Start or end with Aulani

[maleficent55]

If you were combining a 2-3 night Aulani stay with 7 nights of Kauai, would you opt to start or end with Aulani?

Honestly, I see perks to both. I’ve always been a firm believer in saving the best for last but honestly Kauai is our best and will be the more relaxing component to this trip.
So feeling confused…
Thanks

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I've never been to Kauai, but my rule of thumb is to end split vacations at a Disney resort. It's always been a letdown for me to start with the Disney Resort and end somewhere else. I would end with Aulani, especially if you're a Disney fan and love their resorts in Florida and California. Aulani is far more relaxing than WDW or DL trips since no theme parks exist.

 

[o&smom]

We stayed at Aulani before two weeks on Kauai. Was worried that I would hear complaints for the two weeks. On the first day at our timeshare on Kauai DS said that he liked it better than Aulani. Told him that was good because one night at Aulani cost as much as a week at our timeshare.

 

[AstroBlasters]

If you were combining a 2-3 night Aulani stay with 7 nights of Kauai, would you opt to start or end with Aulani?

Honestly, I see perks to both. I’ve always been a firm believer in saving the best for last but honestly Kauai is our best and will be the more relaxing component to this trip.
So feeling confused…
Thanks

I would do Aulani after Waikiki, but before Kuai….

 

[maleficent55]

I would do Aulani after Waikiki, but before Kuai….

There is no Waikiki really…

We come to Hawaii a lot but have not done Aulani. It’ll be my 15th trip to Hawaii I believe, and I’ve spent months at a time on Oahu. So probably not going to do much island exploring if at all.
The only sad thing is that my daughter has never been to Oahu, so we *might* take a little time to drive to Waikiki just to show her, it would be hard to leave Aulani I imagine though.

So it’s either 3 nights Aulani, then 7 Kauai or the other way around

I honestly only started thinking about merging Aulani with this trip last night! I’d like to experience it

 

[starry_solo]

We did it after Kauai, but Kauai was only a 5 day trip (4 nights) and Aulani was only a 4 day trip (3 nights)

 

[bsmcneil]

I really enjoyed having the "resort" of Aulani after doing more outdoorsy and active things (I did Hawaii vs Kauai, went alone). I could see it going either way, too. I could seer Aulani being a great midpoint between home and Kauai to help step into relaxation. I think, given that it's what I did the one time, I would probably do Aulani last.

 

[AstroBlasters]

There is no Waikiki really…

We come to Hawaii a lot but have not done Aulani. It’ll be my 15th trip to Hawaii I believe, and I’ve spent months at a time on Oahu. So probably not going to do much island exploring if at all.
The only sad thing is that my daughter has never been to Oahu, so we *might* take a little time to drive to Waikiki just to show her, it would be hard to leave Aulani I imagine though.

So it’s either 3 nights Aulani, then 7 Kauai or the other way around

I honestly only started thinking about merging Aulani with this trip last night! I’d like to experience it

I understand that you are not planning to go to Waikiki, I was speaking more about the order based on the more common split stays people inquire about.

 

[o&smom]

There is no Waikiki really…

We come to Hawaii a lot but have not done Aulani. It’ll be my 15th trip to Hawaii I believe, and I’ve spent months at a time on Oahu. So probably not going to do much island exploring if at all.
The only sad thing is that my daughter has never been to Oahu, so we *might* take a little time to drive to Waikiki just to show her, it would be hard to leave Aulani I imagine though.

So it’s either 3 nights Aulani, then 7 Kauai or the other way around

I honestly only started thinking about merging Aulani with this trip last night! I’d like to experience it

I thought that Aulani was even more beautiful in person than in photos or video. After a couple of hours there, I realized it was not my vibe. Too crowded and chaotic. We vacation in Hawaii for relaxation. Aulani was amazing, but not relaxing.

