Aulani and Island Hopping

[Moniqu17]

We are planning on going to Aulani next spring for 10 days and are trying to determine if we should visit another island for a few days? We've already been to the Big Island once which was really great, but it would be nice to see Maui possibly and the road to Hana. The biggest problem I see is that we will be going with a 4.5 and 1.5 yr old. They are both well traveled and the baby has already flown twice so far at 9 months and our older DS went to the Big Island with us. People commented how well behaved he was on the plane so I'm not worried about the extra travel, but there will be a lot to pack up just for a few days. We would check-out of Aulani since we don't have enough points to waste. Does this sound feasible? Would Maui be the best island to visit? Or I have seen the one day island hop but that seems very stressful since it's a very long day with little kids. Just looking for suggestions or if anyone has done this before. We would only go for a few days and not looking to do half the trip on another island since we are trying to keep cost down. Thanks!

 

[southerngirl528]

Aloha Moniqu17,

I saw no one had answered you, so I'll give it a shot. First, I am a Hawaii freak. Seriously. We spend a month in Hawaii every other year and long for more. Most of that time is spent on Maui, which is my favorite. Aulani is spectacular, and both DH and I LOVE it. With the ages of your little ones, there's no way I would tackle the RTH. We always spend our first few nights staying in Hana. We LOVE it. But to drive that entire road and BACK with 2 tiny people?? Nope. This mom of 3 would not do it. Wait until they are older. Be warned if anyone gets motions sickness the RTH can be more than brutal if not prepared for this.

With 10 days and 2 little ones, I am tempted to tell you to just do one island. You will spend the equivalent of almost a full day just getting to the airport, security, blah, blah, then travel to your new destination, checking in, etc, getting settled again with the little ones, etc. If you think you will never, ever go to Hawaii again, this is a once in a lifetime, then hop over to Maui for 3 or 4 days. One option you might consider to avoid inter-island travel but see a very different part of Hawaii from Ko'Olina where Aulani is, would be to stay on the North Shore somewhere. That side of Oahu is truly lovely.

 

[Moniqu17]

Thanks for the input on the RTH. My son did an all day excursion at 1.5 for 10 hrs in a bus so we weren't sure if we did the same thing if it would be better since they get to see out the windows... but I'm not sure how they would do with motion sickness and that would be very bad! If we took the kids to Maui, are there any kid oriented activities or fun places to see with little ones? I know people usually spend a lot of time at the beach but my kids don't enjoy the water too much but love just being outside and exploring. I know the time will go by fast in Oahu but I'm not sure if / when we will make it back. We are using points to fly over and usually save several yrs for our next 'big' trip so I thought it might be fun to see another island. I just want to make sure there is something worth it to see. I'd really like to go back to the Big Island some day too since my oldest would love the volcano now. We took him on a helicopter ride when we went the 1st time but of course he wouldn't remember it. I wish I could go more often since it's so beautiful!!!

 

[chainkid]

We just returned from a three week Hawaii excursion staying first week at Aulani. I have stayed on Maui in the past and would second the suggestion to avoid the Road to Hana with small children. While I liked Maui , I loved loved loved Kauai so much more. We stayed in Hanalei Area and there was so much to do. The numerous hiking trails kept us busy . The scenery is breathtaking just from the car but explore abit and it is awesome. I've been to the Big Island as well and if the Volcano wasn't erupting that might be my first choice but with asthma I opted out this year due to VOG. You really can't go wrong. With small children I would stay longer at Aulani and then research a condo in turtle Bay North shore. The Turtle Bay resort is pricy and IMO not worth the money but the area is very nice to explore.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

We've traveled to Hawaii several times with small children. I would definitely recommend hopping to another island before or after your Aulani stay. Maui is awesome and Kaanapali Beach has plenty to do (or not do) with little ones in tow. We've done the Road to Hana with children too and it was fine unless they hate the car. Get a guide book and you'll stop often enough to not get bored. Bring plenty of snacks though!
We like to either use a timeshare at Marriott's Maui Ocean Club or stay at the Hyatt Regency on Kaanapali Beach. They're right next to each other. Both have great pools and great beach and a short walk to Whaler's Village shopping center and restaurants.
Here's our blog of our last family trip to Hawaii including Maui and Aulani. We started with Disneyland too, but I linked you to the start of the Maui portion...Hawaii trip

 

[blondietink]

We have been to Maui and also suggest that you skip the Road to Hana. It was a big waste of time in my opinion. You don't really see much and when we went, there wasn't much rain, so the waterfalls weren't running. The Ka'anapali beach area is fabulous along with Lahaina. We really enjoy going up to the top of Haleakala and not necessarily for sunrise. The views on the way up and down are terrific. Also, the Iao Valley is nice. Both could be done in one day, even with small children. There is also an aquarium in between the two sites that is very nice and popular.

