Considering Hawaii for 25th Anniversary

[Certifiable WDW Nut]

and most of what I want to do is on Oahu, so staying at Aulani makes sense. However, the one thing I really want to do in Hawaii is see the Volcano National Park on the Big Island. Does anyone know if this can be done as a day trip from Aulani or should I plan on booking a couple of days at a hotel or resort on the Big Island?

TIA

 

[owensjro]

I don't see why you couldn't do it in a day, though it could be a long day.

Flights between islands are pretty frequent and only take about 50 minutes. Getting to Volcano is again about 50 minutes or so from Hilo.

If you want to stay until you can see the glow at the crater it will be a pretty late night by the time you get back to Hilo, fly back to Honolulu and then get back to Aulani. You'd want to make sure there are flights back to Oahu leaving late enough.

You could also stay overnight at the Volcano House which has a great view of the crater. It may be a bit pricey though.

Jim

 

[living20057]

I agree it is possible to do in one day. Also take into consideration the time it takes to get from Aulani to the airport and back, along with checking for the flight and security. One night at the volcano would be good.

 

[Anal Annie]

IMHO Hawaii is so far and so expensive to get to from the east coast that I'd really recommend island hopping and staying on more than 1 island (and try to go for more than just 1 week - 10 days at least). I have been to Hawaii 4x before with our 5th trip coming up in a few weeks. I had 1 trip many years ago where we stayed on both Oahu and Maui but used Oahu as a "home base" to day trip to Kauai and the Big Island (on the Hilo side). This was "back in the day" before 9/11. There was essentially no security to island hop and you could practically just show up at the airport and hop on the next flight to any of the islands. Flights were also MUCH, MUCH less $$ back then (you could round trip it for about $90 pp). Now you have so much more time involved and the cost is more prohibitive. Sure. You can do it but I think each island deserves a few nights to truly enjoy and appreciate it. On our last trip we spent 3 nights on the Big Island. We were on the Kona side and did a lot of exploring and we did a helicopter tour over the island & volcano which was amazing. If I were you I'd really consider adding on a few nights on another island rather than just day tripping it. If you DO decide to just go for the day you should plan to get up and go EARLY. You can visit Akaka Falls, the Black Sand Beach and the volcano if you keep on the move and make a FULL DAY of it.

 

[mattj009]

I would not recommend trying a day trip from Aulani to the Volcano at all, for all of the reasons previously mentioned, but also for a very pragmatic reason... If you want to see the volcano at night, which is really the premium way if conditions are right, there's no way you'll be able to drive back to Hilo, turn in a rental car and fly back to Oahu. The last nonstop most nights that I checked is at 8:59 pm... That's just not pragmatically possible most times of the year. I would also recommend if you've never been to Hawaii that you try staying in some places that are not Disney resorts. You'll get a completely different, and in most cases much more RELAXED feel!

Going back to Maui and the Big Island for my 25th anniversary in 2015! Aloha!

 

[tedhowe]

We're leaving in 9 days (!!!!) for a 20th anniversary trip and had similar thoughts to you (though a different island hopping destination - Molokai).

We ended up booking a split stay at Aulani: 3 nights at Aulani to start out, then hop over to Molokai for 3 nights (mule ride to Kalauapapa one day, hike in Halawa Valley a second day, and a free day to knock around the island and do something "random") then back to Aulani for 4 more nights. 10 nights/11 days in Hawaii.

Definitely what I would recommend.

Ted

 

[abdgeek]

and most of what I want to do is on Oahu, so staying at Aulani makes sense. However, the one thing I really want to do in Hawaii is see the Volcano National Park on the Big Island. Does anyone know if this can be done as a day trip from Aulani or should I plan on booking a couple of days at a hotel or resort on the Big Island?

TIA

As OP have said, it is possible but it makes for a very long day. I just returned from Hawaii where I spent a week each on the Big Island and Maui and a couple of days at Aulani. While I was on the Big Island, I did a Circle Island and Volcano Tour with Polynesian Adventure Tours(Grayline). We circled the entire island(288 miles or something like that) and stopped at the Kona Coffee Company, Black Sand Beach, Volcanoes National Park, Rainbow Falls, Big Island Candies and Macadamia Nut Factory. The tour was about 12 hours for those of us on the island, but some of the people on the tour were picked up and returned to the Kona airport. They came over from Honolulu and were the first people picked up and dropped off. I believe their return flight was at 7:30pm. Their day was very long, but it may be worth it to you to do the tour. Aulani lists some day tours on their website or you could search on your own. If you book your flight early enough, you can get a Hawaiian Airlines flight for as cheap as $79 each way. You can also fly into the Hilo Airport.

We only spent about two hours in the park on the tour. We went to the Jaggar Museum, steam vents, Devastation Trail and Thurston Lava Tube. There isn't much to see as you drive and we didn't do the Chain of Craters road(I think that's the name) down to the sea. If you're ok with not doing hikes and spending a limited amount of time in the park, the tour may be for you.

Your other option is to fly over on your own and drive to Volcanoes as OP have said. Keep in mind that VNP is about 2.5 hours from Kona if you drive south and a little shorter(I'm told) if you drive north through Waikoloa from the airport. Unfortunately, in order to see the Black Sand Beach you will either have to drive south and then return that way or drive around the entire island if you decide to go the Waikoloa way. If you haven't already done so, check out the Frommer's Big Island book which has an attraction map of the island.

I loved the tour and decided to take it because I didn't want to drive the 2.5 hours each way from Kona. I also wouldn't have known where to stop because there are no public bathroom stops along the way. The tour either stopped at a store or a site so that we could use the bathroom. The roads are similar to two lane country roads, so if you get behind someone slow you are out of luck.

Most of the attractions are on the Kona side of the island, but there are some on the Hilo side(Akaka Falls, Hawaii Botanical Gardens, etc.). You may want to look and see what you want to do in addition to the volcano to decide whether or not to stay a while. Good luck with your decision.

 

[amym2]

I'd absolutely suggest doing a split stay with at least a couple of nights on the Big Island. Our first trip to Hawaii we did 4 nights on Oahu and 3 on the Big Island (not long enough but we had young kids at home with the grandparents). We stayed in a B&B in Volcano and it was great!

 

[irenep]

I agree with the others suggesting a couple of nights there. We are just back and had 4 nights on the Big island - the first at Volcano House.

Seeing the volcano in the daytime is cool but being there after dark is so worth it - not sure you would be able to stay long enough for it to get dark and still make a flight.

We also did a Mauna Kea summit tour for sunset/moonrise/star-gazing and I have to say that was the highlight of my trip....just amazing

P.S. I wouldn't bother with VH - it's really pricey and our crater view room was mostly blocked by trees. Wish we'd saved some money there and done a heli tour instead.