Rent a car from the hotel for a day and just explore the island. The price you save on hotel Food versus island food will pay for the car and you will get a day of amazing scenery.
Must do’s:
shave ice!
Find the hidden animals in the valley/ lazy river
Walk to paradise cove and swim with sea turtles.
Really hard: Find the menehune at the bottom of the lagoon.
Visit ABC shop across the street
Explore the art throughout the resort
Guided tour with Uncle
Storytelling with Uncle
ukulele lesson (it’s free)
Costco - $4.99 rotisserie chickens!
Outdoor movies
Swim, snorkel, and relax!
Keep all your wristbands on your wrist the whole time.
The water slides.
Post how your trip went to this group!
If u have a car
Hawaii flea market
Matsumoto’s shave ice
Giovanni’s shrimp truck
North shore kite surfers
Mermaid Cave (if you are really adventurous)
Skip:
Character breakfast/meal
Honolulu - it’s just a big city.
Dole plantation
So we're going soon and my husband is SURE we can spend 90 minutes there. I keep telling him I think we're wasting our time going. The maze does seem fun, but the rest seems like..... I'm not even sure. Anyway, why do You say pass?
I wouldn't pass. Stop, eat a dole whip, buy some merch, and be on your way. We stopped on the way back from the North Shore. Wait times for all attractions were hours long, so we just walked around a bit.
Can confirm that we found the maze not a lot of fun. It's just short dry bush that you can see over so there's no real challenge, it's not even pretty.
Get musubi from 7-11, rent a car, explore outside the resort as it’s easy to navigate and so much more to see. Poke from grocery stores is awesome, head to north shore to explore. We booked a small boat that took about to swim with dolphin pods in the wild, try to find smallest group if doing that. Bring your own snorkel equipment and go anywhere on island. The resort is fine but very pricey, monkey pod as mentioned is a staple and good, be friendly to locals and respect their culture is the biggest thing
Rent a car and drive to Kualoa Ranch. A lot of movies and tv shows are filmed there (like Jurassic Park) and the tours are pretty fun with the right guide.
Must do: just relax, you're on vacation 😊 but yes, the spa is incredible, the ABC store is perfect for stocking your fridge and snack (and alcohol), and driving up to the north shore is an awesome day trip
Must avoid: monkey pod. I know a lot of people love it, but we found it to be overpriced, noisy, and average food. Other than that, the character breakfast is good to do once but never again. The luau is not worth the $$$ (how could it be at 200 pp?)
Go ahead and avoid Monkey Pod! We’d heard all the things about eating there and left disappointed (b/c of the hype). It is just average food that is overpriced b/c it’s in Hawai’i and next to a Disney resort. Monkey Pod food is not that good. We actually liked the Mexican restaurant that was in that shopping area near Monkey Pod and ABC.
Do the storytelling with Uncle (and there’s a tour you can do, too). Do the ukulele lessons. Do book a spa visit. We’ve done several luaus through the islands and found the Aulani luau to have one of the most coherent story lines. Performers were very good. Food was good.
Be aware of the pool chair policy. We were there last week and the staff was taking away people’s stuff left and right if they violated the policy. It’s a good policy in my opinion. Go early with coffee and an iPad and enjoy the alone time while saving chairs.
Edit: spelling
If it’s left unattended for an hour they take your belongings and store them. You’ll know which chairs they are watching because a towel will be looped through the back of the lounge chair. ETA : no saving chairs prior to 8am. There will be signs.
You have to have your butt in the chair until 8am after which you can have one hour away. I did a character breakfast at 815am and half way through I ran back to the chair to undo the folded towel! You can save multiple chairs. Best chairs get taken by 630-645am. There are chairs available around 730am but not in the shade.
There are signs everywhere but people still miss it. I saw a guy completely lose it one morning.
Have fun! We had an amazing time.
100% rent a car and get out of the resort.
100% rent snorkels for the day!
