Allow me to offer a counterpoint to all this whining and complaining, since I am currently at Aulani. For lunch by the pool, takeout sandwiches and salads are all below $20 at the Ulu Cafe. For dinner, a full meal there featuring the catch of the day, mashed potatoes or rice, and veggies costs $26. My wife and I ate at MonkeyPod last night and we each had the Saimin, a delicious giant bowl of noodles, veggies and pork in a chicken broth. It was $22 each. The night before we ate at the relatively new mexican restaurant Meikiko right across from MonkeyPod. We split an enormous order of steak fajitas, plus complimentary chips and salsa. I think it was $26.
In all fairness, at Aulani both Makahiki and Ama Ama , in my opinion, are way too expensive and in my opinion not worth it. But, guess what, no one forces you to eat at either one.
We also dine at Longhi’s (Marriott) and Noe (Four Seasons). They’re pricier, about $120 average, including a glass or two of wine. That’s about what we pay in LA when we go to hotel restaurants. We also explored all around an area near Waikiki called Kaka’ako, chock full of fun shops and restaurants. Once again, aside from fine dining, all were reasonably priced.
In addition, though we don’t usually go into Kapolei for dinner, a five minute drive from Aulani, there are many little hole in the wall restaurants that are mostly budget friendly.
My advice to the OP is to request that her international jet setting daughter actually do some research before visiting a destination, try to be a little less judgmental, and to please consider that her “sky is falling down” attitude might be based on inaccurate information. It’s really doing all of us a disservice.
