3rd visit, what to do..

[Disneybridewifemama]

we just booked our third trip back to aulani! March 2019. The first time, we never left the resort other than to go next door to paradise cove for the turtles and a luau, second trip we left for a Pearl Harbor excursion. On our third trip we’ll have a car with and are wondering what is the best way to spend a day outside of the resort. We will have our nine year old daughter with and were hoping to zip line but I think she won’t meet the weight or height requirements she’s super petite, only 50 pounds and 50 inches.

Soooo give me your best recommendations!

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

Also curious for reviews if anyone has done the canoe excursion at aulani

 

[Sunnyoboe]

Check out Kualoa Ranch. There are many different options that might interest your family such as horseback riding, atvs, movie tours, jeep expeditions, jungle trek, etc. There is also zip lining but there are height and weight requirements. My 8yo is also lightweight and didnt meet heigh/weight. We opted for the premier movie tour, which was absolutely fantastic.

 

[kyton]

Honolulu Zoo, Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, Kualoa Ranch, Makapu’u Lighthouse hike, Byodo Temple, Diamond Head hike - these are things we have done and loved.

http://www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org/ And https://hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/queen-emma-summer-palace/ are two places we haven’t yet been.

 

[Jamesmom7]

we just booked our third trip back to aulani! March 2019. The first time, we never left the resort other than to go next door to paradise cove for the turtles and a luau, second trip we left for a Pearl Harbor excursion. On our third trip we’ll have a car with and are wondering what is the best way to spend a day outside of the resort. We will have our nine year old daughter with and were hoping to zip line but I think she won’t meet the weight or height requirements she’s super petite, only 50 pounds and 50 inches.

Soooo give me your best recommendations!

We did the atv tour at kualoa ranch. The big ones where we were all in the vehicle together. We went to the north shore and watched the surfer and had shaved ice. It was probably a huge highlight of our trip. We went to the mall to visit this Japanese store inside and bought a bunch of random Japanese candies and treats. We did a helicopter. There’s the dole plantation. You could do some hiking. Maybe swing by to see the halona blowhole. We loved visiting the local restaurants. We are visiting for the second time in October so maybe I’ll have more ideas then. We are staying for 9 nights. Last trip was last March and we loved that time of year.

 

[Jamesmom7]

Also we are planning to do the cage dive tour this time around. It’s like ages 3+.

 

[southerngirl528]

Honolulu Zoo, Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, Kualoa Ranch, Makapu’u Lighthouse hike, Byodo Temple, Diamond Head hike - these are things we have done and loved.

Love this list! And Sunnyoboe's suggestion of Kualoa Ranch! All these are great options for your family!

 

[ggc]

Simple
Book a few more islands and explore!!!!
You are truly missing the HAWAII that visitors really know and Aulanni know$ that.
Just me.

 

[glennbo123]

First, I'd say that https://hanaumabaystatepark.com/ is a must-do for snorkeling.

Second, I'd recommend these gps-guided auto-tours: https://www.shakaguide.com/ that you download to your smartphone. We did 3 of them on Kauai and 2 on Oahu and really enjoyed them. You have the benefits of having a "tour guide" but the flexibility to skip certain things or stay at an attraction/beach for as long as you'd like.

 

[KimM530]

We spent a week at Aulani last fall and rented a car while we were there and we took full advantage of exploring the island. I highly recommend spending a day at Kualoa Ranch. There are packages you can pick from with different activities for the day and they are all great options! We loved the North Shore and took a couple of trips up there for the Matsumoto shave ice. There are a lot of shave ice options on the island but this one is the BEST. If your family is interested in zip-lining I cannot say enough good things about Climb Works at Keana Farms. It was probably the best activity I have ever done on a vacation...or maybe ever. Beautiful views and the guides were awesome! Your daughter's weight shouldn't be an issue there. You only have to be 7 years old and if she is under 85 lbs she can ride tandem. If you were only planning on only choosing one activity...I would most definitely say do this! Kailua beach was our favorite and they have kayak rentals which we would have taken advantage of if we had planned ahead better. The Polynesian Cultural Center was wonderful as well. So many great options to explore on the island with a car! No matter where you go it is about an hour drive or less and it is so easy to enjoy beautiful Aulani and take advantage of everything on the island.

