If you could have 1 day away from Aulani...

[gregf71]

Nix this first question....please see the new one below.

We are planning on a Sunday through Friday stay in August 2018. We want to enjoy the resort as much as possible, but are planning 1 day with a rental car to explore and see some sites. If we want to reserve Monday and Thursday as definite resort days, would Tuesday or Wednesday be a better explore the island day? Just thinking about what type of activities we might miss on one of those two days.

Thanks!

 

[gregf71]

Well, my initial question resulted in no responses, so let me change it up a bit...

If you could have 1 day away from Aulani with a rental car where would you go?! It will be me, my wife, and our daughter (12).

This is what we are thinking...

• Getting up early and picking up the rental car from the onsite Alamo at 7am-ish
• Liliha Bakery for breakfast
• Byodo-In Temple
• Dole Plantation (yeah, it's a cheesy tourist trap, but it's fun!)
• Up to Haleiwa for a small lunch and shave ice at Matsumoto's (ok, the shave ice is the real lunch)
• Laniakea (Turtle) Beach
  
• Drive back down south for dinner at La Mariana Sailing Club (need my tiki bar/restaurant fix)
• Swing by Leonard's for malasadas for dessert...and few extra for breakfast back at the resort the next morning
• Gas up to car at the Kapolei Costco and then return to Aulani

Anything else we could/should squeeze in?

 

[buffettgirl]

Well, my initial question resulted in no responses, so let me change it up a bit...

If you could have 1 day away from Aulani with a rental car where would you go?! It will be me, my wife, and our daughter (12).

This is what we are thinking...

• Getting up early and picking up the rental car from the onsite Alamo at 7am-ish
• Liliha Bakery for breakfast
• Byodo-In Temple
• Dole Plantation (yeah, it's a cheesy tourist trap, but it's fun!)
• Up to Haleiwa for a small lunch and shave ice at Matsumoto's (ok, the shave ice is the real lunch)
• Laniakea (Turtle) Beach
  
• Drive back down south for dinner at La Mariana Sailing Club (need my tiki bar/restaurant fix)
• Swing by Leonard's for malasadas for dessert...and few extra for breakfast back at the resort the next morning
• Gas up to car at the Kapolei Costco and then return to Aulani

Anything else we could/should squeeze in?

You need to maybe look at a map. What you're suggesting will is all over the island, with a lot of back and forth driving.

 

[alohamom]

@gregf71 I like the itinerary you have set out for yourselves.

The only thing I might do differently is to drop going all the way in for the Liliha Bakery and taking the H3 across to the Byodo-In Temple instead. The drive across H3 is so incredibly scenic and you miss so much traffic as well.

Dole will be great for your 12 year old, dont sweat that, it is fun.

 

[gregf71]

You need to maybe look at a map. What you're suggesting will is all over the island, with a lot of back and forth driving.

Hah...believe me, we did, and yeah, there is some back and forth, but nothing horrible. Plus, compared to the miles we will be driving on the Big Island after Oahu, this is nothing!

 

[gregf71]

@gregf71 I like the itinerary you have set out for yourselves.

The only thing I might do differently is to drop going all the way in for the Liliha Bakery and taking the H3 across to the Byodo-In Temple instead. The drive across H3 is so incredibly scenic and you miss so much traffic as well.

Dole will be great for your 12 year old, dont sweat that, it is fun.

I hear ya, but we are big into finding good local places, especially for baked goods, when we travel. Liliha came up on a lot of lists while doing research for the island. It certainly does pull us out of the way somewhat, but we think it will be worth it for the experience; not to mention Byodo doesn't open until 830am, so if (a big if) we can get out of Aulani quickly in the morning, we should have some time.

Thanks for the +1 on the Dole Plantation. My wife and I visited with friends several years ago, before kids, as part of a day long tour and felt rushed. We are looking forward to spending a bit more time this go around.

 

[nkereina]

would Tuesday or Wednesday be a better explore the island day?

Flip of a coin, IMO. We didn't find much difference in terms of traffic, etc.

