Aulani Resort Review: Insider Tips and Highlights for A Magical Vacation at Disney's Hawaiian Resort

In this episode of the Beautiful Tomorrow Travel Tips Podcast, we dive into a magical review of Aulani, Disney's enchanting Hawaiian resort. Join us as we share our firsthand experience, provide insider tips, and explore the wonders of this tropical paradise. Whether you're planning a trip to Hawaii or just dreaming of a family vacation, this episode has everything you need to know about Aulani.

Key Highlights
- Overall Experience: Aulani's exceptional service and immersive experience that makes you never want to leave.
- Accommodations: Unique room types, including one-bedroom villas perfect for families, featuring a kitchen, pullout bed, and multiple balconies.
- Dining Options: From quick grab-and-go at Ulu Cafe to fine dining at Ama Ama, plus off-resort options like Monkeypod and local ABC stores.
- Activities: A wide range of activities including multiple pools, lazy river, children's splash pad, paddleboarding, and storytelling sessions.
- Excursions: Options for planning excursions through the hotel, renting cars, and exploring local attractions like the North Shore and shopping in Honolulu.
- Special Celebrations: Personalized experiences for special occasions, including anniversary buttons and PhotoPass photographers capturing magical moments.
- Disney Characters: Opportunities to meet exclusive characters like Duffy and Friends, Moana, and more in their Hawaiian outfits.
- Resort Layout: Thoughtful design ensuring ample space and privacy, making the resort feel less crowded even at full capacity.
- Customer Service: Exceptional Disney service, comparable to Disney Cruise Line, with attentive and helpful cast members.
- Cultural Connection: Aulani's dedication to honoring Hawaiian culture, providing guests with a deeper appreciation of the local heritage.

Contact Us:
- Erin: Erin@beautifultomorrowtravel.com
- Angela: Angela@beautifultomorrowtravel.com

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If you have any questions or need help planning your next Disney, Universal, or cruise family getaway, reach out to Erin or Angela. We're here to make your travel dreams come true!
Aulani Resort & Spa Travel Guide 

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Angela and Erin

Transcript

Beautiful Travel Tips Podcast - Aulani Review

[00:00:00] Hi, Erin. Welcome back. I am recently back from Aulani. So we thought it would be a good time to, you know, talk about our our experience as a family and then you have clients interested in going to Hawaii. So this is something for anybody if you're interested in going to Hawaii, like Oahu specifically, or, or AuAulani.

[00:00:25] So yeah. I'm so excited to hear about the trip. I mean, how would you, how would you rate the overall experience there? I mean, I think, like, a 10 is not even high enough because the service, the experience, and we were talking about this, my husband and I, it was, Like, they somehow create this, like, I don't know, like, bubble that you don't [00:01:00] want to leave.

[00:01:02] They really do. And so, we, we, for, like, four days didn't leave the resort even though we were there. We just spent a couple days, um, driving to a couple places on the island and we were totally fine with that. And, you overschedule your vacations if you really want to relax. Yeah, that's awesome. How are the accommodations there?

[00:01:29] Yeah, the accommodation. So the Aulani has some really interesting room types. And because our kids are older, they kind of like their own space and they want to watch what they want to watch and we want to watch what we want to watch. So we got a one bedroom villa. Okay. We had a kitchen that had a pullout which was perfect for our teenager.

[00:01:53] She, it was more comfortable than your regular pullout which I had heard and which was true. And then our younger daughter [00:02:00] had a pull down twin under the bed which is really common in a lot of Disney resorts. Okay. We had this ginormous king bed that we kind of felt like It was too bad. It was big. It was like, what?

[00:02:13] And then it also had two balconies. Oh, wow. Yeah. So here is my first tip of the show because the luau is something that as soon as you know, you want to go to Aulani. If that's something you really want to do, make sure that it's available before you book your, um, Okay, your room. But here's the thing. We got a garden view room.