 

[ebonyeyes]

We just went about a month ago. Climb works zip line! It was the adults favorite activity and if your little one doesn't meet weight requirements they can still participate tandem.
Kualoa Ranch came in a close second...lots to choose from.
The kids favorite was surf lessons. We went with Lets Surf HI. https://www.letssurfhi.com/ Absolutely the best experience! Close to Aulani. Not crazy crowded like North Shore or Waikiki locations. Family owned and operated.
Whatever you do...have a great time!

 

[PetePanMan]

We love beaches, restaurants etc. on the North Shore. We go a couple times each trip. Also love Kailua and Lanikai beach area (Including pillbox hike). Also Like to go into Honolulu / Waikiki once a trip for a good restaurant.

 

[nkereina]

My choices would be a day exploring the North Shore, an excursion or two at Kualoa Ranch, beach day in Kailua, and an evening shopping and dining in Waikiki.

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

We just went about a month ago. Climb works zip line! It was the adults favorite activity and if your little one doesn't meet weight requirements they can still participate tandem.
Kualoa Ranch came in a close second...lots to choose from.
The kids favorite was surf lessons. We went with Lets Surf HI. https://www.letssurfhi.com/ Absolutely the best experience! Close to Aulani. Not crazy crowded like North Shore or Waikiki locations. Family owned and operated.
Whatever you do...have a great time!

Thank you so much! Were the surf lessons ok for a child who's never done it before?

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

We did the atv tour at kualoa ranch. The big ones where we were all in the vehicle together. We went to the north shore and watched the surfer and had shaved ice. It was probably a huge highlight of our trip. We went to the mall to visit this Japanese store inside and bought a bunch of random Japanese candies and treats. We did a helicopter. There’s the dole plantation. You could do some hiking. Maybe swing by to see the halona blowhole. We loved visiting the local restaurants. We are visiting for the second time in October so maybe I’ll have more ideas then. We are staying for 9 nights. Last trip was last March and we loved that time of year.

I'm so happy to hear that you loved March. We usually go end of april but since that is easter next year, we decided to move it to march. I'm just hoping to avoid hawaii's spring break week as well. fingers crossed. We'll be there march 6-12.

 

[Jamesmom7]

I'm so happy to hear that you loved March. We usually go end of april but since that is easter next year, we decided to move it to march. I'm just hoping to avoid hawaii's spring break week as well. fingers crossed. We'll be there march 6-12.

That should be a decent time. We went the first week of March when our school used to have a different spring break that all the other schools around. It wasn’t busy at all. It definitely still had some chill at night and early morning but didn’t take long to warm up enough to get into the water. We ended up on tours with other people from our city. Now our school is in line with everyone else. If you look at aulani rates that’s still off peak for them for at least the start.

 

[GeneralTso]

Definitely go to the North Shore! It's wonderful. Lunch at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. Shave ice at Matsumotos (it's where the Obamas go!). Cute shops to explore.
Spend some time in Waikiki. It's very lively and the Royal Hawaiian is a gorgeous property to explore. Walk along the beach.
Hike Diamond Head. It's fantastic from the top.
Dinner at Monkey Pod.
I love Aulani but there is so much to do on Oahu that we explore every day.

 

[happymommy]

Wow you have been to Hawaii and missed SO MUCH!

We always have a car the whole time. Often my DH had to do work on his computer all day (until like lunchtime, time change and all), so I'd take the kids out and about. We'd go to the flea market at the stadium, to the Honolulu Zoo, once we did an Atlantis submarine ride at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (so fun, never did it when I lived there), to Kailua Beach (we used to live in Kailua), definitely the Bishop Museum is so fun for kids, the North Shore (not my favorite place, but it's high crime and sometimes we'd do the long drive around, they'd fall asleep in the back seat), the Dole plantation is a fun stop (but we don't buy much at all there, as most stuff is similar but so much cheaper at the flea market). We alternate going out and hanging out. Always shop at Costco (we stay minimum 2 weeks normally; last summer I did a month but we own at the Marriott so that's where we stay). We eat lunch out when we're out and about; grill in for lunch or dinner often.