Hi all! We are heading to Aulani in a little over a week. I was curious as to what you all thought were must dos at the resort or on the island. We have some tours booked already, but I was curious for others' opinions who have been. Any not so "touristy" things we should maybe check out as well? We will have a rental car for our 9 day stay. Thanks!
We just returned from Aulani earlier this week, and also did many of the "touristy" type things when we were there in 2010 before Aulani was open. Here a few favorites that cost little or nothing as long as you have a car.
Diamond Head hike - $5 to park, most everyone can do it, great view at the top.
Snorkeling at Haunama (sp?) Bay - $5 to park, $7.50/person for entrance, plus snorkel rental. Not only is it one of the most famous snorkel sites in the world, it is also an incredible beach. Picture a crescent shaped sandy beach with steep cliffs around you on 3 sides with the ocean on the 4th.
Koko Head Crater - Free. Google this one and check out the pictures. It's a hike up the crater on an old tram line. It's so steep I saw some people doing it "crawling" using their hands and feet because of the angle of climb. Absolutely incredible view at the top, with a view of the entire Southeastern point of the island. Very strenuous, but if you can do it, it's a great accomplishment.
Manoa Falls - Probably the most popular waterfall hike. Pretty waterfall if it's been raining. It's a walk through the rainforest, so if you've never done this it's a great place to encounter what a rainforest looks like. Prepare for mud.
Pali Lookup - $3 to park. Plaques describe the historical significance, plus it's a great view. If you choose to ignore the "Danger - Falling Rocks" sign there's a great trail down the old Pali Highway that existed before the new road was built. Don't wear a skirt or a dress unless you want to be holding on to it the entire time. It's so windy you can often lay into the wind without falling.
Kaena Point - Free. You can approach this from the South or West side. The south side has a much prettier walk along the cliffs above the ocean. The other side is kind of boring but they both end up at Kaena Point which contains an albatross habitat and a great view of the south-western tip of the island. Hot, bring something to drink and sunscreen.
Tantalus Drive/Round Top Road - 9 miles of road that weaves up the side of the mountain, and back down the other side. Not dangerous or scary for the most part, just a beautiful drive where each wide part of the road will give you another amazing view.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal - There's a monk seal that has found a sunny spot each morning very near Aulani. It was there both times we checked during our stay at about 9:00am. On the path by the beach in front of the resort start walking to the right past the Marriott. Continue to the end and you will see a warning sign that states "Ending Resort Property - Proceed at your own risk". Continue down the short incline, flip flops would be a bad idea, and at the small isolated beach around the corner, most days, the seal will be sunning itself. Some conservation district has put up string "fence" around where it suns to protect it, and because it comes here most every day it must feel safe behind that string.
The H3 - Free. What's exciting about driving on a freeway? Take the drive and you'll find out. Start from the H1 out of Aulani and get on the H3. I believe the H3 took 29 years and over a billion dollars to build. Very pretty drive and quite amazing the way they bring the road through the mountain. Immediately after the tunnel, look straight up to the right and you'll see metal stairs going up the mountain and then along the ridge. Google Haiku Stairs to get some background on this controversial project.
Looks of free stuff at Aulani. The handheld game that has you explore the pool area is a lot of fun, and they also have Ukelele lessons and some of the crafts are free. Our family also considers the free Starlit Hui a "do not miss". I think it's a better show then we saw at the Luaus.
Like I said, just back earlier this week. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.