Oahu - to stay in Waikiki or Ko Olina?
 

We are considering an early fall of 2013 trip to Oahu with all 4 of our kids ranging in age from 7- 18. I have looked into staying in Ko Olina, but am also considering staying in Waikiki. My husband and I have been to Maui but have never stayed on Oahu. What are the pros and cons of staying at either location? I have considered having a car for the whole week as well as just renting one on the specific days we may need it. For those who have experience with this I would love your input.

I've stayed in both - more often in Waikiki, but once at the Marriott Ko'Olina. The resorts at Ko'Olina are very nice, but I don't really like the location, especially with older kids. Eventually, the area might fill out to be like Kaanapali Beach, but it's not there yet, so unless you are happy just sitting around the resort, there's really nowhere to go ( and the kids can't drive the rental car). I absolutely would not want to be stranded there without a car - you'd have to eat all your meals at the resorts. Even with a car, the restaurant choices are fairly slim, but they're a lot better than being limited to what's in the resorts. Also, the drive between The airport and the resort is really not nice - it only gets "tropical" once you're inside the developed resort area.

I agree with sf7307. I've stayed at both, but usually go to Waikiki. The JW Marriott Ko Olina is really nice... but a car is a MUST. It's just so isolated there. Parking is also at an additional cost beyond the price of the hotel room.

Parking in Waikiki is expensive also! But the good news is you don't need a car until you decide to do an island drive to the north shore (be sure to have lunch at a shrimp truck). You can ride the bus to most of the places you'll want to visit; or get tickets on the hop on/hop off shuttle(s).

I'd stay in Waikiki....

It's easiest if you have a car to go to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling - the best place IMO for snorkeling in the islands and we have snorkeled/dove all over. http://www1.honolulu.gov/parks/facil...rwatertour.htm

It's about 20 minutes south of Waikiki - and go early before the crowds hit and also for the best visibility/calmest conditions Also check on the schedule - as it's closed on Wednesdays? - to let the fish have a little peace and quiet. :)

You might rent geat ahead of time and Snorkel Bob's is one place that has a good selection - but there are others. Check out the various specials. http://www.snorkelbob.com/

The kids (big and small :) ) might also like going to Sea Life Park - a few minutes beyond Hanauma Bay. http://www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/directions.asp

I'm crazy for Waikiki, but have never stayed anywhere else on Oahu to compare.

I also agree with sf7307. I stayed at the Marriott Ko Olina, which was nice, but did not care for the location. My kids weren't fans of the man made lagoons, so we spent a lot of time away from the resort. You would definitely need a car. I have not stayed in Waikiki, but that would be my choice next time.

I agree with others that Ko Olina isn't as well suited to older kids and the onsite dining options are very limited. You'll definitely need a car there. I would say the benefits over Waikiki would be less crowded beaches and walk in snorkeling. There's a marina with tour operators offering snorkel/dive trips and a golf course within the resort complex. Other than that, there's not much else onsite. The nearest town, one exit away, is Kapolei and has mostly casual restaurants, a movie theater and big box stores.

Waikiki! The kids will love it, and you will, too. It's gorgeous, and all the cultural things are nearer. Buy or check out from your library a good guide book, and you will see.

Thanks everyone, it sounds pretty unanimous. I think what we may do is stay 3 or 4 nights in Waikiki, then possibly spend another 3 or 4 nights on Kauai or Maui. Also, thanks Tomsd for all the links and great snorkeling advice!

One more question, since we have only been to Maui, for those who have visited both Maui and Kauai, if you had to choose one to revisit which would it be and why?

Kauai would be my choice. Laid back, beautiful!!!

Kauai would be my choice for me, too, but not necessarily with kids ages 7-18. What do you want to DO while you are on this "other" island ---- beach-hop, hike, take scenic drives, play around your resort?

Kauai would be my choice also. Kids should have a good time anyplace, after all they are in Hawaii.

Sorry, but I don't agree. If the kids are stuck at the pool at their "home" resort, they'll quickly be bored, especially the older ones. At least in Maui, at a resort like Kaanapali, they can go off on their own.

I don't know Ko'Olina, but the kids would love Waikiki. A couple of things: A) You don't need a car in Waikiki, just rent one for a day to see the rest of the island; B) you don't need a car to get to Hanauma Bay, it's an easy bus ride from Waikiki; C) Spending three or four nights in both Waikiki and Maui won't give you enough time in either place, so pick one or extend your trip.

I've done this trip a bunch of times, with and without our 4 kids. I'm also a TA, so have lots of feedback.
Last year, we split it-a few nights Ko Olina and 3 nights Hilton Hawaiian Village-which has the best beach in Waikiki.
Outrigger is 2nd best beach.

You might consider this-do 3 nights Turtle Bay Resort (North Shore) close to better snorkeling, Polynesian Culture Center, nice beaches -Waimea Bay is one of the nicest beaches on the island, botanical garddens, etc. and then 4 nights down in Waikiki.

Ko Oline is pretty quick to Waikiki, the problem is the bad traffic, so you are always dealing with that. But we loved Ko Olina, have stayed at the Marriott and Disney Aulani. Marriott is better value, and very nice, plus the kitchen helps! There are a ton of restaraunts, Costco, etc. nearby.

You will get to Pearl Harbor easier from either one-and make advance reservations through their Gov. web site.

Kauai-great island, very little night life. Lot's of hiking, and kayaking, etc. but snorkeling is minimal. A little in Poipu and North Shore. Stay at Kaihuna Plantation if you go-great for families.

Fall is the best time to go to Hawaii=good weather, low crowds.

Have fun!

Actually, the snorkeling at Tunnels and Ke'e beaches on the North Shore of Kauai was excellent in the summer. Not sure how it would be in the fall.

Thanks! The activities I am hoping to do are Polynesian Cultural Center & Pearl Harbor for sure on Oahu, snorkeling wherever, then some hiking to a waterfall for a picnic. I think we would also enjoy doing a zip line some where really lush and beautiful. I am interested in some kind of a Lost tour as well. The rest of the time would probably be spent just relaxing on the beach or renting bikes to ride in a fun area.

I second the rec for spending some time on the North shore! Just returned from a 10 day trip to Oahu and 3 of them were spent at Turtle Bay resort. They are undergoing a renovation right now and the new rooms look very nice, although I did not have an issue with the older rooms. We did a tour of movie sites at Kualoa ranch - we did the ATV tour which was a blast. We saw Hurley's golf course as well as a few other places where they filmed Jurassic park and other movies. If you don't want to do ATV they have a bus tour as well. I tried to find the beach where they set up camp - it's on the North shore, but honestly without the sets, every beach looks like a scene from Lost! I also prefer Waikiki over Ko Olina, but I really did love the Aulani resort - spent a few nights there 2 years ago and it was awesome, but yes the resort food options weren't that great, and we definitely preferred being closer to the action in Waikiki/Honolulu.

The ATV tour sounds like a lot of fun, can you send me a link?

www.kualoa.com

We booked the 2-hour ATV tour...much more worth it than the 1 hour IMO plus it wasn't as crowded. If you look under my profile you can see my most recent Trip Report in progress (the one where we had the flu, yeah sucked at first) - I describe the tour in my last post. Enjoy!