Aulani anyone?

[Kramerica]

I looked high and low at the forums looking for somewhere appropriate to post this. If there is another forum on there that would be better, please direct me there.

Anyway, I just booked my first ever trip to Aulani. Pretty excited, and I feel like I got a pretty fantastic deal and wanted to get some other people's impressions. I booked my trip through Dreams Unlimited Travel for late October. I know the weather won't be super hot, but it'll be plenty warm enough for me and it's in value season. The rate for four nights in a standard room was 1600 dollars for two of us. This includes airport transfers to and from, 150 dollar resort credit, 1 meal per person per day at Aulani's quick service, and a rental car from the on property rental agency for one day.

So first off, is this a good value for people who have done this destination before? Any tips, suggestions or comments you can give me? And most of all, is Aulani worth going to?

 

[216bruce]

We stayed there a few months ago. I can't speak to if you got a deal or not as we used our DVC points, but it's certainly worth going to. The resort is beautiful and paradise-like, the staff is even better than what you experience at WDW resorts, right up there with DCL service and competency. I do recommend renting a car because unless you just want to hang out and relax, you may want to get around on the island which you'll need a car for. There are excursions you can book in the hotel which provide transport, but having the freedom to go it on your own is a plus. For four days and one day of rental car you'll need to decide what you want to do with your rental day- Diamond Head was cool and a nice hike. If you can afford it, taking a helicopter tour of the island was very memorable too. Both of those trips aren't too long of a drive. There's not too much away from the resort that is walking distance- a small retail area and a nice restaurant (Monkey Pod Kitchen) which we ate at twice- it was nice.
The resort itself is somewhat isolated from a lot of the crowded, more 'touristy' spots near Honolulu and Waikiki. It's part of a resort type area on the south shore of the island and distant from Honolulu (which we never got to- and no regrets on that either). The pools, lazy river and the shared beach are fantastic. Not horribly crowded, as the beach was just ours due to the neighboring resort it is shared with was closed for renovation. Dining was quite good and I'd recommend trying some of the more Hawaiian dishes they serve.
The place overall has a very mellow, relaxing vibe to it and is worlds apart from how you feel at WDW. We'll go back. Now if only the flight wasn't so long.

 

[andy773]

I was just there the first week of April and I agree with 216bruce. We spent a lot of time at the resort but did venture out a few times. Pearl Harbor is definitely worth the trip. It was a very moving experience. We also went to a luau one night. Another day was spent at the Dole Plantation and the north shore. I used DVC points for my room too but from what you described, I think you got a good deal. And there is no way you will regret it once you've been there.

 

[WASaMATTR]

I agree with the others.

Since I am on the East Coast, I did the following:
I booked a trip to Disneyland for 5 days and then I booked a trip to Aulani for 5 days. A friend of mind did the opposite Aulani then DL and stated that he should have done what I did.

In any case, Aulani was about 30 - 45 minutes away from the airport. We rented a car for the trip from a site near the airport so we can travel around the island.
The resort is beautiful and is not overly done with Disney (like in the parks). It had the same great guest service and touches of Disney but you are sitting in Paradise.
We also went to the Dole Plantation and had a dole whip (awesome) also went to North Shore (pipeline), Pearl Harbor and we did the Aloha Stadium Yard Sale (Wednesdays I think). So we used the car mostly during the day. There is a few places to eat across the street from the resort as well as an ABC Store (where you can pick up beverages, towels and stuff).


You need to find out when sunset is and schedule a dinner at Amu Amu. It was good food and a nice view:

Here is the Resort / Room:

Our Room:

View from Room:

Looking back at the resort:

 

[WASaMATTR]

Sunset over the almost private lagoon:

 

[andy773]

The latest post reminded me: the ABC Store is a great place to buy souvenirs like chocolate covered macadamia nuts and other "Hawaii" type items. There prices for these kinds of things were really low from what I saw.

 

[worldfanatic]

Been twice and currently planning trip #3 for next June.
It is quite simply my favorite Resort anywhere on the planet.

 

[zeebs758]

I almost stayed at Aulani using DVC points but my fiance and I decided against it. We wanted to see as much of the island as we could and staying at Aulani would be an inconvenience because of its isolation. While in staying in Waikiki, we visited Hanauma Bay, Makapu'u, Lanikai and Kailua. Those places are a far drive from Ko Olina which is where Aulani is located. We did all that before we left to stay on the North Shore. The traffic is really bad on the island during the week and traveling to and from Ko Olina can be a pain. From our resort in Waikiki, we took a bus to Paradise Cove which is located next to Aulani. Because of traffic, it took almost 3 hours to get there when it should have only been an hours drive.

