For those of you visiting Aulani this year or even if you are going in July using Magical Vacations discount room block like our family is, you will need to plan on making a few decisions before you go.
The first decision is if you want to rent a car or get transportation to and from the resort. If you are planning on just going to the Ko Olina Resort area (where Aulani is located on Oahu) then consider that you will have things to do and places you can get to by walking but you will miss out on all the other sights that Oahu has to offer.
The Ko Olina Resort area is just west of Pearl Harbor but you would need transportation to reach the historic harbor. The resort area has some hotels, a marina, a golf course and a 1.5 mile circle beach walk around a park.
Other things located in the Ko Olina area include:
- · Ihilani Resort and Spa Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club
- · Ko Olina Marina
- · measures almost 7000 yards from the back tees
- · 18 holes
- · water features, multi=tiered greens,
- · no parallel fairways
- · designed by Ted Robinson
- · Adjacent to the Ihilani Resort and Spa Round trip transportation from Waikiki available Food and beverages can be ordered from golfers’ carts o the 9th and 18th holes
- · Has been listed in Golf Digest’s Top 75 Resort Curses in the U.S.”
- · Has hosted the Senior PGA and LPGA Hawaiian Ladies Open
Dining outside Aulani in the Ko Olina area
- · Roy’s Restaurant
Ihilani Resort Restaurants - · Azul
- · Naupaka Terrace
- · Poolside Grill
- · Ushio Tei
- · Spa Menu Items at All Restaurants
Ko Olina Beach Resort Cafes - · Kalohe’s Beach Bar and Grill <LI<
Resort Activities outside Aulani in the Ko Olina area
- · Catamaran Tours
- · Paradise Cove Luau
- · Golf
- · Tennis
- · Kayaking
If you want to just hang out at Aulani and the Ko Olina area then you can taxi over from the Airport and then back or you can use one of the options set up by Magical Vacations. Cloud 9 Limousine of Hawaii is the official Aulani limo company and here are their rates.
Sedan, 3 people: $215.90
SUV, 4 people: $235.60
Limo, up to 7 people: $263.98
Limo, up to 9 people: $329.81
If you need something larger there is an option for 11 people.
Cloud 9 will meet you at the gate with a sign with their name on it and takes you to baggage claim, then drives you to Aulani. If you booked your trip through Magical Vacations you will also get a flower lei greeting.
Now if you decide you want to see more of Oahu while you are there then rent a car. We were just in Oahu last May and I looked at every rental place and compared the prices and looked at the reviews. I usually like going with a rental at the airport so that there is no shuttle to wait for coming and going but the price difference was huge and you paid an extra airport fee if it was at the airport. I then looked at the offsite car rental and had gone with Thrifty. It was my first time using Thrifty. I usually went with Dollar in Disney World and in Maui because they had the nicest cars and the best price. I have also used Avis and been happy and I use Hertz for work all the time and once in Maui but I find them way over priced.
Our experience with Thrifty in Oahu was very good. They were offsite but only a few blocks from the airport. The shuttle was quick and came by often. We got our car quickly especially after signing up for their free Blue Chip Express program the week before we got there. I find that all these rental places have some free program that will get you through fast and offer some discounts.
Avis, Budget and Hertz are all located at the Honolulu Airport (HNL) with National and Enterprise about a block away and Advantage, Thrifty and Alamo a few blocks away.
I searched for prices not using any of their special rewards cards or any other discount like AAA and I did it for one week (July 8-15). I am not adding on any other options like insurance, GPS or child’s car seat. I will show before and after tax price because I have seen places where the initial total was way under another rental place but then after tax is was much higher in price.
Hertz (Yelp gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars and was the highest priced for every type of car):
Compact Car (4 Passengers and 2 small suitcases) Initial price was $654.74, after taxes was $782.99 for the week
Intermediate car (5 passengers, 2 large suitecases and 1 small suit case) Initial price was $680.24, after taxes was $811.32 for the week
Full size car (5 passengers, 2 large suitecases, 1 medium suitecase and 3 small suitcases ) Initial price was $705.74, after taxes was $839.66 for the week
Budget (Yelp gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars):
Compact Car (5 Passengers and 2 small suitcases, 2 medium suitcases and 1 large) Initial price was $412.99, after taxes was $538.94 for the week or pay online now for $409.89 after tax.
