Talk me down from the ledge - Aulani

[Maddysdaddy]

Hi all. Hoping that those who have visited Aulani can talk me down from the ledge with respect to an upcoming booking that I am (probably) making for myself, my wife and daughter (10).

My 'girls' are relaxed vacationers who love nothing more than spending an entire day on the beach or by the side of a pool, getting some sun. Aulani sounds perfect for them.

I, on the other hand, find that the charm of doing nothing wears off after about an hour, and need to be doing something, whether it's going to a baseball game, or a museum or gallery or zoo (or the grocery store) - it really doesn't matter. That's why I love vacationing in SoCal - they can stay by the pool and if I get antsy, I can take off to go do something for a couple of hours.

Don't get me wrong, all three of us are good about compromising when we are on vacation - I spend more time at the beach than I would like, and they spend time doing things with me, when I know that they would rather be laying on a lounger.

I'm not a snorkeler or a scuba diver, and hiking really isn't my thing either. Is there going to be anything for me to do at Aulani?

 

[jerseygal]

We wanted to "take in" the beauty of Aulani when we went in May and didn't want to "run around" every day. Was there for 7 nights, 8 long days(flew out of Honolulu airport) 8:10PM so had our last day as a very long day!

We left resort 2 full days! On one day, did Pearl Harbor, Arizona Memorial, about 2 hours, then went to Waikiki for a "change of pace" to do some beach time and lunch there.

Other full day was BEAUTIFUL KUALOA RANCH! We did ATV riding, catamaran ocean voyage, movie set tour, and was supposed to do a Jungle Tour(too tired at end of a hot day...skipped this one)good barbecue lunch included! AWESOME SCENERY, JUST BEAUTIFUL! They have horseback riding there too which is very popular!
Truly was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of our trip!

Intended on doing North Shore, but instead decided to "veg" and enjoy the beauty of Aulani! Would HIGHLY RECOMMEND A CAR! Next trip, we intend on doing North Shore and spending a few days at Maui...Wanted to get "the lay of the land" this trip!

Hopefully, you will have a BLAST! We did!
Research and read threads, that is how you will learn different tips about Aulani and different things to do!!! ENJOY!

 

[ncgator]

Although my first trip to Aulani is not until next October (hopefully as a new DVC member), I have been to Oahu 3 times. Like you, I like an hour or 2 at the beach, and some downtime, but a good mix of activities. You will have no problem finding that on Oahu. In addition to the recommendations of the previous poster, I also enjoyed the Dole Pineapple Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center - both are touristy, but I was a tourist and thought they were fun. There was some pretty nice shopping in Honolulu if I recall, and I'm sure there must be some museums there. And the North Shore is worth a visit - just wading in the water less than knee deep, had a giant sea turtle bump into my leg (and then it climbed out onto the beach and just plopped down in the middle of all the people). I 100% agree though that a car is a MUST. I have done quite a bit of traveling and Hawaii still ranks #1 for me as my favorite destination - just the right mix of activities and relaxation.

 

[disBOBney]

In addition to JerseyGirl's suggestions, there is golf, the maria is near-by so if fishing is your thing you could probably catch a charter boat. Depending on the time of year you are going, winter time is excellent time for surfing (doing or watching) and whale watching. Look at the Go Oahu Card for some ideas of different things to do. I don't know for sure but would expect that zip-lineing is probably possible.