Just booked first trip! Advice please :)

[limace]

My 17 year old and I decided to take a quick trip to Oahu in August-hard to believe that’s next month!-and bring her BFF, so the girls can look at two colleges they are considering. I was able to grab 4 nights in an OV studio with our DVC points.

We will be arriving in morning on Monday, the 28th. Renting a car. We current are at Aulani from Tuesday until Saturday, 2nd, when we fly home. Flying from San Francisco where daughter will be doing the Alcatraz swim the preceding Saturday with my husband.

First night thinking Waikiki? I don’t love it but I think two 17 year olds would-beach scene, surfing, etc. Do you have a favorite hotel on the beach there? Ideally not paying $100 for parking.

We will try and do our college tours Monday and Tuesday morning.

Tuesday to Aulani where I’m hoping for a lot of relaxation. Can you recommend a room request for the OV studio category?

Snorkeling near here good or better to trek to Haunauma Bay or ?

Would you have teens take a surfing lesson near Aulani or in Waikiki (I’m thinking the latter). They are strong swimmers-my daughter is a lifeguard.

If you were going to pay for one excursion with teens, what would it be?

Getting excited! Was able to book flights over with miles, my rental car through Costco has dropped $105 since first booked this week and I’ve upgraded at that cheaper price, DVC for Aulani and I have a hotels.com coupon for the Waikiki night-it’s all coming together .

 

[limace]

Anyone?

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Sorry! Read your post but can’t help. We keep clear of Waikiki, and our kids aren’t quite tweens yet. We always get a 1 or 2 bedroom so I can’t comment on the room either! Hopefully someone else can assist.

 

[monsterkitty]

First, I'm an open water swimmer/triathlete and super jealous that your DD and DH are doing the Alcatraz swim.

For Waikiki you have a few options that we've done. If we stay on Waikiki, we stay at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort, which is a 2 minute walk to the beach. I would actually take shuttle/Lyft from the airport to a Waikiki hotel because parking is so expensive. I would then rent a car and then do the drive to Aulani the next day. There are several rental desks in the area.

If we stay in the Ko Olina Marriott VC, we will park in the Honolulu Zoo parking lot. You can park there for up to 4 hours I believe. We have seen people move their cars to another parking spot at the end of 4 hours. I can't remember how much it costs, but not $100.

For surf lessons, check out companies on Viator or TripAdvisor. We did a surf lesson on Kauai and the company checked the surf conditions for the day of our lesson and told us which beach to meet them at.

Since their strong swimmers, I would definitely take them to the North Shore. There is a beach on the North Shore that has a rock that is a blast to jump off. Sorry, I can't remember which beach because it's early on July 5th and my brain is not awake.

For snorkeling, I would do a snorkel tour out of the Ko Olina marina. They will take you to some really great areas and you won't have to drive anywhere.

 

[SoCalDCLfan]

Your trip sounds so exciting! My daughter went to Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa and LOVED it! I agree with the previous post about snorkeling...take a tour from Ko Olina Harbor or go to Shark's Cove on the North Shore (named after a rock formation not that there's lots of sharks!). If you do that, bring water shoes as the entry is very rocky. There's not much to see snorkeling in the lagoon by Aulani. We did Hanauma Bay a few years back. While it was fun to be there, it was crowded and with so much coral bleaching and minimal sea life, there wasn't a ton to see. Others may have a different experience.

One thing to keep in mind is traffic. Honolulu traffic at peak times is crazy (and I live in SoCal). If you did Hanauma Bay, it could take you HOURS to get there.

If you're going to North Shore, I highly recommend Seven Brothers. Hands down the best burger I've ever had. If you're touring BYU, it's near there.

A friend of mine did surf lessons just up the road from Aulani. Had a really great experience. Don't know the name of it, but if you Google surf lessons near Kapolei, some companies pop up.

We LOVE Aulani. Spending time lounging at the pool is one of our favorite things. Sushi/appetizers and drinks at Olelo Room is a fantastic dinner, too.

 

[AZMermaid]

We did surf lessons at Ewa beach with SurfHNL a couple times. It is about 15 minutes from Aulani. This time we are doing Uncle Bryan's in north shore which gets good reviews- but our trip is in a couple weeks.

 

[Amw1064]

We usually stay away from Waikiki as well except for a day trip. We have been with teens and they all love the zipline at Climbworks. This past month we went to Kualoa Ranch and did the 2 hour UTV raptor tour. They liked that as well but my daughter who has done both like zipline better. The rock that you can jump from is at Waimea Beach on the north shore. She has done that as well but this trip only my friends daughter did it. They love the catamarran out of Waikiki. We always do that as we get a groupon and it is very cheap. Here is a short video of our trip. Have a great time.

 

[Amw1064]

7 brothers is amazing!!! I would also love recommendations for ocean view studio. We usually stay in Island garden view but not available for our next trip.

 

[limace]

Monsterkitty, I’m a little nervous about them doing the Alcatraz swim but husband is an experienced open water swimmer so I know I can count on him to get her to shore if needed.

SoCalDCL-I May have to pick your brain re Hawaii at Manoa-what did your daughter study?

AMW-thanks for the zipline rec and the video!

Thank all so much-love the recommendations! I did book myself a massage at the Aulani spa today-figured I deserved the splurge and the girls will be happy to have me leave them. Getting excited!

 

[hulamom]

My son will be in his 3rd year at UH Manoa -- they'll be in session during your visit. Make sure to book a campus tour in advance. One of my son's friends does the tours and they're pretty good. It might be fun to check out any games or events going on at campus too, if your daughter is interested in the school.

 

[limace]

My son will be in his 3rd year at UH Manoa -- they'll be in session during your visit. Make sure to book a campus tour in advance. One of my son's friends does the tours and they're pretty good. It might be fun to check out any games or events going on at campus too, if your daughter is interested in the school.

That’s great to hear! We are trying to schedule a tour but no times pop up so I asked my daughter to just email. Great idea re games and activities-both girls love sports.

 

[hulamom]

That’s great to hear! We are trying to schedule a tour but no times pop up so I asked my daughter to just email. Great idea re games and activities-both girls love sports.

I just checked and see that fall tour reservations become available in August, so check back then!

My son works at the ticket office for games, so you might run into him if you go! He's a 3rd year Marine Biology major and loves it there.

 

[SoCalDCLfan]

Monsterkitty, I’m a little nervous about them doing the Alcatraz swim but husband is an experienced open water swimmer so I know I can count on him to get her to shore if needed.

SoCalDCL-I May have to pick your brain re Hawaii at Manoa-what did your daughter study?

AMW-thanks for the zipline rec and the video!

Thank all so much-love the recommendations! I did book myself a massage at the Aulani spa today-figured I deserved the splurge and the girls will be happy to have me leave them. Getting excited!

My daughter was a marine bio major. Loved it, well... maybe not the part of having to take organic chemistry. Can't think of a better location to study marine bio. She spent a summer at UH's research facility in Kaneohe bay. Incredible experience. She was also an RA for a few years and has good insight into housing. Send me a message if you have questions. Happy to help!

 

[suzette.sissom]

We usually stay away from Waikiki as well except for a day trip. We have been with teens and they all love the zipline at Climbworks. This past month we went to Kualoa Ranch and did the 2 hour UTV raptor tour. They liked that as well but my daughter who has done both like zipline better. The rock that you can jump from is at Waimea Beach on the north shore. She has done that as well but this trip only my friends daughter did it. They love the catamarran out of Waikiki. We always do that as we get a groupon and it is very cheap. Here is a short video of our trip. Have a great time.

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