




This place was super nice! The Wailea area of Maui is similar to the Ko'Olina area of Oahu. In fact, it was almost a Deja-Vu-like experience driving in Wailea thinking I was back on that drive that goes in front of Aulani. The resort was very chic and refined. Very clean. We were very impressed. I think this ended up working out great for us, even though we had to put up with some inconveniences to get here. (I always try to look at the bright side of things.) The only downside - we had a bunch of groceries we would not be able to use now (eggs, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, etc.) since we did not have a kitchen or kitchenette in our room. But we did make use of the bread, deli meat, and cheese to make sandwiches for dinner.

Here was the view from our balcony that evening.


It was a long day so we decided to go to bed after we finished unpacking.

Wrap up: An interesting day that made lots of memories (both good and bad.) But I am glad we ended up at the Wailea Beach Resort in the end, since it was so nice.


Up next: Day 7 - Lahaina, Lunch, and Lookouts

 

[alohamom]

So sorry you had that experience witht he condo and glad that it worked out.

I am wondering what the heck you guys did with the perishable food you could not use

 

[BigTex71]

So sorry you had that experience witht he condo and glad that it worked out.

I am wondering what the heck you guys did with the perishable food you could not use

We gave it to the housekeeping crew.

 

[jodybird511]

Glad to hear you had a good customer service experience from Airbnb. Last year, we visited the big island prior to Aulani, and it just so happened that the Airbnb we had reserved was in the area of the island that was being inundated with lava from Kilauea, AND we were traveling there WHILE that was happening. Airbnb was just fantastic to work with to resolve that situation--glad to hear they were good to you as well!

 

[BigTex71]

Day 7 - Lahaina, Lunch, and Lookouts (Part 1)

After our crazy first day in Maui, we woke up to a great view from our balcony at the Wailea Beach Resort Marriott.




We ate some cereal in makeshift bowls (we used the coffee cups in the room) and I had picked up some plastic ware from one of the stores in the resort (they gave me several spoons, forks, and knives from their stash for people who buy food items from the little General Store there.) So it was not a classy meal, but it was very affordable. Ha. We wouldn't be able to use all the groceries, so we figured we could make use of the cereal and milk.

After our extravagant breakfast, I walked down by the beach and water area of the resort for a few pictures.





We then drove up to the Lahaina area to check out the Whaler's Village.


For those who do not know - Whaler's Village is a nice outdoor shopping mall. We bought some more shirts for the kids and had some gelato. We walked down by the water and decided to go check out Kimo's. We had a dinner reservation there for 5:45 pm, but we didn't feel like driving back to the resort (about an hour), then driving all the way back out here for dinner. The kids wanted some pool time at the resort today. So we checked with the hostess and changed our reservation to lunch. We sat at a great table on the second floor with a great view of the water.
*Note - this place is owned by the same company that owns Duke's Waikiki.




I had the Coconut Crusted Marlin that had a peanut sauce, pineapple salsa, macaroni salad, and jasmine rice. The fish was very meaty - like a swordfish steak. Very good texture and flavor. Another great meal!



DW had the Kimo's Baked Mahi - with roasted basil, lemon, and garlic glaze, macaroni salad, and jasmine rice. At first, she was hesitant to order a baked fish. Once she tasted it, she was glad she did! She really enjoyed that dish. DS had the Coconut Shrimp (pupu), which he really liked. DD has the kids Buttery Pasta. She ate all of it, so I would say it was a hit with her - since she is a picky eater.

Overall, a great place to eat with a great location right on Front Street in Lahaina. This is yet another place I recommend.

We then drove back to the resort to enjoy some pool time.


Up next: Day 7 - Lahaina, Lunch, and Lookouts (Part 2)

 

[BigTex71]

Day 7 - Lahaina, Lunch, and Lookouts (Part 2)

On the way back to the resort, we stopped at the Papawai Scenic Lookout near Ma'alaea Harbor. This is a great spot for whale watching, from what I hear. Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales when we were there. But it was still a great view.






We went back to the resort and went to the pool areas. They have several pools, and one is more kid-oriented with a big water slide and a small waterfall near a 'grotto' on the side of the pool. It has a zero-entry area for the littles, too. DD liked the water slide a lot. The pools were nowhere near as good as Aulani, but they were nicer than just about any other resort we have been to. But it was like driving a Ferrari, then getting in a Mercedes. The Benz is a great car - just not as great as the Ferrari.

We hung out in one of the infinity pools and enjoyed the view looking out to the ocean. It was very peaceful and there were not too many people in the pool area - maybe 3 families and another couple.

After the swim and sun, we were getting tired. We decided to go to the Monkeypod Kitchen just down the street in Wailea for dinner. (See, I told you this was a lot like Ko'Olina.) I had the Kalua Pork & Pineapple Woodfired Pizza.

And I tried their famous Mai Tai.


Wow. That thing was strong! I was feeling mighty good after finishing that one drink. Then again, I don't drink much or often. But that was really good. (DW drove us back to the resort, BTW.)

We went back to the resort and I took a few pictures as the sun was going down.









Then it was time to unwind in the room, then go to bed. We had to get up early the next day for our drive of The Road To Hell - I mean Hana.

Wrap up: Another great day in Hawaii. Much better than the previous day. We did drive up to Lahaina, but it was still a 'chill' day overall. More laid back and relaxed.


Up next: Day 8 - Road to Hana

 

[alohamom]

Wow, you had an amazing view from your room!

 

[jagron11]

BigTex, interesting about having to switch to the Marriott. Wailea beach is awesome though. Don’t know if you ever found out, but the whales come in the winter months. They head to Alaska for the summer. DW stayed at that hotel 12 years ago March (I know because it was our last trip before DS1 was born.) and we would watch the whales from the lounge chairs on the grassy point.

Oh yeah and Coconuts was awesome! We didn’t make it to Monkeypod Wailea

 

[BigTex71]

Wow, you had an amazing view from your room!

I agree - it was amazing! We loved that resort.

 

[WildGinger]

The view from your room is beautiful..all the pics are so beautiful. Can't wait to hear about the Road to Hana.

 

[Mappyland]

I miss those mai tai's! However, I think Dukes makes a really good one as well.

 

[Jennie Kayna]

Thanks for sharing your trip experience. It sounds like a great time so far (minus the air conditioning fiasco - that would have stressed me out so much)!
My husband and 1 year old daughter and I will be going to Aulani for the first time in March 2020. I love the idea of doing the Oahu Private Tours so that we won't have to worry about getting around the island and figuring out where to go, but I'm also a bit hesitant about having to hang out with a tour guide all day (two big introverts here). Did the tour guide spend all of the day with you or is it more like she drops you off at the beach and picks you up in a few hours? Thanks for the info. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip!

 

[tootogether]

Fellow DFW'er here! Howdy neighbor

 

[AussieDisneyfans]

Wow - those Hawaiian Islands just get better and better. Glad that airbnb management fixed the issues with the property you had booked originally, funny how things work out that you ended up at the Wailea Beach Resort. Looking forward to reading more.