Aulani and the end of our journey (Days 12-16)

Looking at the main lobby lanai

While at Aulani, we enjoyed the pool areas and the beach.  The water was a bit on the cool side in the kids play area (Menehune Bridge) and the lazy river (Waikolohe Stream) but a good temperature in the family pool and the hot tubs.
I also took the opportunity to enjoy a manicure at the Laniwai Spa, while my husband entertained the kids back in our suite. 

Laniwai Spa

Laniwai is a full service spa and salon, offering many luxurious treatments, with a Hawaiian touch.  I had reserved my appointment for a manicure the morning of, and luckily, they had a spot open for me. I would not have gotten an appointment that same day, however, if I had wanted a different package, since the treatment rooms were full already. The decor of the whole place has a calming effect, and the music playing made me feel relaxed as well. The staff know how to make you feel welcome too; I was offered a glass of fruit-infused water while I waited.

reception desk

Waiting area and boutique

entering the salon

Use the Daily Iwa (the name of the resort activity guide) to determine what you would like to check out.  Some things are free, and some are an extra fee to cover materials, etc. but these are great.  Try out the lei making classes, or the hula lessons; take the tours, do the interactive Menehune Adventure Trails, go to all the character meet and greets, check out the firepit story telling in the evenings, and definitely go to the Starlit Hui Luau.  There is a lot to write about in terms of activities but I'll just touch on the ones we enjoyed the most.

Aulani Art Tour
If you take this tour, you will really begin to appreciate the effort and thought that has gone into the design of this resort.  Just a couple of highlights, but you should take the tour which is certainly worth the time.

The 'A' in Aulani is the same shape as the arch's for the roof structures.  This is the shape of the shelters that were used to store canoes when they (Hawaiians) returned home, and is meant to symbolize that guests are returning home to Aulani.

looking up at a tower

The pictures behind the front desk are photographs taken by local Hawaiian students - each student had to take a photo focusing on one colour.  Then the 138 photos were arranged to form a rainbow collage behind the desk.

rainbow photo collage behind the check-in desk

The resort has currently two buildings with the west: one themed masculine (Wai'anae Tower); and the east themed feminine (Ewa Tower).  The water gardens have waterfalls on the masculine side, and there are no waterfalls (just calm water) on the feminine side.  There are also flowers on the feminine side, and no flowers within the building on the masculine side.  There is a third building standing there which is to be opened up next year at some time

the Aulani resort towers-one to be opened next year

Even the compass on the floor of the lobby has arrows made of specific materials depending on where it is pointing (coral towards the ocean, koa towards the mountains where koa trees grow, black rough lava rock to the west - the masculine side, light smooth lava rock to the east - the feminine side).

The compass features the Ewa bird in the centre, with four Taro leaves surrounding it

 There are also menehune hidden around the resort - Evan had a great time finding as many as he could.  Menehune are small people of legend who live in the forests and valleys of Hawaii.  They are supposed to be excellent and fast craftsmen who built temples, canoes, etc. If you bribed them with poi they would even build stuff for you.  The thing is, they work only at night and once they start building something, they have to finish it that night or they can never finish the job.  Since they were so good and fast at building things, they often got bored and so they would cause trouble during other times and earned a reputation of being mischievous.  See how many of these you can find - they're hidden everywhere: under water, in keyholes, on the ceiling, behind trees, in elevators.

Menehune in the garden

Menehune underwater

Menehune under a table

Menehune on a ledge

Menehune Adventure Trails 
This is an interactive trail, in which we were given a smartphone to find each of the areas around the resort, that revealed a touch of the Menehune's magic.  The phone would play a tune, and then something unexpected would happen around us, like in the garden (rocks move), or the pond (where things emerge from the water). It was great fun for Evan.

The phone showed us where to go

The canoe at the top spills water over at the kids play area after you hear the conch

lit images appear on the paths outside, and disappear almost as quickly

Aulani Nature Tour
It was great to learn about the native plants used to decorate the gardens as well as the kukui nut torches which are specific to Hawaii (tiki torches are native to all of Polynesia). There are also hundreds of animal carvings worked into the design of the stones around the resort.

Kukui nut torches

can you find two sea turtles?

Look closely at the mountain- how many animals can you identify?

Movies under the stars
It was a great breather to grab a mat and sit on the lawn at Makaloa Garden.  The view is good regardless of where you sit, and it seemed like there was enough space.  Still, arrive early to get your preferred spot.  They don't have this every night, but be sure to check it out.  We watched  'A Bug's Life" while we were there.

Movie night: pre-movie trivia

Makaloa Garden- where the Starlit Hui and Movies night take place

Starlit Hui
We were able to check this out on our last night at Aulani and it was phenomenal.  Although not a traditional luau, the show was great, and is limited to guests of Aulani only - by the way, no food is served either.  They don't have this show every night and many people look forward to it, so get there early, and I mean earlier than 1/2 an hour.  A line does form and it gets packed, although it never really felt too crowded based on the capacity of the lawn.  We were fortunate enough to get there early and grab a good mat location to view the show.  The show actually starts about an hour after they let you in, but there is a pre-show where you can go do some crafts at a table near the back and play some traditional Hawaiian games.  I went to the crafts table and got a really nice fresh flower arrangement made for my hair.

these fresh flowers were clipped to my hair at the Starlit Hui

 The atmosphere during this pre-show was almost like a family get together and the animation crew made you feel very comfortable participating in everything.
When the show starts you can feel the excitement.  They make it interactive for the kids who can join the act on stage and bang coconut shells together for the music.  The dance does tell a story which is narrated by uncle (from the firepit story telling) and there are a number of musical performances.  The grand finale is great where all the Disney characters you would see here (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Stitch, Chip and Dale) got on the stage and started a dance party which everyone could join into and dance the night away.  Did I mention that the Starlit Hui is included for guests at Aulani - awesome value.  It was the best end to an unbelievable vacation.

