Can I please run my Oahu plan past you?!

[amystevekai&bump]

Hi all

Following on from another thread regarding how many days you should devote to just enjoying Aulani, I wondered if I could run my planned August itinerary past you, to see if I've got the balance right?!

Just to help you out - there are four of us (including our two sons who will be 11 and 8 years old)

Tue - arrive in honolulu at 5pm, and collect hire car to waikiki hotel.

Wed - 6am diamond head hike, Pearl Harbor tour 9am, aloha swap meet, ala Moana shopping mall by late afternoon

Thu - sons birthday - surfing lesson on waikiki beach / day in waikiki

Fri - 8.30am Hanauma Bay, then Lanikai beach & back via Pali outlook

Sat - waikiki beach in am/ transfer to Aulani at lunchtime

Sun - Aulani

Mon - Kualoa ranch then byodo in temple

Tue - Aulani

Wed- Aulani

Thu - north shore beaches and waimea falls

Fri - Aulani

Sat - Aulani

Sun - leave Aulani at 8am for 12pm flight

This seems relaxing enough for me, but I've read a lot about how once you get to Aulani you don't want to leave, so I'm slightly worried that we'll feel like that too, and I really don't want to miss any of the things I've mentioned above!!

How does it sound to you?.

 

[Girimama33]

I think your plan looks great Amy...You are seeing a lot of sights and also getting in time to enjoy the resort.

The only suggestion I have is if you want to skip Waikiki Beach on Saturday, just go straight to Aulani in the morning and begin enjoying the resort. You can check in early and go enjoy the pool, etc and they will text you your room number when it is ready.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

I think your plan looks great Amy...You are seeing a lot of sights and also getting in time to enjoy the resort.

The only suggestion I have is if you want to skip Waikiki Beach on Saturday, just go straight to Aulani in the morning and begin enjoying the resort. You can check in early and go enjoy the pool, etc and they will text you your room number when it is ready.

Thank you ever so much, I'm glad im on the right track . Good idea about changeover day, I think we'll get to Aulani as soon as we can then!

 

[Camshell]

I think your plan looks great Amy...You are seeing a lot of sights and also getting in time to enjoy the resort.

The only suggestion I have is if you want to skip Waikiki Beach on Saturday, just go straight to Aulani in the morning and begin enjoying the resort. You can check in early and go enjoy the pool, etc and they will text you your room number when it is ready.

I'd second this. We couldn't wait to get there so we got up early, packed our things at our Waikiki hotel and made it to Aulani by 9:00 am I think. Bell Services had our luggage and we had a day bag we used until our room was ready in the afternoon. You might love Waikiki beach and want to hang out there in the morning, but we had enough of it after week.

 

[DVCTiff]

6am diamond head hike, Pearl Harbor tour 9am, aloha swap meet, ala Moana shopping mall by late afternoon

This seems like a big day with a super early start, but I understand you know your family better than I do. Are you coming from the East Coast or somewhere where you might experience jet lag?

That's the only day that strikes me as problematic. Otherwise sounds like a good time, and I bet you'll LOVE Aulani. It's one of the most beautiful resorts we've ever been to. We bought more points after our first stay. My husband insisted!

 

[shelly3girls]

I would agree with the pp that the first day seems like a lot. We spent quite a bit of time at Pearl Harbor and the kids loved the USS Missouri. I would not want to rush that. I might save the shopping mall for another day.

I think 8:30 is way too late for Hanauma Bay. We arrived at 8:00 and it was so crowded people were parking in town and walking a long distance to get to the bay. There was no parking available anywhere close. We ended up leaving as the crowd just seemed too crazy for us. We were later told by locals to arrive as close to park opening and leave early when the crowds arrive.

My kids loved the North Shore. They thought the ocean at Aulani was boring although they still enjoyed the water sports. We ventured out to other public beaches which had lifeguards and were far less crowded. We loved Waimea falls and the beach across the street. Get there early for easy parking. The dole plantation is close and my kids liked a quick stop to walk through the gardens and get a dole whip.

We spent a whole day driving the island and checking out different beaches and lookout points. The kids thought it was cool to eat off the food trucks (brick oven pizza was their favorite). They thought it was fun to see the beach where Pipemasters was held since the championship board was still up.

