AWESOME! I am so happy you decided to go!
Kualoa Ranch is amazing but because it is up in the Northern area you really do have to give yourself some time to get up there. It is not quite North Shore but close.
The scenery there is incredible and is featured in soooo many movies.
Horse back riding is also offered and is pretty good up at the Turtle Bay area do the North Shore
https://turtlebaystables.com/
If you like snorkelling, Hanauma Bay is a great spot. Well it used to be, I know they were closed for most of COVID and may have not re opened fully. Fantastic place to lean how to snorkel as well, very shallow and calm in most of the areas. Imo, the little fake reef at Aulani is cold and too small. Hanauma Bay is usually NOT open on Tuesdays but again, that was pre covid.
Keep in mind that traffic to Aulani can be bad in the late afternoon. It is people going home to the west side of the island from Honolulu. It lightens up around Pearl City usually but we have been stuck in heavy traffic right up till the Kapolei exit so plan accordingly when you are thinking of half day visits to different place.
The lagoons in Ko Olina are man made so we find them just ok to swim at. It is ocean water and sand but they are not even as close as beautiful as many other beaches on the island.
I strongly suggest trying to get out to a natural beach, even if for a couple of hours.
One of our vary favorite places is Kailua town/Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach.
There are a few little shops that we usually stroll and stop into as well like Lanikai Bath and Body (Trust me, your girls will enjoy this store)For our family it is an absolute must do every time we are on Oahu.Kailua is a large crescent shaped bay that is shallow, clear and warm with white soft sand, decent parking and public change rooms/restrooms.The town itself is full of great shops and places to eat. We LOVE Teddys Bigger Burgers, it is a Hawaiian chain but somehow the one in Kailua town seems to be the best.
Links to a couple of
YouTube videos that will give you a feel for the area of Kailua
We usually drive over via the H3 tunnel shortcut as it by-passes all the Honolulu traffic but sometimes we will go super early to Hanauma Bay for the morning, drive over to Kailua and get lunch in town then spend the afternoon at Kailua or Lanikai beach. It is usually Kailua because the parking is better.
There is also a "secret beach" right by Aulani. The views here are incredible, you can snorkel and explore the tidepools too.
It is easy to walk to if you know how. Basically it is on the west side of the Four Seasons but you need to walk on the road to get to the parking lot at Paradise Cove Luau where there is a beach access walkway. Lots of people see Honu here (turtles) and there is sometimes Monk seals sunning themselves here too.
The view to the west is incredible as well.
This video is pretty comprehensive as to how to get there and what to expect when you are there.
The info for the parking lot entrance starts at the 3:50 mark in the video
Shop for supplies in Kapolei , the town just before Ko Olina/Aulani
There is a great Target, a
Walmart, a Costco, a mall called Ka Makana Ali'i and a couple of proper grocery stores too.
The on site store at Aulani called Kalepa's does have some expensive basics and there is a pretty good little variety/grocery across the street called Island MArket but everything is super expensive.
You will have the Jeep so it is worth the 7 minute drive into town to get what you might need and even to grab a meal or two.
Depending on what time your flight lands, you might want to stop to grab a bite to eat before you hit the highway toward Ko Olina/Aulani.
If you land after 2pm, it could easily take over an hour to get to Aulani, maybe more.
We are usually tired and starving by the time we land (and we bring snacks) so adding a hour+ to that in traffic, time to get into your rooma nd get settled etc means you will sometimes go quite a while before actually eating. Land at 4pm, eat at 7pm Hawaii time
Our solution is to either eat in Kapolei (as mentioned above) before we get to Aulani or to eat around the airport, usually at Moanalua Shopping Centre located about 10 minutes from the airport at
2810 Valkenburgh St, Honolulu, HI 96818 (for GPS) There are lots of options here but we usually go to Panda Express, it is decent fast north american chinese food.
This is where we fill up our rental car with gas before we head back to the airport too.
Of course there is Honolulu and Waikiki. There is a ton of info about that area over on the Aulani thread of these boards.
Honestly not my favorite place on Oahu
There is lots more to tell but I have to run for now
