The Hawaiian islands are paradise in so many ways. It’s fitting that the premier customer service company, Disney, would have a resort there.
In 2011, Disney opened Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa. Then in 2013, a major expansion was completed. Aulani is part of the Disney Vacation Club. The is the third stand-alone Disney resort, meaning that it is not located at or near a Disney park. The other two are Disney Hilton Head Resort and Disney Vero Beach Resort. Disney Vacation Clubs are open to the public as well as Disney Vacation Club members.
Aulani is on the leeward side of Ohau and is part of the Ko Olina Resort Community & Marina. It is a beautiful and peaceful location yet close to the bustling activity at Waikiki and other island wonders.
We have stayed at Aulani two times and loved it!
Aulani Celebrates The Culture of Hawaii
When Disney started planning Aulani, they promised to honor the culture and legends of the island. They worked with local artisans and cultural experts to design Aulani.
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“Aulani” means “messenger of a chief.” When Disney designers planned the resort, they worked with Hawaiian cultural leaders to get details correct on the customs. This makes Aulani more than just another resort.
The A-Frame shape of the lobby and hallways are fashioned after traditional Hawaiian canoe houses, or “Hale Wa’a”.
All around and inside the resort, there are statues, paintings, and other Hawaiian cultural items.
They also offer Hawaiian crafts and activities including hula lessons and lei making. When you arrive at the resort, you are greeted by cast members offering you wonderfully fragrant leis for the ladies and Kukui nut leis for the men.
The resort also has a very nice luau onsite with traditional Hawaiian food, drink, and entertainment.
A Room At Aulani
On both our visits to Aulani we had spectacular ocean view rooms. The resort also offers mountain view rooms. We book a one bedroom unit because we like to have a full kitchen and laundry appliances in the room.
It is a short drive to WalMart and various grocery stores so we stock up and have breakfast and snacks in our room.
The kitchen has all the appliances you will need, plus place settings for 8, pots and pans, and serving dishes.
There is ample dining seat space, although we did most of our eating on the balcony.
The Bedroom And Bath
Our one bedroom suite during our last visit was on the 14th floor, giving us a perfect ocean view.
Notice the artwork – Aulani has one of the largest collections of Hawaiian artwork anywhere in the world. Over 60 local artists were commissioned to create the original pieces found all over the resort.
Our room had a fantastic view! (See more below). The bedroom and living room open to a spacious balcony. The furnishings are top notch and in keeping with the Hawaiian culture. The bedroom has a king size bed, 2 nightstands, and lamps, a desk, chair, large flat screen TV, dresser and other storage.
The glass doors in the bedroom open up to one end of the large balcony.
There is a shuttered opening between the bedroom and a jetted tub. In the tub area, there is a sink and vanity. There is a door between the tub room and the toilet and shower room.
The walk-in shower is simply amazing! There are a rain-shower head and handheld spray. There is a seat that can be used for us ladies to shave our legs 🙂
The shower room has a toilet, a sink, and vanity. There are also 2 luxurious bathrobes for your use.
The Living Room
In the living room, there is a large TV in a beautiful console. There is also something special about the TV Console – the bottom section folds down for a twin bed!
With the sofa making a queen bed, this one-bedroom villa will sleep 5 people!
Notice the soothing colors and rich woods. The fabrics and carpet continue the Hawaiian theme. There is also more of the custom-designed art.
This private balcony is where we spent quite a bit of time. We had a really nice view of the ocean and the Waikolohe Valley – the pool area at Disney’s Aulani Resort. It is where you will find several pools, a lazy river, water slides, and a hot tub.
There are family-friendly parties at the Waikolohe Pool. Check the daily schedule of activities for times and themes.
Just a note but you must wear a wristband to use the pools, pool chairs and beach chairs at Aulani Resort. A new wristband is required each day. Just show your room key to any towel station in the pool area.
In the picture below you can see part of one of my favorite activities – the lazy river! Just grab a raft and take a journey through the Waikolohe Valley.
You never know who you will meet at the pool area or around the resort 🙂
Aulani has a unique experience in Waikolohe Valley. It is called Rainbow Reef. It is a temperature appropriate pool with hundreds of tropical fish where you can snorkel. There is even a viewing area where your family or total strangers can watch the snorkeling activity. Note that the water has to be maintained at 77 degrees, so this will be a chilly excursion.
One of my favorite places is the adult pool area called Wailana pool. It has its own bar and specialty coffee. This area offers a quiet relaxing spot for guests 18 and over.
There are tropical shade trees and lounge chairs to take a quick nap or just relax.
There is a family infinity-edge pool overlooking Ko Olina Beach giving you wonderful ocean views. This is part of the Ka Maka Grotto which has a misty grotto and the water is kept at around 82 degrees. As a note – the pools are maintained using the heat generated by the HVAC units at Aulani Resort. Interesting fact!
This is our room number and the carving on our door.
Thank you for reading about Aulani! We had such a great time there and hope you enjoyed seeing our pictures.
Janet
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Oh my goodness! Now I want to book a vacation here! We’ve never had the chance to go to Hawaii, so what better time than now! 🙂
Definitely! You will fall in love!