Budget

[lundve]

I appreciate all these responses from people who’ve been there and done that. I really had no idea where to start to guess what it might cost.

 

[Mommy2Logan]

So one thing I would suggest with a family is to just share a paddle board rental or maybe two. We rented two paddle boards the first time for $40 each but then realized that after about 30 mins of paddling back and forth, I was pretty much done for the day so after that we just shared one a day and took turns.

 

[nkereina]

Awesome. I always enjoy hearing how others are saving money and spending less. When we went to Aulani the first time were were definitely of the mentality of, "Its vacation. we aren't going to worry about the cost of things" and we sure lived it up. But then we wanted to go back five months later and the only way we could justify the cost if is we spent wayyyyy less. That $25 pizza really helped! And monkey pod.

I hear you! Our first visit was our honeymoon and I think there was smoke coming out of my credit card by the time we left! lol! I was willfully ignorant about how much we were spending because it was such as special trip. But on "normal" vacations, I try to keep a loose budget for my own savings throughout the year so I don't have to worry about it when we go.

 

[SL6827]

I agree with PP that you will most definitely want to rent a car. You did say you're DVC and I assume you're staying on points, so parking will be free. Renting a car gives you the flexibility to get to and from the airport, make grocery stops, visit wherever you want, and easily be able to go off site for meals.

We did our grocery shopping at Target in Kapolei, which is the next stop on the highway, and found prices to be mostly comparable to the ones back home in NY. With a family of 5, you may do better at Costco if you're members, which is also in Kapolei. There's several chain restaurants and reasonably priced restaurants in Kapolei that have prices more in line with what you may be accustomed to back home. Keep in mind that Ko Olina, where Aulani is located, is a planned gated tourist community. Everything at Aulani and surrounding resorts, as well as the few restaurants and shops in walking distance of the resort, will have tourist pricing which is as high as you'd expect.

There's a lot you can enjoy on Oahu with little to no cost. Aside from what PP mentioned, the Haleiwa area is beautiful and fun to stroll and stop at the different beaches along the way. Laniakea Beach is a fun stop to see turtles. We also loved strolling along and hanging out in Waikiki - fun atmosphere and beach. I would avoid doing Waimea Valley which has a hefty price tag of $16 per person, which we didn't find worth it. We also loved the Kailua area and the beaches there were the best we visited. I'd also suggest Kualoa Ranch and I believe they have tour packages which offer savings as well. If you're interested in a luau, the Paradise Cove luau is walking distance from Aulani and I believe is cheaper than the one at Aulani.

We didn't use it, but there's also a Go Oahu pass/card that includes multiple attractions, depending on what you're interested in. Aulani offers some excursions, but with a car, you can likely book it yourself at a cheaper price point.

So you didn't enjoy Waimea Valley/the waterfall? I was thinking of doing that but I don't know if it would be worth it or not.

 

[abdgeek]

So you didn't enjoy Waimea Valley/the waterfall? I was thinking of doing that but I don't know if it would be worth it or not.

if you haven’t already, I would recommend reading the TripAdvisor reviews and the Waimea Valley website to see if Waimea Valley is something you want to do. It was on my must do list and I finally did it last December when I visited Oahu. My sole reason for visiting was that I was going to be doing things on the North Shore for the day, so I wouldn’t have to make a special trip. I really wanted to see the waterfall and was intrigued by the botanical garden. While I’m glad I visited, it was something I felt didn’t live up to the hype and that cost too much for the amount of time I spent there. Below are some things to keep in mind if you decide to visit:

1) Most people go to Waimea Valley to swim at the waterfall. I didn’t plan on swimming, just wanted to take a picture of the waterfall.
2) The extent of the waterfall varies based on the time of year. I think I read that there is more of a waterfall in December (winter).
3) The hike to the waterfall is all uphill unless you pay to ride the tram. Depending on your pace, the trip to the waterfall takes about 15-20 minutes.
4) You walk through a botanical garden on your way to the fall. Unfortunately, when I went in December and not much was in bloom.

Good luck with your decision. If it’s something you want to do, do it regardless whether others think it’s worth it.

 

[nkereina]

So you didn't enjoy Waimea Valley/the waterfall? I was thinking of doing that but I don't know if it would be worth it or not.

It’s not something we would do again. It’s no doubt beautiful, but it’s a $16 admission per person. It’s an easy walk on a paved pathway (not a hike), and if you’re not interested in swimming, there’s not much else to do there other than admire the foliage. If you are interested in swimming, the falls are at the end of the path. The water is murky brown, cold, and very deep. They provide life jackets you’re required to wear and they have makeshift changing rooms available, no lockers though. I’ve also read the waters have high levels of bacteria. The falls are pretty but nothing that blew my mind. I would rather go to the beach personally. We did not swim and spent maybe an hour roaming around and were ready to leave.

 

[happymommy]

It’s not something we would do again. It’s no doubt beautiful, but it’s a $16 admission per person. It’s an easy walk on a paved pathway (not a hike), and if you’re not interested in swimming, there’s not much else to do there other than admire the foliage. If you are interested in swimming, the falls are at the end of the path. The water is murky brown, cold, and very deep. They provide life jackets you’re required to wear and they have makeshift changing rooms available, no lockers though. I’ve also read the waters have high levels of bacteria. The falls are pretty but nothing that blew my mind. I would rather go to the beach personally. We did not swim and spent maybe an hour roaming around and were ready to leave.

Same here; we went a few years ago. We lived on Oahu between 1995-1998, and had never bothered to go when we lived there. The time we went, we got eaten alive by mosquitoes. It was just basically a nice walk, didn’t swim nor planned to do so. I am the one that rarely gets bitten, but yeah, we all got bit up, so if you do go, bring bug spray (when we go to the Temple in Kailua we know to spray up once out of the car before going in, and it’s lovely there). We also got super thirsty, so did manage to buy some soft drinks at least. It’s one and done for me.

 

[SL6827]

I am not doing any waterfalls now.