Tours for Hawaii trip ???

[NC State Tigger]

We have 9 days booked at Aulani in October. This may be a once in a lifetime trip for our family. Myself, DH ( 60s), DS(26), DD,DSiL (late 20s) and DGD (3).

Looking for advice about touring the island. Pearl Harbor is a must, but I'm having a hard time trying to decide other "first time tourist things to not miss".
We want some resort time as well as time touring the island. No hiking probably, but open to most other activities.

Suggestions please. We will have a rental car, but wonder if scheduling tours thru Aulani would be best? if not Aulani, is there a tour company anyone would recommend? Should we just do things on our own? I've read about the "go Oahu card"---worth buying? Trying to watch the budget, where I can

Thanks for any help in planning.

 

[abdmom]

We have 9 days booked at Aulani in October. This may be a once in a lifetime trip for our family. Myself, DH ( 60s), DS(26), DD,DSiL (late 20s) and DGD (3).

Looking for advice about touring the island. Pearl Harbor is a must, but I'm having a hard time trying to decide other "first time tourist things to not miss".
We want some resort time as well as time touring the island. No hiking probably, but open to most other activities.

Suggestions please. We will have a rental car, but wonder if scheduling tours thru Aulani would be best? if not Aulani, is there a tour company anyone would recommend? Should we just do things on our own? I've read about the "go Oahu card"---worth buying? Trying to watch the budget, where I can

Thanks for any help in planning.

The Aulani tours are very expensive. For a large group, it totally wouldn't be worth it. You are much better off to drive yourselves. Oahu is a small island. Nothing is very far, although Aulani is pretty far from many sights. I would recommend checking out Tripadvisor's Hawaii forum. There is a lot of info there.

 

[SuperRob]

Yup, see if you can get a cheap rental car. It's nice to be able to go out and do your thing whenever you want. You can rent a car right at Aulani, but you'll probably pay more than figuring it out in advance. (Just remember that everyone is on "island time", so your wait for a car might be longer than you'd expect.)

If you're a Disney fan, it's kind of fun to drive out to the Dole Plantation and get your Dole Whip fix. Be forewarned that it's a big tourist trap, though.

The North Shore has some amazing views, and there are some fantastic shrimp trucks up there if you like that kind of thing.

Waikiki is very touristy, but it might be nice to go for a night, have a meal, and people-watch.

Pearl Harbor was outstanding. I didn't think I'd like it, we were kind of bored at first, and we almost left before our time on the tour. I was VERY glad we didn't. It was an amazing experience. My advice would be to get there early and get the soonest tour time you can.

Other than that, Google some stuff and see what people recommend. Personally, I think just one or two days to tour Oahu is plenty. You'll really want to soak in the atmosphere of the resort. Disney knocked it out of the parks.

 

[Terapin]

Hi there! We visited Aulani at the end of may and had a fantastic time!

We toured Pearl Harbor (booked tix in advance - easy peasy and recommended). Even as Canadians we enjoyed it.

We toured Hanauma Bay - rented snorkel equipment and it was amazing out by the reef.

We toured Haleiwa and got shave ice, saw sea turtles, drove along the coastline, got food from a shrimp truck. All great.

We took private surf lessons from Hawaiian Fire. So fun, so good, even for total newbies. This was our splurge and was top-notch.

The other days we just hung around the resort and did things there. I highly recommend this also.

I ran along the beaches and coves, enjoyed the lazy river, walked over to the restaurants and shops across the street, and just enjoyed our time. Also did the snorkeling onsite. We shopped at Costco for food, and at out sparingly. Liked Monkeypod kitchen. Liked Ama Ama for lunch, and the other onsite restaurant for lunch. Dinner was too expensive, even by Disney standards ($140 for 3 burger platters and two curry dishes).

Had a great time. Hope that helps!

 

[Pakey]

I've been to Hawaii 8 times now, Oahu twice. My favorite things on Oahu, besides Pearl Harbor, are Hanuama Bay and the Polynesian Cultural Center. I also like to visit the North Shore just to hang out at the water/beach.

I would definitely do everything on your own as its very easy to get around. You can order your Pearl Harbor tickets online (free, just pay for postage) and I recommend doing that to save waiting in line at the memorial.

 

[Cruiser1969]

Here is our day-by-day itinerary of what we did while there last year. We rented a car and went everywhere!!! I did tons of research before we went as, like you, it was a once-in-lifetime trip!! Message me if you have any specific questions! A lot of these things were free or cheap!!

