Insights into Hawaii: Honolulu vs. Maui

[ourbabygirl]

We're doing a family trip, and will be starting in Honolulu for a few days to see Pearl Harbor, then going to Maui for a few more days. We're wondering if it would be a better use of money to arrive a few days earlier in Honolulu to stay at Disney's Aulani (for the kids) first, or skip that and stay a few extra days in Maui. We're really trying to make the best use of our money and time, and want to have a direct flight to Honolulu.

I've heard a bit that Honolulu is not very nice (very worn down, a lot of homeless people, etc.), and there's really not much to do there, but I'm not sure how accurate that is, and I'm wondering if staying at Aulani would make up for it?

Also, is it a really bad idea to fly direct with a 2 (almost 3) year old, and two older kids? It would be basically 8 hours. I thought it'd be better to get it all done with at once, rather than fly for 3 or 4 hours, stop at an airport super late at night (probably waking up the kids to get off the plane), then get back on for a red-eye. But maybe not.

Thanks for your advice!

[mommy111]

A direct flight is always better
I love love love Maui, lots of things for everyone to do. Don't know Honolulu as well

[StantonHyde]

We went to the big Island. Direct from Salt Lake City to Honolulu and then to our final destination. On the way back, we flew out early, spent the day at Pearl Harbor and took the red eye home. We were wrecked at home. But ok going to HI. I would spend more time on Maui--it sounds so awesome!

[DualvansMommy]

We were in Hawaii pre kids for our honeymoon, non stop flight is the way to go. Don't know where you're flying from, but we flew from East coast and wanted to stop in SF as first leg for 3 days. I would spend more time at Maui over Honolulu for sure!!!!

[123LuckyMom]

My husband lived in Hawaii (on Oahu) for 6 years, and I've travelled there with him on two occasions to Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. I'm not a huge fan of Honolulu, though I wouldn't call it rundown. I just don't love cities, and the beach at Waikiki isn't great, but there's lots to do on Oahu. You can hike up Diamond Head. The Polynesian Cultural Center is great! The North Shore is fun, and the Dole pineapple plantation is neat, too. I would spend my time on Oahu visiting those sites as well as Pearl Harbor. Maui is fantastic for the beach. I like the Kaanapali beach area. We saved a lot of money by staying at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel but enjoying restaurants at neighboring hotels. The Swan Court breakfast at the Hyatt is a treat! Also make sure to see the sunrise on Mt. Haleakala. It's worth getting up in the middle of the night. Trust me! And absolutely drive (and hike side trails) on the road to Hana. At the end there's a red sand beach you have to hike to get to, but it's amazing!

I highly recommend this series of guidebooks for Hawaii:
Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0996131809/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AjoXybANEQ7NA

They are written and researched by locals, and they do a really good job of highlighting side trips and special places lots of visitors don't see.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[liz]

I'm not a huge fan of Honolulu, though I wouldn't call it rundown. I just don't love cities, and the beach at Waikiki isn't great, but there's lots to do on Oahu. You can hike up Diamond Head. The Polynesian Cultural Center is great! The North Shore is fun, and the Dole pineapple plantation is neat, too. I would spend my time on Oahu visiting those sites as well as Pearl Harbor. Maui is fantastic for the beach. I like the Kaanapali beach area. We saved a lot of money by staying at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel but enjoying restaurants at neighboring hotels. The Swan Court breakfast at the Hyatt is a treat! Also make sure to see the sunrise on Mt. Haleakala. It's worth getting up in the middle of the night. Trust me! And absolutely drive (and hike side trails) on the road to Hana. At the end there's a red sand beach you have to hike to get to, but it's amazing!

I highly recommend this series of guidebooks for Hawaii:
Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0996131809/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AjoXybANEQ7NA

They are written and researched by locals, and they do a really good job of highlighting side trips and special places lots of visitors don't see.
Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

:yeahthat::yeahthat::yeahthat:
I totally agree with everything 123LuckyMom said. We did the same things on Maui (even Swan Court for breakfast!). Also, getting a book with local info is a great idea. On our honeymoon (a long time ago now) the hotel gave us a cassette tape they made to take with us for the car. It was basically a driving tour for hidden spots and unique finds not listed in most guidebooks.

