Waikiki first then to Aulani..Car rentals advice Please

[elleny76]

Hi Ya'll! Need help_Advice Asap

1 week at the Hilton lagoon (no car rental ) but then I will go to Aulani _Disney for 1 week and I need rental car while there(free parking). What is best for us to do? where to rent?

What would you do to save money? I can cook at the Hilton_1 bedroom but not @ Aulani (studio deluxe only)


PLUS

I have a 6 y/o child (hummm) should I buy those:
1) Go Oahu Cards?
2.) should I bring toys /Snorkel type?
3.) Any other idea of what to bring?

Thanks so much. ( I have spent enough money already I need to really try to stay within the $100 (food) $100 for fun a day expenses while there. )

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Personally i always just rent snorkel gear as it bulky and takes up too much room in my luggage... But my son is all grown so i am not sure about renting for a 6 year old.. Also Waikiki is not good snorkeling, so would be better when you have a car.. but water toys are always fun..

 

[jestme]

My suggestion would be to take a shuttle to the Lagoon, then take it back to the airport after your first week. Pick up the rental car at the airport, and drop it back off there when you are leaving.
In Waikiki, you can get meals at reasonable prices at the Yard House on Lewers, the Cheesecake Factory and a few of the "happy hours", but you are figuring on cooking while you are there. The HHV (where the Lagoon tower is) is expensive to eat in. Ask where the Walmart is (might be a bit far to walk for a 6yo), and buy cheap, throw away toys there rather than lugging them in baggage on the plane from home. The young ones love getting new toys they can pick out after flying all that way the day before. There is a grocery store near the Walmart as well.
The first advice I give people is, when you arrive, buy milk. Then you can have coffee in the room when you wake up in the middle of the night the first morning, without the powdered milk stuff, or having to walk around outside at 4:00AM. With a 6yo, you will need it anyhow.
Enjoy your trip.

 

[Cropman]

My suggestion would be to take a shuttle to the Lagoon, then take it back to the airport after your first week. Pick up the rental car at the airport, and drop it back off there when you are leaving.

I don't know about what car rental prices are now, but at Christmas, a car at the airport was about $400 more than an offsite place. (We used Enterprise.) I ordered an Uber when we landed and took that to the car rental, drove back to the airport picked up everyone, and drove to Aulani. We then dropped the car off back at the airport when we left. It was about $50 for the Uber and an extra $50 to drop the car off at the airport instead of where I picked it up. Drive time to pick it up and back to the airport was about 45 minutes. By the time everyone got the luggage and grabbed a quick bite, while I got the car, it wasn't too long of a wait for them. It was a little more of a hassle, but it saved us about $300, enough for a Dole Whip and a hot dog at Aulani!! Lol, just kidding, prices were high but I didn't think outrageous. Have a great trip!!

JC

 

[happymum]

In January rental car from the airport was much cheaper than off-site, so it pays to double check!

 

[elleny76]

My suggestion would be to take a shuttle to the Lagoon, then take it back to the airport after your first week. Pick up the rental car at the airport, and drop it back off there when you are leaving.
In Waikiki, you can get meals at reasonable prices at the Yard House on Lewers, the Cheesecake Factory and a few of the "happy hours", but you are figuring on cooking while you are there. The HHV (where the Lagoon tower is) is expensive to eat in. Ask where the Walmart is (might be a bit far to walk for a 6yo), and buy cheap, throw away toys there rather than lugging them in baggage on the plane from home. The young ones love getting new toys they can pick out after flying all that way the day before. There is a grocery store near the Walmart as well.
The first advice I give people is, when you arrive, buy milk. Then you can have coffee in the room when you wake up in the middle of the night the first morning, without the powdered milk stuff, or having to walk around outside at 4:00AM. With a 6yo, you will need it anyhow.
Enjoy your trip.

Thanks!... How much is the shuttle for 1 person from the Hilton to the airport? Does Hilton has a private shuttle or this is something we need to get outside the resort?

