How inconvenient are you finding the location? Considering a 2 night additional stay Waikiki beach

3kidz4dis

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
We are looking into a 5 night stay next summer basically to make use of our points. We have teenagers so being at the resort and the pools for any length of time probably isn't as appealing as it once was. We will want to explore the island and I know our young adults will enjoy the Waikiki area a little more. That being said, how inconvenient do you find the location if you primarily want to day trip most the the stay. I understand the traffic around Aulani is not great, so how feasible is the location if we want to be in the Waikiki area more? We are interested in all of Oahu, not necessarily Aulani itself. Is this a bad idea for a home base or should we split the stay and stay in the Waikiki area for a few nights? Thanks!
 
For our family we ALWAYS do a split stay - and this has been the case since we started taking our kids in 2012. The traffic is a nightmare between certain times which curtails leaving and returning to the area of Ko Olina.

North Shore and Pearl Harbor can be easily accessed from Ko Olina but most other places it is easier to get to from Waikiki. Plus there are no waves at Ko Olina, meaning no surfing unless you travel to another beach. That factored in with the fact that Ko Olina is located within a residential community so there aren’t as many restaurants, shops or things to do means that our kids love Waikiki as much as Ko Olina.
 
I think it's well worth it to do a couple of nights in Waikiki--there's just so much to do there. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and loved the location. They also have fireworks on the beach on Friday nights.
 
We are looking into a 5 night stay next summer basically to make use of our points. We have teenagers so being at the resort and the pools for any length of time probably isn't as appealing as it once was. We will want to explore the island and I know our young adults will enjoy the Waikiki area a little more. That being said, how inconvenient do you find the location if you primarily want to day trip most the the stay. I understand the traffic around Aulani is not great, so how feasible is the location if we want to be in the Waikiki area more? We are interested in all of Oahu, not necessarily Aulani itself. Is this a bad idea for a home base or should we split the stay and stay in the Waikiki area for a few nights? Thanks!

I go to Hawaii every couple of years and always stay at Aulani because I own there and can stay for free. I use that as my base of operations and usually rent a car for a couple of days to see the island or book excursions that include transportation. When I’m not sightseeing I’m relaxing by the pool. If you’re from a big city, Oahu traffic isn’t that bad. It can take from 30-45 minutes depending on traffic, if you’re traveling during rush hour, and how you drive to get to Waikiki from the resort. Then you have to find somewhere to park. I normally go to museums and the main sites, so parking hasn’t been an issue. However, if your main goal is walking out the hotel and to Waikiki Beach, you may be better served staying in Waikiki for a couple of days.
 


We spent 3 nights in Waikiki in addition to Aulani and were very happy with it. We did Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor from Waikiki through organized bus tours. Most organized tours on the island will offer pick up and drop off in Waikiki. By doing this, we were able to go without a rental car during the Waikiki portion of our trip which helped us to avoid parking costs, traffic, and hassles in that area. We also avoided the sometimes challenging parking at Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor. We also stayed in Waikiki first after arriving, so we were up quite early the first few days adjusting to the time difference. Both Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor are best done early in the morning, so this worked out well. We also found Waikiki had more open and going on early in the morning, so it was nice to stroll the strip at 6am. Ko Olina would be a dead zone at that time.

During the Aulani portion of our stay, we spent time in Kailua, Kualoa Ranch, and the North Shore. Going to these areas from Aulani helped us to mostly avoid any bad traffic closer to Waikiki and to/from Honolulu. To get to and from Ko Olina, there is one highway with no alternative options that I am aware of, so its less convenient for driving around.

I agree that teens would like the Waikiki area much better. The area has an atmosphere unlike any place else we visited in Hawaii. Aulani and Ko Olina are very quiet after dinner time with not much going on. Since they can't drink, I think they would be bored. In Waikiki, there is still a lot of shopping open and the beach has a lot of people watching. They also do fireworks on the beach on Friday nights.
 
I also think you are smart to include Waikiki for part of you stay because of the older teens.
If the only reason is to avoid traffic though, then this is not the best. There is major traffic along the top of Honolulu that makes it hard to get into and out of Waikiki during peak times so you are not going to be any faster coming and going to the North Shore for example.
 
For our family we ALWAYS do a split stay - and this has been the case since we started taking our kids in 2012. The traffic is a nightmare between certain times which curtails leaving and returning to the area of Ko Olina.

North Shore and Pearl Harbor can be easily accessed from Ko Olina but most other places it is easier to get to from Waikiki. Plus there are no waves at Ko Olina, meaning no surfing unless you travel to another beach. That factored in with the fact that Ko Olina is located within a residential community so there aren’t as many restaurants, shops or things to do means that our kids love Waikiki as much as Ko Olina.
Can I ask how many nights you split and where did you stay? We are looking for 2 bedroom timeshare like set up which seems difficult to find in the area. We are also planning on going to Kauai for 5 days afterwards.
 


