Aulani Adventures
by Susan Mitchell
AllEars® Guest Columnist
Feature Article
This article appeared in the October 11, 2016 Issue #890 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)
Editor’s Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.
My family and I traveled to Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, in Hawaii this past summer, just as the resort was celebrating its 5th anniversary, and we loved it!
For our trip, we included some additional adventures. For example, we made a stop in Anaheim for Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary Celebration since we had never visited there before. (Also loved it!) We spent 2-1/2 days at Disneyland, before boarding the plane at LAX for the Kona airport in Hawaii (the Big Island). We spent two nights there, and I would have liked to see more of Kona, but Aulani awaited.
We flew into Honolulu, a quick 50-minute flight. We rented a car, stopped at the grocery store, and arrived at Aulani after about a 20-minute drive from the airport. We were welcomed with flower leis, a refreshing glass of pineapple and lemon-infused water, and an escort to the check-in desk.
The resort is beautiful. I had seen plenty of pictures online, but when you are standing in the lobby, it takes your breath away. It was only 1 p.m., and our room wasn’t ready, so the kids swam in the pool while the adults relaxed.
After we got to our room, we changed for dinner and walked across the street to a local restaurant, where, luckily, we had made reservations. Aulani is located right across the street from a strip mall and there were several dining and shopping options that were available to us: a grocery/souvenir store, ice cream shop, coffee shop, pizza parlor, and boutiques.
The next day our Aulani vacation began for real. So what is there to do in and around the Aulani resort?
We wanted time to relax at Aulani for several uninterrupted days, so we packed a lot of things outside of Aulani into our first full day. We drove to Honolulu for the Aloha Swap Meet (which is only held on weekends and Wednesdays) to buy our vacation souvenirs. The swap meet is held at Aloha Stadium, a huge area with tons of vendors. We bought ukuleles, Hawaiian shirts, coconut wind chimes, jewelry, Hawaiian dresses, key chains, souvenir leis, and soaps. We drank from a fresh coconut and ate fruit cut open right in front of us. We arrived at opening time, and we were done within two hours. Next, we headed to the Dole Plantation, where we rode a small train. We ate all things pineapple, before we headed to Waikiki to see the beach and the nearby area of Honolulu, with Diamond Head mountain in the background, and ate dinner. It was a long day.
But then for the next two days, we sat by the pool or beach at Aulani. On that first “relaxation” day, we realized that someone from our party had to go down early to save beach chairs for the rest of the family, otherwise, there wouldn’t be any chairs left! We snorkeled in the salt water pool with cool fish, learned how to ride a paddleboard, and swam in the pools, lazy river, and the ocean. The kids built sand castles, and I took a zillion pictures. We ate shave ice, ice cream, and used our refillable mugs repeatedly. We saw Disney characters, smiled for photos, and relaxed. The kids participated in beach games one day, while we all took ukulele lessons one afternoon. My husband spent time in the gym each morning to enjoy some cardio and weights.
I spent three hours in the gorgeous Laniwai spa at Aulani, so I could enjoy time in the rain garden. The hospitality was fantastic. I had been told to check in for my appointment an hour ahead of my massage. Immediately after checking in, I was given a tour of the facility, both inside the relaxation rooms and outside in the rain garden. Before we entered the spa, the attendant asked me to choose a smooth stone from a bag that had a word written on it. She explained the word (I pulled the word “Strength”) and then asked me to make a wish and toss the stone into a pool of water. She told me a wonderful anecdote about what the wish and the tossing of the stone meant, all about letting the outside world melt away while you enjoyed time in the spa. I changed into a robe and sandals and then spent about 45 minutes in the rain garden. The rain garden had different “stations” to experience. For example, there was a path of rocks embedded in the concrete that was reflexology for your feet when you walked on it. There were six or eight shower stations that each had different water pressures and flow. Of course, there was a hot tub, but there was also a cold tub that was 40 degrees. I did not do the cold tub, but, I certainly enjoyed the hot tub. Then, I relaxed in a lounge chair under the canopy of trees with the sound of the water running from the showers and fountains. An attendant came and told me it was time to get ready for my massage. She took me to a relaxation room, where my massage therapist came and met me. I felt like a loose noodle by the time I spent three hours in the spa. It was wonderful!
Our kids are ages 12 and 9, so they didn’t want to just play and spend time at Aunty’s Beach House, the interactive kids club. They opted for the hour-long Stitch’s Space Goo event, which is included for guests at the resort. As a parent, I couldn’t stay and watch, but a photographer took pictures that I later added to my PhotoPass CD. The kids were dressed in white lab coats, Stitch made an appearance, and there was plenty of goo. My kids said it was hilarious and a lot of fun!
The kids also chose to do the three-hour Chip and Dale’s Beach Party, which required extra payment. They decorated small surf boards as souvenirs and ate dinner with Chip and Dale. The parents were invited to return for the last 15 minutes for a dance party. Again, a photographer took pictures that I later added to my PhotoPass CD.
After two full resort days, we ventured back out into Oahu and visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. We returned to Aulani mid-afternoon. We had dinner reservations that night at ‘AMA ‘AMA, a very nice restaurant inside the Aulani resort that overlooks the beach. After dinner, we took pictures on the beach using the PhotoPass photographers. I planned to buy the PhotoPass CD at the gift shop for $99. Since I knew it would include all pictures from the photographers around the resort, I was determined to get my money’s worth!
Over the next few days we mainly relaxed at the resort, enjoying a character breakfast at Aulani one morning, and the Paradise Cove Luau (about a seven-minute walk from Aulani) one night.
The day we left, I thought about our entire trip. Usually when I leave to go home from a vacation I am a little sad, but this time I wasn’t sad to leave. I felt that I had an extremely enjoyable vacation, from our time in Disneyland to all our time in Hawaii.
Would I do anything different if we visit Aulani again? Yes, I think I would like to hike Diamond Head. I would like to go to the North Shore and swim with huge sea turtles. I would like to see more waterfalls.
But overall, Aulani was so much more than I expected. I loved that we were able to see some of the sights of Hawaii, as well as relax together as a family in such a beautiful setting. I would definitely love to visit again!
Aloha!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Sue Mitchell and her husband have vacationed at Walt Disney World every year since their engagement in 1996 (except for those years that they’ve taken a Disney cruise!). They have also visited Disneyland Paris. Before 1996, Sue went to Walt Disney World as a kid with her parents and siblings five or six times, but only to Magic Kingdom. Her mom always packed apples and sodas in her purse because her dad refused to pay for any other food besides lunch! Today, Sue, her husband and her two children call Walt Disney World their favorite vacation destination.
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RELATED LINKS
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Susan Mitchell wrote “Let the Planning Begin” for AllEars® in January 2014.
Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa Fact Sheet
Fun and (Mostly) Frugal Excursions from Aulani
Other AllEars.Net Blogs about Aulani
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Editor’s Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.
