How many nights in Waikiki pre Aulani?

[aprincessatlast]

Is 2 nights enough to do things offered in Waikiki area.

So after much debate on islands and hotels I am settled on Aulani (I think lol) yet after booking 9 nights I began feeling like we really should shave a couple not just due to cost (huge factor too ) but because I actually want to stay in Waikiki. Thinking 2 nights Waikiki and then 7 Aulani. or would 1 be more ideal and then just drive back into the area? Enough time to explore the beach and eat all the asian inspired food like ramen, udon, and korean bbq. Get that unique city/beach vibe. Perhaps take a canoe ride and hike Diamond head? Is this a good location for diamond head? Is this a good place for surfing as well? We will relax at Aulani but honestly we still will want to explore most of the island and will rent a car. Swimming at a pool beyond a few hours is our limit and then like to explore, hike, eat unique finds...cheap eats etc, try something new.

 

[cgattis]

We did two nights in Waikiki and it was plenty for us. It's definitely great for accessing Diamond Head and learning to surf. (We found it to be convenient to do Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay in the same day. Don't know how hardcore you hike, but there's also Koko Head! Google that one..) It's also good for accessing Pearl Harbor if you're doing that. We got unlucky with canoe rides, but there are lots there. It's also a good location for hopping into downtown Honolulu. We only did a couple of things there (seeing the King Kamehameha statue draped in leis was high on my list!) but would like to have seen the museums too. If you are into the city and shopping part at all (we aren't), then maybe one more night. Plus it saves money, like you noted.

If you are there on a Friday night (and one more during the week, I think), check out the free hula show down at Kuhio Park (just google it). Get there early to watch the torch lighting!

And when you stay 6 or 7 at Aulani, you can still take a day trip or two and get plenty of resort time. Hope that helps!

 

[wanderlust7]

I think you should stay in Waikiki however long to do what you want in the area, so you don't need to drive back in. Plan out what you want to do first then decide.

I love the Japanese food in Waikiki!

My personal must go's:
- Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin (get one that comes with sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle to grind yourself for the sauce)
- Marukame Udon

Other ones I like:
- Ramen Nakamura
- Goma Tei Ramen
- Musubi Iyasume: several locations. We happened to go to the tiny, no seating one, got a bunch to take on the plane. Yum.
- food court at Shirokiya (Japanese department store in Ala Moana Mall)
- Yokocho Gourmet Alley: this was new last time we went, lots of restaurants that look promising. We tried Ramen Bario, which was just okay (soup should have been hotter). I see they now have a place that serves okonomiyaki (Japanese savory cabbage pancake cooked on a teppanyaki grill). I gotta try that next time.

 

[newdeal]

my vote would be 0. Waikiki sucks and you can drive in, do what you want and then leave if you have a car

 

[longboard55]

We like waikiki, in the morning we stop at the Honolulu Coffee Company at the Moana Hotel and bring our coffee and croissants out to the Beach Bar and watch the surfers. Nothing better

 

[CWdreamer]

We usually choose one place to stay then drive to where we want to go on the island. That way we don't need to worry about checking in and checking out more than once. We typically rent a house on VRBO which is so much cheaper than a hotel, but next year we are staying in Ko Olina Beach Villas (next to Aulani). We have a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath villa for 7 people for $3,800.

 

[nkereina]

my vote would be 0. Waikiki sucks and you can drive in, do what you want and then leave if you have a car

I respectfully disagree with this opinion. As someone who traveled from upstate NY, we loved the upscale shopping and dining in Waikiki and just the overall vibe. We don't have most of the stores and restaurants there, nor are we near an ocean, and we also don't see that population of Asian tourists ever. Felt like we were in Japan! Very cool vibe for us. Now, if someone is from Miami Beach, I can see why they might want to skip Waikiki - similar atmospheres (save for the Asian tourists lol).

OP, we spent 3 nights in Waikiki at the start of our trip. We stayed at the Waikiki Beach Marriott and loved it. We arrived around 2:30pm, so we walked around and explored the area and had dinner the first night. We were early to bed due to the time change. We woke up early the next day, still adjusting to the time change, and did Diamond Head through an organized tour which picked us up from our hotel. The next day we were also up early and did a tour to Pearl Harbor. After our tours, it gave us time for more shopping, dining, bar/resort hopping, sitting on Waikiki Beach to people watch, etc. On our last morning in Waikiki, we got breakfast before flying to Maui. At the end of our trip we came back to Oahu and spent 6 nights at Aulani. We did not have a car in Waikiki since everything was either walkable, a trolley ride away, or an organized tour for us. It also saved us from driving in traffic, parking hassles, and parking costs.

 

[MamaBear58]

I respectfully disagree with this opinion. As someone who traveled from upstate NY, we loved the upscale shopping and dining in Waikiki and just the overall vibe. We don't have most of the stores and restaurants there, nor are we near an ocean, and we also don't see that population of Asian tourists ever. Felt like we were in Japan! Very cool vibe for us. Now, if someone is from Miami Beach, I can see why they might want to skip Waikiki - similar atmospheres (save for the Asian tourists lol).

OP, we spent 3 nights in Waikiki at the start of our trip. We stayed at the Waikiki Beach Marriott and loved it. We arrived around 2:30pm, so we walked around and explored the area and had dinner the first night. We were early to bed due to the time change. We woke up early the next day, still adjusting to the time change, and did Diamond Head through an organized tour which picked us up from our hotel. The next day we were also up early and did a tour to Pearl Harbor. After our tours, it gave us time for more shopping, dining, bar/resort hopping, sitting on Waikiki Beach to people watch, etc. On our last morning in Waikiki, we got breakfast before flying to Maui. At the end of our trip we came back to Oahu and spent 6 nights at Aulani. We did not have a car in Waikiki since everything was either walkable, a trolley ride away, or an organized tour for us. It also saved us from driving in traffic, parking hassles, and parking costs.

