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We are planning a big trip to Hawaii in August 2017 with a stay at Aulani. I am guessing that this resort is pretty popular but how popular is what concerns me. Will we have any chance of getting our one bedroom suite at the 7 month window?
Plus any insider tips to the resort and also Hawaii would be appreciated.
Aulani is pretty popular, particularly in the summer. But not impossible to book at the 7 month mark. August will be better than June or July. The later in August, the easier. Type and view of your room also will make a difference. Standard rooms go quickest, ocean views go last, typically. If I look at the availability tool right now, it's wide open at 7 months, but then that's March. But there's even a smattering of availability for this week.
You should be fine, as long as you're making your reservation on the morning your 7 month window opens.
Steve
My sister lives in Hawaii and we spent the month of July there. We visited Aulani 5 times to eat and walk around (the lagoons at Ko'olina is my personal favorite place to swim in the ocean. Be sure to walk to the 2d lagoon over for some gorgeous smooth water. We stayed at Aulani last January, and I'll have to say it was totally packed in July. There were people everywhere. We checked into a short stay, but the room rates were about $700 for a standard room during our dates. I would try to avoid June and July if possible. I was surprised at how crowded it was. And we tried for the whole month of July to get reservations at Makahiki for the character brunch, and it was totally booked the whole month, for our party size of 4. So go ahead and make some dining reservations!
Dining at Aulani is very expensive- we did a 3 night stay last year, and the food was very pricey. There is a great super Target and Walmart about a 10 minutes drive from Aulani, so I'd definitely get a car and plan to head there for easy access to groceries and souveniers. When we went to Pearl Harbor, I noticed an Aulani tour bus there. I don't know how much they would charge for something like that- I think unless you are planning on staying exclusively at the resort, I'd definitely rent a car and explore the island on your own time table. Once you get the highway system figured out, getting around isn't too bad, just be aware of rush hour traffic in the morning and afternoon...its gets crazy packed.
We've been going to Hawaii for 12+ years, and have been to Aulani several times ever since it opened. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to message me! It's the most amazing place I've ever been...Hawaii is just a magical, amazing place, and I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Real quick, wanted to add, Aulani and the Ko-olina area is pretty remote (in my opinion). Its quite a drive from the airport. That said, its one of the most pristine parts and just gorgeous. Go ahead and get familiar with the map of Oahu just so you'll have a good idea of where everything is (if you plan on driving). Just north of Aulani is Waianae, which is gorgeous, but not super safe for tourists to be driving around. I'd avoid that area north of Aulani if possible.
We are going in February just for two days over the weekend (spending six days on the big island first). We could not get a standard room, but had no problem getting a 1 Bedroom Suite for both nights. Of course, we used waaaay more points than we wanted to, but....Aulani! I didn't think we would ever actually get a chance to stay there, and things have just worked out.
The points are pretty crazy, so we are banking and borrowing points to make this trip work out.
Thanks for the info guys! :thumbsup:
After deciding on where to stay we now get to plan out some adventures. The Big Island is a must for us, so much to see and do, starting with the volcanoes!