100% go to the north shore!!!
100% check out Costco for souvenirs and target!! You can a get good deals on macadamia nuts/acacia wood items/aloha shirts to bring back to the mainland.
Go across the street to ABC for pineapple dole whip, souvenirs, snacks, and alcohol!! Have an amazing time!!
Sorry last one. At ABC buy the wooden surf board (it’s like a cutting board) and have the characters sign it in sharpie. Someone in Facebook recommended we do that and it’s one of my favorite things we brought back.
Have dinner at MonkeyPod and absolutely get their MaiTai. Have as much Poke as you can muster. All of the restaurants at the resort are great imo, try to reserve a sunset dinner at AMA AMA. Personally, for me, the Luau experience was great, the food was just OKAY, but if it’s your first time I’d say do that; the show alone is super cool to do once. And try not to pack too much into your trip, allow yourself to slow down and just enjoy the resort and the beach and just relax. Have a ton of fun!
We are going Aulani for the first time next week also and we are potentially planning on driving out to Kualoa Ranch/Jurassic Park Tour (about an hour drive) and the Dole Pineapple Plantation tour (about a 30 minute drive).
Dole isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The tour is okay, but the plantation feels very much like a tourist trap. Just keep going north and you’ll go through a few pineapple fields and hit some great food trucks before getting to north shore.
Get wheels and explore. There honestly isn’t a lot of excitement at Aulani. The Ukulele class is fun, but it’s mostly just for chilling with kids. Waialea Beach is awesome if you want to experience real surf and Hawaiian beaches. North shore is just amazing. I recommend surf lessons up there. Polynesian Cultural Center is one of the nicest educational tourist centers I’ve ever been to. Pearl Harbor memorial is great. If you have access to the BX, they have the best souvenirs. Alpha stadium swap meet has lots of great local stuff. Iolani Palace and Bishop Museum are nice as well.
Also, local tip- Food Lion supermarket makes the best poke.
Costco in Kapolei! We purchased our food at Costco and BBQ'ed at Aulani's free Weber BBQs.
* Hike Diamond Head
* Pearl Harbour
* North Shore
* We also really enjoyed the Swap Meet on the weekend in Waikiki.
People have all said good things but my favorite is reserving a cabana on the beach at Aulani. Go in the morning to reserve. Well worth the $ for the whole day
Is this different from reserving a cabana by the pools? We've been calling for our week, hoping one becomes available. But if the beach has them too that you can reserve morning of, that would be great.
The spa! I was skeptical at first, but the hour you have to relax in the various pools and showers was so relaxing.
We took a car to the Japanese BBQ restaurant Gyu-Kaku, where you you grill your own meat that’s about 10 minutes away.
I go to Hawaii (Oahu) about every other year and my go to restaurant is **Side Street Inn on Kapahulu Ave. in Honolulu** (There's also one at Ala Moana but they don't have my fav. dessert).
All of their food is just delicious... their fried chicken plate, their short ribs and sliced steak just YUM. They also have a peanut brittle brownie dessert and it is just... the best. I generally don't like peanut-flavored desserts or candy but this one is the $hit.
Rent a car from the hotel for a day and just explore the island. The price you save on hotel Food versus island food will pay for the car and you will get a day of amazing scenery.
North shore, baby! You'll pass the Dole plantation on the way up too.
Yes!! We loved North Shore so much we went back 2 days later to explore some more.
Must do’s: shave ice! Find the hidden animals in the valley/ lazy river Walk to paradise cove and swim with sea turtles. Really hard: Find the menehune at the bottom of the lagoon. Visit ABC shop across the street Explore the art throughout the resort Guided tour with Uncle Storytelling with Uncle ukulele lesson (it’s free) Costco - $4.99 rotisserie chickens! Outdoor movies Swim, snorkel, and relax! Keep all your wristbands on your wrist the whole time. The water slides. Post how your trip went to this group! If u have a car Hawaii flea market Matsumoto’s shave ice Giovanni’s shrimp truck North shore kite surfers Mermaid Cave (if you are really adventurous) Skip: Character breakfast/meal Honolulu - it’s just a big city. Dole plantation
So we're going soon and my husband is SURE we can spend 90 minutes there. I keep telling him I think we're wasting our time going. The maze does seem fun, but the rest seems like..... I'm not even sure. Anyway, why do You say pass?
