Rental car needed?

[AHWfam]

We have a group of 7 going to Aulani in June and wondering how necessary a rental car would be? We’ve been to Oahu without one, but we were on the other side of the island. I can’t find a ton of info for how much is walking distance to the resort, and whether that’s enough to get you by, especially with 3 young kids. Is there a Starbucks or something like that? An ABC store?
Thanks in advance!

 

[JC1984]

ABC Store and some dining options across the street as well as dining options on property as well at other nearby resorts.

 

[808blessing]

Coffee spot but cheaper in abc store. Lots of places to eat about 5- 10 mins across the street.

 

[nkereina]

There is hardly anything in walking distance of Aulani. Aulani is in the gated tourist community of Ko Olina and the only way in and out of Ko Olina is via the highway. Across the street from Aulani is Monkeypod, a couple small/quick service eateries, and an ABC store which would have some essentials. All of these places cater to tourists and are priced as such. IMO, a rental car is a must when staying at Aulani because of its isolated location. Without a rental car, you'll only be seeing the manmade lagoons and manufactured beauty of Ko Olina and not the real Hawaii. A car gives you so much more flexibility to see the sights, go off-site for more affordable meals (and more options), etc. Parking at Aulani is free if you are staying on DVC points.

 

[cedricandsophie]

With recent car rental prices (I’ve heard as much as $200 a day for a minivan and with a party of 7 with luggage, you Might need a bigger van or two cars)), you will have to decide what is more cost efficient. We have been there several times and always rented a van for the 4 of us, for about $400 to $500 for 10 days, so we could stop and get groceries on the way and have it available if we wanted to drive into Kapolei for dinner, go to mass on Sunday, etc. and we are DVC so we don’t pay for parking. But with car rental prices like they are now, I don’t think we would do that again Until they come down, But getting people to and from the airport isn’t cheap, at least $80 for a family of 4 and that was two years ago. With the price of rental cars going up, I’m guessing it would be twice as much now. They do have cabs and ubers stationed outside Aulani. and they will take you into kapolei (which is a few min drive from aulani) for the grocery store, target etc. Kapolei has a couple of Starbucks, some decent sushi and a few other chain restaurants.

As for restaurants, you do have the ones across the street, Roy’s is down the street. The Marriott, a few min walk, has Longhi which is a very good Italian restaurant and the Four Seasons next door just reopened, so some if not all of their restaurants will be open, although they are pricey. Four Seasons used to have a Starbucks, not sure if it will reopen. There is a good coffee place across the street I believe. And if the coffee bar at aulani is reopened by the time you get there, it does a decent latte.

 

[jimmymc]

There is an ABC store and a few restaurants across the street from Aulani, including a coffee and tea shop, and restaurants at the neighboring resorts. You can also order delivery from a bunch of restaurants down the street in Kapolei, or send one family member to pick up food.

 

[pevensiepals]

I've done Aulani with both a rental car and no rental car. I think for a big family a car would likely be a more economic option, as it is about $50 a person for a round trip shuttle to and from the airport. I also wouldn't recommend having no car for a long vacation - you can easily spend about 4 days in just Ko Olina and do activities in and around there (catamaran, scuba/snorkel, hanging out), but past that I think it would get pretty boring. Also, if this is your first trip to Hawaii, you definitely will want a car to get out and about and see the island.