TRIP REPORT - July 2018 Waikiki and Aulani FIRST Visit! Last for Aulani

Aargh! You might want to check again on flight transfers. The Marriott and SPG programs are now fully merged and transfers to airlines do not look great. That said, I think I can still get a free stay in Waikiki with my bonus and my Marriott Points. Still not bad! And yes, I got the Business card and used our very, very modest Ebay business (less than $500 per year).

Can you help me on this a minute? If I have 80K SPG points from what I can tell this is 96,000Hawaiian Points. The 1 to 1 transfer plus the 20 percent bonus. True or no? hanks for the tip on the ebay business...I have a decent one actually did not think of that! Thanks!
 
Here is the new point chart:

https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/redeem/travel/points-to-miles.mi

It looks like it is 3 SPG: 1 Hawaiian Air

I don't see anything about the bonus...Bummer!

I did an online chat BEFORE I opened this card and after to confirm 1 to 1. I just called NOW after seeing your note and complained. THey put a call ticket in for me and I told them to pull up my on line chat as I was assured it was 1 to 1. It does though mention the 15k bonus with a 60k transfer in the paragraph above the chart so I guess technically there is that bonus but the same as the last one. I wanted to use THESE points and my HA points to fly first class one way. I think I can still stretch it to work but will take ALLLL the points...thanks for the info!!!
 
Excellent review. I’m glad you liked Halekulani so much. It’s easily my favorite place to be if I’m in Honolulu and I sing praises of it to all my friends when they ask where to stay.

I think your review highlights how an active vacation style can really be hampered if you choose to stay in a place like Aulani. Hawaii for me is a place to go and unwind at a resort, lay on the beach with a good book, and lose some brain cells on fruity drinks for days on end. If these are your goals, Aulani is the place to be.

If you want to be near the action, basically anywhere in Waikiki such as Halekulani is it. While I have done some great relaxing there, I find it nowhere near as enjoyable as more isolated resorts like Aulani or Turtle Bay.

Reading your vacation report where you were waking up so early everyday and packing it full of tours gave me anxiety. By the time you get home it’s almost like you need a vacation from your vacation and is something I reserve for trips abroad where chances of returning are slim.

Again, great review and great insight/tips.
 


Excellent review. I’m glad you liked Halekulani so much. It’s easily my favorite place to be if I’m in Honolulu and I sing praises of it to all my friends when they ask where to stay.

I think your review highlights how an active vacation style can really be hampered if you choose to stay in a place like Aulani. Hawaii for me is a place to go and unwind at a resort, lay on the beach with a good book, and lose some brain cells on fruity drinks for days on end. If these are your goals, Aulani is the place to be.

If you want to be near the action, basically anywhere in Waikiki such as Halekulani is it. While I have done some great relaxing there, I find it nowhere near as enjoyable as more isolated resorts like Aulani or Turtle Bay.

Reading your vacation report where you were waking up so early everyday and packing it full of tours gave me anxiety. By the time you get home it’s almost like you need a vacation from your vacation and is something I reserve for trips abroad where chances of returning are slim.

Again, great review and great insight/tips.

Lol! I originally DID view this as a one and one trip to Hawaii...but honestly being on a 7 hour time difference really does lend itself to up early. We are just NOT sit and do nothing types of people. LAST Summer we spent a good chunk of July in SoCal thru the various sittings and did have a 2 day do nothing relax time at the Hotel Del Coronado and loved it. But we were so done with the beach after 2 days!!!! I guess when I vacation somewhere I feel like there is so much to SEE, it is hard to sit and do nothing. I got to work on that! :) We are headed back in July 2019 and I already mapped out my tentative schedule and I have every other day on the beach. That is a HUGE leap for me...not sure how long it will last but for now at least! :)
 
I totally see where you are coming from, especially if you thought it was a one and done kind of trip.

When I’m in Hawaii the time difference definately plays to our favor in terms of utilizing most of the day, but having worked forever in healthcare switching between day and night shift, I acclimate very quickly. For me the days being up early just means I get the best spots on the beach/pool.

