Aulani 10 days or Aulani 5 and Maui 5?

[DVCismyhappyplace]

Hi- I would be interested in hearing any comments about Big Island-what was your favorites to do-what area did you stay-going this Sep

We stayed at the Fairmont Orchid in May. It was amazing. The property is gorgeous and the service is top-notch. We took a day trip to Volcano National Park - it was a long day - we were out of the hotel by 6:30 am (didn't bother us too much since we were still on east coast time). We were debating taking a helicopter tour but had heard from another couple at our hotel that did it the earlier in the week that the lava wasn't really flowing.

The snorkeling on the Big Island is some of the best in the islands.

 

[sissy_ib]

I was just looking at places on the Vacation Rentals By Owner website, and there are tons of cute places right near the Volcano. Not bad pricing either. I think we are going to do a split stay next June, and rent one of these houses for 4 nights.

I have been looking at VRBO as well. I may do 4 nights in the Kona area and 3 near the volcano. I just bumped up my trip from August/September to May to work around school. I'm not sure how far a head of time I need to book a place.

 

[jekjones1558]

I have been looking at VRBO as well. I may do 4 nights in the Kona area and 3 near the volcano. I just bumped up my trip from August/September to May to work around school. I'm not sure how far a head of time I need to book a place.

Some VRBO rentals book up way in advance. We booked our place in Kona 11 months out and had to adjust our dates because there were many weeks already filled. You might want to start looking soon.

 

[sissy_ib]

Some VRBO rentals book up way in advance. We booked our place in Kona 11 months out and had to adjust our dates because there were many weeks already filled. You might want to start looking soon.

Ekk. I am looking today. Our dates are pretty firm. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[disneybirds]

Hate to hijack this thread op but with so many like-minded Disney fans here I gotta ask! :

On the other islands besides Oahu, which resorts are 'most like' staying at a Disney deluxe resort? Meaning nice accommodations, super kid friendly, fun pools, lots of activities, etc?

We stayed at the Hilton Waikola Village on the Big Island. We enjoyed our stay and would go back. Several pools for swimming, quite a few restaurants, beautiful weather. We stayed in a room overlooking the dolphins and loved watching them during the day.

 

[disneybirds]

Hi- I would be interested in hearing any comments about Big Island-what was your favorites to do-what area did you stay-going this Sep

We were on the Big Island for 5 days. We stayed the first four nights at Hilton Waikola Village. We did a dolphin tour with Coral Reef Adventures which was great. We did the ziplining at Umama Experience which was amazing. We did the ride up to the Summit and then stargazing. We drove to the Volcano National Park and spent the night there to see the volcano at night. It is a long drive from Waikola (Maybe 3 or 3 1/2 hours), so I am glad we spent the night. We ended up flying into Kona and then out of Hilo to avoid having to drive back to Kona.

We were definitely ready to relax once we got to Aulani. We spent the first two days parked in pool chairs!

 

[trishypoo]

Hi,

I am deciding if I should do 10 days in Aulani or 5 Aulani and 5 Maui?
What do you guys think? Open to suggestions.

Thanks!

So we just got back from hawaii,......we did 5 nights in Maui at the Royal Lahaina resort and 5 more on Oahu at Aulani. It was perfect!! Although I loved Aulani , Maui is a much nicer more relaxed island!!

 

[yolie912]

So we just got back from hawaii,......we did 5 nights in Maui at the Royal Lahaina resort and 5 more on Oahu at Aulani. It was perfect!! Although I loved Aulani , Maui is a much nicer more relaxed island!!

Thanks for letting me know! how did you enjoy Aulani?

 

[luv2sleep]

So we just got back from hawaii,......we did 5 nights in Maui at the Royal Lahaina resort and 5 more on Oahu at Aulani. It was perfect!! Although I loved Aulani , Maui is a much nicer more relaxed island!!

I wish Aulani had been built on Maui.

 

[Iceman93]

I wish Aulani had been built on Maui.

While I tend to agree with you, I think I understand why Disney did it. For one, there's not a prime piece of beachfront property still available on Maui. They'd have to buy an existing resort, raze it, and start over. I also suspect they got quite a bargain on the spot they did pick, given how many years Ko 'Olina has been stagnant.

But probably the real driving factor was the convenience of flights to and from Honolulu, especially from Asia. There just aren't nearly as many non-stop flights to Kahului from as many places, and Disney knows that a sizable portion of their Aulani clientele will be flying from the west, not the east.

 

[luv2sleep]

While I tend to agree with you, I think I understand why Disney did it. For one, there's not a prime piece of beachfront property still available on Maui. They'd have to buy an existing resort, raze it, and start over. I also suspect they got quite a bargain on the spot they did pick, given how many years Ko 'Olina has been stagnant.

But probably the real driving factor was the convenience of flights to and from Honolulu, especially from Asia. There just aren't nearly as many non-stop flights to Kahului from as many places, and Disney knows that a sizable portion of their Aulani clientele will be flying from the west, not the east.

Totally makes sense. Oahu is just my least favorite island while Maui is my favorite. It's great that the inter island flights are reasonable.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

Hi- I would be interested in hearing any comments about Big Island-what was your favorites to do-what area did you stay-going this Sep

Don't remember where we stayed but if you snorkel go to the Place of Refuge--something like Honaunau. My daughter said the coral there reminded her of the Little Mermaid scenes.
The black sand beach with the turtles was cool.
The Volcano Park is good--make sure to walk through the lava tube.
There was another beach called something like Kealakua where turtles were everywhere in the water and actually brushed against us. It is near the Kona airport.