Please Critique:)

flinkerfrosch

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Hi all:)

For all you Aulani/Hawaii experts... Please critique my itinerary, and let me know if it makes sense or whether I'm totally off and need to make some adjustments. We will have a rental car.

This trip includes myself, my husband and my 2 boys ages 10 & 8.

We will be spending 12 days at Aulani and then heading to Maui for 11 days.

Thank you;)

Ohau

Day #1- Friday, Nov 10th
•Arrive in Hawaii
•Get some groceries
•Check in/Enjoy Resort


Day #2- Sat, Nov 11th
•Resort Day


Day #3- Sunday, Nov 12th
•Trip to North Shore
•Dole Plantation (9:30am-5:30pm)
•Laniakea Beach (Turtle Beach)
•Waimea Bay (Cliff Jumping)
•Sharks Cove (Snorkelling)
•Banzai Pipeline
•Sunset Beach Park
•Laie Point
Matsumoto (Shave Iced)


Day #4- Monday, Nov 13th
•AMA AMA Breakfast Reservation @ 10am
•Resort Day


Day #5- Tuesday, Nov 14th
•Trip to Kailua Beach
•Lanikai Beach
•Waimanalo Bay Beach Park
Shave Ice- Island Snow


Day #6- Wed, Nov 15th
•Surf Lessons (Surf HNL)
•Resort Day


Day #7- Thursday, Nov 16th
•Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve (Snorkelling)
•Lanai Lookout
•Halona Blowhole
•Makapuu Point Lighthouse Trail
•Makapuu Lookout
•Makapuu Tidepools


Day #8- Friday, Nov 17th
•Resort Day


Day #9- Sat, Nov 18th
•Pearl Harbour
•Swap Meet?
•Leonard's Bakery


Day #10- Sunday, Nov 19th
•Day trip to Waikiki Beach- Outrigger Canoe ride??
•Amelia Earhart Lookout


Day #11- Monday, Nov 20th
•Resort Day


Day #12- Tuesday, Nov 21st
•Check out by 11am
•Enjoy resort until time to leave for airport
 
I love it. This is exactly how we like to do Aulani - exploring day then resort day. A few things to add in for possibilities: On your North Shore day "hike" into Waimea Falls. We did that for the first time this year and it was a lovely stroll and then swim under the waterfall. Because of the time of the year you are going, you may experience high surf on the North Shore beaches so those may be more of checking out the beaches than swimming on them (North Shore only and some of the locals on this board may have better info). You may want to consider adding a tour at Kualoa ranch - it is beautiful and it is fun to see where all the movies are filmed. Since you have a nice long stretch of time on Oahu, you might want to go see Friday night fireworks in Waikiki.

One note of warning: if you think that you will be arriving at Aulani before check in time, don't pick up groceries on the way. They do not have cold storage facilities any longer to hold perishables.

I am jealous of the amount of time you get to spend on the islands.

Have a great trip.
 
I think your plans look great and are similar to how we did our touring. I agree with PP on the recommendation of adding Kualoa Ranch. We did a tour there in the morning and then spent the afternoon in Kailua which worked out well. They aren't far from each other.


Day #2- Sat, Nov 11th
•Resort Day

Just a word of caution that you may find the resort more crowded on a Saturday with locals and long weekend visitors. We were there in late September and arrived on a Saturday and found it relatively crowded Saturday and Sunday. By Monday, the crowds had dispersed and it was much easier to find chairs and enjoy the resort. If I were to do it again, I'd plan any sightseeing or activities for Saturday and Sunday.

Day #3- Sunday, Nov 12th
•Trip to North Shore
•Dole Plantation (9:30am-5:30pm)
•Laniakea Beach (Turtle Beach)
•Waimea Bay (Cliff Jumping)
•Sharks Cove (Snorkelling)
•Banzai Pipeline
•Sunset Beach Park
•Laie Point
Matsumoto (Shave Iced)

This sounds like a potentially long day and may be pushing it. We did the Dole Plantation and got there right at opening at 9:30am. I recommend this because the later you go, the more crowded it gets. All we did at Dole was ride the train, get a Dole Whip, and browse the gift shop and we were there for two hours. If you want to do the other attractions like the maze, build in additional time there.

