Island hopping while at Aulani

[Mduff]

Has anyone visited the other islands while staying at Aulani? How easy is it to do? I'm thinking I probably don't want to leave Aulani for too long but my airfare just dropped and I'm wondering if it's worth calling Hawaiian to get a credit to then use to island hop for a day.

 

[abdgeek]

Has anyone visited the other islands while staying at Aulani? How easy is it to do? I'm thinking I probably don't want to leave Aulani for too long but my airfare just dropped and I'm wondering if it's worth calling Hawaiian to get a credit to then use to island hop for a day.

I have never island hopped while at Aulani; however, I did spend a week each on Maui and the Big Island before and after my stay at Aulani in 2014. The reason I didn't island hop was because there was so much I wanted to see, I didn't want to feel rushed. Even staying a week on both, I still didn't see everything on my list.

To determine whether it is worth it for you to island hop, you need to cost it out. The flights on Hawaiian Airlines are pretty cheap if you get them far enough in advance. You won't be able to see everything, so decide what you want to see, if a tour will take you there(otherwise you will need to rent a car), and what time the last plane comes back. The island hopping tours from the resort will take you about 12-15 hours. Grayline and Roberts Hawaii are the two biggest tour operators on the islands and have tours where you fly in to the island early in the morning and leave in the evening.

Although I know this doesn't answer your question, I hope it gives you some additional thinking points.

 

[Anal Annie]

Island hopping isn't as easy as it used to be way back when. It was much more affordable and easier and faster pre-9/11. The flights cost a lot more these days too. Pre-9/11 you could almost just basically show up at the airport and get on the next flight without even having a reservation. I say almost because we used to just call the day before. But then again, round trip flights back then were like $95. Now it can be nearly that much 1-way. I personally think you would be better off just adding a few nights on another island. But if you can't do that and you just go for the day make sure you book the earliest flight you can out (security eats up time) and then have your rental car reserved on the other island for an early pick-up. If it were me I would attempt to BE ON THE OTHER ISLAND by 9:00 so that you have a FULL DAY there once you pick up your rental. I would plan out my activities for a full day and plan for one of the latest possible returning flights back to Oahu that evening.

 

[tedhowe]

I agree that Island Hopping is a challenge for a day, but with some of the smaller air carriers in the islands it would be doable.

We hopped from Aulani over to Molokai back in August. The plan was to stay on Molokai for three nights and make it a split stay. We did the mule ride tour and planned to do a waterfall hike, but the hurricane back in August chased us back over to Oahu a day early.

We used Makani Kai air - they have regular service between Honolulu and Molokai Top Side airports. Several flights each day for a reasonable price.

It is possible to do a day trip over and do the mule ride tour to the colony on the Kalaupapa peninsula and hop back all in one day. We wanted a few days "roughing it" in a less developed area of the islands, so we chose not to do that, but there are several options.

The good thing about Makani Kai is that they are a helicopter and charter service so they don't leave out of the main terminal - no TSA to deal with.

 

[Aurora1959]

Just in case someone else is thinking of doing this and therefore reads this thread.....

Be aware that traffic in the mornings from Ko Olina towards Honolulu can be brutal. If you are not used to driving in traffic or don't leave yourself plenty of time you might be in for a shock and/or miss your flight.

If you use Google Maps and get directions from the resort to the airport, they have an option online where you can also view typical traffic flows during a specific time of day. I think it's really worth it to double check that.

In the meantime, please share what you decide to do. I've been considering this as well. We've been going every June for 2 weeks but I'm wondering if we should just do one next time and spend some time on another island before or after our stay.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I remember taking a look around and noting that there are not any ferries, if you wish to island hop you must do it by air. Air travel is such a pain that I haven't even considered it.