Aulani...little bits of info

[Jaaron2]

We will be arriving tomorrow for two weeks!!! This will be our second trip to Aulani!!!!! A couple things we learned from our first trip:

1) you will want to spend a lot of time at the resort. We felt we did too many excursions last time and didn't get to enjoy the resort enough
2) don't eat out at expensive restaurants , there are a lot of "local" places with great food at much cheaper prices
3) enjoy the pool at night - it's very quiet and the lighting around the pool is great

I'll come back send post more once we get there

 

[Sur]

Have a good time! I'm looking forward to pictures!

 

[SingingMom]

We will be arriving tomorrow for two weeks!!! This will be our second trip to Aulani!!!!! A couple things we learned from our first trip: 1) you will want to spend a lot of time at the resort. We felt we did too many excursions last time and didn't get to enjoy the resort enough 2) don't eat out at expensive restaurants , there are a lot of "local" places with great food at much cheaper prices 3) enjoy the pool at night - it's very quiet and the lighting around the pool is great I'll come back send post more once we get there

Are those local restaurants in walking distance or do you need a car? We aren't renting one.
Is there a list available, or did you find them on your own? Thanks for the info !

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Girimama33]

Are those local restaurants in walking distance or do you need a car? We aren't renting one.
Is there a list available, or did you find them on your own? Thanks for the info !

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

We are not renting a car during our stay either. I used this link to research dining within walking distance...http://www.koolina.com/experience/dining

 

[SingingMom]

We are not renting a car during our stay either. I used this link to research dining within walking distance...http://www.koolina.com/experience/dining

Thanks so much!!! I will take some time to read over the info. I must confess, after the past few years of my favorite NJ shore resort, WDW trips, and two FABULOUS ABD trips! I haven't needed to make detailed "plans" for our vacations. I need to get my act together! We arrive in August!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Bribrittmom]

Thanks so much!!! I will take some time to read over the info. I must confess, after the past few years of my favorite NJ shore resort, WDW trips, and two FABULOUS ABD trips! I haven't needed to make detailed "plans" for our vacations. I need to get my act together! We arrive in August!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

What is a ABD trip?

 

[jaimeadk]

Adventures By Disney=ABD

 

[SingingMom]

What is a ABD trip?

Adventures by Disney - we did "Cities of Knights & Lights" which was London & Paris and "Once Upon a Fairytale" which was the castles of Germany! Unbelievable trips and everything us taken care of for you! Very pampering! We will definitely plan on more tours on the future, but this year is Aulani!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[swooshbear]

We are not renting a car during our stay either. I used this link to research dining within walking distance...http://www.koolina.com/experience/dining

The local "grinds" are so much better than anything you can find at the resort or in the Ko'Olina area. $2.25 taco tuesdays at South Shore Grill, garlic chicken at Mitsu-ken, Mike's Huli Huli chicken, teriyaki beef at Dean's Drive In, lobster hot dogs at Hank's, and the list goes on and on. Being a DVC saves you money on resort parking so I would definitely recommend getting a car.

 

[Girimama33]

The local "grinds" are so much better than anything you can find at the resort or in the Ko'Olina area. $2.25 taco tuesdays at South Shore Grill, garlic chicken at Mitsu-ken, Mike's Huli Huli chicken, teriyaki beef at Dean's Drive In, lobster hot dogs at Hank's, and the list goes on and on. Being a DVC saves you money on resort parking so I would definitely recommend getting a car.

We are not staying on points. We used my SIL's CM discount for the room, so we would be subject to parking fees. We are planning on spending most of our time at the resort, so having a car for the week is not necessary for our group.

 

[SingingMom]

The local "grinds" are so much better than anything you can find at the resort or in the Ko'Olina area. $2.25 taco tuesdays at South Shore Grill, garlic chicken at Mitsu-ken, Mike's Huli Huli chicken, teriyaki beef at Dean's Drive In, lobster hot dogs at Hank's, and the list goes on and on. Being a DVC saves you money on resort parking so I would definitely recommend getting a car.

We aren't DVC members. Just picked the resort because we've had good luck with Adventures by Disney, WDW, and Disneyland Paris stays. We like the extra attention (and pixie dust!) Disney provides. I don't like to drive around unfamiliar territory, so we rarely rent a car on a vacation. That's why I'm interested in these posts that are giving suggestions for walkable spots close to Aulani.

