Aulani Tips and Off Resort must-do’s

[Andyscoming]

My fiancé and I are going to Aulani in June. We’ll be there 6 nights and 7 days and neither of us have ever been to Hawaii before. We’re planning on going off the resort and exploring O’ahu for 3 or 4 days. Just looking for any advice on what we should do off the resort. We definitely want to go to the Pearl Harbor memorial and have heard a helicopter ride is a must. Any other advice?

 

[LizzyDragon]

I like doing the road to Haleakala.

 

[Hannah nz]

The road to Haleakala is on Maui. I would recommend a north shore drive if you want a scenic drive on Oahu. You can go past Dole plantation (touristy), Haleiwa for shaved ice and food trucks, and head to Turtle Bay area stopping at the beach on way. The Waimea gardens are there too, with a waterfall.

We loved Pearl Harbor and spent a full day there with the other museums, the Missouri etc.

People on here have been to and loved the Polynesian Cultural centre, Kualoa ranch, and the Byodo-In temple which are on the eastern side of the island. If you love walking there is Diamond or Koko head.

I would say a snorkel or boat trip is a must do if you like swimming. There is Hanauma Bay which you can drive to and snorkel off beach. It is not as nice as off the boat in my opinion.

 

[Pete W.]

My fiancé and I are going to Aulani in June. We’ll be there 6 nights and 7 days and neither of us have ever been to Hawaii before. We’re planning on going off the resort and exploring O’ahu for 3 or 4 days. Just looking for any advice on what we should do off the resort. We definitely want to go to the Pearl Harbor memorial and have heard a helicopter ride is a must. Any other advice?

You didn't mention budget although you reference a helicopter ride which isn't cheap so I'll recommend a sunset cruise with Mana Cruises (manacruises.com) out of the Ko Olina Marina which is within walking distance from Aulani (or a <5 minute ride). This was one of the absolute highlights of our 2-week Hawaii trip in 2018. The cruise was 5-8:30pm in a luxury catamaran and they serve drinks and an excellent “pupu tasting menu” which was definitely a full meal. They only allow a maximum of 6 people on the cruise and on our night it was just us and one other couple (they still sail if they don’t meet the 6 passenger maximum) so it was really a wonderful, private experience. It cost $450 for the two of us but it looks like they've lowered their prices, probably because they're struggling to survive like most "non-essential" businesses so if you can afford a splurge I would highly recommend it.

 

[Christine & family]

Hi. We just came back last week and posted a YouTube video of some of the amazing adventures we had off property to share with friends. I don’t normally post links so not sure if it’s allowed but in case it helps. We did Pearl Harbor, Kualoa Ranch, a private excursion with a guide, and then some of our own exploring.

 

[happymommy]

Depending on where you’re coming from, I’d recommend longer if you can. We come from the east coast, and own at the Marriott Ko Olina. We always go for at least 2 weeks, sometimes 4. It’s a long day to get there, and summers have a six hour time difference.

Definitely don’t miss the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium! Younger folks will appreciate the fun stuff you can buy like amazing scented candles and soaps. It’s every Wed, Sat, and Sun, and go early as it gets hot on the pavement.

My kids enjoyed the Atlantis submarine at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, but it’s not a “must do”.

Right at the marina at Ko Olina, we took a boat trip to snorkel with spinner dolphins once, which was really fun. Even my youngest who was very young at the time loved it.

I lived on the windward side for a few years, so when we go back it’s mostly to relax and sometimes go back to places we liked to eat and walk around. But for a honeymoon, I doubt you’re looking for mom & pop places, maybe more fancy. Sad that Alan Wong’s is closing for good now.

 

[nkereina]

DH and I made our first trip to Hawaii on our honeymoon. The "must do" things that we would repeat on a future trip are the North Shore and Kualoa Ranch. If you're movie fans, I recommend the VIP movie tour at Kualoa.

I agree that Pearl Harbor is a must for first time visitors. We did Diamond Head as well - glad we did it, but not something I'd do again. I would not recommend it as a priority unless you happen to be fans of hiking. We did a helicopter ride on Kauai, but there are several to choose from on Oahu. It was pricey, but definitely a unique experience with some beautiful views!

I'm not sure what's currently open at Aulani and who knows what will change by June, but if you can, I highly recommend getting spa treatments at Aulani. I'm a frequent spa visitor when we travel, and Aulani's is the nicest we've visited. We also loved breakfast at Ama Ama.

 

[sparks&whimsy]

One thing I always suggest is a bit of a thrill seeking excursion but the open water snorkel with sharks through One Ocean Diving is an amazing experience. If you are not quite ready for open water then the cage snorkel with North Shore Shark adventures is also an option.

 

[Andyscoming]

One thing I always suggest is a bit of a thrill seeking excursion but the open water snorkel with sharks through One Ocean Diving is an amazing experience. If you are not quite ready for open water then the cage snorkel with North Shore Shark adventures is also an option.

Open water swimming with sharks sounds like an amazing experience to me! May be going to that one alone though lol

 

[Andyscoming]

Depending on where you’re coming from, I’d recommend longer if you can. We come from the east coast, and own at the Marriott Ko Olina. We always go for at least 2 weeks, sometimes 4. It’s a long day to get there, and summers have a six hour time difference.

Definitely don’t miss the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium! Younger folks will appreciate the fun stuff you can buy like amazing scented candles and soaps. It’s every Wed, Sat, and Sun, and go early as it gets hot on the pavement.

My kids enjoyed the Atlantis submarine at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, but it’s not a “must do”.

Right at the marina at Ko Olina, we took a boat trip to snorkel with spinner dolphins once, which was really fun. Even my youngest who was very young at the time loved it.

I lived on the windward side for a few years, so when we go back it’s mostly to relax and sometimes go back to places we liked to eat and walk around. But for a honeymoon, I doubt you’re looking for mom & pop places, maybe more fancy. Sad that Alan Wong’s is closing for good now.

I’d love to stay longer but we’re doing 6 or 7 nights at Aulani and bookending it with a California coast road trip with Disneyland and LA prior and San Fran and Big Sur one the back end. Well do some finer dining but both my fiancé and I love finding the mom and pop places that’s off the beaten path for tourists when we travel!

 

[happymommy]

I’d love to stay longer but we’re doing 6 or 7 nights at Aulani and bookending it with a California coast road trip with Disneyland and LA prior and San Fran and Big Sur one the back end. Well do some finer dining but both my fiancé and I love finding the mom and pop places that’s off the beaten path for tourists when we travel!

Oh, that sounds like fun!

There are a lot of really good mom & pop places on Oahu, matter of fact we rarely do fine dining there (maybe one nice dinner in 2 weeks but most often not). I’m sure you’ll have a great time! Definitely plan down time to enjoy the resort!