Looking into a trip, is it worth it vs 'other' Hawaii resorts

[aulanidreamer]

Huh? Did you find Manoa Falls or Hanauma Bay to be un-beautiful? Because those are both in Honolulu as are many other popular hikes and natural landmarks people love.

Manoa Falls and Hanauma Bay are very beautiful, but are both are very busy and not likely to be at the top of my to do list when we return. When you share a hike with that many other people it makes the experience not quite as magical as you imagine it will be. My point was really that when people say the other islands are better over Oahu, I would say if you explore Oahu outside of Honolulu you will see it is just as beautiful in many ways. All the islands have their own flavor and great things to offer, but if you can’t afford the time or money to see the other islands Oahu has a lot to offer in spite of the larger population. We actually are staying one night in Waikiki our next trip to experience a few of the landmarks and culture of the city. I think spending your entire vacation on one part of the island (Ko Olina or Waikiki) is not ideal
if you can plan it so you can stay in at least 2 spots. We try, but still have much to experience (haven’t done the Big Island yet, hopefully next trip)

 

[MouseOfCards]

Agree with many of the comments. We did a trip where Aulani was our homebase for seeing the other parts of the island; this worked out fine. But if cost is an issue, a split stay can definitely help. Suggest that if you do plan a split stay in Hawaii, make sure Aulani is on the 2nd half. (For another trip, we stayed at Aulani before moving to a beachfront resort in Waikiki; during our stay in Waikiki we kept longing to be back at Aulani.) And renting DVC points for Aulani makes it much more affordable; don't think we would have even considered a stay there if we had to pay cash/rack rates. By the way, the kiddies loved Aulani, and still beg, "Can we go to Hawaii today?"

 

[newdeal]

Hawaii can't be compared to the Caribbean. First of all because the Caribbean is all inclusive and second because Hawaii is part of the USA so it feels like being in a tropical USA not like being in the slums of a Caribbean island. You can get a car and drive around and explore and feel safe, in the Caribbean if you leave your resort its on a tour in a group. I personally fail to see how you can save money booking a hotel in Waikiki if you take into account parking fees, wifi fees, resort fees, vs renting DVC points with parking fee, wifi free and no resort fees at Aulani but I haven't really looked into it that much in the past few years as we are DVC members now. Food in Hawaii is expensive, food at Aulani is likely more expensive than other places although they don't have a huge selection and there are many other places to eat nearby so I would guess most people don't eat every meal at Aulani. Personally I don't think there is that much to do at Aulani and the interesting things to do are other spots on the island. If you can stay in a nice hotel not in Honolulu for cheaper than Aulani I say do it because the resort isn't why you go to Hawaii, its everything other than the resort in my opinion. You will spend more money going to Hawaii than the Caribbean by like double at least. However if you really want to cruise I would suggest not taking Disney, its nice but its just plain overpriced

 

[Cissigys]

Agree with many of the comments. We did a trip where Aulani was our homebase for seeing the other parts of the island; this worked out fine. But if cost is an issue, a split stay can definitely help. Suggest that if you do plan a split stay in Hawaii, make sure Aulani is on the 2nd half. (For another trip, we stayed at Aulani before moving to a beachfront resort in Waikiki; during our stay in Waikiki we kept longing to be back at Aulani.) And renting DVC points for Aulani makes it much more affordable; don't think we would have even considered a stay there if we had to pay cash/rack rates. By the way, the kiddies loved Aulani, and still beg, "Can we go to Hawaii today?"

I would definitely echo the idea to stay at Aulani last, even though that's not what we did last time. We were even at a NICE resort on Maui (the Grand Wailea), but the whole time felt really disappointing after Aulani, especially with kids.

 

[GusGus16]

Echo the recommendation to stay at Aulani last, we stayed in Waikiki initially and we felt it was the better location to explore the island from, and then moved over the Aulani and the majority of the time there we chilled by the pools and just enjoyed relaxing, we did explore north shore one day and went off site for multiple meals but by the end of the vacation we were just enjoying being on island time and the weather. The last night we went back to Waikiki at another hotel right on Waikiki beach, it was because we rented points and then the flights were cheaper a day later so we opted to stay an additional night, but I think we would have enjoyed the last night on the island at Aulani more. I think you are missing out if on your first trip you don't stay in Waikiki and enjoy see some of the hustle and bustle, it is so different then the rest of the island!

 

[Fuhnuh]

I agree with the others in this thread who suggest a split stay at Aulani and a Waikiki hotel. Because of traffic patterns, we have found it easy to explore the island from our Waikiki spot and the $ savings are a plus. We are lucky enough to go twice a year, but enjoy Oahu because of the mix of city living and the more rural areas. I don't think there is one right way to do it. It depends on one's idea of what there Hawaii vacation should be. A day trip to the North Shore and Waimea Valley/Bay is always popular with our family and friends. Sometimes we go to the Windward side (East) of the Island and drive up the West Side first/last.

 

[cgattis]

I was (or am) in your same predicament.... I haven't completed my trip yet so I guess I'm still in your predicament....Our trip is in July. I guess everything depends on budget but I kind of decided intra island travel to be a little too costly for this trip so I am spending all 10 days on Oahu. I am spending the first 5 nights at the Hampton Inn in Kapolei and the last 5 nights at the Aulani. The big benefits of the Hampton Inn are the price and free parking. It looks like it is just in a shopping center area and not near any beach really but that's not a problem for me since we intend to rent a car for the first 5 days and explore the island. (North Shore, Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor, and some hiking like Diamond Head and Manoa Falls) With all the exploring where we sleep is less important. Once we move over to Aulani I will return the rental car and we will stay at the resort for the remaining 5 days doing the pool, beach, and Disney stuff.