Thanks everyone! Very helpful! and I appreciate the tip on going to Waikiki first because of the time change. We are also going to Kauai and may do that leg first..still waiting for airfare details on that.

My only hesitation is that we have enough points to do the whole 6 nights in Aulani and as another poster mentioned we could always just drive to Waikiki in around 40 min. So even though it is not in the action, it is free (well the DVC members know what we pay in maintenance fees so it is a subjective word, lol)
 
@3kidz4dis We own at Aulani, I have a 17yo and two tweens. We've done Oahu a few times now (and have another trip planned). I would say it really comes down to what your family wants to do.
On the last trip we did a hop on hop off and walked around Waikiki. Teen isn't interested in going back. She'd rather hang out at the lagoon instead of fighting for space at Waikiki. We've done both Pearl and Diamond Head from Aulani. Pearl is just minutes farther than coming from Waikiki and Diamond Head is a once a trip thing. North Shore takes close to the same amount of time from either place.
We talked about staying in Waikiki on a future trip. My kids would rather have the space they get at Aulani instead of moving to a standard hotel room on Waikiki.

Either way, I don't think you can go wrong.
 
Can I ask how many nights you split and where did you stay? We are looking for 2 bedroom timeshare like set up which seems difficult to find in the area. We are also planning on going to Kauai for 5 days afterwards.

We visit Oahu at least once a year, most times twice. Every earlier visit was at least 14 days so we tend to split 7 days at Waikiki then 7 at Ko Olina. Waikiki we always stay in a 2 bedroom suite at Trump. Ko Olina we have stayed at Aulani I think 5 times in a 2 bedroom, Marriott Beach Club in a 2 bedroom another 5 times then at the privately owned Beach Villas twice in three bedroom villas. The Beach Villas however were stays of around 26 days.

Our kids are now aged 14, 12 and 9 so we’ve been reducing the Ko Olina portion to increase Waikiki. For our next visit we’ve been toying of going to Turtle Beach instead of Ko Olina but just haven’t been able to pull the trigger since we are so comfortable in our surroundings at Ko Olina.
 
We use Aulani as a home base for the whole island. Of course, we're on points and the cost of the room is very low compared to anything else on the island. We've gone all over the island from Ko Olina: North Shore, Waikiki, Kailua, and a lot of stuff beyond and in between. Returning to Aulani is nice because is feels very island-like and relaxing there after a day roaming about. Waikiki is not very island-like and feels like any other modern developed city. We don't feel it's inconvenient to be based at Ko Olina and drive everywhere. Just avoid rush hours and you should be fine.
 
Just starting my planning for our Hawaiian cruise in Nov 2021. We are hoping to then head to Aulani for 5 or 6 nights. Because we are coming from London Ontario Canada, we want to arrive sooner than our cruise departure, in case we have weather delays. So looking to spend a few nights in Waikiki before the cruise, and hopefully do Pearl Harbour and Diamond Head at that time, so that our stay at Aulani can be more focused on the resort itself and not trying to do much Oahu sightseeing.

Looking for a decent hotel for 2 adults. Suggestions are appreciated ! TIA
 
Maryliz, it is really going to come down to your budget - there are hundreds of hotels in Waikiki that suit different needs.
 
I honestly have no idea how much hotels are there ... assuming incredibly expensive ! We tend to stay Hilton, Hampton, Best Western when we travel. So we don't need Trump Tower, but we also don't want Motel 6 either. Not looking for concierge service or amenities in a suite ... something clean and decent that is literally just a hotel room. Doesn't have to be ON the beach either, although we might like that. Prefer walking distance to International Market perhaps? I was only there once for a weekend 27 years ago, as a stopover on my way home from Australia/NZ trip. Hoping for a few decent suggestions to start my research.
 
The International Marketplace is no longer anything like you remember. The only thing remaining after the makeover 2 years ago is the Banyan tree. The place is now filled with high end stores and restaurants.

Just up from the Marketplace is a small narrow alley that is filled with those small stalls that the old marketplace was once made up of.

We prefer the Lewers Street end of Waikiki - so Embassy Suites or Outrigger Reef. Family friends like Surfjack, Alohilani and Ohana Waikiki East.
 
we could always just drive to Waikiki in around 40 min.
I live in Palolo Valley, about 1.5 miles from Waikiki. If I'm going to Waikiki for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night, I leave home 45 minutes before my reservation. 35 minutes if I'm driving during an off-peak time. Between 4pm-6pm, there can be a lot of surface street traffic around Waikiki as everyone is returning from their day trips.

