5 nights at Aulani suggestions

[modavi]

Hello, I’ll be heading to Aulani for 5 nights early February 2022 for my first trip with my wife and an 11 month old and a 4 year old. I was wondering if anyone had any itinerary suggestions for us?

We’re going to be renting a car, but im not sure how many days we plan on leaving the resort or which activities might be appropriate for our family. Does anyone have any recommendations for how they might spend 4 full days (5 nights) at Aulani? We’re headed to Maui afterwards for another 5 nights which I'm more familiar with.

Thanks!

 

[JC1984]

Pearl Harbor…start teaching your kids young!

 

[Dory92130]

at 11m and 4yo - they won't remember -- it's all about your photo and video memories.

 

[abdgeek]

There’s a lot to do on Oahu. Letting us know the things you like to do will help people provide targeted suggestions. Do you like museums, luaus, hiking, snorkeling, historic sites, etc.? If you’re coming from the east coast, you will probably be up at 3 or 4 am your first full day there. That may be a great time to visit something off site that requires a 7 or 8 am check in. For a 5 night stay, I would recommend doing things away from the resort for the first 2-3 days and then enjoying the resort the last two before you go to Maui.

 

[lorenni]

Pearl Harbor…start teaching your kids young!

I would advise against taking small children to Pearl Harbour. For much of the location you are asked to maintain respectful silence and that’s simply not a realistic expectation for a 4 year old or 1 yr old.

The beach at Aulani is terrific for kids - shallow and gradual with basically no waves. If they like sand you’ll be all set!

Edit to add - if you venture into Honolulu/Waikiki at all both the Zoo and Aquarium are small and wonderful. We saw baby sloths and the most amazing octopus that constantly changed colour. We stood there and watched him for literally 30 minutes.

 

[FinnFogg]

We always do one day trip to the north shore…stop at the Dole plantation in the way, check out the big waves as we drive along the north shore, grab food at a food truck, then hunker down at the beach at Turtle Bay Resort for the afternoon (great for kids). Otherwise we are pretty happy hanging out in Ko Olina.

 

[modavi]

Thanks for the suggestions so far! Love the Zoo/Aquarium idea. Didn't realize they had one there but my 4 year old loves the aquarium so would likely get a kick out of that. I'd love to visit Pearl Harbour, but I'm not sure that we could give it the appropriate level of respect, so I might want to hold off on that one until a future trip.

I've heard of the north short and also think we'd like to check that out. Out of curiosity how many days do you all typically spend at the resort vs. out exploring? I like the idea of venturing out and seeing the island, but I've been told that Oahu might be a bit disappointing in comparison to Maui in that regard, and we're spending all this money on Aulani that I wonder if we should try and spend the majority of our time on the resort and get our moneys worth.

As for other things we enjoy, I'd love to go find some great local food and drink and nature. We've always enjoyed Ko'olau nature park on Maui. Anything along those lines on Oahu? I also think my son would get a kick out of seeing any wildlife we can. Possibly turtles? Not sure if we're going to be there at the right time of year for that though.

 

[modavi]

Oh, and in terms of snorkeling. I'd love to take my 4 year old. He's in swimming lessons and just learning to put his face in the water and getting more comfortable with that. Would the snorkelling at Aulani be approachable for him do you think? Or would there be somewhere else you'd recommend?

 

[lorenni]

Thanks for the suggestions so far! Love the Zoo/Aquarium idea. Didn't realize they had one there but my 4 year old loves the aquarium so would likely get a kick out of that. I'd love to visit Pearl Harbour, but I'm not sure that we could give it the appropriate level of respect, so I might want to hold off on that one until a future trip.

I've heard of the north short and also think we'd like to check that out. Out of curiosity how many days do you all typically spend at the resort vs. out exploring? I like the idea of venturing out and seeing the island, but I've been told that Oahu might be a bit disappointing in comparison to Maui in that regard, and we're spending all this money on Aulani that I wonder if we should try and spend the majority of our time on the resort and get our moneys worth.

As for other things we enjoy, I'd love to go find some great local food and drink and nature. We've always enjoyed Ko'olau nature park on Maui. Anything along those lines on Oahu? I also think my son would get a kick out of seeing any wildlife we can. Possibly turtles? Not sure if we're going to be there at the right time of year for that though.

There is a beach just west of the resort that has lots of exposed tidal flats/rocks that are great for exploring (with water safe shoes). We saw turtles swimming over there every time we went. Lots of small fish, etc. It’s walking distance - with a stroller for the littles.

