Trip report: Grand Wailea and Aulani

JillCT

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Aloha! We recently returned from two weeks in Hawaii, split between Maui and Oahu. This was our second trip to Maui--DH and I went on our honeymoon many years ago--but our first trip to Oahu. We are a family of five--three teenage daughters. We had a great trip, and found Hawaii a great place to balance relaxing beach and pool time with new activities and adventures.

I put a little more detail in the Aulani sections for obvious reasons, but since it seems like many people are also visiting Maui I included those notes as well. It was a great trip, and I appreciated all of the tips and recommendations from this board!

Day 1: Arrival (Friday)
Due to flight delays, very late arrival at Grand Wailea. We had a terrace view room with a rollaway bed for the 5 of us. Looking straight out we had a view of the parking garage and laundry, but also a nice view of the ocean if we looked to our right. The room felt spacious even with the rollaway bed, and we had plenty of drawer and bathroom space.

Day 2: Maui (Saturday)

We woke up relatively early, but not terribly so considering we were on east coast time. Maybe the late flights made it easier to adjust to the time difference! We walked along the ocean path, took some photos on the beach, and then headed to the Grand Dining room for the breakfast buffet. Delicious! We spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach (saw sea turtles swim by a few times) and at the pools, and had a great dinner at Humu Humu.

Day 3: Maui (Sunday)
Departed early for road to Hana—maybe around 6 am? We used the Gypsy guide to narrate the trip, and stopped at several, but not all, of the recommended stops. When we arrived in Hana we stopped at the Surfing Burro for breakfast burritos, then continued on to the Pipiwai Trail. Beautiful bamboo forest, waterfall views, with lots of people on the trail. We brought lots of water but it was still pretty hot! After the hike we enjoyed lunch at Huli Huli chicken—one of our favorite meals of the trip. Food was great and so were the views. Followed up with a stop at Waianapanapa State Park (black sand beach), Coconut Glen’s for ice cream, and then back to Wailea about 6 pm. We shared a pizza from Café Kula at the resort for dinner. A long but fun day!

Day 4: Maui (Monday)
Another early morning—departed Wailea early for our trip to Lanai with Trilogy. Highly recommend—one of the highlights of the entire trip. Beautiful views, amazing snorkeling, great food. We departed Lahaina around 6:30 am, returned around 2:15 pm. Such a fun day—it was expensive but so worth it. We had planned to spend the afternoon in Lahaina, but were all pretty tired so headed back to Grand Wailea to relax by the pool, and ate at Bistro Molokini at the resort for dinner.

Day 5: Maui (Tuesday)
Resort day. We rented SUPs in the morning, and spent the day on the beach (more turtles!) and at the pools. We went to Maui Thai Bistro for dinner, which was good, but not anything amazing. After dinner the kids watched movies in the room while we listened to the live music in the Botero Lounge—amazing Blue Hawaiians!

Day 6: Maui (Wednesday)

Started the day off by heading to Sugar Beach Bakery. We all loved the malasadas! Li Hing was our favorite. We then headed up Haleakala (not for sunrise), using the Gypsy guide app for narration. Beautiful, clear views. Another highlight of the trip! We followed up with lunch at Kula Bistro and shave ice at Ululani’s in Kihei. Our first shave ice of the trip.

Day 7: Maui (Thursday)

Another day lounging at the Grand Wailea. Lots of beach and pool time, also took the scuba lesson in the pool. Kids loved it but I did not! Light lunch at the Volcano Bar, and dinner at Three’s in Kihei—highly recommend! The food was fantastic. Shave ice at Ululani’s again—so good.

Day 8: Maui to Oahu (Friday)
Grand dining room for breakfast buffet, then kids napped in room while we walked along the ocean path. Departed mid-morning for our 1:15 flight to Oahu. Arrived in Oahu around 2, waited in line for Avis (even though we had preferred there was a fairly long line for it), and by the time we all got in the car it was after 3 and the traffic was building. It took us about an hour to get to the resort, and I was feeling kind of anxious about it—Oahu definitely had a very different vibe than Maui! The traffic, the very crowded check-in at Aulani, etc. Things improved for sure and I ended up really enjoying Oahu, but there was definitely a different feel to it. We met Jason from Hokua Beach Supply right at Aulani to pick up our snorkel gear that we rented for the week—very easy to communicate and schedule and I would definitely rent from them again. Room was ready around 4:30 pm. We had a one-bedroom ocean view villa in the Waianae tower, and the view from the room was beautiful. We threw in a load of laundry and headed to the lazy river! Dinner at Ulu Café.

