4 Nights of Aulani for Honeymoon.. suggestions?

[Flynn_Rider]

Staying at Aulani for nights with rented DVC points. Coming up in June now for our honeymoon. So, we are on a budget, want to do fun things. What can we expect to keep us entertained that is free-ish? Cheap? Or worth splurging for?

We think one night at Ama Ama, maybe a spa treatment, character breakfast to say good-bye.. any ideas? Please help =)

Also, want to stay another 2 nights in Hawaii, but want to find somewhere nice but not Aulani expensive. Any ideas?

 

[Anal Annie]

Staying at Aulani for nights with rented DVC points. Coming up in June now for our honeymoon. So, we are on a budget, want to do fun things. What can we expect to keep us entertained that is free-ish? Cheap? Or worth splurging for?

We think one night at Ama Ama, maybe a spa treatment, character breakfast to say good-bye.. any ideas? Please help =)

Also, want to stay another 2 nights in Hawaii, but want to find somewhere nice but not Aulani expensive. Any ideas?

I wouldn't call either spa treatments or dinner at Ama Ama budget items but they definitely sound like honeymoon things. But as far as "cheap" things to do touring the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor is free to the public but if you don't have a reservation time yet you should go early (like 7:00 am) as a walk-up. You can also drive to the North Shore to sightsee which would be "cheap".

As far as spending more time in Hawaii - do you mean on Oahu - as in Waikiki or on another island? Personally, I would island hop to either Maui or the Big Island but if you just want to move into Waikiki I would suggest going to one of the hotels in the Outrigger chain. We have stayed at both the Outrigger Reef and the Outrigger Waikiki. Both are OK but I think the Outrigger Waikiki is a little nicer and just a smidge more per night (but I would say worth it). The Outrigger Reef is currently ranked # 4 and the Outrigger Waikiki is ranked # 8 out of 82 Honolulu hotels on Trip Advisor. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60982-Honolulu_Oahu_Hawaii-Hotels.html. We have also stayed at the Waikiki Beachcomber (a Holiday Inn) which is ranked # 20. It has been refurbished since we stayed there which was over 10 years ago for that one. It is not ON the beach, but is across the street from the Mona Surfrider and you can access the beach through a walkway over there. Because it is not ON the beach, but across the street it is going to cost less per night than anything that is ON the beach. The Outrigger Waikiki is where Dukes restaurant is located so if you want another nice meal while in Hawaii that is very convenient.

Just remember that if you move into Waikiki AFTER you go to Aulani it's going to be a very different experience. Waikiki is a CITY and very hustle bustle. I would probably go there first then move to Aulani if that's possible.

If you want to go to Maui I would stay someplace in Ka'anapali and if you want to go to the Big Island I would stay someplace on the Kona side.

 

[MissMet]

I haven't been to Aulani yet (leave in 2 days!!!) but I've been to Hawaii & have been planning our 1st Anniversary trip for quite a while. I'll tell you what we decided on.

Our Anniversary day we're splurging & doing a couple's massage. We're doing a late breakfast at ama ama. Ama ama gets very mixed dinner reviews especially for the price. Roy's across the street gets MUCH better reviews for the food & is very popular. So we decided, did we want a better meal or an okay, over-priced meal with a great view. We decided on Roy's because the reviews are just so much better. Plus, I feel like there will be less kids & people in swim suits running around.

We're passing on the Character breakfast again because of the price vs quality.

Just like on our honeymoon, we chose to do the relaxed portion first so you can recover from the wedding & travel/time change & then once recovered move over to the faster paced adventures.

Like I said, we leave on Friday & will be doing a live trip report if you'd like to follow along to see our plans since this will be a couple's "romantic" journey. We'll be on Oahu 8 days, splitting our time between Aulani & The Outrigger Regency on Waikiki (amazing 1-bed for $189/night!!). Then the second week we'll be on a cruise.