From Dole, we drove to Haleiwa and just parked and started walking, popping in and out of stores, etc. We stopped for lunch at Kono's which was amazing. We were out of the car for about 90 minutes, and then got back in to drive to Waimea Falls. We spent probably 90 minutes there as well. We then stopped for about 15 minutes at Laniakea Beach just to see the turtles and continued back to Haleiwa. We parked and got a shave ice from Matsumoto and browsed the store, then walked up the street and stopped for a drink. We then headed back to Aulani and I think we got back there around 8pm. We didn't do Sharks Cove, Banzai Pipeline or Laie Point and we would not have had time for all of it I don't believe. Banzai Pipeline is further than Waimea Falls, which is the furthest point we traveled to in the North Shore.

Day #9- Sat, Nov 18th
•Pearl Harbour
•Swap Meet?
•Leonard's Bakery

Everyone's opinion differs on the Swap Meet, but we did not care for it. If you were to skip anything on your list, that would be my vote. We found the same souvenirs at almost every ABC Store, and didn't find anything too unique or out of the ordinary. The prices were relatively cheaper, but that's about it. Not something we'd return to.
 
I also think your north shore day is a little optimistic; I don't think you'll manage all of those. The line at Matsumoto's at like 2 in the afternoon on a weekday was 100 people deep. (No, I did not wait.) Also, there is very limited parking at any of those beaches, so you may spend some time circling, looking, or parking far away and walking to them. We enjoyed Sharks Cove more than just watching surfers anywhere. I personally did not even consider letting my kids (15&13) jump off that rock at Waimea Bay (you know, cuz there's rocks IN the water too....). Plenty of folks were doing it and living to tell about it, but I wasn't letting mine try it. More parking there, though, if you just want a big nice beach to hand out on for a while. We enjoyed Wow Wow Lemonade along the way more than shave ice.

Also, we stayed 14 days and will probably never be able to stay that long again, so I too am jealous :) It's going to be amazing!
 


Here is my thoughts....

1. I see you have AMA AMA for breakfast @ 10am one day. Because of the time difference, my family was up early most days and 10am would be to late for breakfast for us. I know some other families on here have mentioned theirs getting up early, as well. Once you get onsite and see what your routine is, you may want to move it up earlier.
2. Leonards has a Malasada Mobile at the outlet mall (https://www.leonardshawaii.com/malasadamobile/) which you'll be passing by on your way to most of your offsite activities. We stopped in multiple times on our way by. If only want the Malasadas and aren't interested in visiting the actual bakery, I would stop there instead.
 
I love it. This is exactly how we like to do Aulani - exploring day then resort day. A few things to add in for possibilities: On your North Shore day "hike" into Waimea Falls. We did that for the first time this year and it was a lovely stroll and then swim under the waterfall. Because of the time of the year you are going, you may experience high surf on the North Shore beaches so those may be more of checking out the beaches than swimming on them (North Shore only and some of the locals on this board may have better info). You may want to consider adding a tour at Kualoa ranch - it is beautiful and it is fun to see where all the movies are filmed. Since you have a nice long stretch of time on Oahu, you might want to go see Friday night fireworks in Waikiki.

One note of warning: if you think that you will be arriving at Aulani before check in time, don't pick up groceries on the way. They do not have cold storage facilities any longer to hold perishables.

I am jealous of the amount of time you get to spend on the islands.

Have a great trip.

Thank you!!! We're really excited and counting down the days lol

I will look into the Waimea Falls, and discuss it with the fam jam, thank you! I love waterfalls ;)

Kualoa Ranch was on my list, but then I took it off because I was trying to save some $$ lol...I'm still torn about it though. It does look so beautiful and I've read so many great reviews about it.

