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Aulani Advice
- Thread starter brifraz
- Start date
@StarWarsGirl95 - love to hear about some of the off-site trips you took. Saw your pictures on the "How is Aulani doing?" thread and we are also planning to rent a car to travel around.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Absolutely! First of all, I see that you are only staying a week. I highly recommend if you can make it work at all to stay for at least 10 days, preferably two weeks. If you can't get Aulani for the whole time, look at some of the other local hotels. There's a Marriot next door to Aulani, and you could try over in Waikiki. The Hilton Hawaiian is gorgeous.
Plan on spending a good amount of time by the pool. What time is you flight out on your last day? Plan on spending your last day at the pool. They have showers and bathing suit spinners (place your suit in and it will spin your suit and dry it) at the resort, as well as stations where you can check in online for your flight and print your boarding passes. Depending on what time you arrive, keep your suits within reach.
Do you like snorkeling? The Lagoon at Aulani is great for snorkeling. The currents aren't too bad usually and there's a reef right out there. You can pick up snorkeling masks from an ABC store for about $20 if you don't already own it. If you have never been snorkeling, it's a great place to start as it's easy swimming and the water is nice and clear. Ask a Cast Member at the rental window for a run down. They will give you a run down even if you don't rent from them
I have some top places to do:
1. Pearl Harbor: This was an amazing experience for us. Plan on spending at least half a day there. Arrive early to get tickets for the exhibits and for going out to the Arizona Memorial.
The Bowfin is a neat ship to tour. Here are some pictures:
Hang on, I will continue in another post...
Plan on spending a good amount of time by the pool. What time is you flight out on your last day? Plan on spending your last day at the pool. They have showers and bathing suit spinners (place your suit in and it will spin your suit and dry it) at the resort, as well as stations where you can check in online for your flight and print your boarding passes. Depending on what time you arrive, keep your suits within reach.
Do you like snorkeling? The Lagoon at Aulani is great for snorkeling. The currents aren't too bad usually and there's a reef right out there. You can pick up snorkeling masks from an ABC store for about $20 if you don't already own it. If you have never been snorkeling, it's a great place to start as it's easy swimming and the water is nice and clear. Ask a Cast Member at the rental window for a run down. They will give you a run down even if you don't rent from them
I have some top places to do:
1. Pearl Harbor: This was an amazing experience for us. Plan on spending at least half a day there. Arrive early to get tickets for the exhibits and for going out to the Arizona Memorial.
The Bowfin is a neat ship to tour. Here are some pictures:
Hang on, I will continue in another post...
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Second, I recommend that you climb Diamond Head. This works really well as a combination day with Pearl Harbor. Spend the morning at Pearl Harbor and spend the afternoon climbing Diamond Head
This is Diamond Head from a nearby beach
This is Diamond Head from a nearby beach
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
3. Go see Waikiki. Some people love it. Some, like me, don't. But you still have to experience it. You can park over at the Hilton Hawaiian and walk along the beach. You can also enjoy the shops at Hilton Hawaiian. Seriously, there are more shops there than at Disney. There's a good restaurant at the Hilton called Tropics Bar and Grille. We ate there several times when we stayed at the Hilton in 2012.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
You can also explore Honolulu. You can go see the Aloha Tower.
The view from the top is very cool.
You can go see the Iolani Palace. It is the only royal residence in the US and is open to the public as a museum.
That's a statue of King Komeamea out front. Oh, and if you've ever watched Hawaii Five-0, that's where Five-0 headquarters are supposedly located.
There are also nearby buildings to walk around
The view from the top is very cool.
You can go see the Iolani Palace. It is the only royal residence in the US and is open to the public as a museum.
That's a statue of King Komeamea out front. Oh, and if you've ever watched Hawaii Five-0, that's where Five-0 headquarters are supposedly located.
There are also nearby buildings to walk around
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Finally, drive around the island. Go explore the local beaches. Do some of the trails. Macupu'u point is really near, as is Hanamua Bay. You have to pay to go down to that beach, but you can view it from up top.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
This is the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Worth a trip, though you'll only spend about an hour there
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I would recommend buying a guidebook. Also, I see you are from Manchester. There is a nonstop flight from Washington Dulles to Honolulu on United. It's cheaper than stopping or flying out of BWI. Look into it.
Let's see, food. If you have a one or two bedroom villa, you can cook in a few nights. There's a Safeway not even 10 minutes from the resort. There's very little around the resort restaurant-wise. Both of the restaurants at the resort are very good. Makahiki is a buffet with character dining during breakfast hours. There is also an A la carte menu. 'Ama 'Ama is a little more upscale, but it's very good, especially for breakfast. Off property, there's an Italian place at the Marriott next door is pretty good. There's also a place across the street called Just Tacos. It doesn't look like much, but it's quite good. It's a lot of food and inexpensive. There's also a Cheesecake Factory and a Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu and an Outback nearby. They've got your typical options as well as some local inspired dishes.
And now for Aulani itself!
