Aulani 10 days or Aulani 5 and Maui 5?

[Cinderpamela]

Cinder- how do you compare maui and aulani?

I'm scared that maui won't be as nice as Aulani.
We have decided with 5/5.

I was looking at the fairmont and westin villas.

Sounds perfect!

I too was concerned, but honestly Maui wound up being a great way to end the trip.

We loved Aulani and all Oahu had to offer, from Pearl Harbor to the North shore and Turtle Beach it was so fun and we didn't get nearly everything done that we had wanted to. So then instead of having to pack up and go home (always hard, as we love to travel) we got to experience another more relaxing island. It actually made leaving Aulani easier than if we had just headed straight home.

When we landed in Maui.... its hard to put into words, but I just knew I was gonna love that island from the moment we landed. There was just this feeling about it.

 

[taaren]

Just FYI, you can't really compare Aulani to Maui. You can compare Ka'anapali to Ko'olina, since they are both towns that were designed to be resorts (by the same developers, I believe). Maui is a very different island from Oahu, it offers different things, is a little less civilized, though not as rural as the Big Island or Kauai.

If Aulani is your cup of tea resort-wise, I'd highly recommend the Grand Wailea. That was my favorite place to stay-cation when we lived on Maui. The Sheraton over on Black Rock is pretty nice too, but not as nice as the Grand.

About the mosquitoes .... all of Hawaii will have them, but more in some places than others. Hawaii is a lot of micro-climates, when you drive 10 minutes you can go from the dry part of the island to the wet part of the island. I preferred living in the wet part for various reasons, but mosquitoes were less of a problem for me. Fortunately most of the resorts available are on the dry parts of the islands ... I don't know that I'd recommend hiking in the mountains if anyone in your party has a mosquito allergy though.

I lived over half my life on Maui, if you want to PM me any particular questions , feel free. Aulani is an amazing resort, I wish I'd been able to spend more time there, but as long as you're going to have that much time and fly all that way its worth your while to explore more than one island.

 

[Anal Annie]

OP - maybe you could compromise with a 6 /4 split?

Our trip to Aulani next month will be my 5th trip to Hawaii. IMHO it is definitely too far to go from the east coast to not experience at least 2 different islands. Maui is also our most fav. island and when we first started to plan for this trip I had hoped to do a 5 / 5 split BUT we ended up not being able to plan it that way and booked a full 7 n at Aulani followed by 3 n at the Westin Ka'anapali Villas on Maui. For Maui we converted Amex Reward points to Starwood points to book a studio at the Westin - once we did the point conversion we ended up only having enough points to book 3 nights and since we had enough points to stay at Aulani for 7 n that's how we ended up with the 7 / 3 split.

We have stayed in both Wailea and Ka'anapali on Maui and we personally prefer staying in the Ka'anapali area. Wailea is a more upscale area but we didn't think the beaches were as nice and felt like a lot of it was just "too upscale" for our pockets. We're more comfortable and at home at more moderate resort areas like are found in Ka'anapali. We also found more to do in Ka'anapali. We enjoy the little town of Lahaina which is adjacent to Ka'anapali and the time we were staying in Wailea we ended up spending a lot of time driving back & forth between Wailea and Lahaina. So the last time we went we stayed at the Sheraton at Black Rock and walked to Lahaina along the coastal walkway (it was only about a 10 min. walk). It was a lovely way to get around.

Planning a trip between the 2 islands isn't THAT hard. Just book your inter-island hop on a reputable airline like Hawaiian Air. Depending on where you're flying to for your home airport you may also be able to book a return flight home directly from Maui without having to transfer again thru HNL. There are several airlines that service the mainland directly from Maui. I am a firm believer in less transfers leading to a shorter trip duration that has less problems with delays and lost luggage. We booked a great deal on Alaska Airline home from Maui with just 1 stop in Seattle. I don't like to transfer more than once in either direction so that sealed the deal for me.

 

[yolie912]

Thank you!

Anal- how did you like the Westin Villas? I hear its too windy?

 

[Discomom703]

Just got back from Aulani 3 days ago.. we were there for 6 night stay... If i had to do this all over again and i will... I would do 5 / 5 split. I loved AULANI so much that my kids didnt want to leave. But I also love Maui -- esp Wailea.. we stayed at the Grand Wailea.. and can't go wrong.. If this is your first time to Hawaii and also your first to AUlani.. i say go to Maui first.. and end the trip with Aulani.. with their service and amenities.. i want my kids to end their vacation with a bang.. if its just adults then you cant go wrong either way.. have fun!!!

Hi,

I am deciding if I should do 10 days in Aulani or 5 Aulani and 5 Maui?
What do you guys think? Open to suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Anal Annie]

Thank you!

Anal- how did you like the Westin Villas? I hear its too windy?

We are going in August - can't imagine it being any more windy than any place else along the Ka'anapali coast. We stayed at the Sheraton last time which is in the same vicinity and I don't remember it being "too windy". FWIW Hawaii does get trade winds in the afternoons. But that is what you want so it's not too hot (if you're going in the summer at least).

(This is also why it's best to go snorkeling in the mornings - before the wind picks up and makes the water too choppy.)

Annie

 

[amym2]

Where are you staying on Kauai?

Maui is just wonderful. Personally I like Maui better than Oahu and while I liked Aulani I liked may condo rental at Honua Kai better. My studio had a full beautiful kitchen and W/D. The HK grounds were more expansive and lush, we could walk up and down the Kaanapali beach walk and get to different restaurants, resorts and shopping centers, we could walk to different beaches, and the ocean waves were better because it wasn't a protected lagoon. Aulani is wonderful but there are plenty of wonderful resorts that are comparable all over Hawaii

We're renting a house in Kapa'a on Kauai.