And as far as the bucket list items... This trip completes all 50 states for my family! I promised both my daughters we would visit all 50 states before they finished high school and my oldest will be a junior in the fall so I am getting it done a year early! lol We did Alaska in 2014 via a Disney Cruise and I highly recommend it! Although that Alaska cruise was much more expensive than Hawaii is going to be!

I think you're going to have a great trip. I like the idea of a lower-priced stay for your exploring days, but we did Waikiki for that same reason and didn't like being in the city. So many posters say you "have to see the hustle and bustle," but I deal with traffic and crowds every day; it did nothing for us. Although the kids had a great time surfing there. We saved Aulani for last too, and really enjoyed relaxing after all our hardcore exploring.

Congrats on your 50 states!!! I've still got like 20 left, but I told my kids they are crazy lucky to have done AK and HI before graduation! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Midoria]

Manoa Falls and Hanauma Bay are very beautiful, but are both are very busy and not likely to be at the top of my to do list when we return. When you share a hike with that many other people it makes the experience not quite as magical as you imagine it will be. My point was really that when people say the other islands are better over Oahu, I would say if you explore Oahu outside of Honolulu you will see it is just as beautiful in many ways. All the islands have their own flavor and great things to offer, but if you can’t afford the time or money to see the other islands Oahu has a lot to offer in spite of the larger population. We actually are staying one night in Waikiki our next trip to experience a few of the landmarks and culture of the city. I think spending your entire vacation on one part of the island (Ko Olina or Waikiki) is not ideal
if you can plan it so you can stay in at least 2 spots. We try, but still have much to experience (haven’t done the Big Island yet, hopefully next trip)

Saying Oahu is beautiful as long as you're outside of Honolulu and then saying certain landmarks inside of Honolulu area beautiful totally conflict. Being busy and being ugly are two different

Also, I never stayed in more than one hotel when I was a tourist and saw pretty much the entire island from Hauaala, to Waimanalo, to past Waianae. Just because your hotel is in one spot doesn't mean you're obligated to stay there. I'm just not understanding where you're coming from, but if it's clear to other people and is helping them, then there are no complaints on my side. Just a bit of confusion.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

I have been to Hawaii several times. Stayed on Waikiki Beach 2 times and took the Disney cruise around the islands once. I stayed 11 days at Aulani. It was the best vacation I have ever had. We have done many Disney cruises and this was better. I have been in the Caribbean and it is so poor. How do you have fun when the hotel is surrounded by shacks. I don't even leave the ship anymore.
We rented a car and went to North Shore, just drove around another day, but mostly just relaxed. Hung at the pool, on the beach, took naps.
We own DVC so we did not pay parking fees. When we return we will not bother with any touring. We have seen Pearl Harbor, North Shore, Dole Plantation. Don't care about PCC. Saw the other islands on the Disney cruise. Nothing I need to go back for there.
I just love the feeling in Hawaii. The air is different.
I don't need to run, run, run on vacation anymore. We don't even do that at WDW either.
Aulani is my happy place.

 

[longboard55]

we go to Hawaii often. There is no best way to do it, everyone has an opinion. You can go deluxe or cheap, they both can be great trips. When we were young our trip consisted of a $35 hotel and drinks on the lanai out of the cooler from the ABC, those were great times. Try different things and figure out what works best. Most people end up with a go to place.

I will say anywhere you try, you need a couple nights to get the feel of it. Just driving through and deciding you do not like it will not get you the full experience

 

[aulanidreamer]

Saying Ohau is beautiful as long as you're outside of Honolulu and then saying certain landmarks inside of Honolulu area beautiful totally conflict. Being busy and being ugly are two different

Also, I never stayed in more than one hotel when I was a tourist and saw pretty much the entire island from Hauaala, to Waimanalo, to past Waianae. Just because your hotel is in one spot doesn't mean you're obligated to stay there. I'm just not understanding where you're coming from, but if it's clear to other people and is helping them, then there are no complaints on my side. Just a bit of confusion.

I guess my idea of a great vacation is not sitting in traffic or having to leave at super early hours to get to the part of the island I want to explore in order to avoid spending time in traffic. I am glad you enjoy Honolulu and Waikiki, we choose to explore a bit in town, but mostly explore outside the city. Just our preference. I was trying to make it apparent to those who haven’t visited previously that a smallish island becomes much bigger if you try to go from Aulani to Kailua to Hanauma Bay or even Diamond Head during much of the day. If you stay on that side it’s easier than from Aulani in my opinion, especially for the price you pay to stay there. Different styles and different priorities.

 

[bajadahl]

I think you're going to have a great trip. I like the idea of a lower-priced stay for your exploring days, but we did Waikiki for that same reason and didn't like being in the city. So many posters say you "have to see the hustle and bustle," but I deal with traffic and crowds every day; it did nothing for us. Although the kids had a great time surfing there. We saved Aulani for last too, and really enjoyed relaxing after all our hardcore exploring.

Congrats on your 50 states!!! I've still got like 20 left, but I told my kids they are crazy lucky to have done AK and HI before graduation! Have a wonderful trip!

Thank You so much! We are very excited to have this trip booked. I am saving almost $1000 by staying at the Hampton Inn instead one of the Hiltons at Waikiki and I just didn't see the point if we are going to be in the car moving around the island. We will visit Waikiki for a few hours or so but we intend to get our "beach time" at Aulani. I am not "afraid" of crowds but have no interest in seeking them out on purpose. lol