Groceries or cheap food?

[cgattis]

Where can we get these?

I actually bought an inflatable one of these because I thought my DH (who does not swim) might try it. We ended up not taking it because it was SO heavy. If you can buy one there, I'd do that; if not, I'd have it shipped to Aulani.

WRT life jackets, Aulani has the foam kind you can borrow. I liked the inflatable horse collar ones (Google if you don't know what I mean) because they were super light and I could take them anywhere. They are not true approved lifesaving devices, but I felt they were better than nothing.

 

[HuskyGal]

Thank you! I will consider those options. Did you end up renting one of the snorkel boards with viewing window?

 

[alohamom]

Where can we get these?

I am pretty sure we bought ours in Maui but it was years ago.

I have seen them since but have no need for it these days with my older teens

I found this on on Amazon.com but as @cgattis says it might be heavy to lug around and I know the salt in the ocean tends to deteriorate blow up toys but here is the link

https://www.amazon.com/Window-Tortu...1-1&keywords=boogie+board+with+viewing+window

There is also this kind of thing, a hand held mask - it might be fun over at tide pools that are off to the side of the Four Seasons

https://www.amazon.com/ReefTourer-U..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=TYQGHE2FCXV3X4S7N61Q

 

[HuskyGal]

Thank you. Great suggestions. Can I have packages delivered to me at Aulani?

 

[cgattis]

Thank you. Great suggestions. Can I have packages delivered to me at Aulani?

I had a snorkel mask leak, and I ordered one on Amazon and shipped it to Aulani.

 

[blondietink]

We basically travel on a budget and are 4 adults. We easily save over $100 per day cooking in our villa vs. buying meals anywhere at Ko'olina. we do go sight seeing a lot and will stop for lunch at Carl's Jr. or some of the local food trucks, but honestly, shopping at Costco, Target, etc. has saved us a ton of money when visiting Hawaii. We always rent a car for the duration.

 

[jodybird511]

We basically travel on a budget and are 4 adults. We easily save over $100 per day cooking in our villa vs. buying meals anywhere at Ko'olina. we do go sight seeing a lot and will stop for lunch at Carl's Jr. or some of the local food trucks, but honestly, shopping at Costco, Target, etc. has saved us a ton of money when visiting Hawaii. We always rent a car for the duration.

Agree with this 100%. We had budgeted $150 per day for food (we are a family of four, with an 8 yr old boy and a 15 yr old girl), and by the end of our 9-day trip, we were ahead of budget by about $500. We also bought a bottle of rum (about $14) and a mai tai mixer (about $3)--we got at least 12 mixed drinks out of this, and easily saved a ton of money that way, as mai tai's are $15 per drink. We bought insulated tumblers to take with (an additional $15 for a set of 2), and we just made drinks in the room and carried them down to the pools with us, or drank them on our lanai.

 

[HuskyGal]

Thanks for your responses. My problem (one of them!) is I need to rent a minivan or large suv since I have 3 adults and 2 kids with car seats (technically a car seat and a booster) so anh advice on how to save there is appreciated as well!

 

[blondietink]

Thanks for your responses. My problem (one of them!) is I need to rent a minivan or large suv since I have 3 adults and 2 kids with car seats (technically a car seat and a booster) so anh advice on how to save there is appreciated as well!

We always rent a minivan because we are 4 adults plus a wheelchair. WE have found that renting through Costco is the cheapest. Book a rental as soon as you can and check it every week. This last week the price went down almost by half by 2 weeks before our trip. If you aren't a Costco member, disounthawaiicarrental.com is also reasonable and will drop prices.

 

[HuskyGal]

We always rent a minivan because we are 4 adults plus a wheelchair. WE have found that renting through Costco is the cheapest. Book a rental as soon as you can and check it every week. This last week the price went down almost by half by 2 weeks before our trip. If you aren't a Costco member, disounthawaiicarrental.com is also reasonable and will drop prices.

Thank you! We still not sure if DH and I can take time off work so this last minute planning is working out well for us.

 

[HuskyGal]

We always rent a minivan because we are 4 adults plus a wheelchair. WE have found that renting through Costco is the cheapest. Book a rental as soon as you can and check it every week. This last week the price went down almost by half by 2 weeks before our trip. If you aren't a Costco member, disounthawaiicarrental.com is also reasonable and will drop prices.

How does that work if the price goes down? You can cancel and book a new car rental?

 

[nkereina]

Parking is free for DVC members and guests using points.

We are staying on the dvc special but parking is not included!

Parking is only included for people staying on a DVC points reservation. DVC members paying cash do NOT get free parking. Point renters DO get free parking, since its a points reservation. I'm not sure what the DVC special is, but the only way parking would be included is if it was booked on points.

I agree with PPs that it would be worth it to do daily rentals to explore. I can't imagine spending the whole time at Aulani and not leaving the Ko Olina area. Ko Olina is a planned tourist/upscale community, and the few stores and restaurants are geared towards tourists with tourist pricing. You won't see the unique things and places about Hawaii until you get out of Ko Olina, which requires a car or organized tour of some sort, at least.

 

[blondietink]

How does that work if the price goes down? You can cancel and book a new car rental?

You would book the new car rental first, then cancel the previous car rental. I think on our last trip I booked and canceled the old reservation about 6 times as the price kept going down.

 

[HuskyGal]

Parking is only included for people staying on a DVC points reservation. DVC members paying cash do NOT get free parking. Point renters DO get free parking, since its a points reservation. I'm not sure what the DVC special is, but the only way parking would be included is if it was booked on points.

I agree with PPs that it would be worth it to do daily rentals to explore. I can't imagine spending the whole time at Aulani and not leaving the Ko Olina area. Ko Olina is a planned tourist/upscale community, and the few stores and restaurants are geared towards tourists with tourist pricing. You won't see the unique things and places about Hawaii until you get out of Ko Olina, which requires a car or organized tour of some sort, at least.

Thank you. This particular dvc special on the Aulani website doesn’t include parking. There are a few must do’s for me so I will keep watching Costco prices.

 

[HuskyGal]

You would book the new car rental first, then cancel the previous car rental. I think on our last trip I booked and canceled the old reservation about 6 times as the price kept going down.

Thank you!