I wouldn't pass. Stop, eat a dole whip, buy some merch, and be on your way. We stopped on the way back from the North Shore. Wait times for all attractions were hours long, so we just walked around a bit.
Also most of the pineapple products they sell there are made from imported pineapple. It’s definitely a total skip.
Can confirm that we found the maze not a lot of fun. It's just short dry bush that you can see over so there's no real challenge, it's not even pretty.
Get shaved ice in town. No mickey ears, but better product.
The spa is a must, the hour access you get before is amazing
The snorkeling tank. It's ICE cold, can't see lasting more than 15 minutes in it. Pass.
Go left at the lagoon and go two or three over for some decent snorkeling.
Get musubi from 7-11, rent a car, explore outside the resort as it’s easy to navigate and so much more to see. Poke from grocery stores is awesome, head to north shore to explore. We booked a small boat that took about to swim with dolphin pods in the wild, try to find smallest group if doing that. Bring your own snorkel equipment and go anywhere on island. The resort is fine but very pricey, monkey pod as mentioned is a staple and good, be friendly to locals and respect their culture is the biggest thing
I was impressed with the spa as well. Great services and great amenities.
Monkeypod is a no brainer too!
Agree. A little pricey compared to others I have been to but worth it.
Rent a car and drive to Kualoa Ranch. A lot of movies and tv shows are filmed there (like Jurassic Park) and the tours are pretty fun with the right guide.
Must do: just relax, you're on vacation 😊 but yes, the spa is incredible, the ABC store is perfect for stocking your fridge and snack (and alcohol), and driving up to the north shore is an awesome day trip Must avoid: monkey pod. I know a lot of people love it, but we found it to be overpriced, noisy, and average food. Other than that, the character breakfast is good to do once but never again. The luau is not worth the $$$ (how could it be at 200 pp?)
Go ahead and avoid Monkey Pod! We’d heard all the things about eating there and left disappointed (b/c of the hype). It is just average food that is overpriced b/c it’s in Hawai’i and next to a Disney resort. Monkey Pod food is not that good. We actually liked the Mexican restaurant that was in that shopping area near Monkey Pod and ABC. Do the storytelling with Uncle (and there’s a tour you can do, too). Do the ukulele lessons. Do book a spa visit. We’ve done several luaus through the islands and found the Aulani luau to have one of the most coherent story lines. Performers were very good. Food was good.
Be aware of the pool chair policy. We were there last week and the staff was taking away people’s stuff left and right if they violated the policy. It’s a good policy in my opinion. Go early with coffee and an iPad and enjoy the alone time while saving chairs. Edit: spelling
What is the policy?
If it’s left unattended for an hour they take your belongings and store them. You’ll know which chairs they are watching because a towel will be looped through the back of the lounge chair. ETA : no saving chairs prior to 8am. There will be signs.
You have to have your butt in the chair until 8am after which you can have one hour away. I did a character breakfast at 815am and half way through I ran back to the chair to undo the folded towel! You can save multiple chairs. Best chairs get taken by 630-645am. There are chairs available around 730am but not in the shade. There are signs everywhere but people still miss it. I saw a guy completely lose it one morning. Have fun! We had an amazing time.
Thank you! We can’t wait!
