theseacallsme
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 25, 2017
Hi everyone! I just got back from an amazing trip to Aulani, and I figured I'd share my thoughts.
For the record, I was there from 9/21-9/28, and it was just my husband and me.
Activities:
Pools:
Food:
Wifi/Movies:
That's it for now! If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer
For the record, I was there from 9/21-9/28, and it was just my husband and me.
Activities:
- Take a look at the Daily 'Iwa to see what resort-based activities you'll want to do. They have paper schedules available daily, but I preferred to look at everything offered during our stay, which you could do by checking online (that way, I could see if something I wanted to do was offered later in my trip, and plan accordingly). Here's the link: https://www.disneyaulani.com/about-aulani/daily-activities-schedule/
- The art tour is a must-do. If you've DVC, take advantage of the DVC members art tour; otherwise, take the regular one. We learned so much and appreciated the design of the resort so much more after learning about it!Disney really pulls out all the stops when it comes to design.
- I did the Ocean Yoga activity one morning. It was really challenging, but super fun! I recommend it for anyone who loves yoga. It was an additional charge of $20.
- Book a treatment at the spa, Laniwai, and spend as much time as possible there! You can go in early and stay after your treatment for as long as you'd like, although you can't leave and come back in, so plan accordingly. We brought our kindles and relaxed in the outside area for quite awhile (they provide lockers as well if you want to store anything, and you can order food if you get hungry). Laniwai was easily our favorite part of our stay! Also the spa bathrobes are SO comfortable; I splurged and bought one to bring home!
Pools:
- The adult pool areas are a must-do if you don't have kids. The adult hot tub overlooks the beach, and the adult pool has a bar right next to it.
- The lazy river gets very crowded, but it's nice and long!
- The pool hours aren't optimal--they don't open til 8am (which is a bit late when you consider how jet lagged anyone coming from the mainland is), and they close at 8pm. I would have loved it if the adult pools were open just a little later, like til 10pm.
Food:
- Ulu's cafe is VERY expensive! It's Disney prices on top of Hawaii prices! The food is OK but rarely worth the price.
- We invested in the Aulani mugs as we were there for a full week. We loved being able to make mixed drinks with the sodas (with alcohol purchased at Target!) They aren't chipped like the ones at WDW, fyi.
- We rented a car & got groceries at Target (there are tons of stores, including Target and Walmart, within a 10 minute drive of the resort--the town is called Ko Olina).
- We did the character breakfast at Makahiki, which was really fun. It would be a great choice for kids--there's a ton of choices at the buffet, and they get to do some fun activities with Auntie and the characters.
- My favorite meal was 'Ama 'Ama. Very expensive but very worth it for a splurge! Try to time it with the sunset (usually around 6:20ish at night)
- We were going to do the resort luau but it was cancelled due to rain (it takes place outside), so be warned that it's weather-permitting
- We ate at Monkeypod and Roy's and thought both were overpriced and not very good (both are walking distance from the resort)
- We had breakfast at My Cafe and dinner at Plantation Tavern, both in Kapolei; both were delicious and a great value for the price
Wifi/Movies:
- The wifi wasn't very strong, so be warned! We couldn't stream anything very well, so we ended up getting a few movies at the Pau Hana rec room to watch before bed--they're free to take out, and you can return them to the front desk or concierge.
- The main gift store, Kalepa's, had high merch turnover! Make sure to check it every day as you never know what they'll have gotten in ('Olu plushies were there and gone within a day!). They also have a small but mighty sale section which I took advantage of!
- There's a higher-end gift store, Hale Manu, which has the Aulani exclusive Dooneys. I also randomly found a cute notebook there on sale for just $4, so you never know!
- If you don't want to do a spa treatment, you can buy lotions & other delicious things at the spa.
That's it for now! If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer
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