Which island prior to visiting Aulani w/kids?

[ray3127]

Planning on 7-8 nights at Aulani in June 2021 for our 10th anniversary, taking DS (7) and DD (3), ages next June.

DW and I honeymooned in Hawaii in 2011... Did 2 nights in Honolulu, then 6 on Maui.

For this trip we are considering doing a different island for a few nights before going to Aulani.

First thought is flying to Kona and spending 3-4 nights there. A major draw for us is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

However, I'm not sure it is worth the trouble to island hop with our kids. So instead we are considering just flying to Honolulu and spending 2-3 nights at a hotel in Waikiki before settling in at Aulani.

Any thoughts on an additional island for a few nights before going to Aulani, especially with kids age 7 & 3?

Note that I am aware things may not be "back to normal", and if that's the case then we will adjust accordingly. Maybe it will be have to be our 11th anniversary trip instead. No way to know now, but we are planning/hoping for the best.

I am also aware of Aulani's June availability. I tracked 7-month availability for June 2020 day-by-day last November, and I am also aware that June 2021 is likely to be tougher because of all of the cancelled/delayed trips from 2020.

Advice on my specific question of which island is best (if any) for a few nights prior to a week at Aulani is greatly appreciated!

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Following - we're tying on a few days in Hawaii at the end of our Honeymoon and trying to decide whether to stay in Waikiki or fly to another island.

 

[SamFaniam]

Planning on 7-8 nights at Aulani in June 2021 for our 10th anniversary, taking DS (7) and DD (3), ages next June.

DW and I honeymooned in Hawaii in 2011... Did 2 nights in Honolulu, then 6 on Maui.

For this trip we are considering doing a different island for a few nights before going to Aulani.

First thought is flying to Kona and spending 3-4 nights there. A major draw for us is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

However, I'm not sure it is worth the trouble to island hop with our kids. So instead we are considering just flying to Honolulu and spending 2-3 nights at a hotel in Waikiki before settling in at Aulani.

Any thoughts on an additional island for a few nights before going to Aulani, especially with kids age 7 & 3?

Note that I am aware things may not be "back to normal", and if that's the case then we will adjust accordingly. Maybe it will be have to be our 11th anniversary trip instead. No way to know now, but we are planning/hoping for the best.

I am also aware of Aulani's June availability. I tracked 7-month availability for June 2020 day-by-day last November, and I am also aware that June 2021 is likely to be tougher because of all of the cancelled/delayed trips from 2020.

Advice on my specific question of which island is best (if any) for a few nights prior to a week at Aulani is greatly appreciated!

Volcanoes is amazing and there really isn't anything like it on Oahu. I understand that airports are a bit of a hassle today, but I think a 40 minute flight is worth it.

 

[cgattis]

This is tough for me, just because of the kids’ ages. LAVA was like #1 on my bucket list for our first trip (and only so far—planning trip 2 now). And as truly awesome as it was, I don’t think it would’ve kept a 3YO occupied. And the little visitors centers (not to be disparaging) don’t really have much in them—not hands on stuff for littles.

Honestly, I’m thinking Maui might be your best bet, with more sandy (vs rocky) beaches, the ocean center, and more dining and shopping areas where you can just stroll around a bit, rather than driving place to place.

I guess we did mostly very active things with our teens so it’s hard for me to think about littles and keeping them safe while still being adventurous. We purposely avoided Yellowstone until I knew they could be trusted not to dash off into a hot spring LOL. So my reply here is probably useless to you—I’m sorry!!

 

[tseitel]

Since you’ve spent some time on Maui, I would agree with the big Island. The volcano National Park is something you can’t see anywhere else. There is also a sea arch and a green sand beach up in that area. They have black sand beaches that the sea turtles like to hang out on, and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden was absolutely stunning.
I would have also said night snorkeling with the Manta rays, but not with the 3 year old.
Kona has fantastic snorkeling.
Rainbow Falls, ‘Akaka Falls (this one has a trail to walk around also)
If you have a rental car all these are doable. We did all this and much more, but my youngest was 13.