Diamond Head was also on my list, and again, I took it off. Not sure if it was smart, but I can only fit in so much, and we really want just as many resort days as excursion days.

Hmmmm...Friday night fireworks sounds so fun! Maybe I will change a few things around.

Thank you so much for all your great tips and advice:)
 


I think your plans look great and are similar to how we did our touring. I agree with PP on the recommendation of adding Kualoa Ranch. We did a tour there in the morning and then spent the afternoon in Kailua which worked out well. They aren't far from each other.




Just a word of caution that you may find the resort more crowded on a Saturday with locals and long weekend visitors. We were there in late September and arrived on a Saturday and found it relatively crowded Saturday and Sunday. By Monday, the crowds had dispersed and it was much easier to find chairs and enjoy the resort. If I were to do it again, I'd plan any sightseeing or activities for Saturday and Sunday.



This sounds like a potentially long day and may be pushing it. We did the Dole Plantation and got there right at opening at 9:30am. I recommend this because the later you go, the more crowded it gets. All we did at Dole was ride the train, get a Dole Whip, and browse the gift shop and we were there for two hours. If you want to do the other attractions like the maze, build in additional time there.

From Dole, we drove to Haleiwa and just parked and started walking, popping in and out of stores, etc. We stopped for lunch at Kono's which was amazing. We were out of the car for about 90 minutes, and then got back in to drive to Waimea Falls. We spent probably 90 minutes there as well. We then stopped for about 15 minutes at Laniakea Beach just to see the turtles and continued back to Haleiwa. We parked and got a shave ice from Matsumoto and browsed the store, then walked up the street and stopped for a drink. We then headed back to Aulani and I think we got back there around 8pm. We didn't do Sharks Cove, Banzai Pipeline or Laie Point and we would not have had time for all of it I don't believe. Banzai Pipeline is further than Waimea Falls, which is the furthest point we traveled to in the North Shore.



Everyone's opinion differs on the Swap Meet, but we did not care for it. If you were to skip anything on your list, that would be my vote. We found the same souvenirs at almost every ABC Store, and didn't find anything too unique or out of the ordinary. The prices were relatively cheaper, but that's about it. Not something we'd return to.

Hello there, and thank you once again:)

That's a great idea to do Kualoa Ranch in the am and then hit Kailua afterwards. I will look into this. What tour did you do?

The only reason we have Sat, Nov 11th as a 'resort day' is because we will be spending all day Friday the 10th travelling (appx 15hrs from start to finish) and my husband asked that we do nothing on the Sat but relax and swim lol..but thank you for the advice about the resort being busier on the weekends vs during the week.

My North Shore day is more of a guide as to places We would like to see/visit, but I'm fine if we don't get it all in, in one day. We're open to spending 2 days touring the North Shore if needed. Your day sounded amazing and jammed packed as well, but sounds like you really got to see and do a lot.

Ya, the swap meet was a question mark lol...I've heard so many mixed reviews that I'm going to see how we feel that day. I appreciate your insight though, and advice and will most definitely take it into consideration. It's not high on my list either, and I will play that one by ear...

Thanks again for your help/advice:)
 
I love it. This is exactly how we like to do Aulani - exploring day then resort day. A few things to add in for possibilities: On your North Shore day "hike" into Waimea Falls. We did that for the first time this year and it was a lovely stroll and then swim under the waterfall. Because of the time of the year you are going, you may experience high surf on the North Shore beaches so those may be more of checking out the beaches than swimming on them (North Shore only and some of the locals on this board may have better info). You may want to consider adding a tour at Kualoa ranch - it is beautiful and it is fun to see where all the movies are filmed. Since you have a nice long stretch of time on Oahu, you might want to go see Friday night fireworks in Waikiki.