Intermediate car (5 passengers, 1 large suitecase, 2 medium suitcases and 1 small suit case) Initial price was $431.99, after taxes was $561.21 for the week or pay online now for $510.95 after tax.
Full size car (5 passengers, 2 large suitecases, 2 medium suitecase and 2 small suitcases ) Initial price was $451.99, after taxes was $585.62 for the week or pay online now for $533.03 after tax.
Avis (Yelp gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars):
Compact Car (5 Passengers and 2 small suitcases and 1 large suitcase) Initial price was $433.99, after taxes was $563.37 for the week or pay online now for $487.63 after tax.
Intermediate car (5 passengers, 2 large suitecase and 1 small suit case) Initial price was $448.99, after taxes was $580.99 for the week or pay online now for $502.63 after tax.
Full size car (5 passengers, 2 large suitecases ) Initial price was $463.99, after taxes was $599.58 for the week or pay online now for $518.60 after tax.
National (Yelp gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars):
Compact Car (5 Passengers and 2 small suitcases and 1 large suitcase) Initial price was $440.00, after taxes was $570.04 for the week .
Intermediate car (5 passengers, 4 large suitecases) Initial price was $460.00, after taxes was $594.29 for the week.
Full size car (5 passengers, 4 large suitecases ) Initial price was $470.00, after taxes was $606.73 for the week.
Enterprise (Yelp gave it 4 out of 5 stars):
Compact Car (Info Not Available) Initial price was $375.00, after taxes was $494.42 for the week .
Intermediate car (Info Not Available) Initial price was $380.00, after taxes was $501.04 for the week.
Full size car (Info Not Available) Initial price was $390.00, after taxes was $513.66 for the week.
Advantage (Yelp gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars):
Compact Car(5 Passengers and 1 small suitcases and 2 large suitcase) Initial price was $355.00, after taxes was $427.24 for the week .
Intermediate car (5 Passengers and 1 small suitcases and 2 large suitcase) Initial price was $375.00, after taxes was $448.18 for the week.
Full size car (5 Passengers and 2 small suitcases, 1 medium suitcase and 2 large suitcase) Initial price was $385.00, after taxes was $458.65 for the week.
Thrifty (Yelp gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars but we had a good experience with them in May 2011 and had the lowest prices for every type of car):
Compact Car (5 Passengers and 2 large suitcase) Initial price was $392.40, after taxes was $468.96 for the week . Had a HOT DEAL button that has a compact for 306.00 ($378.49 after tax)
Intermediate car (5 Passengers and 2 large suitcase) Initial price was $414.20, after taxes was $491.27 for the week. Had a HOT DEAL button that has a compact for 314.50 ($387.39 after tax)
Full size car (5 Passengers and 2 large suitcase) Initial price was $425.10, after taxes was $502.54 for the week. Had a HOT DEAL button that has a compact for 331.50 ($404.53 after tax)
Hot deals do not last long
Alamo (Yelp gave it 3 out of 5 stars and they have a counter at Aulani if you want to rent a car from the resort):
Compact Car (5 Passengers and 2 large suitcases) Initial price was $410.00, after taxes was $486.88 for the week or pay online now for $443.94 after tax.
Intermediate car (5 Passengers 4 large suitcases) Initial price was $430.00, after taxes was $508.70 for the week or pay online now for $463.67 after tax.
Full size car (5 Passengers 4 large suitcases) Initial price was $440.00, after taxes was $519.90 for the week or pay online now for $473.83 after tax.
So the bottom line is Thrifty had the lowest price for the different types of car with the cheapest being their weekly rate for a compact of $378.49 for their HOT BUTTON special and their Full size was $404.53 which was less than half what Hertz (who was the most expensive by hundreds of dollars over the others). The others all floated around the mid $400s to the high $500s for the week.
{Insert photo of google maps}
So now it is time for me to convince you to get your own car. Why, well because there is much to see on Oahu. When I first took Tara to Hawaii I figured the best place to start was Oahu. I am sure many of you who have gone to Hawaii would not pick Oahu as your favorite island (including me) but for a place to introduce Hawaii to someone, I feel it is perfect. There is so much in a small area. Visiting the big island or Maui is beautiful but you can spend all day in the car just driving to destinations. Kauai is beautiful and your least developed out of the bigger islands but again can take a while to drive to things. Oahu you can drive the whole island and make stops in one day.