 

[cgattis]

And another thought.....we didn’t enjoy Waikiki at—too touristy/urban/crowded for what we wanted to do. I think there’s plenty to do on Oahu if you decide not to hop at all, but I’d recommend maybe looking at Turtle Bay for the other night (although IDK the cost).

I think some of the Kuaoloa Tours are good for kids, so that’s another Oahu thought.

 

[ray3127]

And another thought.....we didn’t enjoy Waikiki at—too touristy/urban/crowded for what we wanted to do. I think there’s plenty to do on Oahu if you decide not to hop at all, but I’d recommend maybe looking at Turtle Bay for the other night (although IDK the cost).

I think some of the Kuaoloa Tours are good for kids, so that’s another Oahu thought.

This is a good point. Our two nights on Oahu were spent on Waikiki ... The Pearl Harbor visit was obviously the highlight of that part of the trip (and perhaps the entire trip), but I see bringing the kids back to that after another 10 years or so. I want them to really remember that and feel the emotion. Other than Pearl Harbor, I could probably leave the rest of Waikiki. So maybe no need for additional time there.

Since we are doing a week at Aulani, we can spend some time doing some other things on Oahu without staying elsewhere anyway.

After these first several comments I'm thinking more Maui vs. Big Island, and leaning Big Island just because it is new to us and there are so many unique things to see. We like the national parks a lot, and Haleakala was a highlight for us last time. It was a beautiful clear day, and we could see the peaks of Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea in the distance (not sure how common that is, but it was sure memorable for us). We also have a family friend that has something like 3-4 weeks of Hilton Grand Vacations points on the Big Island, and I think we could rent a few from them at a discounted rate. So that may tilt the scales as well.

 

[cgattis]

We also have a family friend that has something like 3-4 weeks of Hilton Grand Vacations points on the Big Island, and I think we could rent a few from them at a discounted rate

Well now, decision made!!! There’s a lot of the BI we didn’t see and if I was staying cheap, that might make the decision for me! Is that the property with the monorail? That sounds be a great place to stay with kids.

Also (and omg others here are prolly so tied of hearing me say this but...) if you’re beer drinkers, go tour Kona Brewing Company in Kona and have a meal there. Love their brews. And they have a location at Koko Marina (near Hanauma Bay) on Oahu too!

Someone had mentioned Rainbow Falls....it is very accessible (actual sidewalk not a trail) but off to the left (facing the falls) is a dirt trail that leads to a cool banyan tree the kids would like.

 

[nkereina]

First thought is flying to Kona and spending 3-4 nights there. A major draw for us is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

FWIW, I believe it would make more sense to fly to and stay in the Hilo area if your primary reason for visiting is to visit VNP. We didn't visit the Big Island, but I believe the Kona area is a roughly two hour drive, where Hilo is more like 30-45 minutes.

However, I'm not sure it is worth the trouble to island hop with our kids. So instead we are considering just flying to Honolulu and spending 2-3 nights at a hotel in Waikiki before settling in at Aulani.

We loved Waikiki, but we were two adults on our honeymoon. A good portion of our Waikiki time was spent shopping and hotel hopping to have drinks, see the resorts, and people watch. Obviously this is not something you'd do with kids. The beach area there is also too small and busy to have a relaxing time with kids.

I personally think it would be a big hassle to island hop with kids, especially with only a couple days. Oahu has everything you could want - family resorts, nature, snorkeling, nice beaches, shopping, culture, history. Its a one stop shop. The unique things that are draws on the other islands that Oahu does not have (i.e. volcano, Road to Hana, canyons, Na Pali Coast) likely are not ideal for or appealing to kids.

If it were me, I would stay put at Aulani for the duration. You can use it as a home base while you explore Oahu. You'll only have to "take care of business" on arrival and departure days, meaning only one time on each end hassling with flights, checking in, unpacking/packing, securing a rental car with car seats. After a couple days, you'll develop a cadence where everyone can adjust and fully relax until its time to go home.

