Getting prepared for our first Aulani trip in August. Looking for answers and suggestions...

[johnward23]

Curious about a couple things..

1. My parents are DVC Members and got us a room with their points, however they aren't going. We will have a rental car during our trip. Will we be able to park for free at Aulani since points were used for the reservation??

2. I've read somewhere (I forget where) that people that rent with DVC points get a lei or kukui nut necklace upon arrival. Is this true??

3. We will be at Aulani for a week. We are planning on going to Pearl Harbor/Waikiki for a day trip. Obviously we want to spend time at the resort, however where else should we try and get to on the island?

Looking forward to reading all of your info.

 

[Amw1064]

If you have a room rented through DVC you get free parking and yes the females will get leis and the males will get the nut necklace. They do it right when you pull up and then take you inside to check in. There are so many things to do around the island. How long will you be there? Kids? I have a video in my signature that my 16 year old made when we were there last summer. It was our 4th trip so each trip we try to do something different.

 

[johnward23]

sorry I shouldve mentioned that. We are traveling alone and we are in our 40's. We will be there for a week.

 

[kyton]

Everyone gets a lei - not just DVC members.

 

[Amw1064]

We love to walk next door to the lagoon at Paradise Cove and see the sea turtles who are usually over there. For some reason we prefer that lagoon to the one at Aulani. We have done Pearl Harbor and the Dole Plantation. We usually stop at the Aloha Swap meet. We usually take a drive up to the north shore. This past trip we made stops at Waimea beach, Lanikea Beach and Sharks Cove. Our favorite place on the island is Lanikai beach over on the east side of the island. So pretty! We did a few day trips over to Waikiki and did a catamaran ride as well as the outrigger canoe ride. Lots to see and do. We also love just floating around the lazy river at Aulani and definitely the adult only infinity hot tub.

 

[Daisy7425]

3. Check out Koaloa Ranch. They have all sorts of excellent adventure tours. We have 2 sons, ages 9 and 6, and we did their jungle jeep expedition. The jeep took us through the jungle and stopped to give very short cultural education talks and other stops were to show areas where movie scenes were shot. It was just perfect for our family. They have lots and lots of other tours (ATVs, horse back riding, zip lining, etc)

 

[cedricandsophie]

You can easily drive around the north shore in a day. There is the dole plantation although bit more of a kid thimg. There is Waimea falls which is pretty and a nice short hike. Traffic is a pain so always allow enough time.

we go every year to aulani and never leave but we have been around the island.
Do you really need a car? Parking is free but it’s still expensive to just park it for most of the time.

a few other tips.

Get to the pool early and get chairs unless you are beach people. We lIke the pool. I go down first to get a latte and chairs after I workout.

go to four seasons next door for their happy hour on the terrace, usually from 3 to 5. . There are also restaurants there. if you play tennis there are courts there where we play most mornings.

go the Marriott which you get to by walking the sidewalk to The next lagoon. We like Longhi restaurant. on Tuesdays you can sit on the longhI terrace and watch or listen to their luau.

across the street there are several restaurants including Monkeypod. There is live music and decent drinks and food There. Roy’s is just down the street. Many people lIke it, we have not but we aren’t steak people.

if you like soda or coffee get a refillable cup. the bar by the adult pool is open in the morning for lattes etc. which you do pay for or the four seasons has a Starbucks. But just remember to bring money if you go offsite.

the mango mojito is fab.

ama ama has a lovely view at night,

for a free sunset view just go to the sidewalk along the lagoon and walk left for about 200 feet.

The aulani luau is very traditional and the food, in my opinion, is very good.

The fitness room is small but well appointed. There are classes on the beach, some free, others with a fee.

every afternoon a schedule for the next day is available With times for classes etc. If you are interested in characters you go to the community house every morning for a schedule of appearances. The Japanese love Minnie!

the comMunity house also has things like tshirt painting and lei making,

there is live music every night at the Oleo room on the first floor terrace. small plates and drinks are available, it’s mostly Hawaiin music but usually one day a week there is contemporary music.

wifi is free. People complain about it but in the room I have found it fine. On the beach or pool, not so good, but i just use my Verizon unlimited data plan,

the town of kapolei is 5 minutes away. Lots of restaurants and grocery stores. We like an italian place called Assagio. Or brick oven pizza.

we have been to aulani for six years in a row and love it. Going again in may for 10 days,

 

[johnward23]

You can easily drive around the north shore in a day. There is the dole plantation although bit more of a kid thimg. There is Waimea falls which is pretty and a nice short hike. Traffic is a pain so always allow enough time.

we go every year to aulani and never leave but we have been around the island.
Do you really need a car? Parking is free but it’s still expensive to just park it for most of the time.

a few other tips.