 

[jestme]

Thanks!... How much is the shuttle for 1 person from the Hilton to the airport? Does Hilton has a private shuttle or this is something we need to get outside the resort?

Hilton's "preferred shuttle" is Speddi Shuttle. They are allowed to get right to the door at the Lagoon/Waikikian, and they have a person on site to confirm with when you are leaving. There are other shuttles, (Roberts, VIP, etc.) sometimes a bit cheaper, that will let you out at the sidewalk. You will need fares for 3 people to get to the Lagoon, and 1 person back to get the car at the airport. Then that person can pick you up at the HHV and all drive back to Aulani, which is on the other side of the airport. It's a bit out of the way to come back and pick you up, but there is a small $ savings if only one takes the shuttle back to the airport. That needs to be offset with the lost time, and aggravation with Honolulu traffic. Personally, I would take 3 back to the airport and go straight to Aulani from there. Hawaii time is valuable, and for the extra $25 for the other 2 people, you will save the driving hassle and about 90-120 minutes.
BTW, Hawaii law requires children under the age of four to ride in a child safety seat and children ages of four through seven to ride in a child safety seat or a booster seat when traveling in a motor vehicle.

 

[Emi]

Hello

We come to Hilton Hawaiian Village every year and some years rent a car and some years did not. We have found the best prices on Costco.com. Check periodically cause the rates do change a lot. The parking rate at HHV went up to $35 a day.

Here are some options
1) rent a car for a few hours or a day at the airport and check in, leave luggage with bell desk or room and go shopping for food stuff and toys. Walmart is a little over a mile away. It has best food prices but no meats. Foodland the super market is also over a mile away at the further end of Ala Moana center. If you keep the car over night you will have to pay the $35 parking fee. One person can return the car at the airport and either take the shuttle $20 or bus $2 back to HHV

2) you can rent a car on your first day at the resort. National is onsite but they close at 3:30pm. You can do a one day rental and park it back at the garage for the night without charge where they have their cars. There is a lock box to drop in the keys for them to pick up the next morning. If you have a car for a day you can explore the east side of the island and get the grocery shopping out of the way. ABC store at HHV is good for a few breakfast items for your first morning. Lots of traffic on this island. Once you go to the westside you may not want to take too many trips back to eastside.

3) A few suggestions for places to eat on a budget, as we are when we spend so much time here
-Wailana Coffee House across the street from HHV. Something left over from the 1970's but great prices. It's clean and we have never gotten sick from eating there.Low price breakfast if you need a place on your first morning
- Goofy's Cafe on same block of HHV, the low rise buildings next to Grand Waikikian. Breakfast and Lunch $9 to 13. Dinner is few dollars higher. The corn fried rice is excellent for $9.50
- Round Table Pizza on the property at Rainbow Bazaar
- Happy Hour and Lunch Specials are popular in Hawaii.
The best Happy Hour ( actually all day from 11Am to 6pm) is at Wolfgang in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping center. A good list of appertizers for $7. lunch specials $12.99. It's an upscale Steak House. Happy Hour can be a meal. Good size portions. Have to sit at bar area. There are a few tables other than bar.
PF Chang good selection apps for Happy Hour
Dukes on Waikiki Beach must try Hula Pie. Lunch Buffet is good uner $20
Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin 255 Beach Walk, near to Trump condo. Lunch Special $13 TonKatsu is deep fried pork cutlet and very authenic per friends who lived in Japan. Comes with all u can eat cabbage salad, miso soup and rice.

One more thing, Costco has best gas prices. Costco has some beach stuff also.

Be happy to help if you have any questions. You'll have a great time.
Amy

 

[alwysonvac]

I've rented from both Costco Travel and www.discounthawaiicarrrental.com in the past.

 

[alwysonvac]

Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHV) is a great resort for Honolulu sightseeing, shopping and dining options. When we stay at Aulani we spend most of my time hanging out at the resort and taking advantage of the resort amenities and beach.