We re generally the kind of people who can go to the beach and just relax for days. The island was just so beautiful that we wanted to see as much as we could. Over 12 days we spent 4 doing nothing but relaxing and that was plenty. Even the days we did things, we ventured out so early that we had part of the afternoon to relax by the pool. We found the pools to be less crowded and more relaxing by then anyway.

 

[alohamom]

I think 8:30 is way too late for Hanauma Bay. We arrived at 8:00 and it was so crowded people were parking in town and walking a long distance to get to the bay. There was no parking available anywhere close. We ended up leaving as the crowd just seemed too crazy for us. We were later told by locals to arrive as close to park opening and leave early when the crowds arrive.

I second that-plus you do need to go through an orientation movie which takes about 15 minutes and the parking can be brutal. I would go as early as you can.

The other thing I would mention is that the beach at Lanikai has very limited street parking where as within minutes of Lanikai is Kailua beach with much better parking and very similar beach area. Where Lanikai is a little more shallow at the shore, Kailua is just a wee bit deeper but not by enough to make a big difference. Also, Kailua has washrooms and showers/Lanikai does not. They are close enough that you can visit both. There is a little park that my kids liked when they were younger over by Lanikai, just swings and slides but still fun. It was near one of the beach access roads. Here is a link that gives you more info on the two spots
http://www.portaloha.com/SecretsOfHawaii/KailuaBeach.htm

We have done that route many times and one thing we like to do is head to the town of Kailua to eat an early lunch or hearty late breakfast after Hanauma Bay (I always pack snacks for the kids for beach days-granola bars and juice/water) There is a few options to eat in town but we usually end up at Subway!

I think you are smart to keep your Aulani days open, you may find that there is a spot of time here and there that you want to wander out to do something so at least you have the option.

 

[rpcvpanama]

Definitely a lot for Wednesday. I am not sure you could do the hike and make it to Pearl Harbor by 9:00am. Traffic around Honolulu is terrible, most times of the day. I would also save a whole day for Pearl Harbor. We went and spent most of the day there as there is a lot to see in addition to the memorial. The swap meet would be fun, but the Ala Moana shopping I found to be no different than any mall you would get on the Mainland. Prices were quite high too. Maybe just plan a Pearl Harbor/Swap meet day and do the hike another day.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

I'd second this. We couldn't wait to get there so we got up early, packed our things at our Waikiki hotel and made it to Aulani by 9:00 am I think. Bell Services had our luggage and we had a day bag we used until our room was ready in the afternoon. You might love Waikiki beach and want to hang out there in the morning, but we had enough of it after week.

Thank you unless we fall in love with waikiki (unlikely I know!)), then we will definitely get to Aulani early then

6am diamond head hike, Pearl Harbor tour 9am, aloha swap meet, ala Moana shopping mall by late afternoon

This seems like a big day with a super early start, but I understand you know your family better than I do. Are you coming from the East Coast or somewhere where you might experience jet lag?

That's the only day that strikes me as problematic. Otherwise sounds like a good time, and I bet you'll LOVE Aulani. It's one of the most beautiful resorts we've ever been to. We bought more points after our first stay. My husband insisted!

Thank you . We will be flying in from three days in San francisco, having originally flown there from the UK. I know from past experience that it usually takes us a week to adjust to the time difference to the west coast, so I'm assuming the additional two hours to hawaii, will mean a few more early mornings for us!

I think you are right about the diamond head day - will rethink that a little

I would agree with the pp that the first day seems like a lot. We spent quite a bit of time at Pearl Harbor and the kids loved the USS Missouri. I would not want to rush that. I might save the shopping mall for another day.

I think 8:30 is way too late for Hanauma Bay. We arrived at 8:00 and it was so crowded people were parking in town and walking a long distance to get to the bay. There was no parking available anywhere close. We ended up leaving as the crowd just seemed too crazy for us. We were later told by locals to arrive as close to park opening and leave early when the crowds arrive.

My kids loved the North Shore. They thought the ocean at Aulani was boring although they still enjoyed the water sports. We ventured out to other public beaches which had lifeguards and were far less crowded. We loved Waimea falls and the beach across the street. Get there early for easy parking. The dole plantation is close and my kids liked a quick stop to walk through the gardens and get a dole whip.

We spent a whole day driving the island and checking out different beaches and lookout points. The kids thought it was cool to eat off the food trucks (brick oven pizza was their favorite). They thought it was fun to see the beach where Pipemasters was held since the championship board was still up.

