Alauni Vacation - Never Been, Need Advice

[Lilsia]

The best advice that I can give you is to have the mentality that this is a vacation to Hawaii. You are visiting Oahu, but are staying at Aulani. Aulani is not like going on a cruise or to WDW, it is a nice resort style hotel in Oahu. The resort itself is beautiful and is located on a protected cove, so you won't have the big waves. Think about what you want out of your Hawaiian vacation and plan to do that. Definitely get a car for your length of stay. It is not worth the hassle of getting transportation back and forth to the airport, and then trying to do daily rentals. And it usually ends up costing as much, or even more(even with the parking fee) to do it that way then to have a car for the whole time. The island has many beautiful beaches, but we were happy with the one at Aulani. Do some more research, look at You Tube videos, etc. Hawaii is amazingly beautiful and has plenty of hiking areas and beaches to enjoy.

 

[Lilsia]

This island is full of industry, pollution, concrete, huge concrete polls for electric that block all views and houses stacked as close as possible up and down every hill from the resort, until you get to the north part of the island where you encounter angry island people who wish we had never taken their island from them, ( face it folks, the US are their occupiers, how much love can there be?).

Ok, I am going to call you out on this BS. I really don't know what you are looking at, but anyone can go and look at photos of Oahu to disprove this. I don't know what industry and pollution that you are talking about. They do have power plants and such, but if we want to have electricity, it is a must, just like every other city on the planet. The island is most definitely not "full of pollution". I never once encountered "angry island people". Everyone was very nice because we were nice to them. We also were not confused by the resort. This blatant exaggeration and down right lies is unreal.

 

[kyton]

we just got back. The resort is beautiful, the kids had a blast except when we drug them away to drive the island, ( which I do not recommend), This island is full of industry, pollution, concrete, huge concrete polls for electric that block all views and houses stacked as close as possible up and down every hill from the resort, until you get to the north part of the island where you encounter angry island people who wish we had never taken their island from them, ( face it folks, the US are their occupiers, how much love can there be?). The resort is confusing, the staff is excellent, the food is meh and well overpriced. Aunty's beach house is amazing, and the lazy river saved our vacation.

Wow in over 27 visits since 1992 my husband and I have NEVER experienced anything remotely like this. In fact, in Waikiki we have stayed at the same place since 2011 nearly twice a year and the love we feel from the staff is overwhelming. As an example we drive into the porte cochere and as soon as the valets see us they start yelling "The ......... family is home!". They hug and gift our kids presents each trip - one staff member even met us on one of his day's off to tutor our second child in the finer points of baseball at his child's college grounds. All because he noticed my son carrying some new baseball purchases we had made. We in turn bring them gifts from Australia - like our candy and chocolates - to know that we think of them when we return home.

Even perfect strangers around the island are always so gracious and welcoming to us - we adore having chats with servers / cashiers in fact anyone we come across. My husband does all the driving - I am not game enough to drive on the wrong side of both the car and road - and he always loves how nice local communities are when he may commit any traffic faux pas. We always wave a sorry shaka and yell thanks - often getting a "no worries" back from the other drivers. You very rarely hear a horn blown on Oahu - it is considered so rude to most locals.

Never come across any pollution either - of course there are industrial neighbourhoods and yes the island is small so the houses are built closely but what would you like the locals to do? There is only so much land to go round and population keeps growing - this is actually the reason why illegal rentals are such a sore point and being cracked down hard. Too many local families are being displaced by tourists wanting to pretend they are locals and "live in neighbourhoods" - which leads to some landlords chasing the quick dollar and taking their houses out of the rental market.

So if this is truly what you feel Oahu is like then on one hand I offer sympathy because it is not what I or my family has EVER experienced but on the other hand that's one less family I have to negotiate in our "happy place".

 

[jodybird511]

Ok, I am going to call you out on this BS. I really don't know what you are looking at, but anyone can go and look at photos of Oahu to disprove this. I don't know what industry and pollution that you are talking about. They do have power plants and such, but if we want to have electricity, it is a must, just like every other city on the planet. The island is most definitely not "full of pollution". I never once encountered "angry island people". Everyone was very nice because we were nice to them. We also were not confused by the resort. This blatant exaggeration and down right lies is unreal.