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Cinderpamela]

The local "grinds" are so much better than anything you can find at the resort or in the Ko'Olina area. $2.25 taco tuesdays at South Shore Grill, garlic chicken at Mitsu-ken, Mike's Huli Huli chicken, teriyaki beef at Dean's Drive In, lobster hot dogs at Hank's, and the list goes on and on. Being a DVC saves you money on resort parking so I would definitely recommend getting a car.

Swooshbear- thanks for the food suggestions. I am adding them to my ever growing list of great eats on Oahu. We enjoyed a lot of local fare on our last trip by researching and getting advice from local friends, but of those you listed above, only Hanks was on our spreadsheet.

 

[Mrmouse4me]

OMG - The Steak Shack on Waikiki Beach is AMAZING. Just park somewhere by the Army Museum and walk through the Outrigger hotel to the end of the building. Take a right on the beach & walk a few feet to a group of food "shops". The steak shack is really really good. We ordered one Medium Rare & one Medium Steak plates for about $7 each. Both were fantastic. It comes with a salad & rice too. Try their homemade sauce. There are tables to the side of the shack. We wanted to go back to Waikiki just for the steak shack but didn't make it.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Could we stop at Hanks Haute dogs on our way to Aulani from Waikiki or not on the way?

Or, where we would be a quick/good lunch stop/food before we switch from Hilton Hawaiian Village to Aulani?

Thanks!

 

[swooshbear]

Could we stop at Hanks Haute dogs on our way to Aulani from Waikiki or not on the way?

Or, where we would be a quick/good lunch stop/food before we switch from Hilton Hawaiian Village to Aulani?

Thanks!

Hank's is on the way to the Aulani from Waikiki, it's on the Nimitz Hwy, off of Coral Street, before you hit the Costco. Lobster hot dogs are only on Fridays and Saturdays but they have different specials each day.

There are a ton of places to check out when heading to the west side of the island. Mitsu-ken is not too far from Costco, Lilliha Bakery has chocolate coco puffs and a small counter with great diner food, Sugoi is also good for garlic chicken and the Kamehameha bakery is in the same strip mall (poi glazed donuts), Elena's Filipino Food is in Waipahu (fried rice omelettes), these are just some of the highlights.

I can't recommend anything walkable in the Ko'Olina area as I haven't tried anything but I hear Monkeypod across the street from the Aulani is pretty popular.

 

[Neraj]

There's a great place near the Target in Kapolei called Aloha Salads. Good sandwiches, salads and soups.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Hank's is on the way to the Aulani from Waikiki, it's on the Nimitz Hwy, off of Coral Street, before you hit the Costco. Lobster hot dogs are only on Fridays and Saturdays but they have different specials each day.

There are a ton of places to check out when heading to the west side of the island. Mitsu-ken is not too far from Costco, Lilliha Bakery has chocolate coco puffs and a small counter with great diner food, Sugoi is also good for garlic chicken and the Kamehameha bakery is in the same strip mall (poi glazed donuts), Elena's Filipino Food is in Waipahu (fried rice omelettes), these are just some of the highlights.

I can't recommend anything walkable in the Ko'Olina area as I haven't tried anything but I hear Monkeypod across the street from the Aulani is pretty popular.

Have you eaten anything in the kapolei area.

Where would you stop for lunch, shave ice and maybe malasadas on our North Shore day from Aulani. thank you!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

There's a great place near the Target in Kapolei called Aloha Salads. Good sandwiches, salads and soups.

Thank you! We are big salad eaters! Been dieting, eating a healthier lifestyle, etc. So, trying not to go crazy all day, every day. But, will basically eat what I want. So a nice salad lunch would be great on big dinner days

 

[Cinderpamela]

Thank you! We are big salad eaters! Been dieting, eating a healthier lifestyle, etc. So, trying not to go crazy all day, every day. But, will basically eat what I want. So a nice salad lunch would be great on big dinner days

Aloha Salads is super yum! It's in the strip mall attached to the Kapolei Target.
Can't say enough good things about it, loved their Chicken Satay Salad. Check out their menu on the website:http://alohasalads.com/about

 

[funhouse8]

Aloha Salads is super yum! It's in the strip mall attached to the Kapolei Target.
Can't say enough good things about it, loved their Chicken Satay Salad. Check out their menu on the website:http://alohasalads.com/about

thnaks this will be our first nights dinner. yUM