I just booked our first trip to our home resort, Aulani. I am just starting my information gathering. What are the must do’s there? Where is the best place for the luau, I hear the one at Aulani is not the best. Has anyone taken a helicopter tour of the island? If so, any recommendations? I would love to hear everything there is to do there and what to maybe avoid.
we would like to do a luau somewhere, we are going to go to Pearl Harbor, and we want to go to the dole plant. What else is there to do there?
We are here right now. This is my family’s second trip to Hawai’i and my 20+ There have already been a lot of great recommendations, so I won’t repeat, but will add some thoughts:
1) We enjoyed Aulani luau and I recommend getting the preferred seating. Picture attached. Comparing it to watching it from a balcony room… my guess is it’s like the difference between watching a concert in the nose bleeds vs the VIP section. The audio is the same, but you have a much different connection with the performers.
2) If this is your home resort and you plan to come back every 1-3 years (as opposed to a “once in a lifetime trip”), then I would recommend not to overschedule other events on the island. Leave some time for a kick back resort day or two where you can get down early to reserve a set of prime chairs in the shade at 7am and enjoy the pools, ocean, river, food/beverage service.
3) We pre-booked a couple of Auntys days for my 9-year old, the sushi/sake class, the mimosa/macaron class, stargazing, and the luau in advance. If you want a private casabella or cabana you need to get that well in advance. The best ones are sometimes book a year out.
4) We planned to go to Kualoa Ranch, North Shore, and the Dole Plantation. But my FIL’s back started hurting and so we audibled to make those resort days. No one was unhappy to spend more time at the resort. We were able to go to Pearl Harbor, but the navy stairs on the Big Mo really wiped out the grandparents…
5) We went to Waikiki to do some shopping and have lunch at Dukes. Having to drive around there in the middle of the trip puts the relaxation of Ko Olina in perspective. However, Aulani is always hopping with people and lots of little kids… it’s like the Grand Californian on the Pacific Ocean.