[00:02:38] They have garden view and ocean view rooms typically in all the categories. Well, we had a garden view room that looked over the luau. So, so we got to win. Yeah. So we got to see them rehearse. We got to see them put it all together and we got [00:03:00] to see like the luau on the nights that we were there. So it was really cool.

[00:03:04] That is so awesome. That's awesome. And I like the fact that they have a lot of different options, not just your standard, you know, hotel room. They've got, you know, the villas of various sizes. They've got various size hotel rooms. So I mean, that's, that's kind of nice because everyone does kind of need their own space and a lot of people are kind of traveling more together with larger families. So I really like that and it had a washer and dryer in it. So, that allows us and, um, we definitely, you're using a lot of bathing suits and things like that. And so, um. That was really cool. And I think too, I just want to reinforce that you don't feel compelled, like I'm in Hawaii.

[00:03:51] I have to have an ocean view because we had the garden view and. I do not regret the room that we got. It was [00:04:00] just, it was awesome. Well, that's awesome. That's good. Good to know. And I'm sure there's plenty of amazing views in the resort of the ocean. I mean, I saw some of the pictures, so I mean, just breathtaking.

[00:04:13] Yeah, and you're not really in your room all that much because you want to be in the pools. You want to be at the beach and there is a huge price difference between the ocean view and the garden view, um, rooms. And so it's like a great way to save a little bit because traveling to a You know, Hawaii is not cheap, so if you want to extend your budget a little bit, that's one way you can do that.

[00:04:39] Oh, that's awesome. How was the food? Talk to me about dining options. Oh my gosh. So that's another great thing about Aulani is they have multiple food options. They had a quick grab and go option, which we went to. It's called the Ulu Cafe. Which was really great, especially for lunch. And if there's [00:05:00] anybody listening who has heard about the Spam Musubi, which is famous in Hawaii, it is like a rice patty with Spam and like seaweed around it and sesame seeds and soy.

[00:05:15] It's so good. That's where they have that at about lunchtime every day and they're gone very quickly. So definitely get it there. And then they also have refillable mugs and Ulu cafe. And here's a little tip. Like if you're going to go to a Aulani multiple times in your life, Get a refillable mug. You can take it back every time you go.

[00:05:37] You don't have to recharge it like you do here at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. So. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. So, um, but we also went to the Makakiki restaurant, which is kind of like a sit down restaurant. They do a character breakfast there, and then they do dinner. [00:06:00] And I think that they do the character breakfast and dinner.

[00:06:03] And so, um, that was amazing, but it's really pricey. Okay. So, you know, you're paying for the convenience. It was good food, but actually, I'll tell you about, um, some other dining options that are in walking distance that would also be really great, wonderful food. But, um, You have to walk a little bit. Not that far.

[00:06:31] Um, but then they also have off the hook, which was a place we ate at breakfast. The most you could sit there in peace and get your food so quickly. And then you could see the ocean. You could just, you know, see people starting their day. And then it was like, fast casual. They would bring your food that way.

[00:06:53] And then, um, they have another fine dining restaurant. We didn't go to, it's called Ama Ama, but if you [00:07:00] wanted to have a special dinner, um, and have that elevated dining experience, that's where you would do that. I've heard great things about that. Um, so the food's amazing. I mean, The coffee is amazing. You get Kona coffee every day.

[00:07:19] It's like, and you can fill your like resort mug with it. It's like, yeah, they do specialty drinks. They had great cocktails, great Mai Tais. I. Pride mini. So that was wonderful. I love that little pineapple of pina colada you had. Yeah. And then, um, they also, if you're at the pool, they do have servers that will walk around and get things for you.

[00:07:46] So that's awesome. So that was just super convenient one. You know, we just needed a snack by the pool or whatever. Absolutely. Yeah. Activities. Yeah. Well, before I talked to me [00:08:00] about all the different activities. Yeah. Oh, there were so many things, but I thought I would mention that within walking distance, there is this little, um, shopping area that has, A few restaurants that you can go to 1 is called monkey pod, which we ate at.