 

[Kmk2]

There is no Waikiki really…

We come to Hawaii a lot but have not done Aulani. It’ll be my 15th trip to Hawaii I believe, and I’ve spent months at a time on Oahu. So probably not going to do much island exploring if at all.
The only sad thing is that my daughter has never been to Oahu, so we *might* take a little time to drive to Waikiki just to show her, it would be hard to leave Aulani I imagine though.

So it’s either 3 nights Aulani, then 7 Kauai or the other way around

I honestly only started thinking about merging Aulani with this trip last night! I’d like to experience it

I would go with 3 at Aulani then. If you’re not doing much broader Oahu sightseeing I think 7
resort only Aulani nights would be way way too much.

 

[maleficent55]

I would go with 3 at Aulani then. If you’re not doing much broader Oahu sightseeing I think 7
resort only Aulani nights would be way way too much.

Oh! To clarify, by the other way around I meant:

3 nights Aulani and then 7 nights kauai
Or 7 nights Kauai first and then 3 nights aulani

Definitely not 7 nights at Aulani

 

[maleficent55]

I thought that Aulani was even more beautiful in person than in photos or video. After a couple of hours there, I realized it was not my vibe. Too crowded and chaotic. We vacation in Hawaii for relaxation. Aulani was amazing, but not relaxing.

Oh that’s interesting, I was reading about chair claiming and it reminds me of the Hyatt on Maui
The chair scene was insane!

How long did you spend at Aulani?

 

[ShawnDadof8]

I would base the decision on how crowded Aulani will be during the time of your visit. It is an amazing resort -- we've stayed there 7 times. But when it is full, it can be chaotic, difficult to find pool chairs, get dining reservations, etc. But if it is a time when the resort is not super crowded, it is a very relaxing atmosphere that still has a lot of fun things to do. So if it is not a crowded time, end the trip with Aulani. If it is a crowded time, start the trip with Aulani.

 

[robinb]

I think that I would do it second, mostly because recovering from the time difference will be easier in a more laid back environment.

 

[maleficent55]

Thanks for all the responses

We’ve decided to save Aulani for when we can tie it in with a dedicated Oahu vacation

Decided to keep this trip 100% relaxation on Kauai.
10 glorious nights at the Hanalei Bay Resort, our 4th time to this resort.

 

[o&smom]

Oh that’s interesting, I was reading about chair claiming and it reminds me of the Hyatt on Maui
The chair scene was insane!

How long did you spend at Aulani?

We were just there for two days. A quick add on to our planned trip to Kauai, our favorite island.

 

[o&smom]

Thanks for all the responses

We’ve decided to save Aulani for when we can tie it in with a dedicated Oahu vacation

Decided to keep this trip 100% relaxation on Kauai.
10 glorious nights at the Hanalei Bay Resort, our 4th time to this resort.

Stayed there on our honeymoon in 1996. Sure wish they would reopen the restaurant.

 

[maleficent55]

Stayed there on our honeymoon in 1996. Sure wish they would reopen the restaurant.

Me too!
At least there is Happy Talk and the swim up bar. Pre Covid there was food to be ordered at the swim up bar…not sure now

But I’m excited about the food offerings right next door at 1Hotel

 

[jimmymc]

I realize I'm late to the party and you've already booked elsewhere, but for other readers, I would do Aulani last. It's nicer than most other resort on the island and has more included activities, and you'll probably want to schedule resort days there rather than going out to explore.

 

[o&smom]

Me too!
At least there is Happy Talk and the swim up bar. Pre Covid there was food to be ordered at the swim up bar…not sure now

But I’m excited about the food offerings right next door at 1Hotel

Wow! Just looked up 1 Hotel. Loved it when it was The Princeville, not so impressed when St Regis took over, excited to check it out as 1 Hotel. The Princeville used to have an amazing seafood buffet. The best thing we ate was shrimp coated in crushed Ruffles potato chips and deep fried. Yum! We are thinking of going this fall for a couple of weeks. We usually stay at the Cliffs Club down the street through our timeshare. Enjoy your vacation!