Get to the pool early and get chairs unless you are beach people. We lIke the pool. I go down first to get a latte and chairs after I workout.

go to four seasons next door for their happy hour on the terrace, usually from 3 to 5. . There are also restaurants there. if you play tennis there are courts there where we play most mornings.

go the Marriott which you get to by walking the sidewalk to The next lagoon. We like Longhi restaurant. on Tuesdays you can sit on the longhI terrace and watch or listen to their luau.

across the street there are several restaurants including Monkeypod. There is live music and decent drinks and food There. Roy’s is just down the street. Many people lIke it, we have not but we aren’t steak people.

if you like soda or coffee get a refillable cup. the bar by the adult pool is open in the morning for lattes etc. which you do pay for or the four seasons has a Starbucks. But just remember to bring money if you go offsite.

the mango mojito is fab.

ama ama has a lovely view at night,

for a free sunset view just go to the sidewalk along the lagoon and walk left for about 200 feet.

The aulani luau is very traditional and the food, in my opinion, is very good.

The fitness room is small but well appointed. There are classes on the beach, some free, others with a fee.

every afternoon a schedule for the next day is available With times for classes etc. If you are interested in characters you go to the community house every morning for a schedule of appearances. The Japanese love Minnie!

the comMunity house also has things like tshirt painting and lei making,

there is live music every night at the Oleo room on the first floor terrace. small plates and drinks are available, it’s mostly Hawaiin music but usually one day a week there is contemporary music.

wifi is free. People complain about it but in the room I have found it fine. On the beach or pool, not so good, but i just use my Verizon unlimited data plan,

the town of kapolei is 5 minutes away. Lots of restaurants and grocery stores. We like an italian place called Assagio. Or brick oven pizza.

we have been to aulani for six years in a row and love it. Going again in may for 10 days,

thank you for the detailed info.

I think a car would be useful to get to and from Waikiki/ Pearl Harbor, and the airport.

 

[johnward23]

We love to walk next door to the lagoon at Paradise Cove and see the sea turtles who are usually over there. For some reason we prefer that lagoon to the one at Aulani. We have done Pearl Harbor and the Dole Plantation. We usually stop at the Aloha Swap meet. We usually take a drive up to the north shore. This past trip we made stops at Waimea beach, Lanikea Beach and Sharks Cove. Our favorite place on the island is Lanikai beach over on the east side of the island. So pretty! We did a few day trips over to Waikiki and did a catamaran ride as well as the outrigger canoe ride. Lots to see and do. We also love just floating around the lazy river at Aulani and definitely the adult only infinity hot tub.

Liked the video. The Lanikai beach looked nice and the sea turtles would be awesome to see.

 

[Amw1064]

Liked the video. The Lanikai beach looked nice and the sea turtles would be awesome to see.

I forgot Kualoa Ranch as mentioned above. My husband and daughter absolutely loved Climbworks for the zipline and we have never been to the Polynesian Cultural Center but a lot of people recommend. This trip we are hiking up to the light house that is in the video. Makapuu light house and possibly Manoa Falls. One of our trips we all went to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling but it was chilly that day and I couldn't make myself get into the water. (we are from Florida so Hawaii water is cold for us)

 

[purpliequeen]

We are a party of all adults - and I agree with everything @cedricandsophie mentioned in their post. There is an adults only area on the side of the Hotel, but the pool areas & beach are spread out enough (assuming you're not going at 100% occupancy time) that we never felt overwhelmed with kids.

We did sign up for Explore the Stars last night because I had heard so many great things about it, but was a bit disappointed - our hour was overrun by kids and it was very much so kid oriented. I thought Greg McCartney (the guy who hosts) was great and perhaps he caters the Four Seasons sessions to a more adult approach? Not sure. But it didn't feel worth our money. With kids, definitely, yes - the kids were amazed. It was really fun listening to them exclaim how amazed they were.