 

[trishypoo]

Hubby and I are doing a split stay in august....5 in maui and then 5 at Aulani! 35 more days!! whooop! whoop!

 

[yolie912]

Cool! Where are you staying in Maui?

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

Another vote for the split. I love all of the Hawaiian islands, but Maui feels like home to me. We prefer staying in the Kaanapali area over Wailea. We like being close to Lahaina and prefer the beaches. We've stayed at both the Hyatt and the Sheraton on Maui. We like the beach at the Sheraton the best, but prefer the Hyatt for our hotel. We just got back from a Big Island/Maui split vacation in May and we're already planning our 6th trip back to the islands. This time we are thinking we'll head back to Kauai and Maui.

 

[WDW_Diane]

Another vote for the split. I love all of the Hawaiian islands, but Maui feels like home to me. We prefer staying in the Kaanapali area over Wailea. We like being close to Lahaina and prefer the beaches. We've stayed at both the Hyatt and the Sheraton on Maui. We like the beach at the Sheraton the best, but prefer the Hyatt for our hotel. We just got back from a Big Island/Maui split vacation in May and we're already planning our 6th trip back to the islands. This time we are thinking we'll head back to Kauai and Maui.

I agree with all you said, having been to Maui twice and stayed at the same places you did. Next trip will be a big island and Kauai split, we have not seen those two yet.
Agreed that a split trip would be good for you!

 

[luv2sleep]

Hate to hijack this thread op but with so many like-minded Disney fans here I gotta ask! :

On the other islands besides Oahu, which resorts are 'most like' staying at a Disney deluxe resort? Meaning nice accommodations, super kid friendly, fun pools, lots of activities, etc?

 

[Mazz519]

We're doing 5 nights at Aulani and 5 nights on Kauai this October. DH and I have been to Oahu before, but the kids (DS11 and DD9) haven't. We may wish for more time at Aulani, but we figure that's all the more reason to go back again someday.

In terms of splits, we just booked round trip flights to Honolulu (using ff miles on United) and then booked our inter island flights separately on Hawaiian Airlines. It's only about $70 one way for inter island flights and there are lots every day.

Uh-oh, hadn't heard about mosquitoes on Kauai. Will have to remember bug spray because they love me.

Had same problem,Traveling next summer,We decided to extend trip and do 7 nts in Oahu (at Aulani) and 7 nts in Maui... Last time we went to Hawaii we did 4 islands with like 4 or 5 nts on each and it wasnt enough time. Maui is awesome as is Kauai... Oahu is a little more busy but definately wanted to check out Aulani.

 

[2disneydads]

We're doing a 6\6 split next summer. We already have the Maui part booked, at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club-Lahaina and Napili Towers. Now we are waiting for the 11 month window to book Aulani. Maui offers so much, but it is not as quiet as Kauai. We are looking forward to staying in Kaanapali, right on the beach. This resort is one of the top ten in Hawaii on the Timeshare Users Group website. Aulani is, too. Maui Ocean Club would be very similar in quality to Aulani. Hilton Grand Vacations Club resort at Kingsland in the Big Island also would be of Aulani caliber, just not right on the beach. We stayed there last time and just loved it.

 

[disneybirds]

We just got back from Hawaii and we did 5 days on the Big Island and 5 days at Aulani. I would definitely end at Aulani. We stayed at some great places, but the service at Aulani was amazing. Definitely a great way to end the vacation.

 

[luv2sleep]

We're doing a 6\6 split next summer. We already have the Maui part booked, at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club-Lahaina and Napili Towers. Now we are waiting for the 11 month window to book Aulani. Maui offers so much, but it is not as quiet as Kauai. We are looking forward to staying in Kaanapali, right on the beach. This resort is one of the top ten in Hawaii on the Timeshare Users Group website. Aulani is, too. Maui Ocean Club would be very similar in quality to Aulani. Hilton Grand Vacations Club resort at Kingsland in the Big Island also would be of Aulani caliber, just not right on the beach. We stayed there last time and just loved it.

Do you own at Maui Ocean Club?

 

[sissy_ib]

I'm planing on 8 or 9 nights at Aulani this time next year. One of my must sees in Hawaii is going to the big island and seeing Volcanoes National park. I was thinking of just doing a day trip (I know it would be a very long day) but maybe I should spend a two or three days on the big island and the rest on Oahu. Any recommendations on resorts? I will be just me, no kids or anything.

 

[Waseller77]

You can't go wrong doing either! Our family went in Feb and did a split stay between the Fairmont Kea Lani and Aulani. We came from Maine, so we wanted to make the most of our first trip to Hawaii. But, my husband requested that next time we stay primarily at Aulani!

 

[babylisa4]

Hi- I would be interested in hearing any comments about Big Island-what was your favorites to do-what area did you stay-going this Sep

 

[carissa1970]

I'm planing on 8 or 9 nights at Aulani this time next year. One of my must sees in Hawaii is going to the big island and seeing Volcanoes National park. I was thinking of just doing a day trip (I know it would be a very long day) but maybe I should spend a two or three days on the big island and the rest on Oahu. Any recommendations on resorts? I will be just me, no kids or anything.

I was just looking at places on the Vacation Rentals By Owner website, and there are tons of cute places right near the Volcano. Not bad pricing either. I think we are going to do a split stay next June, and rent one of these houses for 4 nights.