[00:08:19] You can have lunch and dinner there there. It was so amazing. Just like, really fresh fish and just really elevated. Food that, you know, it's hard to get anywhere else. So nice. And it's kind of like typically like an Asian fusion kind of food, but they had a Starbucks across the street. If you're somebody who's like, I have to have my Starbucks.

[00:08:45] They had one of those nearby. And then they also have in Hawaii, what's called ABC stores. They're like a convenience store. They're not like a liquor store here in Florida. Okay, but they also had lots of [00:09:00] grab and go options. They had a hot bar. They also had a specialty drink area. So if you want to break from the resort and also pay a little less, you can go over there and do that.

[00:09:12] So we really love that. And it was also a way to get waters if you wanted. And have things like in the one bedroom, there's a full refrigerator. If you wanted to have things, um, to maybe cook because the do come with a kitchen, you can also have that too. That's a nice option. That's nice. Especially traveling, you know, with a family and, you know, you kind of gave a little money going off the resort, getting some options there, bringing it back, keeping it in the kitchen.

[00:09:41] That's awesome. Yeah, so the activities. There were so many things to do. One, if you didn't want to rent a car, you don't have to. You can actually, um, plan and schedule excursions through the hotel, or you can also rent [00:10:00] a car at the hotel if you wanted to take the shuttle from the airport to the resort.

[00:10:05] One way. Yeah. One way to save some money is to, um, because there's a parking fee every day. If you don't want to pay that, um, you can rent a car for a day. and do things on your own that way. So they have, I think I counted five pools, some, a few that were uh, adult only, several hot tubs, a lazy river, and a children's splash pad area.

[00:10:35] Oh, that's awesome. I mean, it was like, and we would just rotate through all of them. There were some that are kind of hidden and private and. Like, people didn't see, so it kind of felt like you were at your own resort. It was like, even though it was full, there, because of all the different areas where people could hang out, we never really felt like it was really super crowded.

[00:10:58] That's awesome. Yeah. [00:11:00] That shows it's really way, you know, laid out very well. Yeah. I mean, it's designed so well. And then of course you can go down to the beach. There were always chairs available throughout the day that have umbrellas. Oh, nice. And so another thing I really loved, I mean, Disney thinks of everything.

[00:11:21] Um, we were there. rented two paddle boards for an hour, which was really fun. They had somebody kind of show us what to do because we'd never paddle boarded before, but they had free boogie boards, sand toys and other things that you could just borrow for a few hours if you wanted to. So you didn't have to go and pay for those things.

[00:11:44] That's awesome. Throw them away or whatever. Yeah. I like that. I really like that. Yeah, I mean, they had a story time every night, and you could definitely download [00:12:00] the app to see all that there's going on, you know, whatever day you want to go if you are just interested in seeing what you can do, but one of the really important things to do is if they have a kids club at the resort, so, um, it's called Auntie, I can't think of the name at the moment.

[00:12:23] But you'll see in the app what it's called. I can look it up really quick. But you have to make a reservation. Okay. And they do have standby lists, but, um, that's definitely something that you want to make sure that you check out. They have, you can make your own Disney ears. You can, they have, yeah, I think they do t shirts.

[00:12:55] So my oldest daughter and I, they do the [00:13:00] culture in Hawaii is very much, you know, connected with nature. You know, being outside, taking care of eating well, that kind of stuff. So we did a sunrise yoga class. That was amazing. Oh, that's so fun. I've never done yoga in my life. I survived. I love it. So yeah, that was super fun.

[00:13:25] And with the time change, I didn't feel like I had been up since four in the morning, although I had. So it's a good plus, right? Yeah. Yeah. They have ukulele lessons. They have, uh, tours of the art and the culture of Hawaii. They have lots of art in the hotel. They have, there's just so much going on. So I highly recommend you download the app and check it out.