Agree--I found this post just really entitled and offensive in the description of Hawaiians...and, as you said, @Lilsia , highly inaccurate, based on the multiple trips we have made to Oahu.

 

[KenInDenver]

Agree--I found this post just really entitled and offensive in the description of Hawaiians...and, as you said, @Lilsia , highly inaccurate, based on the multiple trips we have made to Oahu.

They probably took a snorkel trip from Barbers Point which is pretty nasty. I'm not sure why they don't just send people out of the Ko Olina Marina side. Politics I guess. Most of the Island is beautiful. We love it.

 

[nkereina]

we had a car, not charged at all. plus the valet was only 15$ a day so??? wait, maybe free is only for DVC members?

Did you stay on DVC points? Parking is free for anyone staying on DVC points, member or not.

The resort is beautiful, the kids had a blast except when we drug them away to drive the island, ( which I do not recommend), This island is full of industry, pollution, concrete, huge concrete polls for electric that block all views and houses stacked as close as possible up and down every hill from the resort,

I'm with PPs in that I do not understand this sentiment. Did you drive through residential neighborhoods? We did note that the innermost areas of the island, as in the residential neighborhoods where people live, had a lot of crowded/congested buildings and neighborhoods. A lot of it was very urban, which may attribute to this take on it. But, its a very populated island and very expensive to live there. Its par for the course. As a tourist visitor, I'm not spending a lot of time in residential areas anyhow.

until you get to the north part of the island where you encounter angry island people who wish we had never taken their island from them

Say what? In my own experience, Hawaiians (including those in the North Shore) were some of the friendliest people we've ever encountered on our travels. Everyone embodies the Aloha spirit, and we were called "ohana" more than once. Many locals' income rely on tourist dollars. They also are quite used to tourists.

The resort is confusing, the staff is excellent, the food is meh and well overpriced. Aunty's beach house is amazing, and the lazy river saved our vacation.

I agree the resort is confusing. We never quite got the hang of the layout during our 6 days there. Also agree on the food - not the best we've ever had but sufficient for what it was.

The maps to get you around are not real helpful

FYI for others, we had no issue using Google Maps to get around the island.

diamond head has very little parking close and for my money, the best view of it is from plane or the highway, it is PACKED rain or shin

Agree on Diamond Head. It wasn't our favorite activity - very hot and crowded. We enjoyed the views, but its not something we'd do again. For others, I would recommend a bus tour to Diamond Head if you can. We did it from our Waikiki hotel. Don't have to worry about parking and they drop you off near the base of the trail, so you don't have to hike any further!

 

[LPnerd]

my husband says the other islands are amazing! I haven't been. It was much to windy this time of year for a helicopter trip. wind was 20-20MPH with 50-56 MPH gusts from Jan 5th -11th. Nice and warm in the sun through. we had a good time at the pools, and the room was very comfortable.

 

[OKW Lover]

Did you stay on DVC points? Parking is free for anyone staying on DVC points, member or not.

Correct about the free self parking for people staying on DVC points. However, valet parking is still a charge.

 

[KenInDenver]

As far as islands go here is my take
- Oahu- The only island with a city, Honolulu. If you want the city shopping (Japanese love Oahu). North shore for surfing (mostly watching because the waves are huge). There are some places to see turtles up there too. Dole plantation, tourist trap but pretty fun. Lots of Luaus to choose from. Nut farms, Diamond Head, etc. Lots of Costco's as well. Very convenient and several flights. We stay in Ko Olina (did Aulani once but own in Marriottl
-Maui- Best beaches of the main 4 islands for sure. Most touristy or things for tourists to do. Mount Haleakala, Road to Hana, snorkeling, whale watching, etc. This is probably the most popular for North Americans going on vacation. We stay in Kaanapali.

-Hawaii aka Big Island- Volcanos. If you can see some lava it is awesome! You can night snorkel with manta rays. Not much else to do here. Some people really love Kona. You go to Hawaii to see volcanic stuff mostly (remember these are just opinions. we know what they are like). The newer resorts are in Waikoloa area. That is where the big Hilton is too. It is a resort by itself.

