Is 7 nights at Aulani too many ?

[tankin]

My minimum for Oahu is 6 nights, so no I wouldn't say that 7 nights is too much as long as its your base to explore Oahu. You'll definitely need a rental car to do that.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Waikiki beyond the "been there, done that" stop for a picture. Its way too touristy and close to sea side major cities for me but as you can see from the comments, some people love it. I actually like that Ko Olina is out away from the city. Feels more Hawaiian

 

[RebelScum]

Also , we are on the east coast , has any going to Aulani added Disneyland before or after Hawaii, or is that to much to do , any thoughts?

We live in NY and stopped in LA on the way, spending 3 days in Disneyland. Flew from LAX to Kona and spent a few days on the big island, then on to Oahu, with 8 nights at Aulani. Direct back to NY. Would not change a thing. Best trip ever. When we go again, I think a week at Aulani would be our minimum, but may try Disneyland on the way home instead,

 

[Lilsia]

I am DVC so I don't pay cash for my trips so my vacation reflects that. Our last trip to Aulani, we stopped at Disneyland for a couple of days first. We then spent 2 weeks at Aulani and 3 nights in Waikiki. We had a car the whole time. We toured the Island from Aulani and did the Waikiki area while at our hotel there. Our upcoming trip is next month and we are staying 16 nights at Aulani and will have a car and are planning on doing our sightseeing from there. Then staying a few nights in Waikiki again.

If we were paying cash, we would probably do things differently, but we stay as long as my points allow. Aulani is such a peaceful, beautiful resort. Even though we like the city experience that Waikiki gives, we would pick staying at Aulani over any other hotel on the Island. I think some people feel that they shouldn't leave the resort because it's expensive and then feel trapped. You have to think of Aulani as you would any other hotel in Hawaii. Why would you travel to such and amazingly beautiful Island and not leave your hotel? Resorts at that level are all pricey and many in the Island cost what Aulani does. I would decide what you want out of your vacation, including what type of hotel that you want to stay at and go from there.
I think the majority of responses that you will get are going to be that you will wish that you stayed longer.

 

[MinnieSueB]

I can't wait to go back to Hawaii & life to get back to normal!

 

[pjacobi]

As a general rule, you need 1 day to recover from jetlag from every time zone that you cross. From the East coast, you are crossing 6 time zone, so you need a minimum of 6 days. Most people recover most of the effects in half the time, but there is always some lingering reminder.

14 days is even better because you have a week of full recovery from jetlag.

Remember to plan for jetlag on the way home, since flying East is the worst jetlag.


-Paul

 

[tidefan]

Agree with the poster above...

Part of this decision is if you are a DVC member or not. If you are a DVC owner, it just makes sense to make Aulani as your home base of operations because a) you just pay with your points for the nights, and b) parking is included for DVC members (or anyone) staying on points. Also, we always get a 1-bedroom or higher because food is so pricey on the Island. We tend to cook a lot in our villa.

We are DVC, so our Aulani stays have been usually 7-8 nights. We've been 4 times. Twice, we combined with another week on another island (Hawaii the first time and Maui the third time), the second trip we combined with the DVC Alaska Members Cruise (that was interesting to pack for), and this year, we just did Aulani for a week as that's all the time we had. We plan to go back next year and do 5 nights in Waikoloa on the Big Island followed by a week at Aulani.

Also, on two of those trips, we've stopped over in Anaheim on the way back to do DL for 3 days. It definitely helps the time adjustment coming back to the East Coast. A second plus is that if you do that, you can take Southwest where 2 bags are included...

 

[Tiff M]

It depends on your activity level I think, we did find ourselves a bit bored our first trip (we did not have a rental car) so 7 nights was too long. Our second trip we had a rental car and only 2 dedicated days at the resort so it was fine. We're not really sit at the beach/pool people though, I like to explore what the island has to offer and then go home when done.

 

[Mark Thornhill]

We are east coast as well and been to Hawaii a couple times. You might travel better than we do but I can tell you anything LESS than 6-7 nights isn't worth going in my opinion.

 

[justme0729]

We did 8 nights at Aulani and loved it! Every other or every 2 days, we drove out to do hikes, excursions etc. We would rather stay at Aulani for the majority of the vacation and drive a little farther to see the rest of Oahu because it is such a beautiful resort. We also don't mind sitting on the beach and relaxing a lot!

 

[happymommy]

We own at the Marriott next door, and also come from the East Coast. We go typically every other year (although in 2019 I went twice; once for 12 nights and once 2 weeks). We almost never have gone for less than 2 weeks; in 2017 I went for 4 weeks locking off our unit.

7 nights is the very bare minimum I’d even recommend from the East Coast; 2 weeks is better IMHO. We lived on Oahu years ago, so like to go out and about every other day or so to revisit places we like to eat and hang out. We love the Marriott resort, and I enjoy days by the pool with a good book relaxing too.

 

[Fellowship9798]

My family spent 10 nights several years ago, but our approach was to spend alternating days at the resort and going out elsewhere for the day. Diamond head, Pearl Harbor, drive to North Shore, Polynesian cultural center, etc. It worked really well for us and was my son and wife’s favorite vacation we’ve taken.