The little one might enjoy the Waikiki Aquarium and Waikiki Zoo during your HHV stay.

Don't forget to look at TripAdvisor for restaurant reviews, rankings and photos - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g60654-Kapolei_Oahu_Hawaii.html

Here are some of my old posts from the TUG Hawaii forum that you might find it helpful

Also, a lot of good information can be found in the older threads.

Here are some examples:

1. What's One Thing You Wish You Had Known...[before you went to Hawaii] -
2. http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?...u-had-known-before-you-went-to-hawaii.218338/
3. Hawaii Airfare - How do you plan it out? - http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/hawaii-airfare-how-do-you-plan-it-out.231483/
4. Hawaii Car Rentals - http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/hawaii-car-rentals.242067/
5. Tell me why I should go to Oahu? - http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/tell-me-why-i-should-go-to-oahu.131985/
6. Hawaii Revealed Books - http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/hawaii-revealed-books.182509/

Aulani is located in Ko Olina, a 642-acre master-planned vacation and residential community on the leeward coast of Oahu, 17 miles northwest of Honolulu. Other resorts in the area - Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club timeshare and Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina (which replaced the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa next door).

Aulani Information
Pictures from our Disney Aulani resort stay in Hawaii (2012) - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167462
There are least 15 restaurants within walking distance - http://www.yesterland.com/disneykoolina26.html
Here's a link to additional Aulani resort info - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-resorts/aulani-hawaii-resort/
Ko Olina Resort Map - http://www.koolina.com/Portals/1/Files/ko-olina-directory-map-20150508.pdf
Ko Olina Resort Site - http://www.koolina.com/
Ko Olina is within Kapolei - http://www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2012/06/kapolei-overview/
Aulani: What's the One Thing You Wish You Knew? (long thread) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/aulani-whats-the-one-thing-you-wish-you-knew.3180904/
Going to Aulani -- Let's list places to eat (long thread) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/going-to-aulani-lets-list-places-to-eat.2858912/
......

 

[jehb2]

We cook a lot. We have found it cheaper to pick up the rental car when we land at the airport. Drive to HHV and drop off all our luggage. Drive to Costco and Don Quixote and buy groceries for the week. Drop off the groceries and family at HHV. My husband returns the car to the airport and takes the city bus back. Sometimes we keep the car for a full 24 hours parking it at the marina.

You can purchase snorkel gear, umbrella, beach chairs, boogie board, and especially sand bucket & shovel set from Costco.

Buy a bucket of cookie dough from Costco. Spend 10 minutes each day and bake cookies. Then you won't have to buy cookies from the expensive ice cream shop that you'll pass several times a day.

Not a lot of mainlanders know about Don Quixote. It's a big grocery store about a block and a half away from Walmart. It's Japanese owned but half the store sells Japanese groceries and the other half sells American food. HHV won't tell you about it my guess is because it's like Kmart, but they have the best prices outside Costco.

 

[elleny76]

Thanks sooooooo Much ! awesome info

Be happy to help if you have any questions. You'll have a great time.
Amy[/QUOTE]

 

[DaveNV]

-Wailana Coffee House ... we have never gotten sick from eating there.

Amy

Amy, I know you were being helpful, but this backhanded compliment for Wailana just made me snort coffee out my nose. It's definitely a typical Waikiki coffee shop in the old tradition. (Kind of like the old Coco's on Kalakaua and Kapiolani Blvd. The building is long gone by now.) But the food at Wailana is good, and affordable, which is probably why the place is so popular. And nothing is as scary as the Denny's on Lewers. (We won't discuss what we found in our food there one time. Yikes!)

Anyway, thanks for my morning chuckle.

Dave

 

[elleny76]

Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHV) is a great resort for Honolulu sightseeing, shopping and dining options. When we stay at Aulani we spend most of my time hanging out at the resort and taking advantage of the resort amenities and beach.