If you're not keen on staying at Aulani the whole time, I would consider a hotel or Airbnb in the Kailua area. The beaches there are gorgeous with warm, calm water and powder white sand. Ideal for kids. At Aulani, which is the opposite side of Oahu, the beaches are a darker coarse sand that gets very hot. The lagoon is calm and warm for swimming, but there's a quick and deep drop off at a certain point. Alternatively, Turtle Bay resort in the North Shore is gorgeous. While it doesn't cater to families like Aulani does, its definitely family friendly.

Following - we're tying on a few days in Hawaii at the end of our Honeymoon and trying to decide whether to stay in Waikiki or fly to another island.

If we only had a few days to spare, we would most definitely stay on Oahu. As I said above, it has everything you could want out of Hawaii. We loved the Waikiki area because there was so much going on. It was the only place we stayed out of all four places we visited that had any semblance of night life. Because Waikiki is the main area people stay, there were lots of places open as early as 4-5am, since so many people traveling from the east coast are up at that time. We also found it easy to get around with the trolleys, easy to grab an Uber or taxi, and we took advantage of the many organized tours that provide transportation to and from Waikiki hotels. Because of this, we were able to get away with not having a car during our time in Waikiki.

 

[ray3127]

Well now, decision made!!! There’s a lot of the BI we didn’t see and if I was staying cheap, that might make the decision for me! Is that the property with the monorail? That sounds be a great place to stay with kids.

Also (and omg others here are prolly so tied of hearing me say this but...) if you’re beer drinkers, go tour Kona Brewing Company in Kona and have a meal there. Love their brews. And they have a location at Koko Marina (near Hanauma Bay) on Oahu too!

Someone had mentioned Rainbow Falls....it is very accessible (actual sidewalk not a trail) but off to the left (facing the falls) is a dirt trail that leads to a cool banyan tree the kids would like.

Yeah, I left out the part about the possibility of staying cheap before, because I didn't want that to sway responses. But from what I heard I think there's enough for us to do/see on the Big Island that is worth a few nights on the front end. Then we can get to Aulani and chillax.

FWIW, I believe it would make more sense to fly to and stay in the Hilo area if your primary reason for visiting is to visit VNP. We didn't visit the Big Island, but I believe the Kona area is a roughly two hour drive, where Hilo is more like 30-45 minutes.


We loved Waikiki, but we were two adults on our honeymoon. A good portion of our Waikiki time was spent shopping and hotel hopping to have drinks, see the resorts, and people watch. Obviously this is not something you'd do with kids. The beach area there is also too small and busy to have a relaxing time with kids.

I personally think it would be a big hassle to island hop with kids, especially with only a couple days. Oahu has everything you could want - family resorts, nature, snorkeling, nice beaches, shopping, culture, history. Its a one stop shop. The unique things that are draws on the other islands that Oahu does not have (i.e. volcano, Road to Hana, canyons, Na Pali Coast) likely are not ideal for or appealing to kids.

If it were me, I would stay put at Aulani for the duration. You can use it as a home base while you explore Oahu. You'll only have to "take care of business" on arrival and departure days, meaning only one time on each end hassling with flights, checking in, unpacking/packing, securing a rental car with car seats. After a couple days, you'll develop a cadence where everyone can adjust and fully relax until its time to go home.

If you're not keen on staying at Aulani the whole time, I would consider a hotel or Airbnb in the Kailua area. The beaches there are gorgeous with warm, calm water and powder white sand. Ideal for kids. At Aulani, which is the opposite side of Oahu, the beaches are a darker coarse sand that gets very hot. The lagoon is calm and warm for swimming, but there's a quick and deep drop off at a certain point. Alternatively, Turtle Bay resort in the North Shore is gorgeous. While it doesn't cater to families like Aulani does, its definitely family friendly.