We had to scrape a couple years of our DVC points together to use to make the 10 nights in a 1 BR work but it was worth it for us. It required a rental car and a bunch of driving but Aulani was great as a home base.

 

[3kidz4dis]

I agree with the others. I would have been bored out of my mind sitting at Aulani for 7 days. Now, we spent 10 days on Oahu, staying at Aulani, and that definitely wasn't enough to do everything we wanted (and it was our second time there). I would skip the parks and opt for more time in HI, if that is an option.

Would you use it as a home base for 7 days and travel elsewhere around the island?

 

[monsterkitty]

Would you use it as a home base for 7 days and travel elsewhere around the island?

Like happymommy, we own at the Marriott. We just got back from 6 nights at the Marriott. While we did sit at the pool one day, we typically drive around the island or a snorkel or other tour in the morning and then hang out at the resort in the afternoon/late afternoon. Even when we stay at a MVC on one of the other islands, we only use it as a home base. We will build in "lazy" days at the resort, but even then we end up going somewhere close to explore.

We don't mind driving because there is always something to stop and see or do. Even though Ko Olina is a bit away from Waikiki and other not to miss sites, we will absolutely continue to use it as a home base while visiting other areas of the island.

 

[3kidz4dis]

Like happymommy, we own at the Marriott. We just got back from 6 nights at the Marriott. While we did sit at the pool one day, we typically drive around the island or a snorkel or other tour in the morning and then hang out at the resort in the afternoon/late afternoon. Even when we stay at a MVC on one of the other islands, we only use it as a home base. We will build in "lazy" days at the resort, but even then we end up going somewhere close to explore.

We don't mind driving because there is always something to stop and see or do. Even though Ko Olina is a bit away from Waikiki and other not to miss sites, we will absolutely continue to use it as a home base while visiting other areas of the island.

Ok..thank you! It is often that others try to convince us to move around the island for a few nights at a time since Ko Olina is so so far removed from Waikiki and the North Shore. Moving resorts is time consuming as well IMHO

 

[monsterkitty]

Ok..thank you! It is often that others try to convince us to move around the island for a few nights at a time since Ko Olina is so so far removed from Waikiki and the North Shore. Moving resorts is time consuming as well IMHO

If we are only going to stay on Oahu for a few nights before going to another island then we do stay in Waikiki for the convivence. If you want to do Waikiki for more than a day then maybe stay there one or two nights before going to Aulani. Frankly, Waikiki is a lot of fun and surprisingly I did miss staying there for a night, but the beach was so crowded I got over that real quick, haha!

If you're going to go to Waikiki for a day, park at the zoo. It's easy to get there and only $6 for 4 hours. If you plan on staying longer than 4 hours just move to another parking spot. There are way better beaches to park yourself on than Waikiki but you have to go at least for a bit. Both times we stopped at Waikiki in March were in the afternoon on our way back from doing something else. There is no way I could stay there all day on the crowded beach!

I would not move around from hotel or resort to resort because it takes too long. Once you check out of a hotel or resort, you would need to immediately go to the next resort to check in, which would be way too inconvenient. If you decide to do this, do not under any circumstance leave your luggage in the car if you stop for any sort of site seeing or shopping. When you get back to the car you will see broken windows and your belongings will be gone.

You can get to any location on the island within 90 minutes if the traffic is bad. Try to avoid the highways during rush hours and you'll be fine!

 

[jimmymc]

No way. If I'm flying to Hawaii from my home in Michigan, I try for 2 weeks but 10 days minimum. I might change locations in Hawaii, but the total is a long trip.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Until Covid we were going to aulani for a minimum of 10 days once a yeAr from chicago. We have not been back since 2019 snd miss it. But I’m Waiting until more is open and until Hawaii allows those fully vaccinated without a Covid test.
We could easily spend even more time than 10 days. We love just laying by pool and reading all day. We don’t leave the resort except maybe to go to dinner in kapolei. But we have been all over the island and to the other islands.
We have rented a car in the past but we don’t pay for parking as DVC guests. However my understanding is that rental car rates are exorbitant right now so you will want to do a cost analysis to see if the rental car and parking fee are worth it.

the last time we went we stopped in LA on way back and spent 3 nights at DL. It was fun but I personally prefer just to get home.

 

[jimmymc]

If you're looking to do Disneyland and Aulani, I would plan for 3 or 4 days in Disneyland first, then 7 to 10 days at Aulani. You could also break up Hawaii and do 5 night in Aulani and 5 nights on another island.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

But do keep in mind that Ko Olina, where Aulani is located, is in an isolated area of Oahu.

I mean... Kind of, I guess. But Oahu isn't that big. Ko Olina to the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center is like 20 minutes. Nothing is far from anything.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Ok..thank you! It is often that others try to convince us to move around the island for a few nights at a time since Ko Olina is so so far removed from Waikiki and the North Shore. Moving resorts is time consuming as well IMHO

The beauty of staying at Aulani is that you get to avoid Waikiki entirely. When you read those occasional articles about how "Hawaii is overrated," 10 times out of 10 they're from people who stayed in Waikiki.

The North Shore isn't really a full day either, unless you're a surfer. Dole Planation and Green World Coffee Farm are right on the way, so if you pit stop at those up to Waimea Valley, stopping at some shops and lunch along the way, that would mostly "cover" the North Shore IMO.