Do you plan on seeing any other islands when you come for your next visit?
 
I totally see where you are coming from, especially if you thought it was a one and done kind of trip.

When I’m in Hawaii the time difference definately plays to our favor in terms of utilizing most of the day, but having worked forever in healthcare switching between day and night shift, I acclimate very quickly. For me the days being up early just means I get the best spots on the beach/pool.

Do you plan on seeing any other islands when you come for your next visit?

We plan to do the Godspeed adventure tour to see the full circle island tour and another private day with them for hiking, surfing, snorkeling...Those are big activities...we missed south end totally! I was TOLD if I did not like Aulani the rest of the islands are a bit sleepy like Aulani and that turns me a bit off. My plan is to do San Franisco for 4 days THEN Fly to HNL to 10 days with a full stay at HAlekaulani but visiting more beaches this go round and more on our own time. If you have any suggestions please share. thanks!
 


We plan to do the Godspeed adventure tour to see the full circle island tour and another private day with them for hiking, surfing, snorkeling...Those are big activities...we missed south end totally! I was TOLD if I did not like Aulani the rest of the islands are a bit sleepy like Aulani and that turns me a bit off. My plan is to do San Franisco for 4 days THEN Fly to HNL to 10 days with a full stay at HAlekaulani but visiting more beaches this go round and more on our own time. If you have any suggestions please share. thanks!

You’re right. Just about every other island (and even the north shore of Oahu) can be pretty sleepy and will shut down VERY early. Maui is probably the most active of the other islands, but still won’t compare to Waikiki. Long term I recommended spending at least a couple of nights on a different island as they are all very unique visually/geographically and I honestly find them to be even prettier than Oahu, which unto itself is ridiculously beautiful.

Overall though it seems like you’ve got things to do on Oahu pegged and you’ve probably spent more hours researching things to do than I ever have. I reserve my tedious planning for trips to Europe or our annual trip to Asia.
 
You’re right. Just about every other island (and even the north shore of Oahu) can be pretty sleepy and will shut down VERY early. Maui is probably the most active of the other islands, but still won’t compare to Waikiki. Long term I recommended spending at least a couple of nights on a different island as they are all very unique visually/geographically and I honestly find them to be even prettier than Oahu, which unto itself is ridiculously beautiful.

Overall though it seems like you’ve got things to do on Oahu pegged and you’ve probably spent more hours researching things to do than I ever have. I reserve my tedious planning for trips to Europe or our annual trip to Asia.


THanks! A friend of mine just returned from Maui and declared I would been be bored stiff so it that is the most active island I would be in trouble!!!!!! THanks for the thoughts!
 
Day 7 - Ohau Private Tours Day.
Fantastic Company! Very reasonable and so accommodating. We had the owner, Jason, as our guide today. We had spoken with him months ago to line up our date and chose a combination tour of site seeing and activities for the North Shore.

We stopped briefly at a coffee plantation for free samples and the opportunity to buy real beans harvested in Hawaii.We then visited several scenic sites along the way as well as swimming with turtles - this was amazing. You are in the water with them and the beach was accessed thru a neighborhood pathway between homes. It was interesting. Could never have found on our own this way. We had around 8 turtles swimming with us.

My husband also cliff jumped and we snorkeled at Sharks Cove which was beautiful. Fear not, it is shaped as a shark's fin hence the name...there are no sharks!

The day went fast and we did a lot. We stopped for the best poke, per our guide, which is Foodland grocery store of all places in the North SHore! We snacked on this while driving to the food trucks in the North shore. Great fish tacos! Dessert of course followed thanks to Leonards. All of this was part of the tour - aside from price of the food - and we were together for 8 hours with our guide.

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I feel as though we saw a lot! We got back to Aulani around 5:30. We had dinner plans tonight for the character meal but we ended up rescheduling it for a breakfast later in the trip. I just wasn't sure WHAT time we would be back and I didn't want to stress about it.

