We’ve been wanting to visit Disney’s Aulani since the girls were little but decided to wait until they were a bit older so we would really be able to take advantage of everything that the hotel has to offer.
We took Nati for her 5th birthday (Ari is 7) and I will have to say I think this might just be the perfect age for a trip to Aulani. Both girls are strong swimmers, so they were able to fully enjoy the pools and the beach, and they are still at an age where Disney Magic is still very magical for them.
Location
Disney’s Aulani is located in Ko Olina, which is on the West side of O’ahu, and about 30 minutes from the airport. We rented a car through Turo, which is a car renting site that allows you to rent cars directly from the owners. With rentals so high, this was a good way to cut some costs for our trip.
The drive to Ko Olina is very simple and almost a straight shot from the airport. The hotel is located near a residential area and golf course and as soon as you exit the freeway, you’ll notice you have stepped into a high-end community with everything kept to par.
The Ko Olina lagoons are very popular and Aulani is located right on the lagoons, NOT a beach. I personally love staying at hotels that sit on lagoons because I feel it’s much safer and my kids love to snorkel, so it makes it easy to snorkel right at the hotel.
About the property
While Aulani is a Disney property, it’s important to know you will only get “subtle hints” of Disney. If you have stayed at Disney properties in California or Florida, this will be a totally different experience. Aulani has a stronger focus on Hawaiian roots with hints of Disney. You will however hear Disney songs in the elevator, get to experience the teats, etc.
Character Sightings
We saw characters every single day during our stay at Aulani and there’s a few different places you will spot characters.
- On the lazy river bridge. You’ll see characters come and go throughout the day as you hang out around the pool.
- Characters also stop for photo opps on the Halawai Lawn. There are also Disney Photo Pass cast members present to take photos for you with an option to purchase these photos at the end of your trip.
- Another way to see characters is at Makahiki for their character breakfast. If you’ve dined at a Disney property before for a character breakfast, it’s a very similar format. It’s a fixed price and the package comes with photo opps with Mickey and Goofy & Chip and Dale. You can use your own phone or purchase photos through the Disney Photo Pass. If you are choosing to dine her solely for the character experience, you may be disappointed. The characters don’t come around to your table and you only get the one interaction before dining.
Due to COVID, social distancing doesn’t allow you to touch the character and you are separated by a rope in ALL opportunities. However, this is just a new norm we’ve gotten used to at past Disney trips and it’s something we have gotten used to.
Here’s who we saw on our trip:
- Moana
- Stitch
- Angel
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Goofy
- Chip & Dale
- Duffy
- Pluto
- Max
Food
I have nothing but good things to say about the food at Aulani. Your go-to places will be Makahiki (sit down restaurant) and Ulu Café, which is a grab and go café that is available around the block. I highly recommend trying the Aulani Special when ordering your morning coffee.
Ulu Café
We stopped by at Ulu Café many times. I probably ordered a poke bowl from there every day for lunch and not only was it delicious but a very generous portion. They also have a variety of sandwiches you can order throughout the day, along with popcorn, drinks and more.
At night, Ulu has pizzas for carryout. They are HUGE and just $20, making it a great way to feed your family on a budget
Makahiki
We were able to squeeze in without a reservation one of the days (the fact that it was mid-week definitely helped) and it was great. Danny and I both had steak, which was delicious. If you have a fine dining experience in your budget, you’ll want to make a reservation here (about $200 for a family of 4).
Mama’s Snack Shake
Located by the pool, this is a great option for poolside snacking.
Papalua Shave Ice
You cannot leave Aulani without trying the shaved ice. SO good and a great way to cool down. I will say, the Mickey add-on ears ($1 to any shaved ice) are not worth it and end up just making a huge mess, but you will not want to sit out on the condensed milk on top of your shaved ice. You’ll thank me later.
For a full list of dining at Aulani, click here.
You can also walk across the street for a few options for coffee and food. The ABC store across the street is great for snacks but we found the food to be terrible.
Monkeypod is also a really popular restaurant (we had to cancel our reservation after we were too tired) and just a 5 minute walk away.
Activities
There is so much to do at Aulani and there are tons of free activities to keep you busy all day long.
The most obvious of the activities is the amazing pools. The resort has multiple pools to choose from and all so unique in their own way. They also have a splash pad and a water park (Menehue Bridge) where the kids can run through obstacles and get wet.
We absolutely loved the infinity pool and the Waikolohe pool (the main pool), which had two slides- an open tube slide and a closed “dark” slide.
The lagoon on property is also great for paddle boarding (extra charge), boogie boarding (free rentals) and snorkeling. You can also purchase sand toys on property or walk across the street to the ABC store for a more cost-efficient sand bucket.
Other water activities include
- Snorkeling in Rainbow Reef, a manmade pool made specifically for snorkeling and feeding fish (the fish feeding sells out early)
- The Waikolohe stream- a lazy river that runs around the main pool
Non-water activities
I highly recommend downloading the app and checking the weekly schedule for current activities. It will also show you what times you can spot characters around the property.
Note-worthy activities include:
- Mickey ears craft class ($25-$30 per person): we loved this activity as it was the perfect souvenir to bring home
- Adventure trail: this is a free activity and probably the girls’ favorite. Follow an adventure trail around the property through an interactive scavenger hunt that brings the property to life
- Painting with light: A nighttime premium activity where you paint with light
Click here for a full list of activities.
Is transportation needed?
This totally depends on what your Oahu vacation is going to look like. We rented a car and switched off our days by alternating exploring off property and staying at the hotel every other day.
For us, this is the perfect mix of relaxation and fun and found it totally worth it to rent a car, especially since everything was about 30-45 minute of a drive to get to.
I will say I would have been perfectly content (and entertained) staying the entire week at Aulani so if that is something you are considering and don’t feel the need to venture outside of the property, you will be fine without it.
Cost
The cost of your vacation will fluctuate drastically depending on the type of room you get, how you plan to eat and premium experiences.
The rooms typically start at $600 for a basic room, average around $1,110 for a villa and can go up to a couple thousand for a multi-room suite. However, there are ways to save.
Currently Disney is offering 25% off for Disney Visa card holders during select dates and traveling during the spring and fall tends to be cheaper than summer and winter. I’ve also heard good thing about Dave’s Vacation Rentals but have not tried it before to give an honest opinion.
Is a villa worth it?
This completely depends on how you plan to spend your vacation. If you want to save money to cook meals, keep a stock fridge, etc. then you will need a villa. A villa has a full kitchen and there is a Costco and Target nearby to purchase grocery items.
If you plan to eat out most of the trip, you may not want to spend the extra money on a villa (unless you have a large family of course). We went with a pool-view that had 2 queen beds. We did not have a kitchen so we ate out about 2 meals a day.
Breaking down the cost of food spent while on our trip, it would have probably added up to the same daily cost if we would have paid for a villa, which ultimately would have cost us more once adding up groceries. Since we knew we were not there to cook and wanted to fully experience the hotel, it made sense for us.
Deciding what route to take really depends on how you plan to spend your trip.
Is it worth it?
We found Aulani to be 100% worth it. The resort is very safe and we felt the girls could run around and independently enjoy activities a lot of the time.
The amenities and activities offered keep you busy all day long and there’s so much to choose from. Budget for an off-season vacation to get the best bang for your buck and plan out your vacation prior so you know what to expect.
