Looking to go to Oahu over Christmas

I was in Oahu for Christmas a couple of years ago and the kids and I would love to do it again. There was nothing like laying on the beach with my two young sons watching the planes fly in looking for Santa in the night sky. Oahu gets a bad rap but if you have a car it really has a lot to offer. Turtle Bay is a quieter place to stay if you don't like the crowds and there are a lot of great beaches on the island that are basically deserted. Oahu for me has a bit of everything. As for Pearl, they have a new larger museum there to house more artifacts from the attack that they couldn't display before. It is worth seeing for sure.

 

I think Maui may have a more island feel to it as Oahu has a more tourism leech feel. Everyone is trying to sell you something here. If you do want to be here for the Capitol, stay at turtle bay. Great amenities , large real estate, and way more peaceful than Honolulu. Rent a car for a week ($200) and drive to Pearl. But if you love the turquoise water you have to go to lanikai or waimanalo on the east side. Just remember that everything is within 45 minutes or less of driving time!

 

Read in here there are a lot of helpful suggestions. Out of all the hotels in Waikiki that one has to be near the bottom of the list. You would be better off at the hotels that are in front of the good part of the beach, closer to the zoo (Sheraton, Outrigger, etc). If you want to learn to surf and enjoy the sand Waikiki is the first choice but it is very crowded. If you want to dress down and be able to walk to a lot of things Waikiki can be OK, even good fun if you like people. Plus it is a short drive to do out of town visits to other areas of the island to hike or get away from crowds. I guess it depends on you.

Turtle bay is really good, better if you golf but much less of a crowd factor but you will be in the car to see things or get different experiences and you wont be walking to see anything that isn't on the property. We also enjoy The Disney Aulani but it is not the most ideal location. Your son would love the pool though, maybe even your daughter if she is young a heart, probably the best pool on Oahu. Check those out and read up in this section and feel free to hit me up for ideas.

There is a lot to do on Oahu, but it no secret that's for sure!

Where do you go like to go on Maui?

 

If that is the Hyatt property with the great pool Aulani is the closest thing we have to that. You can walk to a good luau at Paradise Cove and over to Roys at the golf course for great food. It is a short drive to the Water Slide park from there and that is fun to do also. If you have a way to collect time share credits and stay in the time share side of the Aulani the rooms have microwaves and mini fridges IIRC and there are a few other perks that are free for the kids if you are into the effort, free Disney movies, etc. Search online for how to do this if you are not in the time share program. You get free parking too which is 30 bucks a night IIRC.

 

If you don't like crowds and people, then I doubt the Waikiki Hilton will relax you. But you will have plenty to keep you entertained, there and within a mile. I lived on Maui for a year before moving to Honolulu, and the difference is night/day. At the same time, if you've already done Ka'anapali, why not try Oahu or one of the other islands, they are all unique.

 

I just got back from Aulani this weekend. Miserably over crowded at 93% capacity. Took me a day to figure out what was going on. The four seasons next door is closed for renovation! It is also a holiday weekend so that accounted for a lot of it but I might check the timing on the re-opening of the other hotel. Maybe some good deals too when they do.

FYI