[00:13:54] And if you do think your child's going to want to go to the kids club, um, make sure you make reservations for that right [00:14:00] away. Um, when you make your reservation. So there was never, we were never bored. There was always something to do, somewhere to eat. I mean, it was just, yeah. It was amazing. And there were, there are lots of characters on the resort if there was an option if you wanted to.

[00:14:18] Yes. And actually, that's one of my regrets. Like, we were having so much fun in the pools and relaxing, and I thought, oh, that character will be there tomorrow. Well, I really wanted to see Duffy. Duffy and Friends are exclusive characters to Hawaii and Japan, and some of the other Asian parks, and I miss Duffy because he doesn't seem to come around on the weekends.

[00:14:45] Angel and Stitch are kind of the highlight on the weekends. So make sure if you really want to see a character, you do that when you see it in the app. So well, we saw Moana and Daisy and [00:15:00] Donald and Chip and Dale and their cute little Hawaiian shirts and Mickey and Minnie. And so that was really cool.

[00:15:08] That's fun. That's fun. Always to see no matter how old you are. Yeah. And they're, they're in their exclusive Hawaii kind of outfits. So I like it. I like it. So talk to me about, you know, special celebrations. I mean, obviously the time that you guys went, there was lots of things going on, lots of transitions for you and Jason and the girls.

[00:15:33] So how, how did they help make that special for you guys? Well, here's a really cool thing. So yeah, we really went to Aulani because we were celebrating our 20th anniversary and you know, it's our daughter's senior year coming up and our youngest daughter graduated from elementary school, which. It's not been easy for us.

[00:15:56] I don't think it's easy for anybody. No, but, [00:16:00] um, here is a really cool thing is that they have photo pass photographers around . So even if your child goes to the kids club or whatever, you can see them around the resort and they'll take pictures from you. So we were checking out the sunset on our last day, my husband and I, and there was a photo pass photographer who took our picture on the beach to see the sunset.

[00:16:25] And that was really amazing. So yeah, I mean, and here's the thing. I didn't know this. I'm going to post pictures of this, but Aulani has a wedding chapel. So if you, and we saw a couple of weddings while we were there that were just super stunning. I mean, it was like, Oh wow. Yeah. So it was so special. So if you're interested in learning about how you can do that and maybe take a group or whatever for your wedding.

[00:16:55] Let us know. Um, but they have an incredible wedding chapel [00:17:00] there. I just, I never knew that, even though I'd been to the resort before, I just didn't see it. That's cool. Um, so, so yeah. And they just, you know, on upon our arrival, they gave us special buttons for our anniversary and our spot. Aw. You know, and staying there.

[00:17:16] And so it was really cool. And, uh, there are just so many ways that you can make it special. That's awesome. Yeah. Now Dizzy is known for their customer experience, so talk to me about kind of their overall, you know, experience, you know, at the resort. Yeah. I mean, there is it, it's like, I think sometimes people come to the US parks and complain that it's not like it used to be.

[00:17:46] Or they see a difference between the Disney Cruise line and the parks. But if you've been on the Disney Cruise and love that level of service, that's the type of service that you get at AuAulani Plus, I think, [00:18:00] honestly. I mean, our room attendant was just amazing and always helpful, came every day, totally took care of our room.

[00:18:09] Um, and, I actually left my wallet at a bar one day and I had a cast member who walked around at night after dinner with his little flashlight helping me find it, took me to various places to check and see if somebody had turned it in. And the next morning, I, you know, actually that night I got a call that it was turned in.

[00:18:34] Wow. Yeah. I mean, it was just, It was just incredible. So, I mean, that's the kind of service that you get. And, um, every, if you ever had a question, if you ever needed anything, you know, you, there were cast members everywhere that you could ask. That's awesome. I love that. What do you [00:19:00] think were some of your favorite moments at the resort?