-Kauai- Some beaches though small. Greenest of the islands. Napili coast line is amazing. Great for helicopter tours and boat tours to the coast. Some touristy stuff but not too much. This is a quieter island. Not as much to do. Poipu is a great beach for kids but super crowded when we went New Year week. That's my two cents.

 

[honeywheeler]

We stayed at an airbnb on north shore (Turtle Bay Condo) prior to our DVC stay 2 years ago(we rented points.) During that trip we rented a car and toured the north shore. We had an amazing time doing a CLIMB Works zipline tour. It's pricey, but so awesome. Our daughter was 13 and loved it. Prior to Aulani we did that zipline, snorkled, hit the food trucks for shrimp & malasadas and visited Pearl Harbor. I must say we were all really moved by Pearl Harbor, I highly recommend scheduling a tour. After that we settled into Aulani ( stopped at Costco on the way to our DVC villa) and didn't really leave the resort. We spent our time at the pool, the cove the restaurants there & across the street and relaxed. We did the luau there, it was good. Hubby & I had a couples massage at the Aulani spa & spent time prior to massage at the showers & pools....it was THE BEST. He still talks about it, completely worth it.
We then had a day/ night in Honolulu, not our scene... we all agreed next trip spend it all at Aulani.

 

[tgropp]

we just got back. The resort is beautiful, the kids had a blast except when we drug them away to drive the island, ( which I do not recommend), This island is full of industry, pollution, concrete, huge concrete polls for electric that block all views and houses stacked as close as possible up and down every hill from the resort, until you get to the north part of the island where you encounter angry island people who wish we had never taken their island from them, ( face it folks, the US are their occupiers, how much love can there be?). The resort is confusing, the staff is excellent, the food is meh and well overpriced. Aunty's beach house is amazing, and the lazy river saved our vacation.
We went to the swap meet, fun and the place for your souvenirs, and we finally found The Shrimp Shack, delicious. The maps to get you around are not real helpful, the people up north play dumb for the most part. Dole pineapple was ok, the little one liked that, diamond head has very little parking close and for my money, the best view of it is from plane or the highway, it is PACKED rain or shine, we skipped it as it was pouring rain, and still no parking. Had I not spent so much money and time just getting there, perhaps I wouldn't be so disappointed, OR if the resort was on one of the other , less populated islands? But unless we go by cruise ship, and have a layover till we switch ships, we won't go back.

This is exactly the opposite of what we experienced.

 

[nkereina]

Correct about the free self parking for people staying on DVC points. However, valet parking is still a charge.

Yes, thanks for clarifying. I took the post to mean that one could valet for cheaper, which isn't the case.

 

[skipcannon]

So many things to do on Oahu. A lot of people, those that have been multiple times to Hawaii, do not tend to come back, but the North Shore is our favorite. That being said, we are going to try out Aulani for 2 days this trip and see how it is. Diamond Head is a great hike. Dole Plantation is a must! I would agree with what others have said and plan to rent a car. Waikiki is too crowded for our taste, but others tend to like it. They do have some great ramen restaurants right there as well. If you are feeling really adventurous and do not mind a long hike, you can hike up the backside to Stairway to Heaven (the front side is closed and guarded). This is an amazing hike with views, if the weather is right, that are unreal, but like I said, it is nearly a 12 mile roundtrip hike unless you want to try and sneak your way through the bush. Good luck!

 

[2prettygirl]

The best advice that I can give you is to have the mentality that this is a vacation to Hawaii. You are visiting Oahu, but are staying at Aulani. Aulani is not like going on a cruise or to WDW, it is a nice resort style hotel in Oahu. The resort itself is beautiful and is located on a protected cove, so you won't have the big waves. Think about what you want out of your Hawaiian vacation and plan to do that. Definitely get a car for your length of stay. It is not worth the hassle of getting transportation back and forth to the airport, and then trying to do daily rentals. And it usually ends up costing as much, or even more(even with the parking fee) to do it that way then to have a car for the whole time. The island has many beautiful beaches, but we were happy with the one at Aulani. Do some more research, look at You Tube videos, etc. Hawaii is amazingly beautiful and has plenty of hiking areas and beaches to enjoy.

Thank you for for this honest answer and advice

 

[LPnerd]

Yes, thanks for clarifying. I took the post to mean that one could valet for cheaper, which isn't the case.