• Getting up early and picking up the rental car from the onsite Alamo at 7am-ish

• Liliha Bakery for breakfast

• Byodo-In Temple

• Dole Plantation (yeah, it's a cheesy tourist trap, but it's fun!)

• Up to Haleiwa for a small lunch and shave ice at Matsumoto's (ok, the shave ice is the real lunch)

• Laniakea (Turtle) Beach

• Drive back down south for dinner at La Mariana Sailing Club (need my tiki bar/restaurant fix)

• Swing by Leonard's for malasadas for dessert...and few extra for breakfast back at the resort the next morning

• Gas up to car at the Kapolei Costco and then return to Aulani

I agree with PP that some of this route would be very time consuming. From Aulani to Liliha Bakery, in rush hour traffic, is probably 45 minutes if not longer. Unless there's another location maybe? From there to Byodo-In Temple is another hour at least, and then 45 minutes to Dole. Dole to Haleiwa is close and easy, and Laniakea Beach is also easy from Haleiwa. Looks like La Mariana is a hike too, and you'll likely be contending with rush hour traffic again.

If it were me, I'd plan dinner in the North Shore - Haleiwa Beach House is awesome. Turtle Bay also has some nice restaurants. I'd also consider choosing another breakfast place or maybe nixing Byodo-In Temple. We did the Byodo-In Temple because it was on our way from Kualoa Ranch to Kailua. We were there for maybe 20 minutes tops - not much to do there. You'll be commuting longer than you're at the Temple. It's beautiful, but I personally would not go out of my way for it.

For Leonard's, were you planning on stopping at the mobile truck? It's near the outlets on the way back to Aulani, shortly before the Kapolei exit. Would likely be easier and more convenient.

 

[newdeal]

Have you been to Aulani before? Have you explored Oahu before? If not, I would personally suggest renting a car for more days, to me, there isn't really that much to do at Aulani but the island is beautiful and exploring it is awesome. I assume your idea of a vacation is relaxing on the beach and doing nothing because that is pretty much what will happen spending the entire day at Aulani, which is fine. I like to go do stuff on vacation so we may have different priorities

 

[kdonnel]

Have you been to Aulani before? Have you explored Oahu before? If not, I would personally suggest renting a car for more days, to me, there isn't really that much to do at Aulani but the island is beautiful and exploring it is awesome. I assume your idea of a vacation is relaxing on the beach and doing nothing because that is pretty much what will happen spending the entire day at Aulani, which is fine. I like to go do stuff on vacation so we may have different priorities

I echo this sentiment.

Unless you have already spent lots of days on Oahu and are tired of seeing it all, I would want to get out and explore. If it were me and I just wanted a beach vacation there are a lot better beaches and hotels to spend a week then Aulani. What makes Aulani special is the rest of Hawaii that surrounds it.

 

[castle1]

I agree with the above posters. I would definitely add at least another day to explore Oahu. There is so much to see there, unless you have already done that.

 

[Midoria]

Hah...believe me, we did, and yeah, there is some back and forth, but nothing horrible. Plus, compared to the miles we will be driving on the Big Island after Oahu, this is nothing!

It’s not just about miles, but also traffic.

 

[nkereina]

Have you been to Aulani before? Have you explored Oahu before? If not, I would personally suggest renting a car for more days, to me, there isn't really that much to do at Aulani but the island is beautiful and exploring it is awesome. I assume your idea of a vacation is relaxing on the beach and doing nothing because that is pretty much what will happen spending the entire day at Aulani, which is fine. I like to go do stuff on vacation so we may have different priorities

I echo this sentiment.

Unless you have already spent lots of days on Oahu and are tired of seeing it all, I would want to get out and explore. If it were me and I just wanted a beach vacation there are a lot better beaches and hotels to spend a week then Aulani. What makes Aulani special is the rest of Hawaii that surrounds it.