We re generally the kind of people who can go to the beach and just relax for days. The island was just so beautiful that we wanted to see as much as we could. Over 12 days we spent 4 doing nothing but relaxing and that was plenty. Even the days we did things, we ventured out so early that we had part of the afternoon to relax by the pool. We found the pools to be less crowded and more relaxing by then anyway.

Thank you we were thinking about only doing the USS Arizona at pearl harbour - is that a bad move? Was thinking the rest might be too much for the boys?

Thank you for the tip on Hanauma Bay - will aim to be there for 8am instead - perhaps we could do diamond head at 6am and then head straight there?

I second that-plus you do need to go through an orientation movie which takes about 15 minutes and the parking can be brutal. I would go as early as you can.

The other thing I would mention is that the beach at Lanikai has very limited street parking where as within minutes of Lanikai is Kailua beach with much better parking and very similar beach area. Where Lanikai is a little more shallow at the shore, Kailua is just a wee bit deeper but not by enough to make a big difference. Also, Kailua has washrooms and showers/Lanikai does not. They are close enough that you can visit both. There is a little park that my kids liked when they were younger over by Lanikai, just swings and slides but still fun. It was near one of the beach access roads. Here is a link that gives you more info on the two spots
http://www.portaloha.com/SecretsOfHawaii/KailuaBeach.htm

We have done that route many times and one thing we like to do is head to the town of Kailua to eat an early lunch or hearty late breakfast after Hanauma Bay (I always pack snacks for the kids for beach days-granola bars and juice/water) There is a few options to eat in town but we usually end up at Subway!

I think you are smart to keep your Aulani days open, you may find that there is a spot of time here and there that you want to wander out to do something so at least you have the option.

Thank you will definitely add Kailua beach - that looks awesome!. Perhaps we can do a photo stop at lanikai, just to say we've seen it, and then spend our proper beach day at Kailua

Definitely a lot for Wednesday. I am not sure you could do the hike and make it to Pearl Harbor by 9:00am. Traffic around Honolulu is terrible, most times of the day. I would also save a whole day for Pearl Harbor. We went and spent most of the day there as there is a lot to see in addition to the memorial. The swap meet would be fun, but the Ala Moana shopping I found to be no different than any mall you would get on the Mainland. Prices were quite high too. Maybe just plan a Pearl Harbor/Swap meet day and do the hike another day.

Thank you

Ok - so how about: Wednesday - pearl harbour as early as poss, then swap meet and the mall (as we are from the UK, all US malls are quite exciting for us!)

Then fri - 6am diamond head, 8am Hanauma bay, photo stop at Lanikai, afternoon at Kailua and then pali lookout on the way home?

Is that a better plan?

Thank you all so much - I've really appreciated all of your advice

 

[Girimama33]

I assumed you were planning on the USS AZ, and not all of PH...that is why I thought it was doable.

 

[rpcvpanama]

Hah! Misse that you are from the UK! Then, u will definitely like Al Moana mall for shopping!

 

[Chickkypoo]

I also agree that your first day seems a little ambitious. We did Pearl Harbor and the Aloha Swap Meet in a day, and found it to be a pretty busy day. I couldn't imagine adding the hike in there as well, especially after the long flights over the day before.

I think your days at Aulani are spaced out nicely. We spent a day going to the Dole Plantation and up to the North Shore which we loved. We did find it hard to leave the resort after that however as we enjoyed the relaxation. We would often venture out for dinner though, whether into the little town the next stop over, across the street to the plaza. We also did the luau down the street one night.

Make sure you check out some of the activities at the resort. We really liked the lei making class

 

[sandysue]

As mentioned, your Wed hike and Pearl Harbor is overly ambious and you will hit morning rush hour getting to PH.

How about doing your hike before you head to Aulani?

I would recommend adding the Pacific Aviation Musuem on to your Pearl Harbor tour. It's on Ford Island across from the Memorial and I believe you take a bus over the bridge since the Island is a military base so you can't drive over.
My son (age 12) loves planes and the museum and they have a decent collection. There is also a flight simulator that you can try.

 

[robinb]

It seems like you are spending a LOT of time at Aulani ... 5 full days. I've visited it and it's nice but I would be bored out of my gourd by about day 2 or 3. I would move the Diamond Head hike to one of those days. I would also consider snorkeling on the North Shore if you're there in the summer. The giant waves are in the winter and in the summer the water is very quiet. I thought the Dole Plantation was fun. I also really liked the Polynesian Cultural Center.