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Before we visited Aulani, I'd only been to Hawaii once to interview for medical school. A rushed three-day trip to the same island with a red-eye return followed by a sprint from the airport to take a biochemistry exam. Returning to Hawaii was a goal, but before starting a family, I imagined just the two of us relaxing on the beaches of Kauai with the "garden isles" tropical rainforest in the background. I still see that trip for another time. After having children, our love of Disney evolved into a plethora of family-friendly Disney trips. Most were theme park-based. However, this time, we wanted something different from that frantic pace. Our desire was simple - to unwind and be together. However, the kids, ages 1 and 3, would still be with us. The idea of the long flight alone with these two gave me pause. How could we make it work for them and us? Well…Disney does Hawaii.
We set our sights on Disney's Aulani over our son's birthday. We'd become aware of Aulani when our neighbors back in Texas told us about their fantastic trip. I found an existing DVC reservation on David's Vacation Club for a ten-night stay in a deluxe studio with an ocean view around six months out. Renting DVC points saved us a considerable amount of money. While rooms without the view were cheaper, we knew the ocean view on our balcony would be vital and worth the extra cost. The upgraded room gave us access to those gorgeous views on our terms. With kids this young, we'd be in our room for a significant amount of time. We opted for the villa room over the hotel suites. The villa rooms offer more amenities for extended stays, like kitchens and washers/dryers, starting with the one-bedroom villas. Our deluxe studio villa had a kitchenette, and we could use the resort laundry facilities. As I dived into my pregame routine of exhausting all available resources regarding our trip, I didn't find much on Aulani. I saw small snips of information about Aulani from different websites and blogs, so writing a more comprehensive review fills a gap. As a busy physician and mother, time has a way of slipping away from what I want to do into what I must do. In addition to this narrative about our trip, I wanted to create an exhaustive guide to Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa—a place to quickly pluck out every fact you could need. The narrative has educational value, but you can skip to the guide here.
We flew from Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD) to Honolulu Airport (HNL - Daniel K. Inouye International Airport) with a connection in Las Vegas (LAS - Harry Reid International Airport). A flight out of O'Hare at this time of year was risky, but the weather obliged. While we avoid connections, a luxury O'Hare grants, I play for credit card travel points. I snagged a points deal for three first-class lie-flat seats on Hawaiian Airlines from LAS to HNL for 40,000 points each. Thanks to Dr. Devon Gimbel (Point Me to First Class) and my fellow female physicians in the Facebook group for making this possible! We also took a red-eye back with a direct flight on United with first-class lie-flat seats. As our trip progressed, the flights got better. If I had the choice of an economy seat one way and first-class the other, I'd save the best for last. After the excitement of the journey ahead has worn off, I am less tolerant of inconveniences. On our flight to Hawaii, we surprised my son on the airplane with a present, Paw Patrol headphones, to use with his iPad during the flight. The headphones came complete with a set of puppy ears on top. When we started traveling with him, our first child, he did not have headphones to hear what he was watching on his iPad. We only realized this after being asked to turn off the sound from the built-in speakers. The lie-flat seats made sleeping easier for the kids and my wife. I can never sleep on planes. The kids slept most of the second leg of the flight to Hawaii and the entire direct flight home. It's hard to imagine returning to economy seating now, but I plan to retire.
We arrived in Honolulu around 9 p.m. before our reservation at Aulani. I find waiting for shuttles inconvenient and prefer the flexibility and speed of using my phone to catch a car from a rideshare service after securing our luggage. I chose a large enough vehicle for our family of four plus luggage. We started using a RideSafer® Travel Vest for our son when he turned 3, and it has become a staple for any trip where he'll be in a car. The vest replaces his car seat, is small enough to fit in the front pocket of my luggage, and has passed safety and crash testing. (SR4K.com/adventuresbymamadoc. Promo code GOSMALL for $10 off) I reserved a one-night stay at the Embassy Suites in Kapolei. This hotel is close to Aulani, making for a short commute in the morning. We arrived at Aulani around 10 a.m., several hours before our room was ready. Bell Services took our bags straight from the car to storage, allowing us to explore the resort more freely. We chose not to get wet yet, but you could easily do so by keeping a small bag with swimwear and necessities. The Luana Lounge provides guests with showers and changing rooms for this situation and is located right off the pool area. The traditional greeting with the fresh flower leis had stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is no word that the leis will return. The resort is stunning. The lobby is immense and open, with curved arch framing inspired by traditional Hawaiian canoe houses. The open concept of the lobby and dining locations bring the ocean breeze right inside. The smell is lovely.