I appreciate all of these thoughts and definitely understand them. One of the other issues is that Hawaii is a 'once in a very long while' trip. So while not everything may be ideal for kids, if it is doable then we kind of want to do it, as 'who knows' when we'll be back. I hope I'm wrong and we fall in love with Aulani to the point where we need to add a contract and come back every 2-3 years! But as it stands, Hawaii is quite a hike from where we live. So we can plan *most* of the trip to be at Aulani (likely a full 8 nights), which is the perfect base for our family and we can still explore Oahu. But since we are traveling so far to begin with, we might as well do one island hop and check out some cool stuff elsewhere. I'm not sure what a few extra nights elsewhere on Oahu gains us. Taking the first couple days and roughing it around the Big Island a bit seems pretty doable for our kids, even if a lot of it is driving to simply see the unique sights. I will take a look at Hilo, though, since that does look like a much shorter drive to VNP. Thank you!!

 

[pjacobi]

The Grand Naniloa in Hilo is nice, if you can't get Volcano House on the rim:

https://www.hawaiivolcanohouse.com/
https://www.grandnaniloahilo.com/

-Paul

 

[abdgeek]

This is a good point. Our two nights on Oahu were spent on Waikiki ... The Pearl Harbor visit was obviously the highlight of that part of the trip (and perhaps the entire trip), but I see bringing the kids back to that after another 10 years or so. I want them to really remember that and feel the emotion. Other than Pearl Harbor, I could probably leave the rest of Waikiki. So maybe no need for additional time there.

Since we are doing a week at Aulani, we can spend some time doing some other things on Oahu without staying elsewhere anyway.

After these first several comments I'm thinking more Maui vs. Big Island, and leaning Big Island just because it is new to us and there are so many unique things to see. We like the national parks a lot, and Haleakala was a highlight for us last time. It was a beautiful clear day, and we could see the peaks of Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea in the distance (not sure how common that is, but it was sure memorable for us). We also have a family friend that has something like 3-4 weeks of Hilton Grand Vacations points on the Big Island, and I think we could rent a few from them at a discounted rate. So that may tilt the scales as well.

The Big Island is AWESOME!!! That was the first island I visited when I island hopped and I can’t wait to return. Recently, I’ve been concentrating on revisiting Maui but I‘ve done just about everything I want to do there. I would imagine that your friend has their HGVC timeshare in the Waikoloa or Kailua-Kona area. Waikoloa is closest to VNP, but Kona is where you will have more affordable restaurants and the downtown area. Depending on where you’re flying from, you will probably get in late your first night to the Big Island. if you don’t want to drive to VNP, you can take a Circle Island tour. The tour takes about 10-12 hours and you only spend about 2-3 hours in VNP, but you see most of the important sites for the island. When I visited, I paired that with a day trip to the Painted Church & Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park (they’re on the same road). I also went to Kona to see Hulihe’e Palace and walk the town. You can also take a tour to the summit of Maura Kea to see the observatory. There’s a lot to do—botanical gardens, waterfalls, macadamia factories, etc.

Aulani is a great place to stay on Oahu. You will need a car to sightsee from there, but it is easy to do. You can easily drive to Waikiki (45 minute) from there and should expect to pay for parking in Waikiki unless you can get one of the limited free spots. Aulani also has excursions that leave from the resort if you don’t want to drive. Most outside tours only pick up in Waikki, so keep that in mind as you plan your activities.

 

[kyton]

I’ll be slightly different voice here - my kids adore Waikiki. We started taking them aged 6, 4 and 2 - our last trip they were 13, 11 and almost 9. As much as they love Ko Olina, there is plenty for them to do at Waikiki and surrounds that the last trip was 2wks solely there.