[smilequeen]

We did Hawaii with the kids last summer. We stayed at Aulani for 4 days and then the Big Island for a week. While I'm not a huge Disney person and I think there are nicer hotels for less money, our kids did really love Aulani. The beach is really great for younger kids...private, calm, lots of room to play. You can check out sand toys and boogie boards, so all 3 of mine had a blast. They also could have spent days in the lazy river there. Oahu is worth it for a few things for us. We did Pearl Harbor with the kids. DH and I had been to Honolulu before and didn't really have any desire to take the kids there for anything else...except to eat at Curry House :) Then we took a day to go to the North Shore to watch the Sea Turtles and to eat Matsumoto's Shaved Ice (another thing I would absolutely take your kids too, it was a huge hit). We also enjoyed Monkeypod (across the street from Aulani) for dinner one night. The Big Island portion of our trip was awesome, but we were glad we took a little time with the kids at Aulani.

[Robyn0204]

I currently live on Oahu. Honolulu is a crowded city (and yes, lots of homeless, the state tries to keep the homeless away from the tourist areas though) but you're not likely to spend that much time "in the city" even if you spend the extra days on Oahu unless you are staying in Waikiki. It isn't an easy answer because it all depends on what you want to do. If you just want to relax and spend time at the beach I'd definitely say stay on Maui. I really enjoyed the weekend we spent there just taking it easy. If activities is what you want then I think Oahu is your best bet. Keep in mind Aulani is on the far west side of the island and traffic is horrible, like soul sucking horrible, depending on the time of day. Where I live (near the military bases/Pearl Harbor) it is a good 45 minute drive out to Aulani without traffic. If you're traveling west to Aulani between 2:30-6:30/7 ish it can be hours. But, the beaches out there are nice and great for little ones because they have lagoons where the water protected and is very calm. I haven't personally stayed at Aulani so I can't speak to the resort itself. We have had dinner out that way and it is very "postcard Hawaii" out there. Disney and the other resorts work hard to keep it looking like the Hawaii their guests have come to see. It is clean and picturesque. As far as activities on Oahu: Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation, North Shore (Haleiwa) to see the sea turtles and have shave ice, Polynesian Cultural Center, Honolulu Zoo (relatively small), Sea Life Park, Macadamia Nut Farm, Hanauma Bay, Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, Hikes: Diamond Head, Kaena Point, Makapuu Lighthouse, Waimea Falls. That's all I can think of right now. Feel free to respond here or PM me if you have specific question and I'll try and help as best I can. We're actually leaving the island and headed back to the mainland next week after 2.5 years here.

[cagey]

I spend a week to 10 days on Oahu a few times a year for work (bringing the kids every summer for a long weekend) and have really gotten to love it over the other islands. (Big island is a very close second!) For me, its more 'real' than Maui, and there's SO much to do. The people are absolutely lovely! I've stayed in Waikiki, the Marriott Ko'Olina (next to Auluni--we walked through the Disney hotel and while it was gorgeous, we're not Disney people and stayed next door), and rental houses on the north shore and each has their benefit.

My favorite things with kids :
-Pearl Harbor--we did the Arizona once, but they love the Bowfin and have gone several times
-Dole Plantation
-Hanuama Bay
-Tidepools at Makapu'u point
-North Shore (a 1/2 day surf lesson, Waimea falls esp on a farm market day, shave ice)
-Boogie boarding along the beaches on the SW coast (we go to the one by the Marriott, adjacent to the Aulani)
-Polynesian Cultural Center and the nearby Laie Point
-HIKING! lots of easy ones for kids like Diamond Head, Kaena Point (we saw sea turtles last time!)
-Macadamia nut pancakes at the Koa Pancake House (yummmmm)
-Buying leis from the shops in Chinatown


Yes, traffic is heavy but that's no reason to avoid , and I plan for about 1hr on weekdays to get from Waikiki up to the north shore.

[MMMommy]

We love and prefer the food in Oahu--great local eats and restaurants. For our family, food is probably the high point. Good ramen shops, onigiri/musubi (Iyasume Musubi!), plate lunch places, Korean bbq (formerly Hawaii 678, now called Sura Hawaii), Side Street Inn, Rainbow Drive Inn (portugese sausage, eggs and rice with side of mahi mahi), Shimazu Shave Ice, Monsarrat Shave Ice (fresh fruit syrups), Maguro Brothers (for sashimi, hamachi kama, poke), the Alley at Aiea Bowl (oxtail soup with ramen, lemon crunch cake), etc. DDs and I really enjoy eating at and walking around the huge, newly renovated Ala Moana Shopping Center--the new Shirokiya Village (Japanese food stalls galore) opened up last summer.

Oahu is definitely more crowded, more commercial and yes, there can be lots of traffic. But the food is so good....