Aulani for 2 weeks March 14 to March 28?

[MomDad&2boys]

After owning for a few years now, it seems we finally have some banked points to be able to toss around the idea of Aulani. Flights alone will cost us $5000 plus pretty much 3 years worth of points so this isn't a trip that I want to jump into lightly.
A few questions...

- Is a March a good time to visit Hawaii?
- Is this timeframe going to be too busy to relax and enjoy? Our kids will only miss 4 days of school if we go at this time but I'd be willing to consider pulling them for more days if it will make our trip exponentially better?
- Is there even a chance that we'll be able to secure a 1 Bedroom for these dates without Aulani as our home resort?

Any help, advice, input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Christina

 

[wanderlust7]

Have you been to Hawaii before? With 2 weeks, I would do a week at Aulani and a week on another island or in Waikiki. Aulani is convenient for visiting the North Shore, but not as convenient for anything in the direction of Waikiki due to traffic. My perfect 2 weeks on Oahu with kids would be a week at the Hilton Hawaiian Village complex first. I enjoy the hustle and bustle, the energy, of Waikiki (though there are many who don't), plus all the great food options. From there, I would tour Pearl Harbor/Battleship Missouri, Haunama Bay, hike Diamond Head. The second week, I would stay at Aulani and tour the North Shore and Dole Plantation one day, Polynesian Cultural Center another day. The rest of the time, I would just enjoy the resort.

If your kids are into pirates, there is a Living Social deal for the Hawaii Pirate Ship Adventures. It's campy and a lot of fun (they say arghhhhhh A LOT). They shoot water cannons at passing ships and also find a treasure chest in the sea (the kids get to keep a coin from the treasure).

OR if you decide to visit another island, each one is great in it's own way. The Big Island has Volcano National Park and great snorkeling at Captain Cook monument (Kealakekua Bay). The nighttime snorkeling with manta rays was unforgettable, but probably not good with younger kids. Kauai is lush and less touristy. Maui has Haleakala Crater which is otherworldly, Road to Hana, and great whale watching (March would be in season).

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Great recommendations above! I was going to tell you that you'd get bored at Aulani for 2 weeks. Have you looked into island hopping? A week in Maui would be awesome! It feels more like "Hawaii" than Aulani to me. Aulani is an awesome resort, but not a great location or a great beach. You can rent a timeshare on Kaanapali beach from red week and save some bucks over hotels and get great accomodations.
I imagine it will very busy during Spring Break but I bet the resort is often booked to capacity anyway. I would have a back up plan if you aren't able to book a 1 bedroom at 7 months and also get on a wait list right away.
We went there before much of the rooms were finished and it was already busy but still enjoyable.

I have a trip report in my signature about our trip to Aulani and Maui.

 

[Girimama33]

The resort will be very busy (I just returned from a stay beginning 3/16) due to Hawaii's Spring Break and Prince Kuhio Day. To me, it was just as busy as it was when I was there in mid July.

 

[Dean]

After owning for a few years now, it seems we finally have some banked points to be able to toss around the idea of Aulani. Flights alone will cost us $5000 plus pretty much 3 years worth of points so this isn't a trip that I want to jump into lightly.
A few questions...

- Is a March a good time to visit Hawaii?
- Is this timeframe going to be too busy to relax and enjoy? Our kids will only miss 4 days of school if we go at this time but I'd be willing to consider pulling them for more days if it will make our trip exponentially better?
- Is there even a chance that we'll be able to secure a 1 Bedroom for these dates without Aulani as our home resort?

Any help, advice, input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Christina

I would not do one island for 2 weeks in this situation, I'd do one other island. My preference for a second island for first timers is Maui for a full week. If you can stretch a few more days you might consider 3 islands. I would not do any of these options without a car. The only place I wouldn't do a car would be if I stayed in Waikiki. You could look for exchange or you could rent the rest of your points not used for Aulani and pay cash for the other options.

 

[happymommy]

I used to live on Oahu, and own at the Marriott Ko Olina (and have taken my kids back 8 times or so, plus my son was born there).
We go always in June, and always for 2 weeks! NO, we do not get bored! We love our two weeks at Ko Olina! I grill for lunch or dinner a LOT! Fresh fish from Costco is a must. I pack one suitcase just with spices and things for cooking. After a morning on the beach, lunch grilled and a nap is nice! It's so relaxing! We do some running around, up to Kailua where we used to live to local spots, walk on Kailua beach, etc.
I honestly cannot imagine getting bored after 2 weeks!
When our kids are out of the house (which is soon) we're going to split up our condo and do 2 weeks in a studio then 2 weeks in the one bedroom for the 2 of us, so 4 weeks! I so look forward to it! It's home to us.

 

[happymommy]

I forgot to add, though, the reason we go in the summer (or another reason) is the 6 hour time change from the East Coast. We adjust the first day to Hawaii time, but coming home is a nightmare for my teenagers (and then little kids). My son has ADHD and I couldn't get him to go to bed when he was little until after midnight when we got home (his first trip back he was 5 I think ).. Summer now makes it better (first time was January for 11 days followed by 2 weeks of hell at his Montessori school, trying to get him to get up in the morning).

 

[MomDad&2boys]

I forgot to add, though, the reason we go in the summer (or another reason) is the 6 hour time change from the East Coast. We adjust the first day to Hawaii time, but coming home is a nightmare for my teenagers (and then little kids). My son has ADHD and I couldn't get him to go to bed when he was little until after midnight when we got home (his first trip back he was 5 I think ).. Summer now makes it better (first time was January for 11 days followed by 2 weeks of hell at his Montessori school, trying to get him to get up in the morning).

That is actually a very good point that I hadn't considered. One of my boys is a Type 1 Diabetic and we eat on a very specific time schedule as well as having time released insulin. We have never been anywhere that is more than an hour or two time difference. This trip will very likely affect him greatly.

 

[nkereina]

Not to hijack OP's thread, but what is everyone's thoughts on doing a split stay between Aulani and Turtle Bay in the North Shore? Planning a 2 week trip also for two adults in October 2016. Our first week we'll spend a few days in Waikiki, a few days in Maui, and a few days in Kauai. I was planning our second week to be spent at Aulani but after seeing negative feedback on the beach area, I'm now considering 4 nights at Turtle Bay followed by 3 nights at Aulani. We'll have a car. Any thoughts?

 

[Dean]

Not to hijack OP's thread, but what is everyone's thoughts on doing a split stay between Aulani and Turtle Bay in the North Shore? Planning a 2 week trip also for two adults in October 2016. Our first week we'll spend a few days in Waikiki, a few days in Maui, and a few days in Kauai. I was planning our second week to be spent at Aulani but after seeing negative feedback on the beach area, I'm now considering 4 nights at Turtle Bay followed by 3 nights at Aulani. We'll have a car. Any thoughts?

I'm not much of a turtle bay fan. Even when it was new and Hilton (it was build when we lived there), I never had much interest. However, there isn't a lot up there so if the location is desired, it would seem to be a reasonable choice depending on cost. While I haven't investigated, one might also look for a bed and breakfast or just a private rental. I'd be much more interested in a split stay between Waikiki (or similar like Kahala) and Aulani.

 

[drusba]

As to Aulani availability, I assume you know March 27, 2016 is Easter and the week leading up to that and the week of Easter are two huge spring break weeks. Nevertheless, based on March and April and Easter time avaialbility during the last two years you should be able to get a 1BR but standard and island garden view will likely have days filled at 7 months out, and possibly even pool view for a couple days around Easter; also the the resort is likely to be crowded. The weather in Oahu is ideal at that time, it is a very popular detination for Easter time travelers and thus you should expect that crowds in genral will also be heavy for places you decide to visit while there.

 

[apple9117]

We went from Mar 5 - Mar 12 and the weather was great! It wasn't super hot, consistently in the 70's. I thought it was a great time to go!

 

[hilarys]

Not to hijack OP's thread, but what is everyone's thoughts on doing a split stay between Aulani and Turtle Bay in the North Shore? Planning a 2 week trip also for two adults in October 2016. Our first week we'll spend a few days in Waikiki, a few days in Maui, and a few days in Kauai. I was planning our second week to be spent at Aulani but after seeing negative feedback on the beach area, I'm now considering 4 nights at Turtle Bay followed by 3 nights at Aulani. We'll have a car. Any thoughts?

I am a fan of this idea! We did the same thing on a shorter trip in 2013. We were taking my extended family to Aulani so only had points for 5 nights there. At the front end of the trip we spent 3 nights at Turtle Bay. My immediate family stayed in one of the studio villas managed by the Hotel and the rest of the family rented a townhouse on the golf course. We really liked the fact that Turtle Bay was the only thing up there. The lagoon was nice for swimming, great spot for surf lessons, fun short hikes and opportunities to see WW2 "ruins" from the hotel. Hotel also offers horseback riding and golf. We stayed put the whole time, but the rest of the family did quick drives to some of the great North Shore sites. We went in Haleiwa for dinner one night. We could easily have done more days at Turtle Bay. I would do Turtle Bay before Aulani though. I can't comment on the hotel rooms themselves since the hotel moved us over to one of the studio villas. The villas were great and can be found direct from owner as well as through the hotel itself. Happy to answer any other questions.

