We just made it back from our first trip to Hawaii and really appreciated all the information we received from the board so I figured I would give some of my thoughts/experiences from the trip.
Hotel - We stayed at Aulani the entire time in a Deluxe Studio (DVC). Generally speaking this is a good option for us and the points required for this extended stay made this really necessary. That being said, the studio definitely feels small when you have a family of four for this long of a stay but it wasn't an unenjoyable experience. COVID definitely limited the full experience of the resort with the lounge being closed, no direct contact with characters for pictures, Ama Ama being closed, etc. but we still found plenty to keep us busy. We were able to utilize the gym and spa.
Pools - Pool chairs were exactly what everyone said but we either used the provided cubicles or spent time at the beach. The previously adult pool was probably the calmest of all of the pools even with the new policy.
Snorkeling - The lagoons were fun but I'd definitely go to the small lagoon just past the Four Seasons or the Turtle Beach near Paradise Cove since both had a lot more fish and we saw a sea turtle over at Turtle Beach. We had every intention of going to Hanauma Bay since everyone raved about how great an experience it is for snorkeling but they only allow you in if you get a reservation which are nearly impossible to get. We considered going standby but didn't hear great things about how easy that was to do so we avoided it. As for reservations, the bay is closed on Mondays & Tuesdays but they offer reservations for 2 days in advance (i.e. - Wednesday reservations can be made on Mondays) beginning at 7am local time. They literally sell out of all time slots within 1-2 minutes each morning and there were multiple times that I clicked on a time slot, filled out the form and by the time I hit submit they were sold out. If you do try it, I'd go for a mid-day to late day slot since the early morning ones seem to be the ones that go in less than a minute. Also, they do not allow commercial tours/operators in the bay right now so your only option is getting a reservation.
Food - We had heard that you needed to make reservations well in advance due to increased demand and limited options due to COVID. Unfortunately, we didn't really check on that until 60 days out and so we didn't get reservations at Makahiki or some of the other area restaurants people recommended. However, we found that if you went up to the restaurants they always had availability even though they said they didn't online. We got a dinner reservation and two breakfast reservations at Makahiki by just going up to the check-in counter. Same with Mina's Fish House (Four Seasons) and Monkey Pod (although dinner was a 45-90 minutes wait once you got around 6p). Overall we enjoyed the food we ate but I would echo one of the previous comments regarding Longhi's stating you should stick to the fish dishes. I got the ribeye which was probably one of the worst ones I've ever eaten but the rest of the family got fish and enjoyed it. Roy's was also good (just note their version of a brisket was closer to pot roast than a true brisket).
Oahu Excursions - We booked all our items on our own since the tours/excursions were still a little spotty on availability when we looked around initially. I don't regret that at all since it saved us some money and allowed us to do things on our own terms. We did the horseback ride and movie tour at Kualoa Ranch, Pearl Harbor (note that the movies aren't running right now due to COVID), shark encounter in North Shore, hiked up Diamond Head (views were beautiful at the top) and utilized GyPSy (app that acts like a tour guide and tells you what spots to visit) to drive around the island. The popular North Shore beaches were packed early the days we went over there as were the parks near Hanauma Bay. Parking was tough to find in those areas.
Hawaii (Big Island) - We flew over to the big island early one morning and flew back to Oahu late that night. Rented a car and drove the entire island visiting a number of stops for waterfalls, valleys, volcanoes, resorts and black sand beaches. It was a beautiful area that was much less crowded than Oahu but it made for a long day given our limited time. I'd definitely recommend breaking your trip up to stay on one of the non-Oahu islands since it was just a totally different experience and much easier to decompress/relax.
Rental Car - We ended up deciding to get a rental car for our stay (pricey but I kept searching and rebooking up until the end and was able to get a cheaper rate on a larger vehicle). I just didn't feel comfortable relying on ride share services to get where we wanted to go, didn't find great tour options and wanted the freedom on coming/going as we pleased. I don't regret the decision at all since you really are away from everything in the Ko Olina area and we enjoyed the flexibility. The Aulani rental desk wasn't open for us but I would probably have chosen less days and utilized that if it had been to minimize our costs.
Running - I like to run (training for the Dopey so I had to keep up my regime) and so I typically ran around the resort area. I usually was up early since I'm from the east coast and found the lagoon path from Four Seasons to the marina loop to be a nice run with okay lighting. The total round trip run was approx. 2.3 miles and I usually did it twice. Tried running along the roadways a couple of days as well to break up the monotony but really preferred the lagoon run even though I had to do it twice.,
East Coast Time - As others have noted, if you are from the east coast, it will take you at least a day or two to get acclimated and don't be surprised to be waking up at 2-3a on your first morning or two. I'd take the advice of just getting up and doing something early before the crowds since everyone was talking about how crazy busy the islands are right now.
