First trip to Hawaii/Aul planning questions

[Marv_barr]

So this will be my family's DW, DD(13) & DS(11) 1st trip to Hawaii and we are planning a 10-day trip to Ohau. The plan is to rent a car for the whole duration. We are planning on using our points to book 7 days @ Aul. We have list of actives that we want to do all over the island. The big question we are looking at currently is do we rent more points for 3 more days at Aul or should we book a hotel near Wikki beach for the other 3 days. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[jimmymc]

I highly suggest Turtle Bay resort, either getting a normal resort room or renting one of the timeshare units there. It's much closer to the north shore and east coast sights.

 

[tankin]

@Marv_barr I will say this at the start. I'm not a fan of Waikiki at all. Too much like staying on south beach to me.

Having said that, what do you want out of your last days? Waikiki is the busy everything going on option. Turtle Bay is the north shore laid back option (but a long trek to the airport) and Aulani is like Turtle Bay but closer to airport.

 

[Marv_barr]

@Marv_barr I will say this at the start. I'm not a fan of Waikiki at all. Too much like staying on south beach to me.

Having said that, what do you want out of your last days? Waikiki is the busy everything going on option. Turtle Bay is the north shore laid back option (but a long trek to the airport) and Aulani is like Turtle Bay but closer to airport.

I guess we just want to make the most out of our time there. There are so many great options with this being our 1st time the more information I can find the better. Just checked out Turtle Bay and it looks beautiful!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What activities are you planning?

I am in Waikiki now. It is an urban environment but that is part of the charm. Yesterday was the Honolulu Festival and we were able to watch an incredible (better than DW quality) fireworks show over the beach, and an incredibly diverse cultural parade. The food scene is great.

If you just want to sit on a beach or at a lagoon, Aulani or TB are great. If you are not planning to spend a lot of time on resort, there are better options, especially if you want to consider costs.

I would consider 3-4 nights in Waikiki and mapping your itinerary to bundle things down that way, like Manoa Falls or Diamond Head, for those dates.

 

[Marv_barr]

So this is the plan we have so far arrive around Apr 5th, 2024 depending on 7-month availability. Hopefully you guys can keep me pointed in the right direction.

7 nights at Aul.

Would like a to-do list:
Pearl harbour
North Shore day trip
Kualoa Ranch tour
Hanauma bay

Not sure on:
Dole Plantation
Whale watching (Seasonally appropriate)
Wikki beach area

Thoughts?

Thanks again

 

[kboo]

So this is the plan we have so far arrive around Apr 5th, 2024 depending on 7-month availability. Hopefully you guys can keep me pointed in the right direction.

7 nights at Aul.

Would like a to-do list:
Pearl harbour
North Shore day trip
Kualoa Ranch tour
Hanauma bay

Not sure on:
Dole Plantation
Whale watching (Seasonally appropriate)
Wikki beach area

Thoughts?

Thanks again

We will be there around the same time! I hope you don't mind that I'll try to answer some of your questions and ask some of my own...

Pearl Harbor - I have been twice and plan to bring my kids (7, 11) someday but probably not on this trip. Plan for a whole day (and some time to be reflective afterwards) and look online - they used to require reservations and I recall they used to sell out early. I feel like our 7yo will not want to experience Pearl Harbor at the pace that the rest of us would.

We have not been to Oahu for many years - we have tended to prefer spending time on some of the other islands at a more relaxed pace. We honeymooned on Waikiki a long time ago and even then it felt pretty urban. But it was pretty amazing to stay at an oceanfront hotel and walk out to the beach.

We are east coasters, when we've gone to HI in the past we've just stuck with an early-early schedule with the jet lag. Kids were always up before dawn, so we saw a lot of amazing sunrises.

If you plan to stay at another resort for part of the time (I have waffled over this a lot), I'd do the more bustling/active one first and then relax at Aulani (this is what all my friends who've been to AUL have said). At first we were considering a 3-day stay on Maui before going to Aulani, but I think since this is our first trip to HI in about 6 years, and the first one without a toddler/baby, we'll stick to one island. We will probably stay on Waikiki for a couple nights when we first arrive, in part to save some $!

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

I would definitely recommend a split stay, planning your east coast (Windward) activities around your Waikiki stay. Lots of very good hotels in the Waikiki area for 50% of the Aulani/Turtle Bay rates. And if you’re using the days to see the sites, it’s really kind of a waste to pay the premium.