 

[sandysue]

Just to reiterate what has been said, DOE (public schools) Spring Break will be those weeks, so very busy at Aulani. Good Friday is a state holiday Friday 3/25.

Personally, I would start with a week on the Big Island and do all kinds of sight-seeing there (Volcanoes NP, etc. great with kids) and then hit Aulani to just relax.

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

Not to hijack OP's thread, but what is everyone's thoughts on doing a split stay between Aulani and Turtle Bay in the North Shore? Planning a 2 week trip also for two adults in October 2016. Our first week we'll spend a few days in Waikiki, a few days in Maui, and a few days in Kauai. I was planning our second week to be spent at Aulani but after seeing negative feedback on the beach area, I'm now considering 4 nights at Turtle Bay followed by 3 nights at Aulani. We'll have a car. Any thoughts?

So you're going for two weeks. The first week, you'll have a couple of days in Waikiki, a few days on Maui and a few days on Kauai? You cannot possibly do 3 islands in one week. Even though the interisland flights are short, you will lose AT LEAST 3 hours traveling to each island. Then you will head back to Oahu to spend 4 nights at Turtle Bay and 3 nights at Aulani? It's honestly too much to try to do in 2 weeks. For two weeks, I'd recommend no more than 2 islands.

 

[nkereina]

So you're going for two weeks. The first week, you'll have a couple of days in Waikiki, a few days on Maui and a few days on Kauai? You cannot possibly do 3 islands in one week. Even though the interisland flights are short, you will lose AT LEAST 3 hours traveling to each island. Then you will head back to Oahu to spend 4 nights at Turtle Bay and 3 nights at Aulani? It's honestly too much to try to do in 2 weeks. For two weeks, I'd recommend no more than 2 islands.

Appreciate the response. It's a once in a lifetime trip, so we're trying to do as much as possible of course. We come from the east coast so it's cost prohibitive to go back or do shorter trips. My tentative itinerary looks like this:

Thursday - Arrive HNL 1pm, stay in Waikiki
Sunday late morning - Fly to Maui (45 min flight)
Sunday through Thursday - Staying at Westin Maui
Thursday early afternoon - Fly to Kauai (45 min flight)
Thursday through Saturday afternoon - Staying at Kauai Hyatt
Saturday afternoon - Fly back to Oahu, pick up car, drive to either Aulani or Turtle Bay. If we decide to split the week between the two resorts, our move day would be Tuesday. We'll fly home from HNL that Friday.

I don't particularly think it sounds impossible. Sure it's a lot of moving around and moving parts, but we're not trying to do every little thing on each island. If we can do Pearl Harbor in Waikiki, a Luau in Maui, and a helicopter ride in Kauai, I'll be happy. We did price out the Norwegian Pride of America which spends even less time on each island (also hits the Big Island), but it will be cheaper for us to do it this way.

So to my original question, should we split Turtle Bay and Aulani or spend the full week at one resort or the other?

 

[chainkid]

Personally I would skip turtle bay resort and stay at Aulani. You can still drive to north Shore but I wasn't impressed with turtle Bay at all when I stayed there. It wasn't bad just not impressive

 

[happymommy]

I agree with the others.
First of all, skip Turtle Bay completely. There is nothing much there. It was "okay" when it was a Hilton (when I lived there), but went downhill. Then they allowed locals to use the pools free. It was not nice.
Also, remember that although a flight is 45 minutes, you are losing a DAY going from one island to another. You have to pack up, check out, get to the airport, wait, fly, get to the destination, check in, then get settled. It's one day lost.
For two weeks, there is no way I'd do more than 2 islands. At all.
If for Oahu it's between Turtle Bay and Aulani, there is no comparison. I'd stay only at Aulani.
If you really want to do another island, maybe Maui? We went there 3 times when we lived on Oahu, two were long weekends. Kauai we went a couple of times for the weekend, and honestly saw the whole island (it's quite small - did hiking and other sight seeing).
Kauai and Maui have totally different "vibes". Maui is more overpriced than I care for. Kauai is nice and rural feeling - but small so if you want loads of things to see you could find them but it's more laid back.
Just remember you will lose one day for each transfer day. For a once in a lifetime trip, I'd want to relax more and enjoy the surroundings, not fly from one place to another, going through security and driving and checking in and out.

 

[wanderlust7]

You should price out flying into one island and out of another (say fly into Maui, fly out of HNL). If it's not more expensive than round-trip HNL, then you would save time and one inter-island fare.

 

[Dean]

You should price out flying into one island and out of another (say fly into Maui, fly out of HNL). If it's not more expensive than round-trip HNL, then you would save time and one inter-island fare.

It generally is more expensive AND there are less choices. I'd definitely look at it because it sometimes can work out but often it doesn't.