Dining outside Aulani?

[goofynut41]

Is there a McDonalds or other fast food places near Aulani that you can walk too?

 

[newdeal]

no, Ko Olina is basically a gated golf course community. The closest to fast food is a pizza place, a taco place, a "Hawaiian bbq" place (which to me was bad Chinese food)...I think thats about it

 

[kyton]

There is also a Country Market place which has plate meals and takeaway foods plus Eggs n Things has just opened.

But no chain stores within walking distance. Kapolei, which is approx 8-10mins up the highway, has all the regular chains.

 

[goofynut41]

Ok thanks so I guess I have to buy all these expensive meals... Oh well Guess I'll eat once a day LOL

 

[newdeal]

not really, if you are planning on going and not leaving the area of Ko Olina you are missing out on real Hawaii. Rent a car and drive the island then you can eat where you want and see Hawaii, not just a hotel

 

[southerngirl528]

Is there a McDonalds or other fast food places near Aulani that you can walk too?

Newdeal and Kyton covered some your options that easily walkable, right across the street from Aulani. The Country Market (is that the ABC store?) has a lot of takeout options that would not be pricey. I believe Vintage Coffee is still there and they do have acai bowls and some breakfast items I know, not sure about later in the day.

Don't forget that you can walk down the beachwalk to the other resorts and check out their fast food options too, like the Marriott Ko Olina Vacation Club. (Four Seasons is going to be pricey for sure.) Ulu Cafe at Aulani has some good options, but to really save money, why not go to the very nearby Costco and/or Safeway or BigTarget and pick up some breakfast and lunch fixings? If you have a small fridge and a microwave, that avails you to more economical options! And if you will be in a DVC villa, even a studio will have a toaster, coffee maker, under counter fridge and microwave.

 

[goofynut41]

not really, if you are planning on going and not leaving the area of Ko Olina you are missing out on real Hawaii. Rent a car and drive the island then you can eat where you want and see Hawaii, not just a hotel

I'm not driving in that traffic...

 

[happymommy]

I would think it's a mistake to go all the way to Aulani and not check out Oahu.

Yes, traffic to and from Honolulu can be heavy, but timing it right and you're okay.

There are plenty of inexpensive places to eat in Kapolei, but honestly, I don't go to Hawaii to eat McDonald's. There are local places that are much more interesting! Sushi Bay in Kapolei is not only inexpensive, but amazing and huge portions! Go early, as there is always a wait (you sign in) starting when they open at 10am. OMG we go almost every other day when we're in Ko Olina.

How long is your trip? If it's a financial hardship to eat while there, I'd rethink going. I enjoy nice meals on vacation, but at Ko Olina (we own at the Marriott), we often will eat lunch out in town or while exploring, then grill dinner (or grill lunch; our grills are open 24/7 and I don't understand why Aulani restricts their grilling times, oh yeah I do, it's so you buy their food). We shop at Target and Costco in town, which has prices (other than bread, milk and eggs) that are the same as at home.

I cannot imagine not having a rental car there, other than folks who are used to driving on the other side of the road being uncomfortable so using cabs or organized tours instead. We have one the whole time, and last summer that was 31 nights. I got one for $900 for that timeframe. Yes, some days we just stayed at the resort, but I prefer having it handy to pick up things in town and also to go around.

I've taken our kids back 11 times, but also my oldest was born there when we lived in Kailua. We're on the east coast now.

You don't want to miss the flea market at the stadium too! Go early, it gets hot!

 

[happymommy]

Another thought: if you already have your plane tickets, why not stay elsewhere on Oahu? There are much less expensive places, like the Marriott right there, or in Waikiki there are a ton of hotels (and they are walking distance to a ton of dining options).

 

[newdeal]

I'm not driving in that traffic...

THE traffic isnt that bad really. PLUs it only gets somewhat bad near honolulu and there are plenty of places you can eat without driving all the way to honolulu. That said pretty much all tourist things do require driving through honolulu if you stay at aulani. I have no idea the price differnce but maybe consider turtle bay. THE north shore is really nice and has access by car to far more things without having to drive through honolulu to get to them

 

[alohamom]

There is also a Country Market place which has plate meals and takeaway foods plus Eggs n Things has just opened.