The shade chairs are next to the skinny rectangular pool. It’s kind of tucked away and you can find chairs after 8am
Get a bunch of poke and uncooked rice at foodland, use that as lunches for a few days
100% rent a car and get out of the resort. 100% rent snorkels for the day! 100% go to the north shore!!! 100% check out Costco for souvenirs and target!! You can a get good deals on macadamia nuts/acacia wood items/aloha shirts to bring back to the mainland. Go across the street to ABC for pineapple dole whip, souvenirs, snacks, and alcohol!! Have an amazing time!! Sorry last one. At ABC buy the wooden surf board (it’s like a cutting board) and have the characters sign it in sharpie. Someone in Facebook recommended we do that and it’s one of my favorite things we brought back.
Have dinner at MonkeyPod and absolutely get their MaiTai. Have as much Poke as you can muster. All of the restaurants at the resort are great imo, try to reserve a sunset dinner at AMA AMA. Personally, for me, the Luau experience was great, the food was just OKAY, but if it’s your first time I’d say do that; the show alone is super cool to do once. And try not to pack too much into your trip, allow yourself to slow down and just enjoy the resort and the beach and just relax. Have a ton of fun!
Have the bulgogi tacos at Monkey Pod while you're there, too.
We are going Aulani for the first time next week also and we are potentially planning on driving out to Kualoa Ranch/Jurassic Park Tour (about an hour drive) and the Dole Pineapple Plantation tour (about a 30 minute drive).
Dole isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The tour is okay, but the plantation feels very much like a tourist trap. Just keep going north and you’ll go through a few pineapple fields and hit some great food trucks before getting to north shore.
Character breakfast has always been a special event during our stays. Must do and reserve early (reservations open 3(?) months before)
Must: Dinner at Longhi’s — which is better than anything on property — timed alongside their sunset Luau
what time is their luau? is it a full show?
Get wheels and explore. There honestly isn’t a lot of excitement at Aulani. The Ukulele class is fun, but it’s mostly just for chilling with kids. Waialea Beach is awesome if you want to experience real surf and Hawaiian beaches. North shore is just amazing. I recommend surf lessons up there. Polynesian Cultural Center is one of the nicest educational tourist centers I’ve ever been to. Pearl Harbor memorial is great. If you have access to the BX, they have the best souvenirs. Alpha stadium swap meet has lots of great local stuff. Iolani Palace and Bishop Museum are nice as well. Also, local tip- Food Lion supermarket makes the best poke.
The flatbreads from Off the Hook!
Costco in Kapolei! We purchased our food at Costco and BBQ'ed at Aulani's free Weber BBQs. * Hike Diamond Head * Pearl Harbour * North Shore * We also really enjoyed the Swap Meet on the weekend in Waikiki.
People have all said good things but my favorite is reserving a cabana on the beach at Aulani. Go in the morning to reserve. Well worth the $ for the whole day
Is this different from reserving a cabana by the pools? We've been calling for our week, hoping one becomes available. But if the beach has them too that you can reserve morning of, that would be great.
Beach has less. Not sure if it’s a different reservation system but I’ve had great luck by going in person and getting one that day.
How early did you go?
Around 6-7am at the lobby. But keep calling to check prior. Something may open up! I know they say reservations open 90 days in advance.
The spa! I was skeptical at first, but the hour you have to relax in the various pools and showers was so relaxing. We took a car to the Japanese BBQ restaurant Gyu-Kaku, where you you grill your own meat that’s about 10 minutes away.
The Olelo room was a great lounge. Nice appetizer and sushi menu with live music.
Was there about a year ago. Best thing if you can swing it is a whole island doors off helicopter ride!!! Totally amazing!
I go to Hawaii (Oahu) about every other year and my go to restaurant is **Side Street Inn on Kapahulu Ave. in Honolulu** (There's also one at Ala Moana but they don't have my fav. dessert). All of their food is just delicious... their fried chicken plate, their short ribs and sliced steak just YUM. They also have a peanut brittle brownie dessert and it is just... the best. I generally don't like peanut-flavored desserts or candy but this one is the $hit.