Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa

Aulani is not only beautiful, it’s breathtaking! Truly stands unique against the typical white beach hotels, and it offers fun for the whole family. The cove is nice to play in the waves and the in Rainbow Reef let me see all kinds of tropical fish up close, literally two inches from my scuba mask. That made my trip! Our room had an ocean view. However the Disney difference is in the DETAILS and the SERVICE. Aulani is an excellent storyteller of Hawaiian culture. The grand lobby is full of paintings and stories of ancestral to modern Oahu people. There are so many details in the rocks, the wood, and even the pool that you will miss if you are not looking. Joe Rohde designed it so you know it’s incredible. There are multiple pools, a water slide that sends kids and adults screaming all the way down, and adult only areas, plus the lazy river. We had a one bedroom suite. Our daughter did complain about the pull out sofa mattress being too thin and of course, there are not enough chairs at the pool…everyone gets upset about that…but that’s a small bother compared to everything the resort offers. The spa experience? Just book it! The outdoor water area at the spa is incredible. Very relaxing! I loved the water showers and even did the cold plunge (50 degees) three times! Also, you may have seen the Laua at the Disney World’s Polynesian Resort, you should still see the one at Aulani! We are hoping Aulani will expand into the empty lot next door and offer more pool areas and other experiences for DVC members only. Too many people, us included, just wanted to get to our room or the pool, but Aulani is a great educator if you slow down and take in the details.

Aulani exceeded every expectation and was the perfect way to experience Hawaii with our family. The resort is absolutely stunning, with beautiful Hawaiian theming woven into every detail. It truly feels like Disney magic meets authentic Hawaiian culture. The pools and lazy river were a huge hit, and there was always something fun for both kids and adults to do. Our son loved exploring the resort, meeting characters, and splashing in the water. The beach is calm, beautiful, and perfect for families. One of my favorite experiences was the spa. The hydrotherapy garden was incredible, especially the hot tubs, cold plunge, and relaxation areas. It was the perfect place to unwind and enjoy a little peace during our vacation. The Cast Members were wonderful and made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. While Aulani is certainly a premium vacation destination, the experience, service, and memories made it worth every penny. If you’re looking for a family-friendly Hawaiian resort that combines relaxation, adventure, culture, and Disney magic, Aulani is hard to beat. We are already dreaming about our next visit!

We brought our 4yr old here in late May and had a blast. Plotting a return trip. As others have said, you pay a Disney premium here, for everything. That said, it was magical for our son, and watching him live the magic was magical for us. I do recommend a poolside room. We got extra lucky and were on ground floor. That meant direct access to the pool complex from our patio which was awesome. Villa-style rooms have kitchens and laundry which are really convenient. We had breakfast in our room most days (toast and fruit from grocery store) which saved some cost. We also refrigerated leftovers from dinners to heat up for lunch following day. There is an ABC store across the street where you can buy food off-resort. Or you can go to Safeway or Costco if you have a car. On property, there are multiple food options, all with kid-friendly options. Or you can order from your pool chair, which is super convenient. On pool chairs…do believe the hype! You must claim them early, and maintain some presence in the chair. My husband was taking the early excercise classes (beach yoga, paddleboard yoga) so after that, he’d grab us chairs while I got our son dressed and fed. Chairs are much more available on the beach. Beach is great. Calm water is great for young kids. There was lots of boogie boarding and sandcastling and dad-burying going on. The sun is bright out there. Sunscreen up! You can borrow sand toys for free and the snack shack opens at 11. Pools are great. Main pool has a zero entry edge. There are pool party’s a couple times a week in the afternoon. And the water playground was a huge hit with our kiddo. Characters are around throughout the day. They post the schedule in the app each day so you know where to go. For our son, this was the best part, he loved it! The staff are all wonderful. I was really impressed. If you value the Disney-ness of it all, just understand the pricing going in. For us, the magic was really special and enjoyed. By all three of us. And we appreciated that every space had children in mind. We utilized the kids club (book early) and did some of our own meals. Hawaii is expensive, and this is at a premium. But i’ve been scrolling through our photos everyday since we got back home. My kid is beaming in all of them.