Day 9: Oahu (Saturday)
Left Aulani ~7:45 am, stopped at Leonard’s Malasadamobile. We purchased 12 malasadas and 6 malasada puffs—of course we couldn’t finish all of them. We did enjoy them, but not as much as Sugar Beach--maybe because they were the first. We did get Leonard’s again later in the trip and liked them better than today’s malasadas, so it could’ve just been an off day. We continued on to Pearl Harbor. We had 11 am tickets, but were hoping to exchange them for an earlier time. We arrived around 9:15, and were able to join the 9:45 tour. Although we weren’t able to get off at the Memorial, it was still very memorable and moving. Parking lot was full by the time we left and people were circling looking for spots. After the tour we continued on to Honolulu, and ate lunch at Duke’s on Waikiki. Fun meal and we all enjoyed the views and the lunch buffet. We walked along the beach, did some shopping, etc. On the way back to Aulani we stopped at the grocery store for some food for the week, then decided to walk over to the lagoon near Paradise Cove where we had heard there were lots of sea turtles. Turned out to be lots of people in the water, but also a big section of the beach roped off because a monk seal and her one-week-old pup were also on the beach! Very cool to see and a volunteer was there to make sure people stayed clear, and also answered any questions we had.

Day 10: Oahu (Sunday)
Character breakfast at Aulani, which we all enjoyed, then spent the day at the beach and at the pool. We rented SUPs again—easier to paddle here than in the open ocean on Maui, but the lagoon was much more crowded which also made it harder to avoid other people. Lazy river was fun, infinity pools were beautiful. The beach was gorgeous, but also a little more boring without Maui’s waves. We all had spa appointments that afternoon—two girls had 25-minute facials at 4 pm, and one girl had a 25 min massage at 4 pm. All three loved it! Girls left for dinner and a movie in the room, then we then had an hour in the hydrotherapy garden, followed by the 80 minute Signature Lomi Lomi massages. Another trip highlight for sure!

Day 11: Oahu (Monday)
Early morning! We left Aulani around 5:30 am and arrived at Hanauma by 6:30 am. They weren’t collecting entrance fees at this time, and there was no movie to watch, but we did listen to a gentleman talk about keeping the reef safe. Parking was easy—there were only a few cars in the lot. We all headed in to the water. While it was a great experience, for me it really didn’t compare to snorkeling off Hulopo’e Beach on Lanai. The water was much shallower where we happened to snorkel at Hanauma (also low tide), and we were all a little bit paranoid about damaging the reefs so I think that made all of us nervous! The kids were done after about an hour, while we stayed in a little longer. I was glad that they got out before we encountered the huge moray eel. Honestly I didn’t know what it was or I would’ve been even more scared, but since it was 3-4 feet long I was still pretty freaked out—not going to lie! After it turned around and started back towards me I tried not to panic—but that was the end of snorkeling for me for the day! We changed and left Hanauma around 8:30 am—at which point we saw really long lines for the pre-beach movie, and also noticed that the parking lot was closed. People were parking somewhere else and hiking up the hill to get in. We backtracked a bit for Leonard’s malasadamobile, and did enjoy them more today. Also stopped at Starbucks. We continued around the windward side of the island, again using the Gypsy guide app. We spend an hour or so swimming at Kailua beach—so gorgeous! This was my favorite beach of the trip. Followed up with lunch at Crepes No Ka ‘Oi, which was fun and different. After lunch we toured the Byodo-In Temple, then back to Aulani for swimming and the Menhune Adventure Trail. That night we watched Moana outdoors at Aulani on the Hālāwai Lawn, which was really fun.

Day 12: Oahu (Tuesday)
Resort day--beach and pools until early afternoon, shopping across the street from the resort, and then a visit to the monk seals. Found out Mom is named Pohaku—volunteer was very informative and shared lots of interesting facts. Entire lagoon was roped off today. Luau at Aulani that night was fun—we ended up lining up around 5:15 for the general admission, and we were maybe ¼ to 1/3 of the way back in line. We had plenty of time for the kids to participate in all of the activities and were happy with our seats.

Day 13: Oahu (Wednesday)

North shore day! Not sure what time we left the resort, but we arrived in Haleiwa around 9 am and decided to stop at Matsumoto’s for shave ice. This time I tried it with condensed milk. I know this is the famous spot to stop, and we did love it—but we all actually preferred Ululani’s. (We didn’t try Waiola, which was on my list but we just didn’t find the time.) Matsumoto’s melted much faster for some reason—so by the time we were finished it was a (delicious) soupy mess which we finished with a straw. Fun little general store, and we all bought t-shirts as souvenirs. We continued north, again using the Gypsy guide app. We stopped at several beaches, including Laniakea Beach to see the turtles—it was so amazing to see so many of them in the waves! Three of us snorkeled at Shark’s Cove—which we all loved. That was a great experience and we saw lots of interesting marine life. (Two of the girls relaxed in the shade instead.) We saw many more fish than at Hanauma. Sunset beach and a few other stops, followed by lunch at Ted’s, which was an okay experience. The pie was great, the french fries were great, but we found the rest of the food just so-so and not really worth the 45-minute wait. (to be fair some of our first choices were sold out so perhaps we just had bad timing). We turned around at this point and headed back south. We decided to stop at Laniakea Beach again and it was even more amazing the second time, because many turtles were in and out of the water. Really an amazing experience, and wow those volunteers keeping the turtles safe, and also answering questions, are amazing. We had planned to stop at the garlic shrimp trucks on the way back through but no one had any room for food so we skipped them, but did make a quick stop at the Dole Plantation before heading back to Aulani to swim. We relaxed at ‘Olelo Room in the evening.