We are coming from the East Coast and looking at something similar. 3 nights in Waikiki, the POA cruise, and then 4 nights in Aulani. Did you think you could have used another night in Waikiki?

 

[nkereina]

We are coming from the East Coast and looking at something similar. 3 nights in Waikiki, the POA cruise, and then 4 nights in Aulani. Did you think you could have used another night in Waikiki?

3 nights was just right for us. It was actually 2 full days and a half a day, because we arrived around 2:30pm and then left for the airport to head to Maui on our last day around 10am. We spent about 4 hours on our Diamond Head tour and about 8 hours on our Pearl Harbor tour (included time at the Swap Meet and Iolani Palace), so as I mentioned we spent the rest of the time shopping, exploring, eating. We went to Ala Moana Center utilizing the pink line of the trolley which was very convenient. I did not plan beach or pool time during this part of our trip because I knew that would come at other points in our trip. The pools at Waikiki resorts are nothing special (save for a few) and the beach was relatively crowded. We opted not to do Hanuama Bay or any other attractions in the vicinity, but if you plan to do more than two attractions while in this area then maybe another night would be warranted. I would leave 4 nights in Aulani though.

 

[Walken1974]

3 nights was just right for us. It was actually 2 full days and a half a day, because we arrived around 2:30pm and then left for the airport to head to Maui on our last day around 10am. We spent about 4 hours on our Diamond Head tour and about 8 hours on our Pearl Harbor tour (included time at the Swap Meet and Iolani Palace), so as I mentioned we spent the rest of the time shopping, exploring, eating. We went to Ala Moana Center utilizing the pink line of the trolley which was very convenient. I did not plan beach or pool time during this part of our trip because I knew that would come at other points in our trip. The pools at Waikiki resorts are nothing special (save for a few) and the beach was relatively crowded. We opted not to do Hanuama Bay or any other attractions in the vicinity, but if you plan to do more than two attractions while in this area then maybe another night would be warranted. I would leave 4 nights in Aulani though.

 

[Walken1974]

We come from the east coast and have stayed at Aulani twice. We have also traveled to Kauai and Maui in the past. We have decided that Oahu has a little bit of everything that we enjoy from the other islands all in one package. We enjoy Waikiki for the following reasons: dining options, central location for sight seeing (waterfalls,beaches,hikes) and surfing with the kids. We enjoy Aulani for it's resort/ relaxation feel. Our last trip we stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (timeshare 1 bdrm unit) our first week and then Aulani our second week. We did most of our sightseeing while we were at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and then just relaxed at the Aulani resort the second week. This was the perfect combination for us. The amount of allotted nights in Waikiki is definitely dependent on how many activities / sightseeing you would like to do in this area. I have some friends that traveled to Aulani (from the east coast) and never left the resort which I think is a real shame. I think Aulani is a beautiful resort however if you are not taking at least a couple of days to explore the island I really think your missing out. Some of our favorite dining locations in the Waikiki area are the Chart House, Dukes, Side Street Inn,Rainbow Drive Inn, La Mariana Sailing Club and Hanks's Haute Dogs. We also like to visit Punchbowl Cemetery, Tantulus Lookout and Ioalani Palace. We have also hiked Diamond Head and the Makapuu Light House trail. All these locations are a short drive from Waikiki however from Aulani they are at least 45 minutes or considerably more if you hit Oahu's rush hours. The North Shore of Oahu however is easily accessible from Aulani and based on it's location bypasses the majority of Oahu's traffic. ( We usually save our North Shore Trip for a day we are at Aulani) Good luck with your trip we have another one planned this summer with the itinerary I highlighted above.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

To address your surfing question- it depends on what time of year you will be visiting. In the summer, the surf should be good on that side of the island. But if it's late fall-winter, the surf will be pretty calm. We were there in November and there were hardly any waves at all. All the surfers were just sitting on their boards waiting for one decent wave. If your trip is in the winter and you want to surf, look into places on the North Shore.

I don't know what ages are in your traveling party, but if everyone's old enough I highly recommend renting mopeds. It's an awesome way to see the city. We drove ours up to Diamond Head and Manoa Falls, then around to grab some food in the city. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

 

[scottmel]

I have 4 nights planned in Waikikki and 5 nights in Aulani. Coming from East Coast as well with 3 day stop at Disneyland on way over. I am wishing I had 5 nights in Wakikki. We have planned Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, Ukelele Tour, PRivate Tour of South side of island with Oahu Tours and our hotel in Waikikik comps tickets to the Bishop, Ioalani Palace, and all other cultural places which is a nice savings. We are trying to utilize these tickets b/c my DD19 loves this type of thing. I am feeling rushed...

 

[pixie3]

my vote would be 0. Waikiki sucks and you can drive in, do what you want and then leave if you have a car

I agree with this. Its not far. Come in for an day/evening of dining and lookin around. This is just my opinion. If you feel like you have to..2 at most.

 

[scottmel]

I think it sort of depends where u are staying. We have chosen halekalani bc it feels private and quiet yet in heart of Waikiki. It’s more expensive than aulani but gives us some quiet in middle of busy city. 4 nights for us worked and all city stuff like museums are free then 5 nights in aulani