As I sit here on the ocean view balcony in my 1 br unit, I can’t say it isn’t beautiful. Oahu is a special place. It’s lovely and Disney has done an outstanding job bringing a slice Disney to Hawaii. What I can’t be pleased about is the cost of food. Most everyone will tell you that food prices are high in Hawaii, but that just isn’t true. There are many many places we went to enjoy dinners and total bill was just under $100.00 for four adults. Sadly, this being a family friendly property is nothing close. Every restaurant is price gouging here and there are no other alternatives other than to cook in the room. Dinner for kids at over 100 each with a price fixe menu and limited choices? I think not. You’d think there’d be a little Obama restaurant like at Disneyworld but no. Other than food options, it’s lovely. Rooms spacious, views at pool area are incredible. Fix the restaurant situation and you’ll get more bookings for sure.

First off, I did enjoy my stay here at Aulani. I really did, It's just that there are weird, very DIsney quirks that bugged me. The resort is beautiful. There are 4 different pools, one being adults only and another is the Lazy River. There are multiple places to sit for the day away from children, near children, near the pools, on the beach in the shade and on and on, Yes the hair game if big, but I watched and there were always chairs on the beach and fatther away from the pools. I stayed on the hotel side and had an ocean view room with a king bed and balcony. I slept like a baby. The bath has a bath and shower and was loaded up with towels. Every staff member was wonderful and kind. On my way to dinner one night I saw a staff member from the cleaning crew, standing and waving hello to folks with a roll of stickers he was giving out to kids with their parents. They were delighted. being on my ownm I rented a Casabella daily at $110. It's added up, but I need shade and this is the way I could guarantee it. They are 2 seated cabanas and are comfortable. Generally the prices are siilar to other resorts in Hawaii. I did have a problem with a banana costing $5. For some reason that was a line I wouldn't cross. And finally, seeing the characters throughout the day was a delight I didn't know I would love. Here is what bugged me about Aulani which I understand is common to most Disney properties: No glassware in the room, except for paper cups for the Keurig. I was in a hotel room, not DVC. Room cleaning is only every other day. Some may prefer that, I didn't. One of the pleasures of staying at a nice resort is a room that is cleaned daily. I could call for new towels if needed. I think what frosts me the most is this all done in the guise of environmental preservation, but there is plastic everywhere here and it just doesn't add up for me. The bands for the pool are fine, but perhaps they could make them easier to remove? You need to find someone to cut it off of you. All of these are minor but it's what bugged me. It may not bother you. If you can afford it and you want to have a great famiy vacation, this is an amazing option.

Ko Olina is the opposite of Waikiki and Aulani is gorgeous. The hotel has a large inviting lobby with Hawaii theme that embraces heritage. The property is enormous. The grounds and gardens and especially the Koi pond are beautiful. The staff were great and polite. We had a deluxe studio ocean view. The room was typical Disney layout but could use updating and in my opinion more theming. The highlight of the property are the pools, lazy river, slides, and lagoon.

We loved our stay! The pools and splash pad are a blast. The front desk kindly moved our room to the other side of the resort when our first room was above the kids club (it was very noisy!) and we loved the room they moved us to. It’s expensive, but worth it for us with having two kids under 5. The character dining was one of our favorite experiences on resort and we loved all the Disney magic.

I did not stay at the resort but had a day visit. I booked the character breakfast and this review is primarily about the character breakfast. I did have a chance to walk around the resort, check out the beach and stop at the gift shop. All of those were great. I really enjoyed the breakfast. Staff were very friendly. Everyone gets a picture with Mickey on the way in. They had three other characters walking around the breakfast. The characters made sure they stopped at each table multiple times for multiple photo/interaction opportunities. Food was good. Expensive for breakfast, but not really so expensive for Hawaii and for Disney, and for characters. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and everyone should give it a try. I have food allergies so always appreciate Disney’s allergy conscious restaurants. Valet was free for 2 hours as a breakfast guest.

Absolutely fantastic stay. The deluxe studio and the 2 bedroom villa were clean and very comfortable. The entire resort is beautiful. The staff are incredibly nice. Doesn't matter on the department. They were all very kind, helpful, took great initiative to go above and beyond and overall....exceeded our expectations. There are "adults only" areas such as a pool with a bar close to the pool and seating area and whirlpool overlooking the ocean and beach. There are great activities for families and they look like they were having a blast. This trip was for adults only for us and we loved it. The lazy river is fantastic! It really worked out great after I broke my foot a month before we were going. I was able to use a float and the other foot to guide me, when needed. I highly recommend and we plan on going back every couple of years. If we lived closer, we would be there at least every year. It was evident that people who frequent the resort, including staff, don't have visitors from Maine that often. Every time we were asked where we were from, they were all shocked. It's not an easy haul to get there.