What is there to do away from the pool

[oo de lally]

My wife does not want to just sit at the pool or beach so I was wondering what else there is to do either at the hotel or elsewhere on the island. We are planning on staying for 5-6 days a year from now. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[Mamasarges]

There is a lot to do on the island and at the resort. Lots of hikes, water sports, shopping, museums, Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, just to name a few. I suggest you not only look at the excursions/activities on the Aulani site, but also at other sites for Oahu, such as GoHawaii or 101 Things to do on Oahu.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have been to aulani 6 times and are going again in may. We only stay there and rarely go anywhere but we have been all around the island. There are a variety of excursions or you can rent a car and drive around on your own. Traffic can be a problem on Oahu so I personally would’t spend a lot of time in the car. There’s a long walk around the lagoons which my husband does every day. There are several exercise classes which I like to do. There are fun activities at the community center for adults and kids. You can go next door to the four seasons from 3 to 5 for happy hour. And listen to music every night in a couple places.

 

[nkereina]

At the resort for adults, there is the spa and luau. Plus a few restaurants to try. But there is not much else in Ko Olina where Aulani is located, save for a few other resorts to check out and a couple of restaurants. PPs are correct in that there is tons to see and do on Oahu, so you'd need a car to get around from Ko Olina. What are you interested in? There's a lot of activities that can be recommended depending on whether you're interested in hiking/outdoors, culture, shopping, etc.

Because of Ko Olina's isolated location, many of us have opted to do split stays while on Oahu with a few days at Aulani and a few days elsewhere on the island, or even island hopping to a different island. This gives you a good taste of different areas, easier access to more activities and sightseeing, and prevents you from getting bored at the resort - especially if you're not pool/beach people.

 

[Mommy2Logan]

Take a drive up to the North Shore and then down around the East coast .Stop at some botanical gardens or another beach.

Do the Nutridge Experience Luau near Honolulu

Visit the Ranch where the movies are filmed.

 

[disneycountrygirl]

When we went, we did 3 touring days with the rental car around the island and 4 resort days, no car. Had we to do it again, we'd flip it..... so 3 resort days and 4 touring. We aren't sit around a beach or pool people either. We loved most everything we did except the Atlantis submarine excursion and Honolulu/Waikiki in general. What we did do and loved: hiked Diamond Head, saw Pearl Harbor, went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay pre-sunrise and had the beach to ourselves while watching the sun come up, saw Kualoa Ranch Jungle Expedition Tour, went to the North Shore and shopped there, ate at the food trucks where Giovannis Shrimp is, had Motsomotos Shaved Ice, went to the famous lookout points and blow holes, went to a farmer's market. The Polynesian Cultural Center was ok. We learned on this trip that we really do not like dim sum. We wish we would have had time for the Dole Pineapple Tour, the Waimea Gardens waterfall thing, and the swap meet (thus the switching days. We needed it to do it all. 3 days at the resort was perfection. The 4th, we were getting a little ancy.)

 

[spacecanada]

At the resort itself, beyond the beach and swimming pools (and waterslides and lazy river):
- morning fitness classes on the beach (free!)
- full top-end gym (also free!)
- incredible spa
- Pau Hana room activities (painting, ukulele lessons, drawing characters, hula dancing, movie rentals, and so many more things...)
- Menehune Adventure Trail game (fun for all ages)
- Stand up paddleboarding
- Yoga (traditional or on a paddle board - I really want to try the latter...)
- Art of Aulani tour
- Cultural tour of Aulani
- Meeting characters
- Luau
- Walking/running along the path beside the beaches, connecting the lagoons
- Snorkelling in the Rainbow Reef (sort of a pool, but different)
- Feeding the fish in Rainbow Reef
- PhotoPass photos (be creative)

Beyond the resort, my list is far too long to post: surfing, tourist attractions, North Shore, Waikiki, cultural centres, more beaches, picnics, hiking, etc.

 

[Daisy7425]

a beach or pool people either. We loved most everything we did except the Atlantis submarine

I'd love to hear your feedback about the Atlantis Submarine tour. Why didn't you like it? I get seasick easily, would that be an issue?

 

[disneycountrygirl]

I'd love to hear your feedback about the Atlantis Submarine tour. Why didn't you like it? I get seasick easily, would that be an issue?

First, it just felt a little claustrophobic (and I do not suffer at all with claustrophobia), second, the guide did talk an awful lot about the barf bags and how if you are gonna do it make sure to use the bags cause he wasn't going to clean it up. Being in that small space with barfing people and no escape sounded like hell so we started the trip with a bit of dread on my part. Thankfully no one got sick. I did feel slightly off, but not sick. I was more than happy to be back in the light and fresh air again. Lastly, the sights were not impressive. The structures they placed down there in water weren't anything to look at....it came across as just rebar and random junk, and the fish we saw were mostly the normal grey variety, unlike the colorful fish we saw for free at Hanauma Bay.

 

[Daisy7425]

First, it just felt a little claustrophobic (and I do not suffer at all with claustrophobia), second, the guide did talk an awful lot about the barf bags and how if you are gonna do it make sure to use the bags cause he wasn't going to clean it up. Being in that small space with barfing people and no escape sounded like hell so we started the trip with a bit of dread on my part. Thankfully no one got sick. I did feel slightly off, but not sick. I was more than happy to be back in the light and fresh air again. Lastly, the sights were not impressive. The structures they placed down there in water weren't anything to look at....it came across as just rebar and random junk, and the fish we saw were mostly the normal grey variety, unlike the colorful fish we saw for free at Hanauma Bay.

Great feedback! Thanks! I thought the "structures" were real ship wrecks or real debris from ships - it was things Atlantis Submarine placed down there?

 

[cgattis]

I’d generalize by saying if you’ve never been to Oahu, I’d definitely spend at least half the time touring. Aulani is beautiful but the natural beauty of Hawaii is amazing. We did most everything that was mentioned here and liked most all of it, except (like another poster) Waikiki in general (just a too-crowded city vibe). The only thing we did that I haven’t seen mentioned specifically is snorkeling at Sharks Cove (across from aforementioned shrimp trucks) which was fun. We liked Hanauma Bay better, but it was still fun.

 

[disneycountrygirl]

Great feedback! Thanks! I thought the "structures" were real ship wrecks or real debris from ships - it was things Atlantis Submarine placed down there?

I thought so too going into it, which was part of why it was disappointing. I think overall, it didn't help that everything was just so grey....grey water, grey fish, grey structures, grey light in the sub. We also didn't see any other sea creatures - just fish.