Our room wasn't ready, so we walked the grounds, appreciating the gardens. The kids were fascinated by the giant fish in the koi ponds. We spotted our first mongoose hiding along the nature trail paths. Mongooses are not native to Oahu but were introduced in the 1800s by the sugar industry to control pests. Afterward, we sat on the large balcony off the lobby with a direct view of the rich landscaping to the ocean beyond. Our room was ready around noon, which was a surprise as the official check-in time was 4 p.m. Our deluxe studio with ocean view room was on a high floor in the Ewa Lobby Wing. We had an outstanding view and couldn't have asked for a better location. I request a room on a higher floor in the Lobby Wing of either building (Ewa or Waianae) for the best views of the resort grounds and ocean. These locations and the Ewa Short Wing have the most direct ocean views from the private balcony. Most evenings, we sat on the balcony listening to the live music by local artists and watching the sun disappear into the ocean horizon. The resort is on the west coastline, giving you an optimal vantage point for sunsets. In the morning, we sat on our balcony with our coffee, watching the changing light as the sun rose over the resort from behind.
We had a character breakfast on our first morning at the Makahiki restaurant to celebrate my son's birthday. We noted the celebration on the reservation, and my son received a birthday button to start and a miniature Mickey-inspired birthday cake to end our meal. After checking in to the restaurant, the hostess directed us outside to meet and take photos with Mickey. They had professional photographers, and we received a card during our meal to connect to the Disneyland app to view our pictures. The resort photo pass does not include these. We ended up making the extra purchase for the digital photos. There were no photographers during the table-side character encounters, so we took pictures. After the photos with Mickey, the hostess called us to our table. The hostess escorted us to meet Chef Goofy before sitting down. Cast members took pictures on our iPhones for us. Characters came to visit us at our table during the meal. My son was excited to see Max, Goofy's son, who isn't a staple at character dining experiences. We all enjoyed the fresh fruit plate and POG juice, a combination of passion fruit, orange, and guava juices. Our one-year-old is a croissant addict, and our waiter was quick with extra croissants after our initial bakery basket ran out. If you want to indulge, I recommend the buttermilk pancakes with the macadamia nut Tahitian vanilla sauce.
Aulani's beach is in the Kohola Lagoon, a protected cove shared by the Four Seasons to the north. It consists of beautifully manicured sand beaches and calm water for swimming due to the protection created by the rocks and cove. There are chaise lounge chairs available for resort guests, but you can also bring a blanket to lie in the sand or on the lawn area adjacent to the sand. The chaise lounge chairs can fill up during peak times, but we always find a place. Bring your beach gear or rent from Makiki Joe's Beach Rentals. Makiki Joe's has complimentary boogie boards and life jackets. You can rent snorkel sets and paddle boards. Beachside casabellas (2-seat loungers with awnings for shade) are available to rent at Makiki Joe's on a first-come, first-serve basis. Our kids are young and enjoy playing in the sand. Among other birthday gifts, we purchased a sand toy set from Walmart, which we had delivered with our grocery order. Sand toys were available for purchase from the resort gift stores at a higher price. Another option would be buying toys from Island Country Markets just across the street. You can reserve three separate beachside patio areas for your party for the day. The patios are AMA AMA upper verandah, AMA AMA lower verandah, and Executive Lanai. These run $175-350 and accommodate 4-8 people. These tend to book up far in advance, so think ahead!
