Disney's Aulani - A Hawaiian Paradise for Families

Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa

Last week while on the beautiful island of Oahu, I spent 2 nights at Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa to see how it compares with Disney's other products.  Upon arrival, my husband, son and I were greeted with a traditional lei and fruit infused water and my first impression was good indeed. I could see the legendary Disney service has extended its reach to Hawaii.  Or was that the Aloha spirit that we had already been enjoying all week?  Hard to tell for sure, but either way, the service was wonderful throughout our stay.

This was our Deluxe Studio Oceanview Room.

We were upgraded to the Deluxe Studio Oceanview Room which not only gave us a gorgeous full on view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean but also a nice kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, coffee and even a toaster which came in handy for the pop tarts I had brought my son to save money on breakfast.  We were very happy with our room and what I enjoyed most was sitting out on our balcony each morning with my husband, Mike, writing in my journal, sipping delicious Hawaiian coffee and gazing out at the never-ending beauty of the azure ocean.

The beautiful ocean view from our balcony.

The pool area is nothing short of spectacular with the longest lazy river I have ever seen, 2 thrilling water slides, 3 pools including one for adults, an interactive splash zone and even a snorkeling lagoon.  Braden, my 11 year old son, loved it all; he was delighted when he discovered whale sounds under water at the infinity pool, he couldn't get enough of the speedy waterslides and he even liked meandering through the lazy river with me. We also both really enjoyed the snorkeling which is in a great lagoon for first timers with all of its wonderful colorful fish.

The lovely infinity pool was my favorite place to hang out.

The lazy river was long and beautiful.

The beach was a bit smaller than I was expecting and I was slightly disappointed to learn it was a man-made lagoon instead of a natural beach.  But then that is more of a personal preference because I enjoy natural God-made beauty so much and I had really gotten accustomed to that kind of beauty in Hawaii!  Disney knows what they are doing, however, because the beach is perfect for children of all ages with its gentle waves and protected cove.

A view of the lagoon from above.

Aulani's beach up close.

As we enjoyed our time leisurely moving from pool to lazy river to waterslide and genuinely enjoying being in paradise, I couldn't help but think how Aulani is like one big Hawaiian Disneyland ride.  It was cool in a way but also made me appreciate having been to other spots on Oahu to see the real Hawaii. To be fair, Disney does work hard to give you the authentic Hawaiian experience but it is still Disneyfied. 

My son, Braden, and husband, Mike at Ama Ama.

As I expected, the food was tasty but over-priced and similar to Walt Disney World in many ways.  The buffet at Makahiki was very good with lots of choices but even for a small family of 3, the bill had my eyes popping out of my head.  We had lunch at Ama Ama by the beach and that was a very enjoyable dining experience for us. Either the lunch prices weren't too bad or I was intoxicated by the beautiful ocean views and Mai Tai because I didn't almost pass out when we got the bill this time.  And when Mike joked that there was something wrong with Braden's dessert, our kind waitress brought us another despite the fact that his plate was empty!

The views were spectacular at Ama Ama.

There were lots of great looking family activities at Aulani including movie nights, nature walks, an interactive scavenger hunt and much more but my family and I are all water babies so we played hard at the pools and beach all day and crashed hard early every night.  If we had been there longer, the activities would have been great and it definitely makes a longer Aulani stay necessary if one does want to take part.

One of the best sunsets I've seen on our last night.

Overall, I was very impressed with Aulani.  I felt like it delivered what it promised and it's setting is pretty close to perfect.  I think it is best suited for families with younger kids and I think a stay at Aulani needs at least one day off the property to see more of Oahu because there is Disney's Hawaii and there is Hawaii.  Both are great!

Me with my hubby and son on the couch in our room.

Click here for my complete Aulani picture collection including different room categories.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels.  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to learn more about our travel services, visit us at www.PurplePalmVacations.com.

Happy Travels!