One note of warning: if you think that you will be arriving at Aulani before check in time, don't pick up groceries on the way. They do not have cold storage facilities any longer to hold perishables.

I am jealous of the amount of time you get to spend on the islands.

Have a great trip.

I forgot to thank you for the tip on checking in with food...I didn't realize things have changed.
We're supposed to land at 2:15pm (Hawaii time) so I think we should be good if we stopped for some groceries and then made our way to Aulani. We may even skip stopping, head straight to Aulani, and do our grocery shopping on the Sat. I guess we will see how we feel after such a long travel day lol
 
I also think your north shore day is a little optimistic; I don't think you'll manage all of those. The line at Matsumoto's at like 2 in the afternoon on a weekday was 100 people deep. (No, I did not wait.) Also, there is very limited parking at any of those beaches, so you may spend some time circling, looking, or parking far away and walking to them. We enjoyed Sharks Cove more than just watching surfers anywhere. I personally did not even consider letting my kids (15&13) jump off that rock at Waimea Bay (you know, cuz there's rocks IN the water too....). Plenty of folks were doing it and living to tell about it, but I wasn't letting mine try it. More parking there, though, if you just want a big nice beach to hand out on for a while. We enjoyed Wow Wow Lemonade along the way more than shave ice.

Also, we stayed 14 days and will probably never be able to stay that long again, so I too am jealous :) It's going to be amazing!

Holy moly!! 100 people?? I won't be going either if it's that long lol...

Our North Shore day isn't in stone and we just plan on taking it step by step and seeing what we can do and can't do. My list is more of a 'guide' to places we would like to see. Maybe we will have to add a 2nd day for the North Shore since it seems to be a lot from what I'm learning, thank you!

The cliff jumping- this is also a 'wait and see' I read the kids can cliff jump, so we will scope it out once there and decide whether we feel it's safe enough. If it looks at all dangerous, it won't be happening.

Yum! Wow wow Lemonade sounds delicious! I'm adding that now!!! :) Where exactly was it located?

14 days is great too!!! I'm sure you got to see and do a lot as well. Thank you for all your help!
 
Do you have your Maui itinerary?

Hi:)

I do, I will add it shortly. It's not a 'day by day' thing like I have with Aulani, but I do have a list of all the places we want to see and places we want to visit.
My DH wanted a more 'chilled' 10 days on Maui, so I just made a list and we will pick a place to go as we feel fit.
 
Do you have your Maui itinerary?

Here it is...

Maui

•Snorkel Trip to Molokini

•Haleakala National Park

•Road to Hana

•Napili Bay Beach (Great for Boogie Boarding

•Kapalua Bay Beach (Great for Snorkelling)

•Makaluapuna Point (Dragons Teeth)

•D.T Fleming Beach

•Honolua Bay (Great for snorkelling)

•Nakalele Blowhole

•Wailea Beach***Great for Snorkelling, Boogie Boarding

•Makena Beach


Food Places- Maui
*Ululanis Hawaiian Shave Ice- 10 mins from Resort
*Paia Fish Market (Good food/cheaper)•••Right beside Hapa Shack Shave Ice
*DA Kitchen
*Teddy's Bigger Burgers
*Coconuts Fish Cafe
*Lahaina Pizza Company (Good food/great views of the Ocean)
*Zippy's Kahului
*Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman (Good to go at Happy Hour)
*Cool Cat Cafe (Good food/Best burgers/fun for kids)
*Ono Tacos (Food truck)

We're staying at the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas on Ka'anapali Beach, so we also plan on spending time at this beach as well.
Most of the beaches I have listed above are fairly close- within 10-20 mins from where we're staying. A few of them are about 45 mins away, but only a few I believe, so we figure we could probably hit a few beaches on any given day.
I've already figured out the exact distance from the resort to each beach, so we can easily plan out our day.
 
Here is my thoughts....