Our little ones chose to spend most of their time at the resort pools and water play areas. Before starting our day of water play, we picked up our daily wristbands at one of two guest service locations in the pool areas. These locations provided wristbands, towels, and life jackets for the kids. It is possible to pick the bands up the day prior for the next day, but our little bits don't stay up late. The resort has three pools, five hot tubs (two adults only), two kids' play areas, two waterslides, a lazy river, a nature trail, and an artificial snorkeling lagoon. The three pools are the Waikolohe Pool, Ka Maka Grotto, and Wailana Pool. The Waikolohe pool is the largest, coldest, and has moderate crowds. One water slide exits into the Waikolohe pool, and the other exits adjacent to the lazy river (Waikolohe Stream). The Ka Maka Grotto pool features its namesake grotto and an infinity edge that looks out to the ocean. I took quite a few photos at this spot! It is the busiest pool but falls in the middle for size and water temperature. We visited during the cold season, and friends warned us the pools were not heated adequately. On this point, I agree that the water temperature needs to be warmer. The resort is family-oriented and should accommodate the needs of young children. While I would return during the cold season, consider the time of year you plan your trip. We discovered the Wailana Pool last. My son renamed the Wailana Pool "the pool where we've never been." He would ask to go to "the pool where we've never been" again and again. The Wailana is the quietest pool with the warmest water temperature but the smallest. It features a rock wall with water features and a pool-length seating ledge. We spent most of our time at this pool and the grotto pool.
The Menehune Bridge area is popular with kids, and my son spends a lot of energy there. It features a play structure with smaller slides and interactive water play elements. Legend says the Menehune are little people renowned for their engineering feats and overnight construction. They are seldom seen and only come out at night. You can go on a high-tech scavenger hunt - the Menehune Adventure Trail. The water at the Menehune Bridge area was too cold for the baby. She preferred the Keiki Cove splash zone designed with the little bits in mind. The water there was warmer, and seating surrounded the cove, making it easy to keep track of the babies and toddlers.
There is seating available throughout the pool area. Guests at the resort can be aggressive about pool chairs, and Aulani has implemented various policies to try and combat this. Before 8 a.m., guests must be actively in their chairs to use it. You may see people reserving chairs with their morning coffee. Each guest can only hold one seat. Although, we noted these morning squatters were keeping more than a chair for themselves. I saw this from my balcony, as I found the practice unnecessary. While we didn't always find the best seat, we at least found a place to set our stuff down. Guests are welcome to come and go from their chairs, but if items are left unattended for more than one hour, they will be removed and stored at the closest towel station. How do cast members keep track? Cast members place a folded towel on the back of the chair to mark it as unattended. So don't leave a folded towel on the back of your chair; rearrange the towel if you return to your chairs. We had our stuff moved to the closest station once during our trip.
The beach has the patio rentals, and the pool areas have cabana rentals. We wanted to rent a cabana, but when I called, none were available. According to my phone representative, you can book a cabana once you have a valid resort reservation. Standard resort reservations are open 499 days in advance. Disney Vacation Club members with Aulani as their home resort can book rooms 11 months in advance. Next time, we will plan farther ahead. You can locate the cabanas in the Menehune Bridge area against the wall of the Rainbow Reef and the Wailana Pool area in front of the spa hydrotherapy garden. If you have active kids, the Menehune cabanas will be more convenient. If you're looking for some respite from the crowds, choose the Wailana cabanas.
One morning, my wife waited in line to put our name on the list for the fish feeding later in the day at Rainbow Reef. The Rainbow Reef is a private artificial snorkeling lagoon filled with tropical fish. For the fish feeding, we arrived a few minutes before our reservation and sat at one of the tables on the patio until our guide showed up. We were taken into the lagoon area on the rocks by the reservation desk and given food to feed the fish with some instructions. Both kids loved seeing the different fish come up to get the food. We wished we had more food! My wife and I saved our food for the four-year-old to use, as he gave it out quickly. This activity is a must-do for younger kids. My son, newly four years old, asked to go snorkeling, and I decided to take him. The staff were patient and accommodating in making him more comfortable with snorkeling. The truth is he was not ready for the activity. Ultimately, he rode on my back as I swam and snorkeled around the lagoon. He could see the fish well as the water was clear. You purchase snorkeling for the day or your entire stay. You can do a Supplied Air Snorkeling (SAS) with an educational guide or a 2-hour scuba diving lesson at the Rainbow Reef.
