What are the DOWNSIDES to staying at Aulani?

[WinterSolider]

We came from TBI, but were in a condo in Kona, so never felt restricted by earlier hours for things.

Were you able to catch Kilauea? She started erupting while we were sitting at the beach in Waikoloa and we absolutely booked it to Volcano and it was a good thing we did because the episode while we were there only lasted about 12 hours.

I've never been so sick as going up and over Saddle Road from sea level twice in less than six hours.

 

[SomeImaginationHuh]

Were you able to catch Kilauea? She started erupting while we were sitting at the beach in Waikoloa and we absolutely booked it to Volcano and it was a good thing we did because the episode while we were there only lasted about 12 hours.

I've never been so sick as going up and over Saddle Road from sea level twice in less than six hours.

We landed on the 16th, unaware that there was major fountaining, so we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and shopping at Target and missed it. We did go back on Tuesday the 20th and saw the lava glow, but no fountaining.

I feel like I drove ALL OVER THE PLACE on TBI. So many miles and SO MUCH GAS.

We absolutely LOVED TBI. This was our first trip to Hawaii and the big island is what I pictured in my mind as far as what I thought Hawaii would be like. We liked oahu too, but I think the big island holds my heart for now.

 

[SomeImaginationHuh]

Were you able to catch Kilauea? She started erupting while we were sitting at the beach in Waikoloa and we absolutely booked it to Volcano and it was a good thing we did because the episode while we were there only lasted about 12 hours.

I've never been so sick as going up and over Saddle Road from sea level twice in less than six hours.

Where did y’all stay in Waikoloa? We are going back summer 2027 and I was considering staying in Hilo to be closer to volcanoes, but might also consider Waikoloa too.

 

[WinterSolider]

Where did y’all stay in Waikoloa? We are going back summer 2027 and I was considering staying in Hilo to be closer to volcanoes, but might also consider Waikoloa too.

Hilton Grand Vacation Club Kings' Land Waikoloa Village. It was absolutely fantastic. Large villa-style units with full kitchens, but also with housekeeping included if you were staying as a cash guest. We only drove through Hilo and it looked kind of dumpy. We did 5 days in Waikoloa and 3 days at a VRBO in Volcano itself, and I think that's how we'd do it again if we went back. Just know that there are basically zero tourist accommodations in Volcano so you would need to be committed to cooking for yourself and spending your days hiking at HVNP because you're not going to be sipping fruity drinks poolside.

I think I agree that I prefer Big Island to Oahu but it's close enough where the ease of a direct flight into Honolulu means I'll definitely be staying there more often.

 

[marmentrout85]

The lack of roller coasters/theme parks is the biggest downside for me.

 

[Donna M]

We just returned from Hawaii for a wedding and my DVC wait-list never came through. We stayed in an Airbnb on the beach at the peaceful end of Waikiki. It had an incredible view and was a 10 min walk to the main street with all the shopping and abundance of restaurants..

On the day of checkout we spent the night in a hotel in Kapolei which is the town close to Aulani so we could check out that side of the island and the resort.

We parked in the public lot adjacent to Aulani, just past the wedding chapel. It is free, safe, and small, but an easy walk to Aulani, good for anyone wanting to walk through. We got there around 4-5 pm as people were leaving.

My thoughts as someone who just walked around as a DVC member. The resort is beautiful. We toured the model unit, very nice. There were plenty of chairs everywhere at that time of day and the infinity pool had three people gazing towards the ocean, ahh. But now the negatives. We had spent 7 nights in a fantastic Airbnb where we stepped out the back gate onto the sand with views of Diamond head, the expansive ocean and fireworks on Friday night. We were on the side of the island with great beaches and an easy drive to all the touristy places without having to go through the traffic of Honolulu. There were many restaurants and stores and traditional dancers in the Hawaiian Center. We felt safe at all the beaches even the ones where there were only a few other people. The safety was the biggest concern I had with the Aulani side of the island. Aulani felt very safe, but we drove up the coast to check out the beaches and the number of homeless camps and the size of them was shocking, I think every beach had homeless people. I saw 3 homeless people in the Waikiki area. The lagoon is nothing when compared to the ocean beaches, quite a disappointment, but the ridge to the left of the lagoon was beautiful with the palm trees.

In ending, I am glad we didn't get into Aulani; we loved our place and location. We live on the East coast and will not be flying 11 hours again to see the ocean and palm trees which are a 3 hour flight away. If you have the points and live on the West coast it would be a nice trip if you plan to use the resort a lot and don't mind traffic, or plan around it.