You’ll definitely get some polarized opinions on this topic. From my perspective (grew up on Oahu, visit family every year since the 90’s), there’s so much to see and do from the south eastern portion of the island, that having to drive from the Ko’Olina or North Shore areas really misses out on one huge element of a great Hawaii Vacation - “Island Time”. Slowing down, taking it easy, and having time to do whatever, whenever.

Soooooo many great restaurants and experiences in the Waikiki area. Instead of rushing to do the Diamond Head hike, with 1.5 hours of driving to and from the resort, stay some place 10 min away, and have the extra hour to hit the farmers market across the street for a cold drink and local food. Or make an extra stop for shave ice, and people watching. Or go to a truly great local food restaurant (Helena’, MW Restaurant, etc) that you wouldn’t go to if you had to drive an hour to get to. Waikiki does have its downsides, but lots of positives too.

Haunauma Bay is much easier if you’re on the windward side. I don’t know if I’d recommend the Dole plantation. If your kids were younger, definitely fun, but at this age, really only the maze would be much fun. I’d suggest planning a hike to a waterfall or a lighthouse. And definitely plan for a good shave ice shop (Uncle Clay’s, KokoNuts, or Waiola), and malasadas at Leonard’s on Kapahulu.

 

[Marv_barr]

This makes total sense to me. The time wasted on the driving to the excursions along with a premium hotel cost wasn't making much sense to me. Great insight.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Whale season is done by April.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I always stay full-time at Aulani with no split stays. I have no problem driving to all the Oahu sites since oahu is a small island and I plan around rush hour. I avoid North Shore on weekends. Also, I am not a Waikiki fan, so I spend minimal time there. I wouldn't say I like visiting major cities on vacation.

 

[lilsonicfan]

There's a lot of dislike toward Waikiki, but it worked out well for us to stay in that area for the first half of our stay. We don't own DVC and Aulani is not at all cheap for a family of 5 with no option to stay in standard hotel rooms. We stayed at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk; I'd recommend it for sure. I booked fairly early and found a good rate that avoided the resort fee, even re-priced it at some point for a better price. Yes, it is like a major city, but we also come from a major city and to us it felt vibrant. There are some nearby beaches that are a bit less crowded than Waikiki beach itself. We also found it super easy to get to Hanauma Bay, Kualoa Ranch, and we found a great beach on the windward cost called Kaiona Beach Park - quiet and super soft sand, and easy snorkelling. And tons and tons of food options that were easily accessible (not just chain restaurants either!)

 

[To the honeypots]

I would be tempted to stay in Waikiki for a couple nights as there were several places we wanted to see on that side of the island and we simply never made it back after we did Diamond Head/Pearl Harbor.

For your north shore day, I will say we did stop at Dole Plantation and DS11 loved guiding us through and solving the maze. We explored the shop and got a dole whip and probably spent two hours in total there. We definitely enjoyed it. Another worthwhile stop on the way to North Shore if you are coffee drinkers, is Green World Coffee. It’s before you reach Dole Plantation and my mom loves the coffee.

 

[LilyJC]

So this is the plan we have so far arrive around Apr 5th, 2024 depending on 7-month availability. Hopefully you guys can keep me pointed in the right direction.

7 nights at Aul.

Would like a to-do list:
Pearl harbour
North Shore day trip
Kualoa Ranch tour
Hanauma bay

Not sure on:
Dole Plantation
Whale watching (Seasonally appropriate)
Wikki beach area

Thoughts?

Thanks again

The first time we took our kids to Aulani, they were 14 and almost 11. On all our Oahu trips, we exclusively stay at Aulani on points. Since you would need to rent for the extra nights, I’m another vote for Turtle Bay at the start of your trip. From there it would be easier to do your Kualoa Ranch activities, North Shore exploration, and even Dole Plantation (although I’d skip this as it’s really a massive tourist trap IMO). Another excursion my kids love every time is zip lining at Climbworks which would be another activity great to get to from Turtle Bay.

Whales will pretty much be cleared out by April. We skip Waikiki, but we stop in Honolulu frequently for our favorite shave ice after hikes, etc. And of course we love our cabana/casabella days!