My research on Aulani led us off the property to Paradise Beach, a public beach just north of the resort known as a hotspot for sea turtles. We ventured to this area twice, and the beach delivered sea turtles. The turtles are acclimated to people, so we had to get out of their way as they approached us. Legally, you must stay 10 feet away from sea turtles. One day, we got an extra perk - a sea lion sunning on the beach. We found the best route to get there with small kids was to exit the front of the resort and walk along the sidewalk north past the Four Seasons until we reached the public parking lot for the beach. The trail from the parking lot to the beach is on the north side of the parking lot. Pushing the stroller for the one-year-old down the path was not easy, so keep that in mind if you have a baby in tow. The second location that came up in my research was Secret Beach. The secret beach is just south of Paradise Beach, mentioned above. To get to it, you have to be able to climb over the rocks, which wasn't in the cards with a one-year-old. The allure of the Secret Beach seems focused on its isolation from other resort guests and the open ocean. Rock formations completely encircle this smaller area, leading to calm, shallow waters.
While the resort doesn't have babysitting like a Disney Cruise, they do have Aunty's Beach House. You can sign your kids up for activities at Aunty's and have adult time. It's more akin to the kids club than a nursery on the cruise. Just note the age restrictions. Currently, kids must be 4 -12 years old to participate. The lower age limit was five years old when we went, so we missed out on Aunty's. Parents must pre-register their kids to participate, and you can make reservations online. While we stayed, the activities did fill up. Reservations are available three months before the desired activity date. Some activities are included with the stay, and premium activities have an additional cost. Kids can play, do crafts, watch movies, and attend parties. Their favorite Disney pal might drop by.
Take advantage of Aunty's Beach House for adult activities at Laniwai – A Disney Spa, the fitness center, or the Ko Olina Golf Course located next door. Have a dinner date at AMA AMA or go on an excursion. Like the Disney Cruise line, outside companies provide excursions. I recommend booking excursions with Viator. Painted Sky: HI Style Studio is Aulani's version of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Girls and boys ages 3-12 can choose an island-style makeover package. Make advanced reservations starting 180 days in advance.
We made advanced reservations for the KA WA'A – A Lū‘au on Oʻahu at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. I'm not sure I would have chosen the preferred seating at the higher price, but it was sold out when I made our reservation for standard seating. I made one luau reservation, and the rain canceled the event. Signs to notify us of the cancellation were up throughout the resort. I will make a second backup reservation the next time we go. It's important to note that you must cancel 72 hours (3 days) before receiving a refund. This event occurs at Aulani on the Hālāwai Lawn in front of the Ewa short wing. An outside company is responsible for the luau. Reservations can be made online or by calling. Payment is due in full when making the reservations. The company refunded our money after canceling. You can choose a luau off-property as well. In particular, blogs mention Paradise Cove Luau. The location is close to the resort and next to Paradise Cove Beach, as I mentioned previously regarding the sea turtles.
Like Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Aulani has an independent app. I would download it before your visit and set up your account. It allows you to see the daily activity schedule at the resort and track down your favorite character throughout the day. Activities included things like ukulele lessons, lei-making, and ear-making. We had ample opportunities to interact with our favorite characters. We either tracked them down in the app or came across them during our day. Besides Mickey and friends, Moana, Stitch, and Max are at the resort. Just like the theme parks, Disney Photopass photographers are there to catch these encounters. You can pay one fee ($99) to get digital downloads of the photos from your entire stay, except for the character breakfast photos. Oddly, the Aulani app doesn't integrate the images; you must use the Disneyland app to see the pictures. You can pay extra for a 20-minute private photo session akin to Capture Your Moment at WDW. Unlike WDW, you could hire an outside photographer to take family portraits on the beach. At our first photopass encounter during the character breakfast, we received a photopass card. We presented this card to photographers to scan throughout our stay. We used the number on this card to enter the Disneyland app to link our photos to our account for viewing.