Sorry for the long post but hopefully it will be helpful to some of those that are going for their first time.
Hotel - We stayed at Aulani the entire time in a Deluxe Studio (DVC). Generally speaking this is a good option for us and the points required for this extended stay made this really necessary. That being said, the studio definitely feels small when you have a family of four for this long of a stay but it wasn't an unenjoyable experience. COVID definitely limited the full experience of the resort with the lounge being closed, no direct contact with characters for pictures, Ama Ama being closed, etc. but we still found plenty to keep us busy. We were able to utilize the gym and spa.
Pools - Pool chairs were exactly what everyone said but we either used the provided cubicles or spent time at the beach. The previously adult pool was probably the calmest of all of the pools even with the new policy.
Snorkeling - The lagoons were fun but I'd definitely go to the small lagoon just past the Four Seasons or the Turtle Beach near Paradise Cove since both had a lot more fish and we saw a sea turtle over at Turtle Beach. We had every intention of going to Hanauma Bay since everyone raved about how great an experience it is for snorkeling but they only allow you in if you get a reservation which are nearly impossible to get. We considered going standby but didn't hear great things about how easy that was to do so we avoided it. As for reservations, the bay is closed on Mondays & Tuesdays but they offer reservations for 2 days in advance (i.e. - Wednesday reservations can be made on Mondays) beginning at 7am local time. They literally sell out of all time slots within 1-2 minutes each morning and there were multiple times that I clicked on a time slot, filled out the form and by the time I hit submit they were sold out. If you do try it, I'd go for a mid-day to late day slot since the early morning ones seem to be the ones that go in less than a minute. Also, they do not allow commercial tours/operators in the bay right now so your only option is getting a reservation.
Food - We had heard that you needed to make reservations well in advance due to increased demand and limited options due to COVID. Unfortunately, we didn't really check on that until 60 days out and so we didn't get reservations at Makahiki or some of the other area restaurants people recommended. However, we found that if you went up to the restaurants they always had availability even though they said they didn't online. We got a dinner reservation and two breakfast reservations at Makahiki by just going up to the check-in counter. Same with Mina's Fish House (Four Seasons) and Monkey Pod (although dinner was a 45-90 minutes wait once you got around 6p). Overall we enjoyed the food we ate but I would echo one of the previous comments regarding Longhi's stating you should stick to the fish dishes. I got the ribeye which was probably one of the worst ones I've ever eaten but the rest of the family got fish and enjoyed it. Roy's was also good (just note their version of a brisket was closer to pot roast than a true brisket).
Oahu Excursions - We booked all our items on our own since the tours/excursions were still a little spotty on availability when we looked around initially. I don't regret that at all since it saved us some money and allowed us to do things on our own terms. We did the horseback ride and movie tour at Kualoa Ranch, Pearl Harbor (note that the movies aren't running right now due to COVID), shark encounter in North Shore, hiked up Diamond Head (views were beautiful at the top) and utilized GyPSy (app that acts like a tour guide and tells you what spots to visit) to drive around the island. The popular North Shore beaches were packed early the days we went over there as were the parks near Hanauma Bay. Parking was tough to find in those areas.
Hawaii (Big Island) - We flew over to the big island early one morning and flew back to Oahu late that night. Rented a car and drove the entire island visiting a number of stops for waterfalls, valleys, volcanoes, resorts and black sand beaches. It was a beautiful area that was much less crowded than Oahu but it made for a long day given our limited time. I'd definitely recommend breaking your trip up to stay on one of the non-Oahu islands since it was just a totally different experience and much easier to decompress/relax.
Rental Car - We ended up deciding to get a rental car for our stay (pricey but I kept searching and rebooking up until the end and was able to get a cheaper rate on a larger vehicle). I just didn't feel comfortable relying on ride share services to get where we wanted to go, didn't find great tour options and wanted the freedom on coming/going as we pleased. I don't regret the decision at all since you really are away from everything in the Ko Olina area and we enjoyed the flexibility. The Aulani rental desk wasn't open for us but I would probably have chosen less days and utilized that if it had been to minimize our costs.
Running - I like to run (training for the Dopey so I had to keep up my regime) and so I typically ran around the resort area. I usually was up early since I'm from the east coast and found the lagoon path from Four Seasons to the marina loop to be a nice run with okay lighting. The total round trip run was approx. 2.3 miles and I usually did it twice. Tried running along the roadways a couple of days as well to break up the monotony but really preferred the lagoon run even though I had to do it twice.,
East Coast Time - As others have noted, if you are from the east coast, it will take you at least a day or two to get acclimated and don't be surprised to be waking up at 2-3a on your first morning or two. I'd take the advice of just getting up and doing something early before the crowds since everyone was talking about how crazy busy the islands are right now.
Sorry for the long post but hopefully it will be helpful to some of those that are going for their first time.
Last edited:
