Destination questions

[sunryzez]

We are headed to Aulani in June and are just finally starting to get our plans together. We are only renting a car two days. Other days we plan to enjoy aulani or take their excursions. My question is on the first day it will just be my husband and I. Our plans are diamond head, a rainforest( any good suggestions which one?) and the swap meet. The other day it will be the entire family and we are planning kualoa ranch( Jurassic jeep tour) is there anything else to do there besides the tours? and the dole plantation. Are these realistic plans? Can I do the ranch and plantation in the same day? I really dont want to rent a car a third day as the minivan rental car is insanely expensive. Thanks

 

[SylviaL]

We just got back from Aulani. If your first day happens to be on a Saturday, there is a farmer's market at the community college at the base of Diamond Head that's great!. We got up early to hike Diamond Head to watch the sunrise (we missed it by about 15 min) and then came down and got food at the KCC Farmer's Market (opens at 7:30 and gets crowded fast). We really enjoyed it and would do it again. We did not go to any rainforests. We did go to the swap meet. While we thought it was worthwhile (DH needed new swim trunks, DD got a cute bag, DS got a few Hawaiian shirts, etc), beware that about 80% is junk. Literally junk.

 

[KBinCO]

we had a car for one day. We got up, went out to breakfast, drove to Manoa Falls trail and hiked that- very rainforest-y. Then we drove to the swap meet, stopped at Dole for Dole whips, and went up to the North Shore to 5-6 beaches before dinner at a food truck. I really wanted to do Waimea falls as well but the kids were just too beat.

Anyway, my point is that you can cram as much into one day as you set your mind to.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Does anyone know the latest time you can return the rental car to the Alamo counter at Aulani? This might affect your plans to some degree.

 

[mouseclick1]

We did a multi-tour package at Kualoa Ranch just last week and really enjoyed it. Ours included the jungle tour, movie tour, catmaran ride, and lunch. They have other packages as well. We loved it as it gave us a chance the see different parts of the ranch that you wouldn't see in just one tour. The view of the Kualoa range from the water was simply breathtaking. After the tours, they told us they have a petting zoo that we could visit but we did not. We checked in at 8:00 am and were there until 2:30. It was a fantastic day!

 

[KBinCO]

Does anyone know the latest time you can return the rental car to the Alamo counter at Aulani? This might affect your plans to some degree.

we picked our car up at 7am and returned it to the valet sometime around 10pm.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

we picked our car up at 7am and returned it to the valet sometime around 10pm.

Thank you! I've really been curious because when I've tried to book a one-day rental, the search engine will only let me put in a return time no later than 5:00 pm.

 

[nkereina]

The Swap Meet is only open Sat, Sun & Weds until 3pm. So just make sure you're at Diamond Head early if you want to make it over to the Swap Meet in time. It's beneficial to do Diamond Head early anyway, because parking fills up quick and the trails get quite crowded and hot the later it gets. It's about a 25 minute drive between Diamond Head and the Swap Meet, barring no traffic concerns. If you're doing Pearl Harbor, Swap Meet might be better on that day because they are minutes from each other.

We did Kualoa Ranch and that side of the island on it's own day. Will you be visiting the North Shore? Dole Plantation is best on a North Shore day. If not, just keep in mind that Dole Plantation is not on the way to or from Kualoa Ranch coming from or going to Aulani. It's a bit out of the way, so give yourself plenty of travel time. If you can book an afternoon tour at Kualoa Ranch, I think it would be better to do Dole Plantation in the morning. We went when they first opened and had minimal waits for the train ride and found parking easily. The later in the day you go, the more crowded it gets. And I believe they close at 5pm. We had lunch at Kualoa Ranch which was great. Aside from the lunch buffet and the organized tours, there's not a ton to do there that we saw anyway.

 

[FrugalGail]

Go to Waimea Valley (it's a bontanical gardens and there is an entrance fee), walk up to the waterfall (wear your swimsuit and bring a towel and change of clothes) and go swimming. (There are lifeguards and you have to wear a life vest.) SPECTACULAR! it was the best day of our lives. (About a month ago.)

 

[Fokus17]

we had a car for one day. We got up, went out to breakfast, drove to Manoa Falls trail and hiked that- very rainforest-y. Then we drove to the swap meet, stopped at Dole for Dole whips, and went up to the North Shore to 5-6 beaches before dinner at a food truck. I really wanted to do Waimea falls as well but the kids were just too beat.

Anyway, my point is that you can cram as much into one day as you set your mind to.

Do you think it would be ok to hike Manoa Falls with a 6 year old and 2 year old?