I figured it was the best place to give Tara a taste of everything from the modern, city like Honolulu to the surf town of Haleiwa. In one day we started out at the Dole Plantation as we cut across the island from Honolulu on the Kamehameha Hwy, then stopped in Haleiwa. From there we headed up north to Waimea Bay and onto Sunset beach where we stopped at a roadside cart for some fresh fruit. After heading around to the East side of the island we stopped at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Walking in this place reminded me of staying at the Polynesian or walking through Adventureland but it was my favorite experience of the day. I won’t spoil the surprise if you have not been there but it is worth a visit. Next time I think I will stay for the Dinner show.
Something else that is on my list of not to miss while in Oahu is Pearl Harbor. There is history all over the island including rock walls constructed during the times of the Hawaiian monarchy but nothing as dramatic as seeing the USS Arizona sitting at the bottom of the harbor just off of Ford Island with the Missouri docked behind it. I could go on for hours about all the big and little things to see in Oahu but to do that you will need your own transportation.
Distance to Popular Oahu Attractions:
- · Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park (3 miles)
- · Hawaiian Railway (7 miles)
- · Waikele Premium Outlets (11 miles)
- · USS Arizona Memorial (19 miles)
- · Bishop Museum (21 miles)
- · Ward Entertainment and Shopping Center (24 miles)
- · Diamond head Crater (28 miles)
- · Waikiki Zoo (28 miles)
- · Hanauma Bay (35 miles)
- · Sea Life Park (38 miles)
- · Polynesian cultural Center (46 miles)
Other transportation options from Aulani resort to explore Oahu are:
Halihali Shopping Shuttle: Enjoy round-trip transportation—available at a fee—to Waikiki with stops at the Ala Moana Center, DFS Galleria (duty free) and Waikele Premium Outlets—all offering world-class shopping and dining. The shuttle runs 3 days a week. For reservations, visit the Holoholo Tour Desk in the lobby.
Rentals: Cars, mopeds and motorcycles are excellent options for travelling around Oʻahu on your own. Reserve a car in advance at the Honolulu International Airport or visit the Alamo car rental counter at Aulani, located at the Holoholo desk. Alamo offers competitive rates, unlimited mileage, a hassle-free rental experience and a variety of vehicles.
Taxi: Taxis are another great way to get around town. Taxi stands are located at most malls, in the business district or at the airport. You can also call to have a taxi pick you up.
The Bus: Known as TheBus, this public transportation option offers extensive routes and destinations, with special visitor passes for multiple day use. The nearest bus stop is 1 mile from Aulani.
Trolley: While its coverage is not as extensive as the bus, the trolley does go to the most popular tourist destinations and offers special tickets with unlimited rides over a number of days.
http://www.hawaiiforvisitors.com/oahu/attractions/koolina-resort.htm
Now reading reviews of Aulani I would say most people loved it. The main complaints were price and food options. We have been to resorts on different islands that have just opened and they usually go through some growing pains with amenities and staffing. Seems that Aulani did this last year and is learning how to better run the resort. To get a better price you can use Magical Vacations discounted room block but your travel dates have to span the dates in July they have to block of rooms for (July 7-14, 2012) now if you book through Magical Vacations and rent a car you will save by not having a parking fee.
The other complaint of not having enough food options or cheaper food options. Well Aulani is listening to their guests and are creating a new place to get counter service food. Here was the report from DisneyParks Blog.
“Crews are hard at work on a brand-new addition to the food and beverage options at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawai‘i.
Mama’s Snack Stop, a quick-service food location premiering this June right next to Pāpālua Shave Ice in the Waikolohe Valley, will serve mouthwatering hot dogs, chicken tenders and more. The menu includes a choice of bread, sauce, and type of sausage, including all-beef hot dog, Hawaiian Winner, or Portuguese sausage. Guests can also choose a buffalo ranch chicken tender dog, chicken tenders, fries, Maui Chips, a macadamia pineapple cupcake and fruit.
Construction on Mama’s Snack Stop may cause a bit of inconvenience, but this new location is a great example of how quickly the Aulani team listens and responds to the needs of guests looking for additional meal options at the resort. Mama’s Snack Stop will add to the magic of a Hawaiian vacation at Aulani.”
I also suggest making reservations weeks before you go. Dining seems to fill up quickly at the resort but if you don’t and there is nothing available, many have suggested walking over to the Marriott and eating there with no problems.