 

[Gruenilda]

I loved Waikiki with our 10 year old. We stayed at the Moana Surfrider and had an amazing time. There is a rotating restaurant in Waikiki, top of the world, and we took surfing lessons. We ventured off on many tours from there. The beach was perfect looking off at diamond head. Sounds like a great plan for tours and travel Waikiki, then home resort Aulani

 

[kboo]

I loved Waikiki with our 10 year old. We stayed at the Moana Surfrider and had an amazing time. There is a rotating restaurant in Waikiki, top of the world, and we took surfing lessons. We ventured off on many tours from there. The beach was perfect looking off at diamond head. Sounds like a great plan for tours and travel Waikiki, then home resort Aulani

We honeymooned there! I loved the courtyard with the giant banyan tree. (Now currently deciding between Moana Surfrider and Royal Hawaiian as I found good deals at both)

and even Dole Plantation (although I’d skip this as it’s really a massive tourist trap IMO).

... but my kids love getting trapped ... I figure they'll enjoy the maze ...??
(we drove past South of the Border late one night and they wanted to stop... we did not)

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

We honeymooned there! I loved the courtyard with the giant banyan tree. (Now currently deciding between Moana Surfrider and Royal Hawaiian as I found good deals at both)

... but my kids love getting trapped ... I figure they'll enjoy the maze ...??
(we drove past South of the Border late one night and they wanted to stop... we did not)

The maze is definitely fun - if you’re going specifically for that, it should be a worthwhile stop. Younger kids will enjoy the train ride too. There just isn’t much else there besides some (small) gardens and the gift shop.

If you don’t plan on eating there, but want a dole whip, look for the shorter line which is dole whip counter only. Many people look at the long line for food and give up - but there is usually a separate line for dole whip only that speeds right through.

 

[Gruenilda]

We honeymooned there! I loved the courtyard with the giant banyan tree. (Now currently deciding between Moana Surfrider and Royal Hawaiian as I found good deals at both)

If you have little princesses…who wouldn’t want to stay at the pink palace!

 

[pinkxray]

We took our first trip to Oahu last year. (April/Easter break 2022) We stayed at Embassy Suites Beach Walk for 2 nights, 8 nights at Aulani. Embassy Suites was fine, especially since it was free on points. I only booked 2 nights in Waikiki because I wasn’t sure if we would like it. It seems like people either love it or hate it. We ended up really enjoying the vibe and the beach. We had lunch at Dukes and loved the feel of Outrigger.

We are returning for another trip this Nov. I booked 3 nights at Outrigger and 6 at Aulani. I am looking forward to all of the awesome food and the kids loved the waves vs no waves at Aulani.

I would say stay the 3 nights in Waikiki or Turtle Bay. I would love to stay at Turtle Bay but the rooms for 5 were way too much for our trip. Hopefully one day.

We went to Diamond Head from Waikiki. Everything else from Aulani. We drove to Kualoa Ranch and Climbworks separate days from Aulani. They were nice drives and we hit the North Shore a bit each time. We didn’t get to stop at the Dole Plantation since the kids fell asleep.

We will probably concentrate on the windward side of Oahu will at Waikiki and hit the North Shore from Aulani. Our kids are smaller than yours so we only lasted a half day at Pearl Harbor. We missed the battleship so I am hoping to make it back this trip.

 

[jimmymc]

Copying my old answer from a similar post:

Food:

• Leonard's Malasadas. Try to get to the original Honolulu location, they have more flavors than the truck
• Foodland for your groceries, deli, hot and cold food bar. This is possibly the most local Hawaiian food you can get.
• Kono's BBQ
• Haleiwa Seafood Grill
• Matsumoto's or Kaimana for shave ice. Matsumoto's is the classic but a lot of people like Kaimana better.
• Jax Pizza
• Sunshine Shack for smoothies, acai bowls, and iced coffee
• Zippy's - pretty standard diner but you have to try it once
• Loco Moco BBQ
• Moke's Bread and Breakfast - amazing breakfast

Places to see:

• Pearl Harbor (plus the submarine and USS Missouri)
• Tantalus Lookout
• Diamond Head
• Koko Crater and Botanical Gardens
• Makapu'u Point
• Ka'Ena Point
• Kawela Bay Beach Park
• Waimea Valley
• Banzai Pipeline