We haven't really eaten on property this trip. I'm a huge foodie so we've all been going off property to cross off my crazy long list. Eggs N Things for breakfast the first day was great. It opens at 6am and we were so jetlagged that we were there when it opened! We're about to head over to Pizza Corner for pizzas & salads. Ama Ama is coming up in a few days on our trip so I'll let you know how that goes.

Not sure if you guys are big into hiking, but we've been doing the hikes and they have just been AMAZING. The views are incredible. Loving Oahu right now!

 

[corgi_monster]

Yes, you will receive complimentary parking.

Everyone gets a lei/necklace.

If you're on Oahu on Admission's Day, check out the Made in Hawaii Fair. Also, you can drive around the island in one day and see some amazing scenery. Just stop at wherever catches your interest

 

[mrp4352]

We loved having a car - we took a couple of days and drove a couple of different places. Oahu Revealed is a fantastic guide book. We also found inexpensive but great souvenirs at the swap meet by the football stadium.

I also agree that the on-site luau is fantastic! Spend the money for the VIP seats if you want to take pictures.

 

[nkereina]

. My parents are DVC Members and got us a room with their points, however they aren't going. We will have a rental car during our trip. Will we be able to park for free at Aulani since points were used for the reservation??

Yep

2. I've read somewhere (I forget where) that people that rent with DVC points get a lei or kukui nut necklace upon arrival. Is this true??

Yep, although as PP said, its for everyone

3. We will be at Aulani for a week. We are planning on going to Pearl Harbor/Waikiki for a day trip. Obviously we want to spend time at the resort, however where else should we try and get to on the island?

IMO, North Shore/Haleiwa is not to be missed. We also loved Kailua and wished we had more time for the beach there. The beach on the windward side is way better than the one at Aulani - clear blue warm waters, powder white sand. Much like the Gulf or Caribbean. If you're movie fans, we really enjoyed the VIP Movie Tour at Kualoa Ranch. It was cool to see where some well known films were shot, we got to experience a movie being filmed while we were there, and the Ranch itself is breathtaking with great photo ops. They also have a great lunch buffet with food grown/raised right on the Ranch. I know sometimes people will buy steaks there to bring back to Aulani to grill.

 

[jodybird511]

If you enjoy snorkeling and wildlife, I would highly recommend Wild Side Specialty Tours out of Waianae. We had an amazing trip with them. Although you get to be close to wildlife, the company is very conservation-friendly, so we felt good about it. It was the highlight of our trip. My teen daughter even got so seasick that she ended up tossing her cookies, but STILL said she'd do the trip again (though maybe with some Bonine on board next time!)--that's how much she loved it!

 

[dachsie]

Liked the video. The Lanikai beach looked nice and the sea turtles would be awesome to see.

I recommend a trip over to Lanikai beach and to Sherwood beach at Waimanalo Bay - gorgeous. I just did a trip report that you can see pics. You should read as many trip reports as you can - thats where I got ideas.

Oh and I second the Wild Side Specialties tour. Just Fabulous!

 

[nkereina]

Liked the video. The Lanikai beach looked nice and the sea turtles would be awesome to see.

I recommend a trip over to Lanikai beach and to Sherwood beach at Waimanalo Bay - gorgeous. I just did a trip report that you can see pics. You should read as many trip reports as you can - thats where I got ideas.

Oh and I second the Wild Side Specialties tour. Just Fabulous!

Just to clarify, Lanikai Beach is on the windward side of the island near Kailua. Gorgeous beaches you can spend the day at. Laniakea Beach is in the North Shore where the turtles are, and its really just a quick stop on a visit to the North Shore. There isn't much beachfront and crowds are there just to see the turtles.

 

[heaven2dc]

I just wanted to comment that even though someone advised to get to the pool early and get chairs, remember this (taken directly from the Aulani.com website): "You are welcome to come and go from your chair as you enjoy the Waikolohe Valley pool area. However, if belongings are left unattended for more than one hour, they will be removed and stored at the closest towel station. At the end of the day, unclaimed items will be sent to Lost & Found."

 

[Marc A.]

For the luau, where do you book the non VIP choice?? I only see the VIP option online.

 

[heaven2dc]

For the luau, where do you book the non VIP choice?? I only see the VIP option online.

Below Book VIP Luau button, there is a button that says Book General Luau. Or you can call 844-284-7644.