1. I see you have AMA AMA for breakfast @ 10am one day. Because of the time difference, my family was up early most days and 10am would be to late for breakfast for us. I know some other families on here have mentioned theirs getting up early, as well. Once you get onsite and see what your routine is, you may want to move it up earlier.
2. Leonards has a Malasada Mobile at the outlet mall (https://www.leonardshawaii.com/malasadamobile/) which you'll be passing by on your way to most of your offsite activities. We stopped in multiple times on our way by. If only want the Malasadas and aren't interested in visiting the actual bakery, I would stop there instead.


Great advice about AMA AMA, thank you! I never thought about the time change and probably being up early. My DH is a sleeper, so I was basing it on him lol, but you're right, I will see on the Sunday how we're dealing with the time change and go from there.

Thank you about the Malasada Mobile. I really want to try this place out!!

Thank you for your tips, much appreciated!!!! :)
 
I will go find my Waimea Bay rock pics and post them. Honestly, if I could repeat my trip, other than Sharks Cove, we could really skip the north shore. Lots seem to love it, and if we were experienced surfers, we probably would have too, but just looking around was pretty dull after a while--all the beaches look pretty similar.

Lemonade was in Wahiawa, but evidently there's one on Maui too :)

A few comments in Maui....we didn't go to Molokini because I thought DS would be nervous, but after how much fun he had, it's number one for next trip!

We did the road to Hana, and I highly recommend taking a full picnic lunch plus a few snacks. Of all the roadside stands we read about, many were closed or gone, and the one we thought sounded (and looked) the best was quite dirty and food just ok (although good size portions). I took snacks but still wished we'd picked up a full meal. Waianapanapa Beach was my favorite thing on Maui, but Koki and Hamoa beaches were gorgeous too. The seven pools were closed due to a mudslide but we were too tired by then anyway!

Upcountry Maui is beautiful, so make the drive through Kula (after Haleakala is convenient). I had the best venison burger of my life (out of many) at Ulapalakulu Ranch store. Pricey (although the food not as much as the souvenirs) but yummy. I thought the wines at Maui Wine were very meh, but it's a beautiful place.

There's not much to do on Haleakala if you're not hiking, so keep that in mind--the kids may get a little bored. There's not much of anything in the visitor centers. But the view is amazing. Please don't do what I did and haul sweatshirts 4,300 miles and leave them in the room. :/ It's cold up there but the wind is brutal. And if you decide to hit Komoda Bakery in Makawao (cute little town), go before lunch--they do sell out.

We didn't do any of West or south Maui, so those are on my list for next time.
 
Two other things I forgot....I know it's a chain, but the burgers and fries were fantastic (and huge) at Teddy's. My family really didn't care for Zippy's much at all--it's sort of "greasy spoon" kind of feel, I.e. was pretty grimy inside, meat was not great quality, etc. I had lau lau, though, and it was pretty good. For fast-food plate lunch stuff, we thought Fatboys was a lot better. Plus most little cafes and such had great plates too. We went to Rainbow Drive-In on great reviews, but most of the things we wanted were offered on other days (semi-rotating menu) and there were pigeons all over the tables, so we went to Zippy's to eat inside instead. Should've stayed at Rainbow. Of course, with food preferences, YMMV, but just wanted to offer my experience.
 
Day #3- Sunday, Nov 12th
•Trip to North Shore
•Dole Plantation (9:30am-5:30pm)
•Laniakea Beach (Turtle Beach)
•Waimea Bay (Cliff Jumping)
•Sharks Cove (Snorkelling)
•Banzai Pipeline
•Sunset Beach Park
•Laie Point
Matsumoto (Shave Iced)

I'd add a stop at Kua Aina Sandwich in Haleiwa (North Shore) for lunch. Excellent burgers and sandwiches. Afterwards, shave ice at Matsumoto.
 