[00:19:05] Favorite moments?

[00:19:10] You know, I'm going to tear up, but just seeing how much the kids loved it. I think, I think, um, You kind of almost think of Hawaii as an adult destination for honeymoons and things like that. But they had such an incredible time and we just spent time together. And so, um, so with the time difference and everything, you know, people were not on their phones as much and, you know, we really were able to just kind of disconnect and, um, also one of the things that I didn't mention is that Is that the back of the resort where it's by the beach.

[00:19:58] It's along a [00:20:00] walkway that connects several resorts like, um, oh, that's awesome. So you can take a walk. That's on a sidewalk along the beach and see, like, nature. You can see amazing waves and just The scenery and it's just gets amazing. You can get great stress relief. Yeah. It's like, and everybody's outside and everybody has the spirit of Aloha and we're so welcoming and kind.

[00:20:30] And it was like, You get a lot of leave. I know, for a split second, you know, we're those people who think about moving everywhere we go. Um, but yeah, I mean, there were so many special moments that it was just like, um, so a few things that we did to, well, actually. Our girls were out taking pictures by the sunset 1 day, and they saw a sea turtle pop its head out by the ocean.[00:21:00] 

[00:21:00] So, I mean, they were just like, oh, my God. So we also did go to the North Shore and we did, um, we went to a beach that's known for seeing sea turtles. We saw a few, but they weren't on the beach. So that was really cool. And then also we did some shopping in Honolulu and went to a mall that. You know, they, they were, except our shopping crazy girls were happy to, like, um, that's my girl to do.

[00:21:31] Oh, my gosh. So, yeah, that was really fun. And actually the, um, The Ala Moana Mall has a food court in the bottom of it that has like Korean, Japanese, Hawaiian restaurants, and it's really like a foodie's paradise. So, that was really wonderful because we especially love Asian food. So, there was like a Japanese bakery [00:22:00] and Yeah, I mean, it's just, there are so many special moments.

[00:22:05] So, yeah, that's awesome. I'm so happy. I can't wait to see more of the pictures when I see you guys soon. But, um, this just sounds like amazing family getaway. And I think, you know, Disney fans are not I mean, just the experience that Disney provides, you know, in all of their resorts and cruise lines and hotels and, you know, experiences.

[00:22:32] This is just another shining example of, you know, if, if you want the best of the best, this is truly, um, an option for you. So I think it's on every Disney fans, a bucket list, and you brought up a really good point. You don't even need to be a Disney fan to truly love this resort. I mean, not only because of it's so beautiful and the service is amazing, but the resort is really dedicated to the people of Hawaii and their [00:23:00] culture and who they are.

[00:23:02] So it's not like Disney in your face. It is a resort that really respects the people and the culture of Hawaii. And so you walk away with a beautiful A better appreciation for the people of Hawaii because of it. I love that. I love that. Yeah, it was really special. So thanks Erin for, um, helping me dive in and share my experience.

[00:23:28] And if you have any questions, you know, reach out to Erin or myself, we'd be happy to give you more information. You reach out to Erin at Erin at beautiful tomorrow, travel. com. You can reach out to me at Angela at beautiful tomorrow, travel. com. And then also, this is the first time we've done a podcast where we can celebrate together that we were rated as one of the top 20 Florida Disney podcasts by Feedspot.

[00:23:57] Yeah. So congratulations to [00:24:00] us. Yes. Yay us. Sisters in action! Yeah, right? It's so crazy, but, I mean, you know, it's, it's just, uh, we both really love. Disney, we both really love family vacations and helping listeners like you have the best experience possible. So, so yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you, Angela. I appreciate it, taking this time to talk to us and talk about, now I can't wait.

[00:24:29] Now I'm going to have to have you plan this trip for me. Girl, it's amazing. It's amazing, but the flight is totally worth it. Excellent. All right. Thanks, everyone. Thanks, Erin. Thanks, guys. Bye.