Split stay or just Aulani?

[jlovesee]

We are DVC members and I've been planning a Hawaii/Oahu trip for over a year (it was supposed to be this last January). I have enough points for 7 nights or 9 nights in a Ocean View studio. But I've been thinking it might be worth spending a night or two on Waikiki Beach since parking seems so terrible in that area. We are already planning on renting a car so I need to consider parking costs, which would be "free" at Aulani since we are DVC members. Any opinions on whether it's worth to do a split stay or just stay at Aulani the entire time?

Any recommendations on hotels in Waikiki? I don't need to be on the Ocean, but walkable would be required.

Jennifer

 

[monsterkitty]

We usually use Oahu as a few days stop before going to another island. If we are doing this, then we always stay at Waikiki Beach, Honolulu Resort Hotel | Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

It's a beautiful hotel. A block off the beach. Next to the zoo and a great view of Diamond Head. Most important, it is close to Leonard's Bakery for their famous malasadas donuts.

 

[nkereina]

We spent 3 nights at the Waikiki Beach Marriott also, prior to our stay at Aulani. For us, it was a great location for easy walking along the strip (directly across the street from the beach) and it was a good price point. A lot of people recommend Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, but we did not want another resort atmosphere since we were staying at Aulani, and it was at the far end of the strip making for long walks.

You are correct in that parking costs are high and parking spaces/traffic in Waikiki are both hassles. Because of this, we opted to forego the rental car during our stay in Waikiki. We used a taxi from the airport, but Uber is a good option too. Most everything we wanted to do in Waikiki was walkable and the trolley was a good option too. Additionally, there are *tons* of organized tours from Waikiki that include transportation, so we did Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor as tours since those have logistics that can be complicated if you're driving yourself. We took a taxi back to the airport because we were island hopping before coming back to stay at Aulani, but you could also pick up a rental car somewhere in Waikiki to drive to Aulani, or arrange to pick up your rental car at Aulani (Alamo) or the Marriott in Ko Olina (Enterprise).

 

[Alexander]

We are spending 6 nights in Waikiki and doing most of our sightseeing (except the North Shore) from there. It is more centrally located and will eliminate a lot of driving in traffic. When we get to Aulani for the second half of our trip, we will mostly stay at the resort. One day we will head to the North Shore.

We will have a car the whole time but have a special resort package that includes free valet parking and no resort fees in Waikiki, and we are DVC members, so we will park for free at Aulani.

 

[tankin]

I find split stays to be a royal PIA. If I'm going to be somewhere for a week, I want to settle in instead of moving. As a result, we always stay at Aulani for the whole trip and commute a few days for whatever touring we're doing that trip.

Here would be my thing... what do you want to do while your on the island? Are your commute times that much shorter on Waikiki? Is the saved time worth the added expense and hassle of changing?

Everyone is going to answer those questions differently. The choice on split stay vs not will depend on those answers.
My bias is also showing a little. Just not a fan of Waikiki. Reminds me too much of any other large city. When we do Honolulu, I'd rather drive in, do what we're going to do and then return to Aulani where I don't feel like I'm on South Beach.

 

[nkereina]

I find split stays to be a royal PIA.

I feel this way on a WDW trip, but on our Hawaii trip, we stayed at 4 resorts across the state over 16 days and I wouldn't have done it any differently. Waikiki is an entirely different atmosphere from Ko Olina where Aulani is. Waikiki provides some shopping, plentiful dining options, nightlife for all ages. Ko Olina is essentially a dead zone after dinner. Having our time split between the two areas let us experience the best of both worlds, while optimizing logistics based on the two distinct locations. Its also a consideration depending on budget - there are more affordable options in and around Waikiki if that's a concern, which may allow someone to justify a few nights at Aulani as well.

All of that said, split stays are subjective and situational depending on the goals of a trip.

 

[tankin]

@nkereina To each their own! At some point, we will probably island hop which will necessitate a split stay. Oahu is small enough doesn't make sense for me and I'm not into the Waikiki vibe which really reinforces not doing a split stay. Definitely an individual likes / dislikes thing.

 

[abdgeek]

I’m a DVC member who owns at Aulani and normally stays there every 2-3 years. When I stay at Aulani, I typically stay 7 nights and I always rent a car from the Alamo (reserve in advance) on site for the days I plan to leave the property. As OP have said, unless you plan to eat on property or across the street, you will need a car while there to sightsee and get food.

