Aulani or Maui?

[jpessa]

Hi everyone,

yes I know this is an Aulani thread but I've been reading posts for the last couple weeks and see you all give great advice that is not "all Aulani all the time", so I'm throwing my question out here:

I'm planning for one week in Hawaii in the fall (maybe October, maybe Thanksgiving week). Originally I was going to pick Maui. I've been to Oahu before and done all the touristy things there, and although great I don't feel the need to repeat those (this was 20 years ago!). It's just me and DD who will be 6, and everyone raves about Maui. However, Aulani may be nice for us Disney lovers.

What are your recommendations? Aulani doesn't come cheap. Are there ever discounts? I'm a DL AP holder and a Disney Visa cardholder. I saw many Maui recommendations on here to stay along Kaanapali beach, so if doing Maui that's probably where I'd go.

Thanks!

 

[blondietink]

We did both Aulani and Maui in Sept. 2013 and both were fabulous. It would be hard to pick. Maui is so much bigger than Oahu and much more laid back. The scenery on Maui is very diverse from rainforests, to beaches, to valleys to a volcano. I would suggest that if you have a Facebook account that you "Like" the Aulani FB page. They often advertise discounts there. I have seen things like stay 4 nights get the 5th free, book 4 nights and get a $500 resort credit, etc. Maui is not cheap either. Rental cars are more expensive on Maui as well as food at the grocery store and restaurants. However, if you look on website such as VRBO, you could probably find some condo rentals that come out cheaper than Aulani. Best of luck.

FYI, we are going back to Aulani in April for a week, Waikiki for 4 nights and Kauai this time for 9 nights. When we spend this much on airfare, we want to make it count.

 

[Anal Annie]

Maui has always been our fav island - but that was before Aulani, when we always stayed in Waikiki. You simply cannot beat Aulani - especially with a kid in tow. It is nothing like staying in Waikiki. You could always split 4 /3 or something…. Sometimes if you go to Aulani's website you can find specials for shorter stays…or you could try renting DVC points (then you'd get free parking). As DVC owners Aulani is infinitely cheaper for us than Maui. When we went year before last we stopped at DL for 3 nights, went to Aulani for 7 then Maui for 3 nights (at the Sheraton in Ka'anapali Beach). Maui was actually a let-down after Aulani and we wished we'd flipped those two…. Have fun planning...

 

[jpessa]

Thanks to you both, it's great to get the point of view from people who have been to both places! I'll check out the prices in Maui as recommended.

 

[blondietink]

If you don't find anything on VRBO.com for condo or cottage rentals, try RedWeek.com.

 

[nkereina]

I've not been yet, but we have decided to spend 4 nights on Maui and 6 nights at Aulani. The deciding factor for us was that we are coming from the East coast, so Hawaii may be a once in a lifetime thing for us and we wanted to see as much as possible. Plus, as much as I love relaxing by the beach, we wanted to do some sightseeing and shopping which seems better in Maui considering Aulani's remote location. We are staying at the Westin on Kaanapali Beach.

 

[blondietink]

Maui is huge compared to Oahu. It takes 45 minutes to one hour just to drive from the airport on Maui over to Lahaina depending on traffic. It takes a whole day if you want to do the Road to Hana from your resort. We stayed at the Westin Ka'anapali villas north and it is a beautiful area, but the closer you get to Lahaina, the worse the traffic. We had good luck buying groceries at Safeway. Not as expensive as I thought, but get their store card. There is plenty of shopping in Lahaina. You might also want to go to the top of Haleakala, southwest shore, take in a luau, etc.

 

[jakesmum]

We stayed at Aulani in Sept with our 3 children aged 6 yrs, 4yr & 4yrs this year and absolutely loved it! Next April we're celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and thought 9 nights in Maui would be great, especially as we haven't been before and heard such wonderful things. We are taking the children along with us, and in the end i ended up booking 4 nights at The Westin Maui and 5 nights back at Aulani. Aualni works out to be much better value, especially with the complimentary kids club, where as The Westin Maui charges around $60 per child, so with 3 children that gets very expensive.

 

[jpessa]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I really like that Aulani has such a great kids club. DD being an only child, she loves going to the clubs to play with other children. She gets bored just hanging out with Mom all day. Those of you that spend many days there, do you do excursions or just stay put? I'd need to keep busy as I get bored just "relaxing" all day, and being a single Mom it's nice to talk to other adults some times! I do enjoy snorkeling, scuba diving and walking /hiking. Love nature and culture.

Still wavering between the two but if deciding on Aulani I may try to go the renting DVC points. Seems cheaper, all I need is a studio. Anyone try that route before?

 

[Mom of a *Princess*]

We are currently staying in a studio on rented points and we love it! We saved ourselves close to $3000 by renting points over a hotel room ( I had booked a room a year out just in case) We are here for 10 days at the most expensive season and were able to secure points at the 11 month timeframe thru David's Vacation club rentals. The dvc studio comes with a microwave, toaster and a small fridge with a freezer shelf. We have tried to make most of our breakfasts and lunches in our room to try to save $. I recommend renting points.

 

[alyssa810]

I'm not sure how much has changed in the 10 years since we've been, but the pool area at the Westin in Maui was awesome. We were childless when we went there but we were with my nieces and nephews at the time, and they ranged in age from 1 and a half to 12, and they all had a blast. There were a lot of kids around when we went - the kids played with each other and other kids there.

We're heading to Aulani for the first time next month - can't wait!

 

[tikisunset77]

With your daughter's age in mind I would say if you love Disney and you can afford it - do Aulani.
The lagoons are very safe for young kids. In Maui I only know of one beach where kids can play in the water
and it is very rocky. We do all the islands and try to go once a year but my little guys can't handle
the big crashing waves and it limits what you can do with them in the water. I didn't want to have to drive
to a keiki beach so we are staying at Aulani for the proximity to the water not to mention the fabulous
resort that Disney has built-OMG love Aulani!!

 

[jpessa]

Thanks everyone, I have decided to go to Aulani. Yippee!!! I would like to try renting points and staying in an oceanview studio room. How far in advance should I attempt renting DVC? If I book now, David's charges an extra $2 per point to secure the room more than 7 months in advance. Not sure if it's OK to wait and see at 7 months. I plan on going the last week of October (Flights for Thanksgiving week are insane!!! Much more affordable in October).

 

[blondietink]

There should be plenty of availability in October as it is considered "shoulder season" and not in very high demand. Just stay away from the west coast's school break in October.