Here's our final plan:

1- Mon. July 30
- Fly in at 8:30 pm
- Pick up car
- Drive to Aulani

2 - Tues. July 31
- KOA Pancake House breakfast
- Buy groceries
- Green Snow - Shave Ice
- Explore Aulani and relax
- Mo'Olelo Fire Pit Storytelling

3 - Wed. August 1
- Aulani
- Beach and Pool
- Bracelet Making

4 - Thurs. August 2
- Grand Circle Island Tour (used a 2 for 1 coupon from Entertainment book)
Diamond Head
Hanauma Bay*
Halona "Blow Hole" lookout*
Nuuanu Pali Lookout*
Byodo-In Temple
Lunch - Koaloa Ranch
Chinaman's Hat
Macadamia Nut Farm
Sunset Beach
Waimea Bay
Dole Plantation
- Ala Moana Shopping Centre

5 - Fri. August 3
- Laniakea Beach (turtles - amazing!! And free)
- Ted's Bakery Lunch& Haupia pie
- Waimea Waterfalls
- Waimea Beach
- Haleiwa - Aoki's Shave ice

6 - Sat. August 4
- Pearl Harbor - USS Arizona - USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park
- Aloha Stadium shopping (a must for inexpensive souvenirs)
- Green Snow shave ice

7 - Sun. August 5
- Aulani - Relax
- PHOTOSHOOT Maili Beach
- Hapa Grill dinner

8 - Mon. August 6
- Diamond Head Hike
- Lanikai Beach
- Zippy's lunch
- Tantalus to Round Top Drive
- Aulani's Starlight Hui - 7 pm


9 - Tues. August 7
- Chinaman's Hat
- Kualoa Movie Site Tour
- Tropical Farms Macademia Nut Farm (worth a stop!)
- L & L Barbecue - Lunch
- Leonard'sTruck - Fresh, filled malasadas!
- Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center
- Waikiki Beach Sunset

10 - Wed. August 8
- Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
- Waimea Rock
- Dole (fruit stand - sugar cane and mango)
- Paradise Cove Luau

11 - Thurs. August 9
- Pack and Check out by 11:00
- L & L lunch
- Green Snow Shave Ice
- Drop off Car, Fly Home 7:30 pm

 

[taaren]

Cruiser 1969 gave you a nice list to start with.

I lived on Oahu for two years, and often island hopped since I am a born & raised Maui-an.

Haunama Bay is a must. The ability to see turtles and other sea life never failed to take my breath away (figuratively, I am a good swimmer/snorkeler ).

One of my other favorites is eating a chocolate souffle from Roy's which should be easy to fit in since its right across the street from Aulani. The meals are $$, and they're good if you're into fine dining, but we often went just for the dessert.

If you want to eat local, I could give you a ton of other local-style recommendations that are knock-out. Shirokiya in Ala Moana, for instance, has a food market on the top floor that if you like Japanese food is wonderful. Also, Da Kitchen is some of the best plate-lunch style food on the island. (Although Zippy's is more ubiquitous and decent for being the fast food version of what locals eat.)

I'd recommend borrowing Oahu Revealed from your local library (or buy it if you prefer), and see what else appeals. There's quite a bit to do and see on the island, and it depends a lot on what your tastes are.

 

[NC State Tigger]

Here is our day-by-day itinerary of what we did while there last year. We rented a car and went everywhere!!! I did tons of research before we went as, like you, it was a once-in-lifetime trip.

Thanks Cruiser1969 for your itinerary. Looks like on the days away from Aulani that lots can be seen and done in one day. Looks like you have a cruise coming up soon. Our family sailed on the Fantasy last December and had a great time. Enjoy your cruise!!!

Thanks to everyone else for you ideas and suggestions.

How many days would be best to stay at Aulani and how many days to explore Oahu. I think arrival day (flight arrives 10/2 at 4:15) and the following day will be Aulani days as well as the day before we leave and our return flight day ( 6:50 flight on 10/11) So that leaves 10/4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 to fit in all our "must do activities". . Doesn't look like enough days.

 

[MELSMICE]

I was just coming here to post and ask the same question. We are also looking for ideas on some excursions, etc. along with having a lot of time at the pool.

I will check out some of the suggestions here.

 

[Cruiser1969]

I agree, there are so many more things on Oahu that can be done, so you will definitely need to do your research and decide what suits your family and budget!! Our trip was budget-conscious when it came to food and activities with a couple splurges thrown in. (Our flights sucked up our budget!! lol) I would read as much as you can and make a wish list, map it out and try to plan your days to do nearby things together (for example Aloha Stadium shopping is nearby Pearl Harbour).

You could tour every day if you wanted to ... you'll need to figure out what makes your vacation fun (pool, beach, exploring) and decide for yourself how many days to do what. I went in with a plan, but changed it a bit day by day depending on our mood/energy!!