So, I was told self park was $35 a day, valet was $15. Is that wrong?

 

[nkereina]

So, I was told self park was $35 a day, valet was $15. Is that wrong?

The Aulani web site says parking - valet or self-park - are both $37 per day. So you have the option to do either, and it will be the same price regardless. However, a tip is customary for valet in addition to the cost for it. Frankly, we found self-parking easy and convenient, and a quick walk, so we never felt we needed to valet.

I'm not sure where $15 comes from, but typically, valet is always equal to or greater than the cost of self-parking because its a service that costs the hotel money to provide. I do see on the Aulani web site that day guests pay $12 for the first hour and $5 every half hour after (up to $37), so perhaps someone confused it with that? Self-park has always been $37 per day for overnight guests.

 

[LPnerd]

Wow in over 27 visits since 1992 my husband and I have NEVER experienced anything remotely like this. In fact, in Waikiki we have stayed at the same place since 2011 nearly twice a year and the love we feel from the staff is overwhelming. As an example we drive into the porte cochere and as soon as the valets see us they start yelling "The ......... family is home!". They hug and gift our kids presents each trip - one staff member even met us on one of his day's off to tutor our second child in the finer points of baseball at his child's college grounds. All because he noticed my son carrying some new baseball purchases we had made. We in turn bring them gifts from Australia - like our candy and chocolates - to know that we think of them when we return home.

Even perfect strangers around the island are always so gracious and welcoming to us - we adore having chats with servers / cashiers in fact anyone we come across. My husband does all the driving - I am not game enough to drive on the wrong side of both the car and road - and he always loves how nice local communities are when he may commit any traffic faux pas. We always wave a sorry shaka and yell thanks - often getting a "no worries" back from the other drivers. You very rarely hear a horn blown on Oahu - it is considered so rude to most locals.

Never come across any pollution either - of course there are industrial neighbourhoods and yes the island is small so the houses are built closely but what would you like the locals to do? There is only so much land to go round and population keeps growing - this is actually the reason why illegal rentals are such a sore point and being cracked down hard. Too many local families are being displaced by tourists wanting to pretend they are locals and "live in neighbourhoods" - which leads to some landlords chasing the quick dollar and taking their houses out of the rental market.

So if this is truly what you feel Oahu is like then on one hand I offer sympathy because it is not what I or my family has EVER experienced but on the other hand that's one less family I have to negotiate in our "happy place".

I was pretty specific as to exactly where we were. I am 65 yrs old, and not a hiker, it was too windy to go anywhere by helicopter, and If I wanted crowds, I would have gone to those televised beaches but that's not what we were looking for. Also, every cast member, checkout person and store or restaurant worker was very nice and helpful. Please don't make it seem like the whole place is up for grabs, it's not. But the difference between hanging in a huge city and roaming the countryside is huge difference. Most people are very nice, and I believe I said that. From you wrote and what I read, we take two very different vacations.

 

[kyton]

LPNerd, not quite sure what you are referencing too - all I have stated is that your perception of Oahu as being crowded / dirty from pollution / having extremely angry Hawaiians who dislike mainlanders is so far from MY reality that I wanted to give another view.

You will takeaway whatever you need from your trip, as will anyone who visits Oahu. Personally our family thinks that Oahu is a wonderful place to visit - hence we will keep visiting.

 

[LPnerd]

I'm saying, you like big city and crowded beaches, whereas we do not. that was all, just pointing out the compare and contrast . aulina is not a busy, the site is about aulani so ??? that's all.

 

[LPnerd]

The Aulani web site says parking - valet or self-park - are both $37 per day. So you have the option to do either, and it will be the same price regardless. However, a tip is customary for valet in addition to the cost for it. Frankly, we found self-parking easy and convenient, and a quick walk, so we never felt we needed to valet.

I'm not sure where $15 comes from, but typically, valet is always equal to or greater than the cost of self-parking because its a service that costs the hotel money to provide. I do see on the Aulani web site that day guests pay $12 for the first hour and $5 every half hour after (up to $37), so perhaps someone confused it with that? Self-park has always been $37 per day for overnight guests.

ok so, for DVC members it is free self parking, and 15 a day for the valet. I asked my sister who dealt with all the car stuff. Sorry for my confusion.