Aulani for two nights?

[3monkeys4me]

Hi all!

We will be traveling to Oahu next Dec. to visit friends that are stationed there. We will be staying with them for 10-12 nights and taking in the sights for our first trip to Hawaii.

We will likely need a hotel for 2 nights when we first arrive since their kids will not be on break from school yet and it will be too hard for their kids to stay on schedule with visitors. Dh and I are considering staying at Aulani for 2 nights, would it be worth the extra cost for such a short time? We would likely arrive at the resort around 6pm on a Wed. and be leaving sometime Friday afternoon/early evening.

Our other options are renting a condo is Kailua for 2 nights, finding a place to stay near Hickham AB (where our friends our) or be super touristy and stay in the Waikiki area. We have also toyed with the idea of starting our trip on a different island for 3-4 nights and then arriving on Oahu in time to spend the holidays with our friends. We would probably go to the Big Island (visiting an active lava flow is something Dh would love to do, but we could save this for another trip) or Kauai if we did this but it would mostly depend on budget.

If it matters, the kids and I love Disney but Dh just tolerates it. We live in the midwest and we last went to Disneyland summer 2012 and are tentatively planning a WDW trip October 2015.

Any advice is welcome!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I would opt for starting your trip on the Big Island of Hawaii (lots of inexpensive places there as opposed to other islands), and then head to Oahu later. I love Aulani, but I love Big Island more.

 

[3monkeys4me]

Thanks for your input.

(and we are neighbors )

 

[Anal Annie]

I would always recommend visiting a 2nd island when going to Hawaii. The flights are too expensive and it's too far away to not visit more places. Each island has its own personality. While Maui is our fav. island like Diane said the Big Island is probably cheaper to stay on than Maui or Kauai. There are some nice options to stay at on the Kona side and you can drive the island from there if you give yourself a few days to explore it. If you allow 3-4 days there you would have enough time to visit the volcano...

 

[amym2]

Is it just you and DH or are the kids coming too, and how old are they? Aulani is amazing, and it is not in-your-face Disney in any way, but the service is top-notch Disney. Our kids were 11 and 9 on our trip there last Oct and they thought it was paradise. A couple of days would definitely be worth it if you plan to just stay at the resort and enjoy the amenities.

Our kids loved Kauai also, especially the Napali Coast boat tour and the Jungle Valley Adventure at Princeville Ranch, but if cost is a factor and you'd more likely just want to take it easy, I'd stick with Aulani.

DH and I have done the Big Island and loved it, but I'd say it depends on the age of your kids and if they would find it interesting.

 

[poohj80]

I would opt for starting your trip on the Big Island of Hawaii (lots of inexpensive places there as opposed to other islands), and then head to Oahu later. I love Aulani, but I love Big Island more.

Can you recommend some of those inexpensive places to stay? I'm not finding anything inexpensive for our dates in March.

 

[Fuhnuh]

We go to Oahu twice a year for 10-12 days and have stayed two nights the last three times after staying five then three nights the first two visits. DD13 brings a friend and we all have a great time in the three days (two nights) we are there. We already have two more two night stays booked for August and November this year. Truth be told, we would probably be just as happy with one night and two days if we went to the resort at (9am or earlier). If you could find a decent hotel rate the night of your arrival, you could get in two pretty full days for the price of one night's stay. We usually arrive around 8:30 and that provides us with a pretty long first day but be warned that your room may not be available until later in the afternoon.

I think 3-4 days at one of the other islands would not disappoint either.

 

[myty5]

Grab the 3 bdrm Grand Villa Ocean View and invite your friends to stay with you. IMO ( and maybe your friends too) would be a lot better than staying in Waikiki. Your friends would invite your family to visit every year if you did this

 

[WDW_Diane]

I would opt for starting your trip on the Big Island of Hawaii (lots of inexpensive places there as opposed to other islands), and then head to Oahu later. I love Aulani, but I love Big Island more.

Diane, where do you like to stay on the Big Island? Our next trip over will include it. We like to stay right on the beach, on the sunny part of islands. Loved the whole Ko Olina area. Any Big Island suggestions?