If you do decide to stay at different islands / parts of Oahu the only caveat I will say is to ensure that you either stay at a hotel or ensure you are renting a legally permitted property. A PP mentioned staying in Kailua - there are minimal legally permitted rentals around that way and the onus is on the visitor to ensure they are doing the right thing. Every island has issues with illegally operating rentals so they all have legislations in place to assist visitors. On Oahu the permits are called NUC -http://www.honoluludpp.org/Portals/0/pdfs/HotIssues/NUC2018.pdf - outside of Waikiki, parts of Ko Olina and parts of Turtle Bay (which are zoned for tourism) , these are the only permitted rentals.

 

[SammyStamper]

I’m not a huge fan of the Big Island. We flew to Hilo when we visited to be closer to the Volcanic Park. Just our luck there was no active lava flow when we were there. We stayed in a B&B type place outside the Park entrance. It is at least a 2 hour drive to Kona. Stayed at the Marriott. Then we flew out of Kona to head home. This was before a kid.
With littles, I would just go to Oahu and book a place. One less airport and flight to deal with. As well as security and packing

 

[Nalshersmom]

My kids were 9, 11, and 13 when we went last summer. We visited Maui, the Big Island, and Oahu. I don't think you can go wrong with visiting any/all of the islands. I wish we could have visited Kauai, but we did not have enough time. I would stay at least 3 nights on any island and always have a rental car.

 

[Yensid 1928]

I would say the big island. Not only do you have an active volcano, you also can go to white, green, or black sand beaches. We saw lots of turtles on the beaches and really enjoyed the islands slower pace. You can also check out mac nuts factory and the Kona coffee farms. Their is just so much to do. Don't forget you will want a rental, bring gear for all sorts of weather, nice hiking shoes if you like to hike, and an adventures spirit. You might also want to check out Kilauea Military Camp (KMC) and see if you can stay their. It is in Volcano national park and right on the rim of the crater. Also when your on Oahu don't forget to check out Polynesian Culture Center (PCC)

 

[travelplanningnerd]

This is a good point. Our two nights on Oahu were spent on Waikiki ... The Pearl Harbor visit was obviously the highlight of that part of the trip (and perhaps the entire trip), but I see bringing the kids back to that after another 10 years or so. I want them to really remember that and feel the emotion. Other than Pearl Harbor, I could probably leave the rest of Waikiki. So maybe no need for additional time there.

Since we are doing a week at Aulani, we can spend some time doing some other things on Oahu without staying elsewhere anyway.

After these first several comments I'm thinking more Maui vs. Big Island, and leaning Big Island just because it is new to us and there are so many unique things to see. We like the national parks a lot, and Haleakala was a highlight for us last time. It was a beautiful clear day, and we could see the peaks of Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea in the distance (not sure how common that is, but it was sure memorable for us). We also have a family friend that has something like 3-4 weeks of Hilton Grand Vacations points on the Big Island, and I think we could rent a few from them at a discounted rate. So that may tilt the scales as well.

I'm going to be the dissenter here and say not only would I skip the BI, if you do go, I'd skip that hotel. We stayed there with a 3 year old and it was awful. Everything is so spread out. It sounds so fun "there's a boat and a monorail!" until you get all the way to the pool and realize you forgot something in the room. And forget it if you're still using a stroller - it is not a walkable, stroller friendly property.

Also, if you really want to go to Volcano National Park, I'd want to stay on the Hilo side. It is a long drive and limits what you can do over there in one day.

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

Much of Volcano National Park remains closed due to recent volcanic activity and the political protests. I was there in February and there just wasn’t much to see compared to how it used to be.

Flying to Hilo will require a stop in Honolulu while many airlines fly direct to Kona. I also think Kona is more kid-friendly. I feel like you end up driving a lot on the Big Island no matter what.

 

[pjacobi]

It is almost impossible to predict in advance what you will see at Volcano's National Park! You could see nothing or actual flowing lava like I saw in June 2018.


-Paul

 

[keen23]

We were at Volcano National Park in August 2019, and nothing. Plus, the Lava Tube hike was closed due to damages from earlier lava flow. Still amazing, and we spent hours there, but it was two adults and no kids.