Would a teenager be bored at Aulani?

[Mastiff]

Thinking about a trip to Hawaii and spending a week at Aulani. When we go our kids would be 10(girl) and 14(boy). Would our 14 year old be too bored? Would love to hear from people that have gone with teenagers.

Thanks!

 

[crisi]

We didn't go to Aulani, but my 13 year old LOVED Maui and the Big Island.

The question is, are you going to sit on your butt at the beach at Aulani? and will your son enjoy that? We took ours on a whale watching cruise, went and saw the volcano, took him surfing twice (he wasn't at all bored with that), saw the whaling museum in Lahaina, went snorkeling, went to a luau. And there was a ton of stuff we didn't do, like the Hana road.

Much of this is available in Oahu (no active volcanos, whales are seasonal in Hawaii, and the scenery is, of course, island dependent), although you'll need a car. Plus Oahu has the Pearl Harbor memorial.

As for sitting on his butt, my son also enjoyed - at 12 - an all inclusive in Mexico which involved a lot of mom and dad sitting by the pool reading while he and his sister hung in the pool or at the beach. Fourteen is getting old enough to enjoy the beach scenery that appears in Hawaii or Mexico in small bikinis.

 

[ciao_gina]

Thinking about a trip to Hawaii and spending a week at Aulani. When we go our kids would be 10(girl) and 14(boy). Would our 14 year old be too bored? Would love to hear from people that have gone with teenagers.

Thanks!

It all depends on your teenager. Does he like to swim? Does he like the beach? Are you going in the summer when other teens will be there? The activities for teens now aren't to exciting-ukelele lessons, etc. but I bet in the summer there will be more.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'd say it depends on if you expect to be resort bound or intend to really visit the islands as we do. There is so much to see and do on all Hawaiian islands that it would be hard for anyone of any age to be bored. If you plan to just go to the resort and nothing else, then yeah, he might be bored. Heck, I'd be bored doing that too! If you are sticking to Oahu, then the obvious things are the Pearl Harbor museum and tours (there's a whole lot more than just the Arizona there), the Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, Hiking Diamond Head (a must in my book), Polynesian Cultural Center, Whale watching (in winter), North shore surfers (in season), and lots and lots of parks, waterfalls etc. etc. etc. All that being said, it is still our least favorite island in all that Hawaii has to offer. Crisi gave a good overview of Maui (minus our favorite road to Hana and Haleakala), and there are even more wonders on the Big Island of Hawaii (by far our favorite). Even quiet Kauai is a big favorite of ours with all it's old Hawaiian charm and nooks and cranies to explore.

 

[logpey]

Thinking about a trip to Hawaii and spending a week at Aulani. When we go our kids would be 10(girl) and 14(boy). Would our 14 year old be too bored? Would love to hear from people that have gone with teenagers.

Thanks!

We will be at Aulani in 2 weeks & 6 days with a 12yr old boy & 14yr old girl so I will let you know! My 14yr old likes to swim, tan, shop & stay active, so we shall see---- if she's not happy ain't (ain't isn't a word) no one happy! LOL........#teenagers

 

[mdsd8700]

Thinking about a trip to Hawaii and spending a week at Aulani. When we go our kids would be 10(girl) and 14(boy). Would our 14 year old be too bored? Would love to hear from people that have gone with teenagers.

Thanks!

I hope they will not be bored, I am bringing two of my own in June. My kids are 14 and 18 we will also be there a week. They are absolutely thrilled with the idea. We have many things planned including snorkeling and Diamond Head. My DS (18) is a WWII history buff and visiting Pearl Harbor is what he is looking most forward to. I am certainly no expert on Hawaii, but I think if you find things to do that they can enjoy they will have a wonderful time.

 

[Anal Annie]

Thinking about a trip to Hawaii and spending a week at Aulani. When we go our kids would be 10(girl) and 14(boy). Would our 14 year old be too bored? Would love to hear from people that have gone with teenagers.

Thanks!

Have you ever taken them to the beach for a week? Were they bored then? There is SOOO much to do in Hawaii there shouldn't be a boring minute for any of you (unless you plop yourself down and don't explore the islands). We took our DS when he was 9 and we did A LOT and I don't think he was bored (except maybe on the flights which were very long).

While there's lots to see on Oahu (Pearl Harbor & the USS Missouri are a MUST DO) I probably wouldn't spend a whole week there. 3 nights is usually tops for us on Oahu but I could see stretching it to 4 or 5 nights if staying at Aulani so there's time to enjoy the resort. There's a lot to see on the other islands too and it's too far to go not to island hop. You need more than a week if this is your first trip. Plan for AT LEAST 10 days and at LEAST 2 islands. Each island is different & has its own personality. Maui & the Big Island hold the most interest for us. But they shouldn't be bored if you put out the effort to see as much as you can while you're there.

 

[Mastiff]

Thanks for all the suggestions! We have been to Oahu before. Granted it was 5 years ago but we spent 2 weeks on the island and enjoyed it very much. Husband and I have also been to Maui and loved it there as well.

We are thinking of taking a 2 week vacation next summer. We will most likely spend a week on Maui and now just deciding how to spend the other week. We have never been to the Big Island. Some of you had said this was a favorite of your family. What did you love? Would like to hear your suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[PetePanMan]

we're just back. I have a 14 year old son + older kids. They all had a ball swimming, tubing, hanging out in hot tubs / beach, eating shave ice, snorkeling in reef pool etc. There is a teen club there with computes, games etc. there are also teen events eg movie night, amazing race etc. Suggest renting a car though as this gives you option of going to outlet mall, waikiki, north shore for waves etc.
you won't regret this resort - it is gorgeous and staff are outstanding

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Teenage boy. Beach in HI. Sunshine. Tans. Girls in bikinis.

Any questions?

 

[DisneyMomJen]

We were there last August for opening day for 4 nights with DS16, DD 15, DD13 and DD9. My kids were not bored and we did not have nearly enough time there. One day was spent at Pearl Harbor, one night in Wakikiki. Aulani had a length of stay package for $99 per person which included all recreational activities. They have since discontinued this package. But, when we go again I would definitely let my kids sign up for paddleboarding a couple of times since they loved this and it was something different for them. I would also bring our own snorkeling equipment. Since it was the opening timeframe of Aulani the teen club did not have much going on. On our last night they were really trying to draw kids in, so hopefully it is better now.

 

[anneofgreengables]

Yes, I have two girls, a 15-year-old and an almost-13 year-old. Would like to know if the teen club and teen activities have improved since opening month. We are going this summer.

 

[taaren]

Teenage boy. Beach in HI. Sunshine. Tans. Girls in bikinis.

Any questions?

Well said, WilsonFlyer.

The pools are spectacular, I think a teenager could easily be entertained for a week at the resort. However, my DNeph 14 is fond of telling us how "bored" he is when we keep trying to get him to come hiking or horseback riding with us and he just keeps his head buried in his iPod touch playing games. Kids that age will be entertained if and how they want to be, and bored if they want to be ...

 

[chalee94]

link to conde nast traveler article.

conclusion of the 16 year old girl:

I know the Aulani talks about its teen spa and how there are teen activities, but I didn’t see any evidence of that. Yet I would have stayed there for a week, happily, just to tan on the beach and watch TV, because that’s all I want to do on my vacation.