There are 3 table service restaurants: Makahiki, Ama Ama, and Off the Hook. Of those, 2 take advanced reservations: Makahiki and Ama Ama. Makahiki does the character dining at breakfast and no characters at dinner. Ama Ama provides upscale dining with an ocean view for dinner only. We had made an advanced reservation for the family at Ama Ama, but after seeing the restaurant and menu, we decided it would be inappropriate to bring the kids along. An act of mercy for those enjoying a date night! Reservations open 30 days in advance at midnight HST. You can reserve online anytime or call the resort during business hours (EST zone). No card is required to book, and no cancellation fee is charged for no-shows. They ask you to cancel as soon as possible as a courtesy to other guests. While there is no policy regarding the number of reservations you can make, they will cancel more than one reservation for the same individual per day. If you create multiple reservations to accommodate a large party, I would call the resort to let them make a note of this so your reservation remains. We did the character breakfast at Makahiki three times and walked up to dine at Off the Hook several times. We could wear our swimwear with cover-ups to eat at Off the Hook, and they had kid-friendly options. Another option for food is the 'Ōlelo Room, a lounge where you can sit and grab a drink with appetizers.
For quick service food, Aulani has Ulu Cafe, Off the Hook grab and go, The 'Ōlelo Room grab and go, Wailana Pool Bar, Mama's Snack Stop, Pāpālua Shave Ice, Little 'Opihi's - Beachside Kiosk. Ulu's cafe doubles as a small convenience-style grocery store. Ulu's is one of 3 locations where you can refill your mug. That's right- Like Walt Disney World resorts, you can purchase a refillable mug and get unlimited refills during your stay. Ulu has freestyle Coca-Cola machines, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate for refills. Soda refills are also available in front of the Lava Shack Store and behind AMA AMA (side facing Aunty's). Mobile ordering was only available at Off the Hook. We enjoyed the shaved ice with Mickey's ears upgrade more than once, as my son enjoyed this, and they are super cute.
My wife and I got tired of the resort food options, which might be more about the length of our stay than Aulani. We placed a grocery order from Walmart for delivery to the resort early in our stay. We want to have some food options on hand for us. Our fundamental priority was to solve the coffee problem for ourselves. We don't care for Joffrey's. Okay, we despise Joffrey's coffee and love strong coffee. When Walt Disney World added Starbucks, it solved a major problem for us at the parks. We ordered coffee filters and ground coffee for our mornings. I did love the disposable coffee cups provided by the resort. They had a nice woven texture outside, serving as a built-in sleeve to protect your hand from heat. I was taken with these cups. I may have packed the remaining ones in my luggage. We chose Walmart because I have a free subscription with my American Express Platinum card, but there are other options for grocery delivery. We used food delivery services for a few meals, too. Things on the island are more expensive, so prepare for sticker shock even with your grocery order. You're still saving money this way.
There are two stores located in the main lobby building. The Kalepa Store is more extensive with various items, and the second smaller store is more of a clothing and home decor boutique. The Kalepa's Store offers pints of Haagen-Dazs ice cream for around $5, a steal for Hawaii, and a hotel gift shop. While not a deal, we splurged on a box of chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies shaped like Mickey Mouse. The store clerk gave me a tip- the cookies were individually wrapped and easy to hide from children. Lava Shack Snack Shop is one final store in the pool area. After those 3, you've seen it all and can decide on souvenirs.
Disney's Aluani Resort & Spa is in Ko Olina, a lifestyle community. This area is primarily residential, with limited resorts and businesses. As a residential community, it's quiet and tucked away from busy Honolulu. As a residential area, there are limited shopping options and restaurants outside the resorts. A few restaurants and shops are located directly across the street from the resort. Most notable is the Island Country Markets. Island Country Markets has groceries, some prepared foods in the deli area, souvenirs, and beach/pool items you might need. We saw multiple people at the resort with small wooden surfboards for characters to sign at the resort. We discovered the surfboards were from this store.
The final verdict - we would love to return to Aulani. Our son refers to Aulani as "Mickey's Hula." My son came up with that. As a gay couple, my wife and I have extra worries about the inclusivity of the places we travel. Without hesitation, the staff at Aulani were warm and receptive to our two-mom family. Clearly, as an employer, Aulani is accepting of LGBTQ+ families. We might have experienced a bit of gay privilege. In this context, the pride section of the gift shop felt natural. I picked out a nice Aulani Pride water bottle as my souvenir. Like many visitors to the resort, we ended up hanging out at the resort after room checkout but before our late flight home. We caught a local musician and hula dancer in the lobby during this time. We have the cutest video of my son trying to hula dance for the first time. The performance entranced him. It's my favorite memory from the trip.
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