So just keep that in mind. Aulani has a lot to offer on the property but if you want to see more of the island, it may not be the best place to stay.

 

[TXDisney]

We have a plan to go to Aulani. The plan is for us to join the DVC in the next year or 2. Both my wife and I have promotions in place, so it makes financial sense then. My sister works for AA and crazy enough Hawaii isn't that expensive under her passes. So the plan is to get a DVC at BCV and save a couple years and go there as a group.

 

[syandell2000]

We love everything about Aulani; congrats for going! Although we love our commando WDW trips, the trip to Aulani seemed like the first relaxing vacation in a long time. The best advice someone gave us was to show up for one of the free tours that includes the lobby (you can use the hand-held devices to do a self-tour around the resort to look at individual art-- that's good too). If you're interested in imagineering and the thoughtful planning behind what Disney does, 30 minutes with a tour guide in the lobby will transform how you look at the whole resort.

 

[Master Gracey 5]

My wife and I went a year ago February and loved it. As others have said its a beautiful resort and there is a lot to do on site so well worth going to visit. To specifically answer your questions - I'd say the resort is good enough to be worth full price with the lazy river, waterslides, lagoon and more. If you are planning on just relaxing on site for the four days (not a bad thing) you can get by without a car, but if you want to explore the island then a rental is a must.

On site eating is good - the Olelo room is great for drinks and apps (and live music most nights), and Ama'Ama is a great meal for dinner. You can also walk across the street for other options; Monkeypod was mentioned by someone else and we agree - it was excellent and we stopped there twice during our weeklong visit. You can also walk to Roys Ko Olina up the road if you are interested in a more upscale dining night.

I think you'll enjoy your stay and wish you were there longer! We did a week and didn't want to leave.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

We are so incredibly excited to go there for our honeymoon in the Spring of 2017! Just waiting for those discounts to come out, which we know the spring discounts for Aulani usually come out mid-November!

Anyway, I just booked my first ever trip to Aulani. Pretty excited, and I feel like I got a pretty fantastic deal and wanted to get some other people's impressions. I booked my trip through Dreams Unlimited Travel for late October. I know the weather won't be super hot, but it'll be plenty warm enough for me and it's in value season. The rate for four nights in a standard room was 1600 dollars for two of us. This includes airport transfers to and from, 150 dollar resort credit, 1 meal per person per day at Aulani's quick service, and a rental car from the on property rental agency for one day.

So first off, is this a good value for people who have done this destination before? Any tips, suggestions or comments you can give me? And most of all, is Aulani worth going to?

'

It seems like a great value for everything you are getting! If we weren't stuck to a Teacher's schedule with breaks, we'd be able to go and get the incredible deals like you're getting! Can't wait to hear your post-trip thoughts!

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

We are in the DVC and my wife really wants to go here but I just can't bring myself to do it. It just doesn't seem very "Disney" to me and I'm not a beach person at all. I'd just hate to use a years worth of points to do it and miss the parks. Maybe when we get older I will or maybe I'll use the 25% discount we get as members on cash reservations and that way my wife would get to see it and I still wouldn't have to give up park time for it. It's just that with 2 little kids a trip to HI seems like that would be a huge chore. I know HI is a dream trip for most people but it has just never appealed to me, personally. I'm glad everyone else enjoyed their trips there though.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

Here's a link to my Aulani trip report! I hope it's helpful/useful!

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/magical-aulani-honeymoon-june-2017.928605/#post-7770051

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

We are in the DVC and my wife really wants to go here but I just can't bring myself to do it. It just doesn't seem very "Disney" to me and I'm not a beach person at all. I'd just hate to use a years worth of points to do it and miss the parks. Maybe when we get older I will or maybe I'll use the 25% discount we get as members on cash reservations and that way my wife would get to see it and I still wouldn't have to give up park time for it. It's just that with 2 little kids a trip to HI seems like that would be a huge chore. I know HI is a dream trip for most people but it has just never appealed to me, personally. I'm glad everyone else enjoyed their trips there though.

With two little kids, Aulani is PERFECT and worth giving up a year or two in the parks! There is so much for kids to do there, like snorkeling, all the amazing activities at Aunties, family excursions offered through Aulani's website, storytelling with Uncle, not to mention the incredible pool options and play areas (including the menehunie area tailored towards young kids), it really is a kid-friendly place. They have character breakfasts, with kid dance parties. Especially if your wife wants to go there, it's worth a break. It's the most relaxing Disney vacation you'll have on land!