Let's see, food. If you have a one or two bedroom villa, you can cook in a few nights. There's a Safeway not even 10 minutes from the resort. There's very little around the resort restaurant-wise. Both of the restaurants at the resort are very good. Makahiki is a buffet with character dining during breakfast hours. There is also an A la carte menu. 'Ama 'Ama is a little more upscale, but it's very good, especially for breakfast. Off property, there's an Italian place at the Marriott next door is pretty good. There's also a place across the street called Just Tacos. It doesn't look like much, but it's quite good. It's a lot of food and inexpensive. There's also a Cheesecake Factory and a Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu and an Outback nearby. They've got your typical options as well as some local inspired dishes.
And now for Aulani itself!
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
At the resort, you have several hot tubs, including two infinity hot tubs. I've already mentioned the beach. There are two water slides, one tube slide and one body slide. There's also a lazy river. Since I've been there, they've added new pools, I think one of them is an infinity pool. You've also got the spa (which my mother quite enjoyed). There's also a neat little show out on the lawn a few evenings during the week. Plan on spending at least 3 days by the pool.
I think that's everything. If you have any questions, just let me know
awesome info and pics @StarWarsGirl95 definitely very useful as we are planning
We were there in 2012 and look forward to going back. Here are a couple tips...
1. There are hammerhead sharks at the hotel next door, that are free to watch.
2. These are phenomenal http://www.leonardshawaii.com/malasadas/
3. There is a convenience store across the street that has cheaper, non-Disney, souvenirs.Although http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/ was the best place to get souvenirs.
1. There are hammerhead sharks at the hotel next door, that are free to watch.
2. These are phenomenal http://www.leonardshawaii.com/malasadas/
3. There is a convenience store across the street that has cheaper, non-Disney, souvenirs.Although http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/ was the best place to get souvenirs.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
If you are looking for a guide book I would highly recommend this one:
http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/books-apps/oahu-revealed
Written by locals from Hawaii they cover everything at a personal level you won't get from a more "corporate" guidebook. I used their guides for all 4 islands on various trips after a friend recommended them to me and they are almost never wrong. They will give you directions to places off the beaten path and locals beaches that tour groups never stop at and the most candid restaurant reviews. They even had some funny stories and a bit of the history of areas you would visit.
Also, rent a car. You need a car to get around and explore. Outside of Honolulu the driving is very relaxing and scenic. Near the airport and Waikiki beach area it gets a little congested.
http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/books-apps/oahu-revealed
Written by locals from Hawaii they cover everything at a personal level you won't get from a more "corporate" guidebook. I used their guides for all 4 islands on various trips after a friend recommended them to me and they are almost never wrong. They will give you directions to places off the beaten path and locals beaches that tour groups never stop at and the most candid restaurant reviews. They even had some funny stories and a bit of the history of areas you would visit.
Also, rent a car. You need a car to get around and explore. Outside of Honolulu the driving is very relaxing and scenic. Near the airport and Waikiki beach area it gets a little congested.
lumpydj
Active Member
Read a lot of trip reports and figure out what things you like to do. Here's my trip report - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3153140. We did the Pearl Harbor/Punchbowl/Diamond Head day. But we also drove around and explored. We didn't want to do the populated places, but wanted to experience the island and its natural beauty. Another thing you may want to consider is a Luau. There's a couple of them to choose from. I agree with GoofGoof - rent a car! Have a great time. You're going the week we went in 2013.
First thing we bought was Oahu Revealed. We used Maui Revealed 12 years ago when we visited there and absolutely loved it and the book was pretty much shredded by the end of our visit!
Having a car is a must for us anywhere we go. We do a lot of exploring (drove the entire way around both Maui and the Big Island on our last visit) and plan to do a lot on this coming trip as well.
Thanks for the trip report! Good reading. And nice to read about the week we are planning to go!
LondonGopher
Well-Known Member
Thanks all for starting and contributing to this thread - we are off to Aulani soon! Definitely going to check out those "Revealed" guidebooks - never heard of them before.
Can anyone tell me about the nearby Target? I think I read in a previous thread (?) that there is one across the street? I know Hawaii is spendy - are the prices at Target there significantly higher than Target prices in, say, Florida? I'd like to stock up on a few American things I can't get here in England - but my husband is sure that everything will be crazy expensive..I've just assumed that things will cost what they cost in London.
Sorry to inject a superficial note but I miss Target so much...I'm a saddo, I know.
Can anyone tell me about the nearby Target? I think I read in a previous thread (?) that there is one across the street? I know Hawaii is spendy - are the prices at Target there significantly higher than Target prices in, say, Florida? I'd like to stock up on a few American things I can't get here in England - but my husband is sure that everything will be crazy expensive..I've just assumed that things will cost what they cost in London
.Sorry to inject a superficial note but I miss Target so much...I'm a saddo, I know.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Of course it's a few dollars more than back home, but so is everything. It's about average.Thanks all for starting and contributing to this thread - we are off to Aulani soon! Definitely going to check out those "Revealed" guidebooks - never heard of them before.
Can anyone tell me about the nearby Target? I think I read in a previous thread (?) that there is one across the street? I know Hawaii is spendy - are the prices at Target there significantly higher than Target prices in, say, Florida? I'd like to stock up on a few American things I can't get here in England - but my husband is sure that everything will be crazy expensive..I've just assumed that things will cost what they cost in London
Sorry to inject a superficial note but I miss Target so much...I'm a saddo, I know.
If you want to bring home souvenirs (Chocolate-covered macademia nuts, calendars, etc.) they tend to run cheaper at Target than at the ABC stores.