At 6 my kiddo wanted to spend HOURS in the lazy River at the resort. You may get lucky there with your 4 year old. The water slides are also pretty good - there are different levels for different ages but I’m not sure if 4 is too young.

For our trip next month we’re planning on maybe 3 days out exploring and 5 just being lazy (in the lazy River). We did diamond head and Waikiki and Waimea snorkeling (I’m not spelling that right, I know) last trip. This trip we’re planning on the Dole Plantation and north shore. A drive along the west coast to the shave ice place. And then maybe the movie tour at the ranch. It’s mostly going to be a lazy trip.

 

[Dory92130]

Rainbow Reef would be the safest IMHO for 4yo learner.

Turtles a short walk up the street can be found on 'hidden beach'.

The protected beach is perfect for the young ones.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Stop by Tanioka’s market to pick up some picnic foods (great poke, and good spam musubi), then head over to Dole Plantation to picnic on their benches, then ride the train inside, and run around in the maze before getting a Dole whip. Then continue onto the N. Shore to see the waves and wander around in Haleiwa. Stop by Big Wave shrimp truck for a yummy garlic shrimp plate lunch before you head back.

Get some shave ice at a local shop (Waiola Shave Ice if you’re near the zoo/aquarium, Kaimana Shave Ice over in Haleiwa), and if you’re out by the zoo, stop by Leonard’s Bakery for Malasadas. And Da Ono Hawaiian Food is nearby for good local food. (Helena’s is better but much harder to eat there).

Whatever you do, don’t settle for any other malasadas, or Matsumoto’s Shave Ice. Bleh! (There’s also a Leonard’s food truck over at the outlet mall closer to Ko Olina)

Polynesian Cultural Center might be a fun trip - depends on your kids. Also - Bishop Museum has lots of kids activities.

Personally I have to say I always find the zoo a little disappointing. They’ve updated many of the exhibits, but have created really bad sight lines for many of the habitats. I used to go quite often as a kid, but when I go back, the nostalgia is outweighed by the comparison to pretty much every other zoo I’ve been to.

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,
Recommend to just enjoy your five days at Aulani. It's incredible. A splendid marriage of Hawaii and Disney. Don't get stressed out driving around the island with a young family. Just relax and enjoy the peace and beauty of Aulani. Your four-year old will not want to leave. If Auntie's Beach House is open by then, most definitely recommend it for the four-year old. A stellar splash zone for you to sit and enjoy with the baby.
From a 30-year resident of Oahu and proud parent of two college kids who spent their best Hawaiian vacations at Aulani...20' from our home.

 

[j&jmama]

Hi. We just came from our 5 night stay at Aulani with a 4 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. There was a storm on our first night and first full day day but we still tried the beach and the pool and went to get groceries. We spent 1 day driving out to North Shore and stopped by Dole Plantation, Matsumoto Shave Ice and Giovanni’s shrimp truck. Another day was driving to Kualoa Ranch in Kaneohe.
We were up early because of jetlag so would be at the beach for sunrise prior to driving out. Then spend time at the pools when we get back in the afternoon.
We had character breakfast and luau one day. If your kids want to have photos with the characters, their schedule is between 10am-3pm at the luau lawn with 30 minute intervals. You can see the schedule on the Aulani app. There were different characters everyday so if your kids want to have photos, then you have to be at the resort on those times/days. We also borrowed their ipad for the scavenger hunt to keep my 4 year old entertained while waiting in between character appearances.
We stayed until 6pm at the pools after the 11am checkout and had bell services store our luggage.
My 2 year old still requires her midday nap time so we had to work our schedule around that.
Just enjoy Aulani. I had planned to go to Pearl Harbor and Polynesian Cultural Center but my kids would rather stay in the resort. They never seemed to get tired of being in the water or play in the sand.

 

[tankin]

My personal ones... I think PH should be part of everyone's first trip even if you skip the ride out to the memorial due to the kids age. N. Shore with stops at Dole and PCC are family favorites. For a beginner, I'd stick to the rainbow reef at the hotel. Depending one your kids and your level of fitness, you might consider Diamond Head. Pictures at Waikiki might be fun. You might consider the trolley tours if they're going on to give you an overview of Honolulu

Personally we try to do day #1 at Aulani to adjust to the time change and then every other day...

 

[Dory92130]

FYI Pearl Harbor dock is inoperable at this time. - They closed the morning of our planned trip there and no ETA on reopening.

 

[RDominelli]

I would do the Luau it was a blast. Besides doing the amazing beach and activities at Aulani itself, we did the north shore beaches and swam with sharks (I know your little ones are too young but next time). We did a whale watching excursion out of Honalulu which is age appropriate though and a very good time. This was pre covid though.