@alwysonvac Thanks soo much.. I have been reading all those links in the last 2 hours....lol (Along with my coffeee and a marker)

 

[dsmrp]

I agree with the others who suggest taking public transport around HHV and Waikiki,
and then renting a car while you're staying at Ko'Olina.

You can take the bus, #8 to the Zoo and Kapiolani Park. See http://www.thebus.org/route/routes.asp
The #8 in the other direction will take you to Ala Moana shopping center, all sides.
If you get off at Kona Street, mauka mountain side, Walmart is a 2 block walk up Keeaumoku.
If you take the #13 from Kuhio Street (direction: Liliha/Puunui) get off at Kaheka & Kapiolani for Don Quixote,
and Keeaumoku (2 blocks further) for Walmart. There's also a Sam's Club on top of (?) the Walmart.

The west (ewa) side of Ala Moana mall has a fairly large Japanese dept store style food court & restaurants run by Shirokiya.
Haven't been there yet, but meaning to try it. Ala Moana has another mall food court too,
and pricier restaurants on the 3rd level.

You can even take the bus from Waikiki to Hanauma Bay! My son did it...

There's a Costco not too far from Ko'Olina.
I've not stayed there, but sounds like the restaurants are on the pricier side.
If you want to eat less expensively, drive into Waikele or Waipahu, Pearl City...
Just AVOID driving to/from Ko'Olina during the local commuter rush hour:
westbound between 3-6, and eastbound to Honolulu in the morning maybe 6-9??

 

[dsmrp]

Amy, I know you were being helpful, but this backhanded compliment for Wailana just made me snort coffee out my nose. It's definitely a typical Waikiki coffee shop in the old tradition. (Kind of like the old Coco's on Kalakaua and Kapiolani Blvd. The building is long gone by now.) But the food at Wailana is good, and affordable, which is probably why the place is so popular. And nothing is as scary as the Denny's on Lewers. (We won't discuss what we found in our food there one time. Yikes!)

Anyway, thanks for my morning chuckle.

Dave

I remember the old Coco's!
Haven't thought about that place in years!
Old drive ins which I think/hope are still around are Likelike(?) on Keeaumoku
and Rainbow on Kapahulu.

 

[DaveNV]

I remember the old Coco's!
Haven't thought about that place in years!
Old drive ins which I think/hope are still around are Likelike(?) on Keeaumoku
and Rainbow on Kapahulu.

Rainbow Drive In is still there. Good as it used to be, but really busy! http://rainbowdrivein.com

And no trip to Oahu is complete without stopping at Leonards for hot malasadas. http://leonardshawaii.com/home/

There's a fun fan website devoted to old time Hawaii (and other) places like Coco's: http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=39185&forum=2

I first moved to Oahu in 1968. Ala Moana was a fraction of the size it is now. Sears, McInerny, and Liberty House were the big anchor stores back then. Holiday Mart on Kaheka Street, (between Keeaumoku and Kalakaua) was the precursor to what your average Walmart is now. (I worked at both Ala Moana and Holiday Mart as a high school student.) Waikiki had green space and open views to the water from Kalakaua Ave. (which still had two-way traffic in those days.) The infill of sand between Kuhio Beach Park and Kapiolani Park hadn't happened yet, and Fort DeRussy was still quonset huts and ancient wooden buildings where the Army Reservists worked on weekends. Things are very different now, but I still love it there.

Dave

 

[haras]

Monkey pod is across the street from aulani and has good happy hour. We've done a studio our first time at aulani and there's a mini fridge in your room. Big enough for milk and snacks. We often would get a burger at the pool for the kids to share then an early dinner at monkey pod. There's also lots of places nearby the target about 5 miles away from aulani. It's a magical place. We always love going there. Even though we have a vehicle we normally only leave to eat. Our kids love just floating in the pool and spending time on the beach.

 

[elleny76]

Thanks ya'll! yes, We need the car only for Aulani_Disney since we are owners and we don't pay for parking. We got a convertible for 1 week $220. For Waikiki I will follow all advices from this page! I can not wait to go! So excited. I was wondering if I should go to maui 1 day ?..Not sure but thinking about it.