I grew up in Makakilo, the neighborhood just before the Ko Olina cutoff, and commuted to "town" everyday. On average, it's a 90 minute commute during rush hour. Maybe 75-80 minutes if school is not in session and you have enough people in the car to use the zip lane. Driving to Aulani from Waikiki at 4pm on a Friday may take as long as 2 hours.

If most of your activities will be on the North Shore, Aulani is more convenient than Waikiki.

You could easily fill two or three days on the Waianae coast and North shore, allowing your family to spend time outside the resort while avoiding Waikiki.
 
Just starting my planning for our Hawaiian cruise in Nov 2021. We are hoping to then head to Aulani for 5 or 6 nights. Because we are coming from London Ontario Canada, we want to arrive sooner than our cruise departure, in case we have weather delays. So looking to spend a few nights in Waikiki before the cruise, and hopefully do Pearl Harbour and Diamond Head at that time, so that our stay at Aulani can be more focused on the resort itself and not trying to do much Oahu sightseeing.

Looking for a decent hotel for 2 adults. Suggestions are appreciated ! TIA

Decent, clean apartments in Waikiki can be found on AirBnb and Craigslist for about $100-$150/night. All rentals in Waikiki are legal because it is a resort zone.

Our friends from Japan seem to like The Ambassador hotel because although dated, it's cheap, clean, safe, and within easy walking distance to all of Waikiki.
 
Decent, clean apartments in Waikiki can be found on AirBnb and Craigslist for about $100-$150/night. All rentals in Waikiki are legal because it is a resort zone.

Ohhhh thank you for posting this! I have looked at the Ilikai a couple of times but always backed away because of the issues with AirBnB etc that have been happening over the last few years.
Great to know.
 
I live in Palolo Valley, about 1.5 miles from Waikiki. If I'm going to Waikiki for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night, I leave home 45 minutes before my reservation. 35 minutes if I'm driving during an off-peak time. Between 4pm-6pm, there can be a lot of surface street traffic around Waikiki as everyone is returning from their day trips.

I grew up in Makakilo, the neighborhood just before the Ko Olina cutoff, and commuted to "town" everyday. On average, it's a 90 minute commute during rush hour. Maybe 75-80 minutes if school is not in session and you have enough people in the car to use the zip lane. Driving to Aulani from Waikiki at 4pm on a Friday may take as long as 2 hours.

If most of your activities will be on the North Shore, Aulani is more convenient than Waikiki.

You could easily fill two or three days on the Waianae coast and North shore, allowing your family to spend time outside the resort while avoiding Waikiki.
Thanks for this! It kindof seems like a traffic nightmare! So we have enough points for 5-6 at Aulani, but we are also going to another island so I add another day in Waikiki but it would come from Kauai and I would like to be there 5 nights.

Here is what we would like to do:

Waikiki beach - hang out for the day, possibly go to the zoo?
Pearl Harbor
Polynesia Cultural Center
One night at a luau
Dole
North Shore
There is a waterfall that we hiked to when my husband and I were here a few years back. It was mostly locals but we want to take the kids there
Snorkel in Hanauma Bay
Diamondhead (walk on our own)
Take a day and drive the island on our own to find beaches and possible snorkel spots

So what are your thoughts on nights we should break up? How many nights total for Oahu? We stayed at Hilton Hawaiian Village and Outrigger on previous stays. Not sure what to do: I really do think we could use Aulani as a home base if we wrap our heads around the fact that we will be driving a lot. But we could also go right from the airport to Waikiki for a few nights first and just not rent a car. (We usually always rent a car from the airport but parking seems to be a bit of an issue)
Thanks!
 
Just starting my planning for our Hawaiian cruise in Nov 2021. We are hoping to then head to Aulani for 5 or 6 nights. Because we are coming from London Ontario Canada, we want to arrive sooner than our cruise departure, in case we have weather delays. So looking to spend a few nights in Waikiki before the cruise, and hopefully do Pearl Harbour and Diamond Head at that time, so that our stay at Aulani can be more focused on the resort itself and not trying to do much Oahu sightseeing.

Looking for a decent hotel for 2 adults. Suggestions are appreciated ! TIA

We did what you're proposing on our honeymoon, minus the cruise. We spent 3 nights in Waikiki at the Marriott Waikiki Beach. We did organized tours to Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor from there. We then island hopped for 6 nights. As our last stop, we island hopped back to Oahu and spent our last 6 nights at Aulani.

We would definitely stay at the Marriott again. We chose it because it was a good price point for our brief stay. We didn't care much about the amenities of the resort because this time was dedicated to sightseeing and Waikiki. It was centrally located to the strip of Waikiki with tons of shopping and dining around. The tour lobby in the hotel made it easy to book and find an organized tour. We were also close to the pink line trolley stop, which is nice for going up and down the strip.
 

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