Aulani to Waikiki

[DonaldDuck21]

General question...first time to Hawaii...plan to spend the majority of time at Aulani but would like to see Waikiki, Diamond Head etc. Do people tend to do day trips from Aulani for this or do you stay in Waikiki for a few days? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[eeyorefanuk]

We stayed few nights in wakiki, did our "tours" then, then went to aulani and stayed on site

 

[DonaldDuck21]

We stayed few nights in wakiki, did our "tours" then, then went to aulani and stayed on site

How many nights did you stay in Waikiki

 

[eeyorefanuk]

Three then aulani then the disney hawaii cruise
Looking forward to going back to wakiki and aulani

 

[hilarys]

We have done both. If you have a specific list of things you want to see in Waikiki it is easy to do a day trip. If you want to soak up the atmosphere, explore several of the beaches, shops, etc it might be best to stay there a night or two.

 

[cgattis]

Any thoughts on a hotel in Waikiki or Honolulu? Flying in one day, and getting on a cruise ship the next. Would like to walk around historic Honolulu in between and don't really want to rent a car. Anybody know of hotels that offer airport and/or port shuttles? TIA!

 

[Me!Thatswho]

We rented a car and visited Diamond Head, Waikki, and Pearl Harbor on separate days. We also literally drove around the entire island (well, as far as the coastal roads went). Because we are from the East Coast, we never really adjusted to the time zone so we would be on the road by 7am at the latest. We stayed out until noon on most days, then headed back to Aulani and relaxed poolside for the rest of the day and evening. Granted, we didn't see everything we wanted to, but it we felt is was the best of both types of trips - commando & just chillin'!

 

[vikequeen]

We did day trips. It really wasn't that far, and the atmosphere in Waikiki and Aulani are vastly different. I would rather stay home than stay in Waikiki, but I know others who enjoy it there. You just need to be sure you know what you are signing up for.

 

[MichelleB]

I would rather stay home than stay in Waikiki,

I agree with you! We are going in June and this is the first time taking our kids. We'll take them to Waikiki so they can see it as well but not the highlight of my trip.

 

[nmmom95]

We did day trips. It really wasn't that far, and the atmosphere in Waikiki and Aulani are vastly different. I would rather stay home than stay in Waikiki, but I know others who enjoy it there. You just need to be sure you know what you are signing up for.

I agree with this. We just went in July, and Waikiki is gorgeous, but very crowded. Aulani was much more relaxing. We did day trips to Waikiki, North Shore, Pearl Harbor, and the Windward side of the island. Everything is an easy drive from Aulani.

 

[OKW Lover]

General question...first time to Hawaii...plan to spend the majority of time at Aulani but would like to see Waikiki, Diamond Head etc. Do people tend to do day trips from Aulani for this or do you stay in Waikiki for a few days? Any advice would be appreciated.

Its easy to do day trips into Waikiki, or anyplace else on Oahu.

 

[JWigs]

I'm a West Coaster so Hawaii is a trip I have taken often but this fall will be my first to Aulani.

I believe it is about 45 mins without traffic from resort to "Waikiki". There is a lot of tourists there and so the area is very dense with hotels and shops.

If you're wanting to relax, you should do the day trip so at end of day you get a more quiet and low key evening. Waikiki isn't super rowdy at night but it definitely has a decent night life. It might be worth having dinner though to see the sunset in waikiki as it is pretty breathtaking.

 

[nkereina]

After a lot of research, we've opted to do 3 nights in Waikiki before moving to Aulani. We chose to do it first because we'll be coming from the east coast, and with the time change, a 6am Pearl Harbor visit or Diamond Head hike will be easier to do in the beginning when we're still waking up early. Also, we won't have a car until we move to Aulani so we can avoid the traffic and parking cost/hassle in Waikiki. We booked a tour to Pearl Harbor that picks up at or near our Waikiki hotel, and also facilitates getting the tickets for us. We booked a different tour to Diamond Head for the second day which also picks up from our hotel. We're staying at the Waikiki Beach Marriott which seems to be walking distance of a lot, and we got a really good rate. Have fun!

 

[rlk]

After a lot of research, we've opted to do 3 nights in Waikiki before moving to Aulani. We chose to do it first because we'll be coming from the east coast, and with the time change, a 6am Pearl Harbor visit or Diamond Head hike will be easier to do in the beginning when we're still waking up early. Also, we won't have a car until we move to Aulani so we can avoid the traffic and parking cost/hassle in Waikiki. We booked a tour to Pearl Harbor that picks up at or near our Waikiki hotel, and also facilitates getting the tickets for us. We booked a different tour to Diamond Head for the second day which also picks up from our hotel. We're staying at the Waikiki Beach Marriott which seems to be walking distance of a lot, and we got a really good rate. Have fun!

This is a good plan. We stayed in Waikiki for one night before moving to Aulani. If I was able to do it over, I'd do what you are planning so that we could enjoy the lively atmosphere of Waikiki at night. We rented a car for the whole trip, so we did some type of day trip from Aulani 9 out of the 12 days we were there. My family can not sit still for long

 

[blondietink]

Last trip we stayed in Waikiki for 4 days before Aulani and we are doing the same this year. We did all of the east side and north shore from Waikiki. Then we went to Pearl Harbor and the Aloha Stadium swap meet on the way to Aulani. Went up the west side from Aulani and the Dole Plantation. Honestly, the traffic going from Aulani to Honolulu/Waikiki can be horrendous (bumper to bumper at 20 mph) in the mornings and back to Aulani in the late afternoon evenings is just as bad. I would avoid it if you can.

 

[dhop]

We stayed 2 days in Honolulu to do the SE Oahu stuff and Pearl Harbor, 6 days at north shore ocean front bungalow for just relaxing (that was awesome), and are at Alunai right now (just staying at the resort). We're pretty happy with how that plan turned out.

 

[castle1]

If you do drive into Waikiki from Aulani, try to avoid rush hour traffic. It took us 1hr 20min to get to
Waikiki from Aulani.

 

[Brancaneve]

After a lot of research, we've opted to do 3 nights in Waikiki before moving to Aulani. We chose to do it first because we'll be coming from the east coast, and with the time change, a 6am Pearl Harbor visit or Diamond Head hike will be easier to do in the beginning when we're still waking up early. Also, we won't have a car until we move to Aulani so we can avoid the traffic and parking cost/hassle in Waikiki. We booked a tour to Pearl Harbor that picks up at or near our Waikiki hotel, and also facilitates getting the tickets for us. We booked a different tour to Diamond Head for the second day which also picks up from our hotel. We're staying at the Waikiki Beach Marriott which seems to be walking distance of a lot, and we got a really good rate. Have fun!

I think that's a fabulous idea! Once you get to Aulani you won't want to leave!