Agree with these posts. If its a beach vacation you want, I will warn that the beach at Aulani was just ok for us. The sand at Aulani and at several of the beaches we visited (save for Kailua) were a brown color coarse sand, and the lagoon was fairly deep. At other beaches, the ocean waves were high and not conducive to swimming for someone who's not a very strong swimmer. We like Clearwater Beach better (and its cheaper) for a straight beach vacation! At Aulani, we go because of everything else Hawaii has to offer with the beach being secondary and just a small part of the overall experience.

 

[Loveallthingsmouse]

I suggest downloading GyPsy Guide app for Oahu. It narrates your drive for you and highlights places to stop and see along the route. We really enjoyed our carventures around Oahu.

 

[kdonnel]

I suggest downloading GyPsy Guide app for Oahu. It narrates your drive for you and highlights places to stop and see along the route. We really enjoyed our carventures around Oahu.

We used that on Maui during our drive to Hana. It was great.

 

[kdonnel]

It’s not just about miles, but also traffic.

I never really saw the traffic in Honolulu as that bad but I regularly drive in Atlanta traffic that is just as bad. It just felt like home!

 

[Midoria]

I never really saw the traffic in Honolulu as that bad but I regularly drive in Atlanta traffic that is just as bad. It just felt like home!

Except for the itinerary is all over the island - not just Honolulu.

 

[corgi_monster]

I'd drop Liliha Bakery for breakfast. The food isn't good and it's overpriced. $5 for Vienna Sausage straight outta the can!!! They're known for their cream puffs and their unnatural, nuclear red jelly, both of which you can buy anytime of the day at the 24 hour Liliha location.

I think it would be difficult to accomplish all those things in one day, but this is the order I'd suggest trying:

-dole plantation
- Haleiwa/Matsumotos
- Laniakea
- Drive around the North side of the island to Byodo-In
- La Marianas
- Backtrack to Liliha Bakery (traffic will be very light at this time) for dessert
- Pick up Malasadas from Leonard's Waikele food truck location for second dessert

If you're visiting during the later half of the month keep in mind that the University Of Hawaii is back in session on the 20th. Historically, traffic is horrendous that week and I'd add 20% to all rush hour commute times. There should be little difference between Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

[gregf71]

I'd drop Liliha Bakery for breakfast. The food isn't good and it's overpriced. $5 for Vienna Sausage straight outta the can!!! They're known for their cream puffs and their unnatural, nuclear red jelly, both of which you can buy anytime of the day at the 24 hour Liliha location.

I think it would be difficult to accomplish all those things in one day, but this is the order I'd suggest trying:

-dole plantation
- Haleiwa/Matsumotos
- Laniakea
- Drive around the North side of the island to Byodo-In
- La Marianas
- Backtrack to Liliha Bakery (traffic will be very light at this time) for dessert
- Pick up Malasadas from Leonard's Waikele food truck location for second dessert

If you're visiting during the later half of the month keep in mind that the University Of Hawaii is back in session on the 20th. Historically, traffic is horrendous that week and I'd add 20% to all rush hour commute times. There should be little difference between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thanks for the alternative options corgi_monster. We will definitely take it into consideration.

 

[gregf71]

Have you been to Aulani before? Have you explored Oahu before? If not, I would personally suggest renting a car for more days, to me, there isn't really that much to do at Aulani but the island is beautiful and exploring it is awesome. I assume your idea of a vacation is relaxing on the beach and doing nothing because that is pretty much what will happen spending the entire day at Aulani, which is fine. I like to go do stuff on vacation so we may have different priorities

Hi - Yes, we have been to Oahu before, but this will be the first time for our daughter (12). Our trip is in two parts, first at Aulani, followed by a week on the Big Island. While on Oahu, we want to relax and enjoy the amenities of Aulani, but figured one day out and about would be fun. The more exciting plans are being made for the Big Island (fluming, kayaking, serious snorkeling, submarine, volcanoes, observatory, etc.). We really want Oahu to be the chill and unwind part of the vacation, giving us the energy for what is to come on the Big Island.

 

[gregf71]

It’s not just about miles, but also traffic.

Living in SoCal, we are used to traffic.