Dinner was Onu Steak and Shrimp which was super reasonable and good! Kind of hole in the wall type place but ok. Had I realized what it was I would have done takeout.

We wanted to watch Hawaii 5 0 tonight in our room but the Wifi is ridiculous...no way could Netflix be streamed. I was trying to download photos for a text and gave up. Yet my ability to do all of this was fine near Costco.


We LOVED Oahu Private Tours!!! We also had Jason for the 2nd day of our tour with them. He is amazing and really takes you to places that tourists don't know about.
 
We LOVED Oahu Private Tours!!! We also had Jason for the 2nd day of our tour with them. He is amazing and really takes you to places that tourists don't know about.

I assume if you did two days you did both north and south? When you were on the south tour, I can't think of the name of the tidepool, it begins with an M but apparently it is super steep to go down there. Did you go down and swim?I found another private tour that I may use next time or might just go back with Jason but the other group goes into the tidepool and swims for a few hours snorkel etc. Was this an option for you on the south tour?
 
I assume if you did two days you did both north and south? When you were on the south tour, I can't think of the name of the tidepool, it begins with an M but apparently it is super steep to go down there. Did you go down and swim?I found another private tour that I may use next time or might just go back with Jason but the other group goes into the tidepool and swims for a few hours snorkel etc. Was this an option for you on the south tour?

I am not sure where we went as we just sat back and let them drive. Our first guide was Lukell and he was amazing. My kids (19 and 22) loved him and he was amazing. We did similar things that you had pictures of, cliff jumping, the temple, swimming with turtles, etc... but he also took us to the Mermaid Cave and the film location for Hunger Games. The second day with Jason he took us to some picturesque locations on the island where we saw some beautiful views then he took us on a hike to a remote waterfall. Unfortunately it rained heavily the night before so it was really muddy and slippery but we made it up and swam in the pool up there. We did great lunches at locations that I probably would not have stopped on my own and the snow cones were to die for. It was just amazing. We loved that they picked us up at the hotel, they provided the snorkels and towels, they also had water bottles if we got thirsty. They have amazing knowledge of the island and you get to see things that you wouldn't see if you tried it on your own. You get to customize your tour when you tell them what you are interested in. That is what I really liked, and you can't beat the cost for a family of 4 for an 8 hour tour. We did not have to do our 2 days back to back so we did 1 day, did a day at the hotel, and did the 2nd day.
 
I am not sure where we went as we just sat back and let them drive. Our first guide was Lukell and he was amazing. My kids (19 and 22) loved him and he was amazing. We did similar things that you had pictures of, cliff jumping, the temple, swimming with turtles, etc... but he also took us to the Mermaid Cave and the film location for Hunger Games. The second day with Jason he took us to some picturesque locations on the island where we saw some beautiful views then he took us on a hike to a remote waterfall. Unfortunately it rained heavily the night before so it was really muddy and slippery but we made it up and swam in the pool up there. We did great lunches at locations that I probably would not have stopped on my own and the snow cones were to die for. It was just amazing. We loved that they picked us up at the hotel, they provided the snorkels and towels, they also had water bottles if we got thirsty. They have amazing knowledge of the island and you get to see things that you wouldn't see if you tried it on your own. You get to customize your tour when you tell them what you are interested in. That is what I really liked, and you can't beat the cost for a family of 4 for an 8 hour tour. We did not have to do our 2 days back to back so we did 1 day, did a day at the hotel, and did the 2nd day.

Thanks....Jason, our north shore day, was as described in my report but the south side has tidepools which it sounds like you did not opt to visit. But to your points we could easily request that as I know groups go down there to snorkel etc. Was the mermaid cave that crazy place where the water rises and you have to time your entry and exit so water isn't over your head?
 
Thanks....Jason, our north shore day, was as described in my report but the south side has tidepools which it sounds like you did not opt to visit. But to your points we could easily request that as I know groups go down there to snorkel etc. Was the mermaid cave that crazy place where the water rises and you have to time your entry and exit so water isn't over your head?

Yes, but we just watched others do it. We were kind of chicken but it looked like fun.
 

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