Day #3- Sunday, Nov 12th
•Trip to North Shore
•Dole Plantation (9:30am-5:30pm)
•Laniakea Beach (Turtle Beach)
•Waimea Bay (Cliff Jumping)
•Sharks Cove (Snorkelling)
•Banzai Pipeline
•Sunset Beach Park
•Laie Point
Matsumoto (Shave Iced)

I'd add a stop at Kua Aina Sandwich in Haleiwa (North Shore) for lunch. Excellent burgers and sandwiches. Afterwards, shave ice at Matsumoto.

Thank you! I've added the place to my list on my North Shore day, sounds delicious!
 
I will go find my Waimea Bay rock pics and post them. Honestly, if I could repeat my trip, other than Sharks Cove, we could really skip the north shore. Lots seem to love it, and if we were experienced surfers, we probably would have too, but just looking around was pretty dull after a while--all the beaches look pretty similar.

Lemonade was in Wahiawa, but evidently there's one on Maui too :)

A few comments in Maui....we didn't go to Molokini because I thought DS would be nervous, but after how much fun he had, it's number one for next trip!

We did the road to Hana, and I highly recommend taking a full picnic lunch plus a few snacks. Of all the roadside stands we read about, many were closed or gone, and the one we thought sounded (and looked) the best was quite dirty and food just ok (although good size portions). I took snacks but still wished we'd picked up a full meal. Waianapanapa Beach was my favorite thing on Maui, but Koki and Hamoa beaches were gorgeous too. The seven pools were closed due to a mudslide but we were too tired by then anyway!

Upcountry Maui is beautiful, so make the drive through Kula (after Haleakala is convenient). I had the best venison burger of my life (out of many) at Ulapalakulu Ranch store. Pricey (although the food not as much as the souvenirs) but yummy. I thought the wines at Maui Wine were very meh, but it's a beautiful place.

There's not much to do on Haleakala if you're not hiking, so keep that in mind--the kids may get a little bored. There's not much of anything in the visitor centers. But the view is amazing. Please don't do what I did and haul sweatshirts 4,300 miles and leave them in the room. :/ It's cold up there but the wind is brutal. And if you decide to hit Komoda Bakery in Makawao (cute little town), go before lunch--they do sell out.

We didn't do any of West or south Maui, so those are on my list for next time.

Would love to see some pics :)

I looked up the Lemonade place and yes, noticed their is one in Maui too, yum!

I've been back and forth about Molokini, but we're going to do it! We all love to snorkel. I will post about it when I'm home from the trip

As for the road to Hana, thank you for all the tips. Did you use an App as your guide? What time did you leave in the am? I've read it's an all day trip.

For Haleakala, we're going basically for the view. To be honest, it's not on the top of my list, but I would like to go.

Thank you again for all your help and tips. It's really helpful
 
Two other things I forgot....I know it's a chain, but the burgers and fries were fantastic (and huge) at Teddy's. My family really didn't care for Zippy's much at all--it's sort of "greasy spoon" kind of feel, I.e. was pretty grimy inside, meat was not great quality, etc. I had lau lau, though, and it was pretty good. For fast-food plate lunch stuff, we thought Fatboys was a lot better. Plus most little cafes and such had great plates too. We went to Rainbow Drive-In on great reviews, but most of the things we wanted were offered on other days (semi-rotating menu) and there were pigeons all over the tables, so we went to Zippy's to eat inside instead. Should've stayed at Rainbow. Of course, with food preferences, YMMV, but just wanted to offer my experience.

Thank you for all the food tips!!
 
Just wanted to agree with PP about Waimea falls hike on north shore day.
It is about $16 pp but the walk is truly beautiful, walking through a botanical garden to the waterfall. The walk is better than waterfall imo.

Also if you go to food trucks on north shore , and u MUST if you like shrimp.
Giovanni al the way to right crazy lines... my guide said go to one all the way to right.... best garlic shrimp of my life. I want to go back just for that shrimp lol!
We also stopped at mobile Leonard masalada truck on way to north shore. Amazing!!!! He said locals go there.
Happy planning
Kerri
 

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