This winter break I visited Aulani, Disney’s Hawaiian Resort, with my family. As expected, it is a bit pricey, but overall I’d say it’s a good experience to have.
Image via Oh My Disney
The Disney theme is definitely present in the hotel with Mickey Mouse heads hidden in the décor and Disney songs in Hawaiian playing in the elevator, but it’s not as in your face as some other Disney themed places. The Hawaiian theme is pushed much more but in a very stylish way. I found myself falling in love with the little style decisions such as the designs on the floating tubes for the pools.
Image via Kingdom Magic Travel
When it comes to entertainment, I did find the resort a bit lacking. There’s a pool, an infinity pool, a lagoon, a lazy river, two water slides, two hot tubs, an adult only pool, and an adult only hot tub available to swim in. There are activities such as boat rides, massages, a gym, a treasure hunt, and fireside storytelling that guests can take part in, but quite a few of them require you to pay extra. This is fine for a few relaxing days, but I found it to get boring after a while. Be sure to bring some good company and go super early to get the good chairs in the pool area.
While staying at the hotel there are, as expected, a few places where you can pay for food, but the thing that I really enjoyed about Aulani was that they have rooms with fully stocked kitchens. I’m talking about a room with a fridge, stove, oven, dishwasher, rice cooker, plates, bowls, utensils, pots, pans, ladles, spatulas, and a washer and dryer to boot! It’s nice that you don’t have to rely on the hotel or surrounding restaurants for food.
Image via Disney Vacation Club
The room that we stayed in was also a good size as well. There was only one main bed that I want to say was king size although I can’t quite remember. In addition, there was a murphy bed that was hidden under the television set and a couch that folded out into what I want to say was a queen size bed. Five people could have stayed there pretty comfortably. There are also some specialized rooms that are more of joint rooms with a shared common space that multiple families could stay in if on a joint trip.
Overall, it was a very nice space. As I mentioned earlier, it is pricey. It’s a nice place to go if the goal of the trip is to have a good time and relax.
Cover image via Travel and Leisure