Thanks for your thoughts!! We've never been to Hawaii...When you were at Aulani for 6 nights, did you stay at the resort the whole time or explore Oahu too? We want to enjoy the resort and keep costs low but we might want to also do some exploring to look at the beaches, waterfalls, etc. but we know we will be back again so we don't feel we need to do it all. We're just curious if you felt 6 nights was enough for Aulani and doing a few things around Oahu if you did?
Much like Pete W., we did some island hopping first and end our trip with 6 nights at Aulani which worked out well for us. We had spent 3 nights in Waikiki where we explored that area, and did Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor. We then flew to Maui for 3 nights, Kauai for 3 nights, and then back to Oahu for 6 nights at Aulani.
On Aulani itinerary looked like this:
Day 1 - arrived around 12:30, picked up rental, stopped for lunch & groceries, got to resort around 4pm. Spent the rest of the night doing laundry and exploring the grounds.
Day 2 - resort day - pool, beach, etc.
Day 3 - North Shore, Dole Plantation, Waimea Valley
Day 4 - resort day & spa treatment
Day 5 - Kualoa Ranch & Kailua
Day 6 - resort day
Day 7 - slept in and left for airport around 12pm
We ate at Ulu Cafe a few times, did breakfast and dinner at Makahiki, and breakfast at AMA AMA which is a meal not to be missed there. We also ate across the street at Monkeypod twice and Pizza Corner. Great meals all around. Of everything we did on Oahu, we probably would not repeat Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, or Waimea Valley on future trips. We definitely would spend more time in the North Shore and Kailua. Kailua was the nicest beach we saw during our whole trip.
IMO, we saw and did everything we wanted while having a good amount of down time to relax and enjoy the resort. The itinerary worked out perfectly for us.