Planning suggestions

[DisneyFan2001]

Hi we are in planning stages for late July early Aug. Would anyone be willing to comment on questions we have? We are in Midwest thinking of flying to west coast and then flight to Honolulu from there. Are there better days of the week to arrive? Airlines we should be looking at for best flights? is there a better time of day to arrive? If we want to start in Waikiki area without a car best places to stay for access to a lot of things. Renting a car and traveling to Aulani for 5 to 7 days best day trips to take from Aulani. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Lilsia]

Hi, I live in Omaha and we went a couple of years ago and also have a trip planned for this upcoming May. Our last trip, we stopped at DL for a couple of days before flying out to HI. This upcoming trip, we fly to LAX on SWA, stay the night at a hotel near the airport and then fly with Hawaiian Airlines. I am not sure that days of the week matter usually, but with the testing(who knows what it will be like in July), I think it is better to not have to test over the weekend. We like to get there during the day so we take the early morning flight out of LAX and that gets us in Oahu mid afternoon.
As for Waikiki hotel, any of them are within walking distance of the shops and restaurants in that area.
We like to drive out and explore. We did the North Shore with a stop at Waimea Falls and botanical gardens. We also did a horseback tour at Kualoa Ranch that we hope to do again. There is just so much that you can do, so depending on what your family likes, I am sure you can find it there.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[happymommy]

Hi! We live on the East Coast (near Baltimore), and go to Oahu every 2 years (we own 2 weeks at Marriott’s Ko Olina in 2 bedroom units, so 3 years ago I did the lock off and had the first 2 weeks in the studio then another 2 in the one bedroom portion). We also lived on Oahu for a few years in the 90’s. With such a long travel time, 2 weeks at least is best for us.

What major airports do you live fairly near? There are some nonstop options, like Chicago. I grew up in St. Louis, and there was back in the day a nonstop there, but that’s long gone. Took it a few times. We have always gone from BWI to either Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, or MSP. Next trip we’re going to drive out to Dulles (well, take a shuttle) and do United’s nonstop, as we’ll arrive earlier, they have Polaris lie flat seats, and it will be less travel time. Most trips, by the time we get up, get the super early flight from BWI, land, get rental car, stop at Target for some supplies, and get settled in, I’m up for nearly 24 hours and it is exhausting! Still worth it!

Waikiki will have a TON of options, and it’s a great idea to start a trip there. You won’t need a car there, traffic is awful, parking fees are high, and all of Waikiki is walkable so it won’t matter where you are, you can walk everywhere. We’ve stayed at the Moana many times, and can walk to the Hilton Hawaiian Village and back easily. We’ve also stayed at lots of other hotels (Kamaainas get great rates so we did lots of staycations for the weekends). That part will really depend on your budget and what amenities you want.

Any airline specific questions, I’d be glad to help with, as we’ve been back and forth many times. We’ve done coach (ugh), comfort plus, and first. Now that I’m in my 50’s I’m not doing coach any more, and like lie flat seats (especially since the return is always a red eye and I need at least a couple hours of sleep). We’ve done American and Delta, they’ve both been fine (once ended up on Hawaiian but it was an old seat and awful experience, but that was a unique trip as we came into Hawaii from Seoul and long story).

I’m sure you will love Aulani, as we love Ko Olina. It’s basically now like our ”vacation home”, and we don’t tour around much, just enjoy the resort, hit up the Swap Meet at the stadium, drive back to Kailua once to eat at local spots we loved in the past. Unless we’re staying in Waikiki ahead of time, I avoid it now. The traffic is too much for me, lol.

 

[corgi_monster]

I grew up on the mountain right above Aulani (Makakilo), lived in Ewa Beach (3 freeway cutoffs before Aulani), and drove to/from school/work everyday for more than 20 years. Now I live about a 5-10 minute drive from Waikiki. Trust me, Waikiki is a much better base for exploring Oahu than Aulani for exploring the island because most of the tourist attractions (Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Bishop Museum, Kailua town, Iolani Palace, to name a few) are located on the Eastern side of the island. Aulani is a better base for exploring the North Shore, though, because you can avoid most of the traffic by taking Kunia Road.

Traffic isn't nearly as bad now as it was before the pandemic, but it should still be considered when planning an Aulani trip - especially morning traffic. During "normal" times, it took anywhere from 1.5-2 hours to travel between Aulani and Waikiki during rush hour. Schools will be on break during late July so traffic should be lighter then, but August traffic will be horrible as the school year begins (assuming they will open).

If you stay in Waikiki without a car, the Kyoya hotels (Sheraton, Moana Surfrider, and Royal Hawaiian) have the best locations because you can walk to either end of Waikiki and you have easy access to the beach. If you do have a car, consider Lotus and New Otani because you can get from H-1 to the gold coast area without driving through Waikiki. Just take the 6th Ave cutoff (that's where I live now) and take the backstreets around Monsarrat to avoid Waikiki traffic. The gold coast hotels also sit on one of the nicest strips of sand in Waikiki (Kaimana Beach). Parking is expensive, but it's not much worse than Aulani's $35/night. The gold coast hotels are a long walk or a $10 Uber ride from the heart of Waikiki, though.