But no chain stores within walking distance. Kapolei, which is approx 8-10mins up the highway, has all the regular chains.

There is a bus stop right up on the highway, maybe a 5 minute walk.

There is a shelter and the bus system on Oahu is actually pretty good. I am sure you can take a bus into Kapolei if you really needed to.

 

[goofynut41]

Oh know I don't mind eating at Aulani In fact I'm looking forward to it I just if we wanted a change we could walk somewhere for something different. and I'm booking the island tour to see Oahu.

 

[happymommy]

You can definitely walk to the shopping center across the street. It's small but has a few options.

There used to be a free shuttle to a few places in Kapolei that ran weekends only (mostly for folks from overseas or who are older who don't rent a car). It had regular stops to Safeway, Target and Costco. From Safeway or Target (both in strip malls) there are options. Not sure if that shuttle is running or the schedule.

 

[pjacobi]

The Waikiki area has about a billion options for food without need for a car. That's a big advantage over Ko Olina area, but also means more crowds and congestion.

-Paul

 

[MakiraMarlena]

no chains or fast food, but there are some cheaper places at the nearby shopping center, pizza, tacos, a place called Monkeypod with a killer happy hour, the ABC store where you can pick up all kinds of food items including some entrees.

 

[Lilsia]

I'm not driving in that traffic...

Traffic is not that bad, especially if you are from any kind of decent sized city. I think people blow it out of proportion. Just avoid the rush hours just like any other city. But you do not have to go all the way to Waikiki. Kapolei is the town closest to Aulani and only 10 minutes away. They have a bunch of restaurants and stores there.

 

[southerngirl528]

Kapolei is the town closest to Aulani and only 10 minutes away. They have a bunch of restaurants and stores there.

Yes. Kapolei is the very first exit heading back toward Honolulu as I recall. It is no more than 10 minutes. If you avoid rush hour (think locals all heading IN to Honolulu/Waikiki in the morning, and reverse at end of work day), you will find very little traffic at all in my experience.

 

[goofynut41]

Traffic is not that bad, especially if you are from any kind of decent sized city. I think people blow it out of proportion. Just avoid the rush hours just like any other city. But you do not have to go all the way to Waikiki. Kapolei is the town closest to Aulani and only 10 minutes away. They have a bunch of restaurants and stores there.

I'm from the country, really backwoods country lol. We was there a few years ago and it scared me to ride in the shuttle.. so I don't want to drive in that. I'll just let the tour people do the driving..

 

[nkereina]

I'll just add that DH and I are from upstate NY. We don't drive in traffic and are not used to it, and we rented a car for 6 days on Oahu and had no issues with it whatsoever. The highways do get congested during typical rush hour traffic times, but a lot of places can be accessed using back roads which are no different than the country roads you're used to with one lane in each direction. I can't imagine spending all that time and money to go to Oahu and be relegated to a tour bus and a gated planned tourist community.

I'll second the suggestion of staying in Waikiki instead. You would have everything in walking distance and the pink line trolley goes up and down the main parts of Waikiki and is very easy to use for a nominal fee. There are more organized tour options in Waikiki for different sightseeing, as most tour operators will offer pick up and drop off at Waikiki resorts. There are also familiar chains as well as unique Hawaiian places. DH and I stayed in Waikiki for 3 nights with no car to avoid the parking hassle and cost, and never felt we missed anything. We also did two organized tours from there. It would also be easy to Uber to Aulani for a day if you want to check out the facilities and have a meal.

 

[Lilsia]

I'm from the country, really backwoods country lol. We was there a few years ago and it scared me to ride in the shuttle.. so I don't want to drive in that. I'll just let the tour people do the driving..

Driving is still driving, no matter where you are. You stay in the lanes and don't hit anything. LOL We went to Europe and I said that I would rent a car and drive. My dad and sister freaked out ahead of time but it was that same as driving here. I think it is worse when someone else is driving since you do not have the control.