Day 14: Oahu (Thursday)
Resort day. Rented SUP again, and spend the day at the pools and beach. Enjoyed floating in our tubes. Honestly at first we found the lagoon boring compared to Maui’s waves but then again it was pretty relaxing to just float around and not be tossed around by waves—so it definitely grew on me. And the beach / water was just such a beautiful color! Lunch at Ulu Café, early dinner / appetizers at Monkeypod, and some light souvenir shopping at Island Market. Finished up our Aulani souvenir shopping, snorkel gear was picked up, then all five of us relaxed at 'Olelo room for appetizers, drinks, and sushi.

Day 15: Oahu (Friday – departure day)
Breakfast at Ama Ama was great. Teenagers were thrilled to be able to get Mickey waffles again! Then I discovered Wailana coffee bar—planning fail on my part to discover it so late in the trip, because I tried the frozen Aulani special—Mocha Mac-nut—and it was so delicious. Kids relaxed in lounge chairs while we walked out to the point for the ocean views. We left the room around 10 for our 2 pm flight—by the time we checked out, filled up with gas, and arrived at rental car return it was around 11:15. Airport was pretty busy, but we were through bag drop, TSA (with pre check), and at our gate by around 12:15, which was about an hour before boarding started.

It was a great trip and we can't wait to return to Hawaii!
 
Fantastic trip report with so much good info! I'd like to know more about your snorkel gear rental. We will snorkel at Aulani probably several times and then also at Haunama Bay. I was planning on renting daily at Aulani and then renting again at Haunama Bay. Is it easier and more efficient to rent the way you did it (rent from an outside source for the entire stay)?
 
Thanks for sharing! I think you just helped us plan our days in Maui!! We are a family who loves catamaran/ snorkel excursions... I think the excursion to Lanai sounds like a wonderful experience!
 


Fantastic trip report with so much good info! I'd like to know more about your snorkel gear rental. We will snorkel at Aulani probably several times and then also at Haunama Bay. I was planning on renting daily at Aulani and then renting again at Haunama Bay. Is it easier and more efficient to rent the way you did it (rent from an outside source for the entire stay)?

We rented from Hokua Beach Supply. I believe it was $73 per set for the week. We had them dropped off and picked up right at Aulani, so it was easy. I'm not sure if it saved any money or not--if I remember correctly it was $20 per day at Aulani, and $20 at Hanauma Bay (although the rentals didn't open until 7:30 am)...in the end it probably did not, but we snorkeled enough to about break even vs renting as needed. And we didn't have to drive anywhere to pick up or drop off, so convenience was a factor.
 
Great trip report! Thanks! Question for you on the timing and order of the islands: Did you feel like you should have stayed on a more relaxing island the first island (like immediately went to Maui) and let the jet lag do its thing or you were up early anyway so you should be on a busier island and just get up and get going? We are debating going to Waikiki and just get up early the next morning to Pearl Harbor or we should do Oahu on the last leg of the trip. We will be coming from the east coast so perhaps the jet lag will hit us a bit. I had to laugh on your first day when you mentioned the grouchiness a bit. I can imagine with our family of teenagers...oh goodness!
 
Great trip report! Thanks! Question for you on the timing and order of the islands: Did you feel like you should have stayed on a more relaxing island the first island (like immediately went to Maui) and let the jet lag do its thing or you were up early anyway so you should be on a busier island and just get up and get going? We are debating going to Waikiki and just get up early the next morning to Pearl Harbor or we should do Oahu on the last leg of the trip. We will be coming from the east coast so perhaps the jet lag will hit us a bit. I had to laugh on your first day when you mentioned the grouchiness a bit. I can imagine with our family of teenagers...oh goodness!


Not sure--we did have two early mornings on Maui as well (to get to Lahaina as well as the road to Hana) so we had a few busy days on both islands. But we did find Maui to have a more relaxed feel--and we preferred the island--so maybe better second? But at the same time we were starting to get bored of eating out, so having the kitchen the second week was nice. Plus more room to spread out the second week? In the end I'm not sure it really mattered, both were great!
 


Thanks for the great trip report! We’re going next June and will follow a pretty similar itinerary. I’ll be including your thoughts into my planning. Thanks again!
 
Ah!! Love it! Our first trip is in 8 weeks- just 2 nights Aulani and 2 nights Royal Hawaiian but we will definitely use your itinerary for suggestions!! Thanks!!!
 

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