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks ya'll! yes, We need the car only for Aulani_Disney since we are owners and we don't pay for parking. We got a convertible for 1 week $220. For Waikiki I will follow all advices from this page! I can not wait to go! So excited. I was wondering if I should go to maui 1 day ?..Not sure but thinking about it.

One day on Maui won't show you much, unless you leave super early and drive like a maniac. I'd save it for another trip, when you can give it the time it deserves. Maui is bigger than Oahu, and things are rather far apart.

Dave

 

[dsmrp]

Thanks ya'll! yes, We need the car only for Aulani_Disney since we are owners and we don't pay for parking. We got a convertible for 1 week $220. For Waikiki I will follow all advices from this page! I can not wait to go! So excited. I was wondering if I should go to maui 1 day ?..Not sure but thinking about it.

I understand the allure of a convertible, but be forewarned, Oahu can get somewhat frequent but brief rain showers, depending upon the time of year. Ko'Olina is on the west side tho' which is typically drier. Personally I'd get a hardtop with a sun roof, if available. YMMV

I don't think one day for Maui is worth the expense and time.
Now going to the Big Island to see the volcano lava from the ocean or the park, might be worth it to me That's an event which is not always predictable or available.

 

[frank808]

Amy, I know you were being helpful, but this backhanded compliment for Wailana just made me snort coffee out my nose. It's definitely a typical Waikiki coffee shop in the old tradition. (Kind of like the old Coco's on Kalakaua and Kapiolani Blvd. The building is long gone by now.) But the food at Wailana is good, and affordable, which is probably why the place is so popular. And nothing is as scary as the Denny's on Lewers. (We won't discuss what we found in our food there one time. Yikes!)

Anyway, thanks for my morning chuckle.

Dave

Cocos was demolished and the hard rock cafe took its place. Now it is some kind of eatery and bar.

If you like yakiniku visit shillawons or sik do rak korean rest. Its all you can eat and grill your own meat.

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[frank808]

Rainbow Drive In is still there. Good as it used to be, but really busy! http://rainbowdrivein.com

And no trip to Oahu is complete without stopping at Leonards for hot malasadas. http://leonardshawaii.com/home/

There's a fun fan website devoted to old time Hawaii (and other) places like Coco's: http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=39185&forum=2

I first moved to Oahu in 1968. Ala Moana was a fraction of the size it is now. Sears, McInerny, and Liberty House were the big anchor stores back then. Holiday Mart on Kaheka Street, (between Keeaumoku and Kalakaua) was the precursor to what your average Walmart is now. (I worked at both Ala Moana and Holiday Mart as a high school student.) Waikiki had green space and open views to the water from Kalakaua Ave. (which still had two-way traffic in those days.) The infill of sand between Kuhio Beach Park and Kapiolani Park hadn't happened yet, and Fort DeRussy was still quonset huts and ancient wooden buildings where the Army Reservists worked on weekends. Things are very different now, but I still love it there.

Dave

What was holiday mart is now don quixote. It is still the same building that used to be holiday mart 25 years ago.

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[SmithOp]

Amy, I know you were being helpful, but this backhanded compliment for Wailana just made me snort coffee out my nose. It's definitely a typical Waikiki coffee shop in the old tradition. (Kind of like the old Coco's on Kalakaua and Kapiolani Blvd. The building is long gone by now.) But the food at Wailana is good, and affordable, which is probably why the place is so popular. And nothing is as scary as the Denny's on Lewers. (We won't discuss what we found in our food there one time. Yikes!)

Anyway, thanks for my morning chuckle.

Dave

It was featured in a Hawaii 5-0 episode, McGarret was eating pancakes.

We go there upon arrival then just around the corner on Hobron is a small grocery to get essentials.


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[thare]

Wait, denny's is a no go? That is literally my kids' favorite place to eat (5 + 6).