Aulani - Is it Worth the cost?

[woofle]

I have a reservation for Aulani in a standard view room this coming March. After reading a few reviews I am starting to get cold feet, and wonder if it is worth the cost, or whether I should look for something in Waikiki.

I will be travelling alone - reviews indicate it's a great place for kids - I cannot find alot of comment about Aulani as a destination for adults. My plan is to spend a few days shopping in Waikiki, then move out to Aulani for 7 days -probably hiring a car for 1 day.

As I have a hotel booking, I'm a little concerned about what the room/view will be like. It is still quite expensive to look at a parking garage and wonder whether I will regret the expense, when the majority of the value is in the facilities (geared towards kids??).

I would really appreciate thoughts and experiences at Aulani. Should I cancel now and look for something in Waikiki, or will I regret not staying at Aulani

 

[boiseflyfisher]

It depends on what you want out of your vacation. If you just want to kick back and relax, then Aulani will be great. If you are looking for nightlife and hustle and bustle, cancel and book in Waikiki.

 

[Girimama33]

7 days may be too much for you. Perhaps you can do 3 days Aulani and maybe the other 3-4 somewhere on the North Shore.

 

[karatstravels]

I would agree that 7 nights might be a bit too long unless you just wanted to lay on the beach or by the pool for 7 days, but other than that there is not much to do for adults at the resort (in my opinion). We spent some time on the North Shore at Turtle Bay and there seemed to be more going on for adults (mind you we had kids, so didn't get to check any of it out), but the bar was always packed and it just seemed a little more lively.

Whatever you decide I am sure you will have an amazing time.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

These days my idea for Hawaii is spending it at a resort enjoying nice weather and interesting atmosphere. Aulani fits that fine. Waikiki is a whole different animal so to speak although one could do that there as well - it's just not quite as relaxing of area IMO. But it all depends on what you are looking for.

 

[Anal Annie]

I have a reservation for Aulani in a standard view room this coming March. After reading a few reviews I am starting to get cold feet, and wonder if it is worth the cost, or whether I should look for something in Waikiki.

I will be travelling alone - reviews indicate it's a great place for kids - I cannot find alot of comment about Aulani as a destination for adults. My plan is to spend a few days shopping in Waikiki, then move out to Aulani for 7 days -probably hiring a car for 1 day.

As I have a hotel booking, I'm a little concerned about what the room/view will be like. It is still quite expensive to look at a parking garage and wonder whether I will regret the expense, when the majority of the value is in the facilities (geared towards kids??).

I would really appreciate thoughts and experiences at Aulani. Should I cancel now and look for something in Waikiki, or will I regret not staying at Aulani

If you are booking with DVC points I think it is totally 100% worthwhile. If you are not a DVC member and are paying cash I think it is pricey and you might be as happy to do a 50/50 split with your nights in Waikiki. They are 2 totally different types of places (destinations) tho. Traveling in March I would think you wouldn't find as many school age children around. Possibily families with younger pre-school age kids might travel then…. Have you considered visiting more than 1 island?

 

[cedricandsophie]

We are going to Aulani for the 4th time in April. We are going for 10 days and thst doesn't seem like enough! We love it there. We have been to all the hawaiin islands before so we don't need to do a lot of sightseeing. We just love to hang our on the lanai...we always get one bedroom ocean view...and enjoy the view. I work out in the morning. Get my coffee. Get our chairs in the spot I like and basically sit there all day, spending lot of time on e lazy river and going down slides. I cook in the evening a few times but we go out most nights for dinner, either across the street at the restaurants there, at the hotel or drive into Kapolei. We never tire of it. But I know others would get totally bored. There is limited night life, wish there was more, but we tend to get to bed early there. If I were alone, I would still love it. But it really depends on what you like to do. The Marriott next door, which had a little more to do in the evening is closing to become a four seasons. There is another Marriott about a block away that probably has some bars and night life.

 

[woofle]

Thanks everyone

I have three days in Waikiki before moving to Aulani. My original intention was to spend the days at Aulani relaxing in the lazy river, checking out the turtles etc and spending some time each day in gym/spa. At the moment I have broken the 7 days with a day car hire in the middle so that I can head off somewhere if things are too quiet.

I am paying cash, although managed to get the 30% off deal.....there are a couple of 4 star hotels in Waikiki offering accommodation at a similar price.

I'm not a late nighttime person so bars etc are not something I need. I am more inclined to window shop/people watch at night. Maybe the last two nights should be back at Waikiki, giving me three days touring, 4 days at Aulani, and the final two back in Waikiki.......

 

[DVCTiff]

That sounds like a good plan. The spa is amazing, and you can spend all day in the hydrotherapy area when you book a treatment. Well worth the cost. I think you'll be sad to leave, but better to be wanting to come back than dying to get out of there.

 

[Sur]

Cheapest treatment is a leg massage for $105- how much is usage of the facilities for the day without a spa service?

 

[Girimama33]

Cheapest treatment is a leg massage for $105- how much is usage of the facilities for the day without a spa service?

They do not allow day passes to the hydrotherapy garden at this time. You have to book a service that is at least 50 minutes in length.

 

[Jaaron2]

We have made two trips to Hawaii the past three years (our first trips to Hawaii) The first trip we spent a week at Aulani and then a week at Waikiki (we have three teenage boys). Our second trip we spent two weeks at Aulani. During our first trip we spent the entire second week wishing we were back at Aulani. The island is small enough that if you have a car you can get anywhere you need to relatively easy. Aulani is an absolutely unbelievable resort, it is worth every penny (or point)! We are already planning our third trip back.