Most times I have visited Aulani, I normally wind up spending 2-3 days driving to the Waikiki area for activities. While I’ve always wanted to stay in Waikiki to cut down on some of the driving, I finally decided to do so for my visit this year. Instead of staying at Aulani, I was able to get a RCI weekly reservation at The Imperial Hawaii. I’m super excited and don’t plan to rent a car while in Waikiki. If you’re ok paying OOP, you can go to their website and check if they have availability for the days you want. I also researched the following properties while I was deciding what to do: Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber, Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Hokulani Waikiki by HGV, and
Surfjack Hotel and Swim Club. If you have additional points you can use, you can also see if you can get a RCI reservation for 2 days at a particular resort. If you’re eligible, there are also two hotel properties in Waikiki that are available under the Concierge Collection which you can use your points to book.

While Aulani has tours that leave from the resort, most independent tours leave from Waikiki and you will have to drive there to get the tour. Unless you plan to tour on your own, this may play into your decision on whether to stay in Waikiki. Aulani is a destination in itself and a great place to stay, especially when using DVC points. However, your experience staying there will be very different from staying in Waikiki which is somewhere that is very walkable and has a plethora of restaurants in every price range.

IMO, if you want to stay in Waikiki do so either before or after staying at Aulani. Before, if you want to get to your resort quicker and plan on doing things on that side of the island. After, if you want to be closer to the airport when you leave and plan on doing tours at the end of your trip. Keep in mind that there aren’t many properties in Waikiki that rival Aulani. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Nagle]

We have stayed at Aulani twice, both times for about a week. We then followed up with a few days in Waikiki. We stayed at the Hilton on Kuhio and the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
We rented a car for both Aulani stays (DVC). To save $$$ last time, we used the rental to go from Aulani to Waikiki to check in and leave bags at Concierge. We then returned the rental to Alamo near the airport and used Lyft back to the hotel. We then bought 4 day passes for the Waikiki bus/tram lines.
Just about everything in Waikiki is within walking distance. We used the trams when we got tired or just wanted to tour around Honolulu.

 

[Lilsia]

What we are doing on our upcoming trip is staying as long as possible on my points at Aulani. We will have a rental car for that duration and plan on going out and about from there. Then we are planning on returning the car and staying a few nights in Waikiki to walk around and do the stuff there. Since our Aulani trip is practically free, we can afford to few extra nights in Waikiki. Returning the car saves us the parking fee at the Waikiki hotel. Plus everything is in walking distance or the free trolley in that area. It depends on your family dynamics and what you like to do. It is just my daughter and me and we enjoy walking around the shops and sightseeing in Waikiki. We are staying at the Embassy Suites Waikiki. Have not been there yet but it gets good reviews. Everything in that area is in walking distance.

 

[jlovesee]

What we are doing on our upcoming trip is staying as long as possible on my points at Aulani. We will have a rental car for that duration and plan on going out and about from there. Then we are planning on returning the car and staying a few nights in Waikiki to walk around and do the stuff there. Since our Aulani trip is practically free, we can afford to few extra nights in Waikiki. Returning the car saves us the parking fee at the Waikiki hotel. Plus everything is in walking distance or the free trolley in that area. It depends on your family dynamics and what you like to do. It is just my daughter and me and we enjoy walking around the shops and sightseeing in Waikiki. We are staying at the Embassy Suites Waikiki. Have not been there yet but it gets good reviews. Everything in that area is in walking distance.

This is us, planning on 7 nights at Aulani and 2 nights prior at Waikiki. Still deciding on where to stay!

Jennifer

 

[braysmommy]

For our upcoming trip we are spending 3 nights at Aulani midweek and 6 nights in Waikiki after a week on Maui. Our time at Aulani we will visit Northshore but spend most of our time relaxing and enjoying Aulani.

 

[gumbydom]

This is us, planning on 7 nights at Aulani and 2 nights prior at Waikiki. Still deciding on where to stay!

Jennifer

I would stay 6 nights Aulani, 3 nights Waikiki. This way you when you pack and unpack its for three full days in Waikiki or Windward side and not just for 2 nights where one of those days will be used for flying.