 

[Moniqu17]

Thanks everyone and thanks for the link to the trip report! I'll have to look up some of the suggested areas since I don't know anything about Maui (or Kauai) but it all sounds so wonderful!

 

[Dean]

We have been to Maui and also suggest that you skip the Road to Hana. It was a big waste of time in my opinion. You don't really see much and when we went, there wasn't much rain, so the waterfalls weren't running. The Ka'anapali beach area is fabulous along with Lahaina. We really enjoy going up to the top of Haleakala and not necessarily for sunrise. The views on the way up and down are terrific. Also, the Iao Valley is nice. Both could be done in one day, even with small children. There is also an aquarium in between the two sites that is very nice and popular.

I too would skip Hana for such a trip. I'd do maybe 5 nights each Maui and Oahu or something close. I could easily make a case for Oahu alone as the first trip and saving other islands for a future trip if you can't get an extra day or 2 in above the 10 days.

 

[catmegs]

We're going thru the same choices for a trip later on this year. Previously we've visited Aulani for 9 days with a 5 and 3 year old, and we'll be returning now with a 7, 5 and 1 year old. My husband and I would really love to explore more islands but we keep reminding ourselves to keep it simple. Our last trip flew by, Aulani had so many activities for kids we felt like we needed more time just to fit it in. We rented a car the whole trip but only made it out one day to drive around the North Shore. On one hand I returned feeling like we didn't see nearly enough of Oahu (and I am an obsessive trip planner, I had pages of sights to see!), but on the other hand we had such a relaxing trip it felt like a real vacation. I know its a long way to go just to sit at one resort, but all the memories we made with the kids by truly relaxing far exceeded seeing more sights etc.

 

[jekjones1558]

I got really carsick on the RTH so I would not risk it with little kids. Ordinarily I would suggest a second island but with the ages of your kids and the hassle of packing, checking out, getting rid of rental car, getting inter island flight, getting another rental car, checking in, unpacking---I don't think it is worth it. There are more kid-friendly activities at Aulani than any other place. And there are lots of places to see on Oahu that are a short drive. Once both kids are older you could try another island. JMHO. Have a fabulous trip. LOVE Hawaii.

 

[rocketriter]

Nobody is mentioning Molokai, and it might be best when your kids are a bit older. But it's much less developed, with more of a ranch and outdoors feel than the main islands, the scenery is heart-stoppingly beautiful, and the story and locations for Father Damien are extraordinary. If you want something less commercial when the kids are old enough, say, to ride a horse, then take them to Molokai.

 

[HannaBelle]

We cruised with NCL on the Pride of America and loved the cruise. You could consider doing your week at Aulani and then hop on the cruise ship to tour the islands. We absolutely loved it. We did a snorkeling tour with the Pacific Whale Foundation in Maui that was great for small kids. We also visited the aquarium on Maui and it had a lot of fun things for kids too.

We have not stayed at Aulani yet, but we are saving up points for a trip there in 2017.

 

[wanderlust7]

The last time we went to Maui, DS was 4 and DD was 1. I think DD got car sick on the Road to Hana because she kept crying, we ended up turning back early. We did make it to the Garden of Eden (along the way on RTH) though and DS had a good time exploring. We picked up lunch from Paia and had a nice picnic in a gazebo.

Haleakala is other worldly and well worth a trip. We stopped by Kula Farms afterwards, intending to pick strawberries, but that closes earlier than the farm, so we just missed it. It was still a cute stop though with good photo-ops.

DS enjoyed walking the paths at Iao Valley. It got tiring pushing DD in the stroller up the mountain though, so I turned back and waited down below (no big loss since I've been there before).

On Oahu, if your DS is at all a pirates fan, Hawaii Pirate Ship Adventures is really campy and fun. You get to fire water cannons at passing ships, help pull out a treasure chest from the sea, and say "arghh" a lot.

 

[Moniqu17]

Thanks again everyone for the input. I might have to think long and hard about going to another island since we just don't want to spend 1/2 our time on another island since there is so much to do on Oahu. But I will definitely look through the suggestions since I'm still open to a short possible island hop.