During the show

after the show, Disney characters came out to party

Hawaii is beautiful, full of culture, and satisfies those with a thirst for adventure.  If we could have spent more time there we would have, and the Hawaiian Islands should definitely go on your bucket list of places to visit.

Aloha! and Mahalo for following our journey

Read More

Disney Aulani Character Breakfast and Honolulu (Day 11)

We started our day with a character breakfast at Makahiki's.  We made reservations well in advance of our trip - if you want to do a character breakfast you have to book this possibly months advance since they fill up quickly.  We were decked out in our Aloha wear to enjoy our time there.  The kids got to take pictures with Mickey first and then we were escorted over to our table.  It was a buffet and the food was great - a real highlight and what you should definitely try is the Hawaiian Eggs Benedict.

Makahiki's buffet restaurant

omelet station

rice with veggies, hash browns, stir fry sausages with veggies

I had to try the eggs benedict, as well as the Hawaiian eggs benedict, with hash browns, bacon, and a chocolate chip mini muffin

 During breakfast "Aunty" gets everyone going with the Aloha show, which was great to get everyone in the Aloha Spirit.  They march conga lines around the restaurant, there's music, they get the kids involved.... it's like being at a wedding reception and kid's party combined.  Other Disney characters (Goofy and Minnie) were part of the show too, and in addition to dancing around and joining the conga lines, they came to visit every table.

Goofy visits our table

Goofy and Aunty

Eventually, the photocrew came by to our table to show us the pictures they took of us with Mickey and offered them for purchase.  We knew about this and had originally intended not to get it since we also had them take pictures with our camera, but we took it since the pictures were actually better than what was in our camera and it came in a cardboard Makahiki Frame which made for a nice souvenir.

After breakfast, my hubby who had been doing some research, found out that we could attend an ukelele factory tour, but it had to be today, because they wouldn't be having another one before we'd be on our way home.  This also gave us an opportunity to check out Honolulu and the Waikiki area.

There's an Alamo Rental counter right in Aulani (so it seems every vehicle we rented in Hawaii was from Alamo) and we got a Silver Toyota Corolla.  The valet brings you the car and then takes it when you return.  If we had rented a car for the whole duration of our stay from the airport we would be paying $35 a night parking at Aulani, so this was a cost effective alternative.  Driving in Honolulu is like the GTA - the highways are like the 400 series Ontario hwy's and the roads in Honolulu are like that of any large urban centre like Toronto.

We got to the industrial area of town and found the KoAloha Uke factory.  When we went into the compound it was very tight to drive in and there was barely any parking space, with most cars double or triple parked - there were many industrial businesses in this complex.  We did a multiple point turn around and parked out on the street next to the canal.  We walked through the complex all the way to the back and rang the doorbell to the factory (the place is locked up and has bars all over for security).  The folks there were very friendly and welcomed us into the factory.  To keep the kids entertained, they gave them little inflatable balls branded with the KoAloha logo.

 After waiting a few minutes to see if anyone else would show up, they started the tour - we felt pretty special being the only ones shown around.  They went into a lot of detail from the wood selection, to the manufacturing, finishing and quality assurance.  All their ukes are made of Koa wood from the Big Island and a have a "better than the weather" warranty, which is best of any uke manufacturer.  We even got to see and play the world smallest playable ukelele.  They did have about four ukes on display which they were not going to send to the stores due to small blemishes - these are known as factory seconds and were available for purchase only from the factory for a reduced price compared to store prices.  After playing some of the ukeleles, Nigel had to get a factory second from here since they were really great instruments, we saw where and how it was made, it was a really good deal and to be honest we can't even tell where the blemish is.  Be prepared though, these are real instruments which will cost hundreds even at a discount.
check out their site: http://www.koaloha.com

After the KoAloha factory, we went to the Ala Moana Shopping Centre, which is the world's largest outdoor shopping mall with a few stores that you wouldn't normally see in the Toronto area... but you'll still find the standards like Sears and Old Navy.  The Waikiki Shopping (pink) Trolley stops here too and it's $2 per person one way to get on.  We walked around the Waikiki Beach area and the hotel/resort area - the atmosphere and crowd reminded us of the tourist areas of Niagara Falls and the beach was packed.

Waikiki Beach

A Hawaiian statue in the busy tourist shopping area

It was really hot (92 deg F) so we stopped by the Paradise Flavors ice cream shop.  It had some interesting flavours of which we decided to try: Carnival Confetti, Peanutbutter Entourage, and Asian Delight.  The shop was busy, but it seems to come in waves - we ate outside, and by the time we done the place was almost empty.

inside the ice cream shop

an abundance of ice cream flavours to choose from

Carnival Confetti ice cream for Evan

We checked out some of the streetscapes, and eventually worked our way back to the car.  Diamond Head Monument is close by, if you want to hike that to get a nice view of the island.  You basically drive up into the crater and hike from there - supposed to be relatively easy and popular with tourists, but we didn't bother since we'd already been in craters, and hiked to peaks on the other islands. I'd recommend to do this in the morning based on how hot it got in the afternoon.  Be prepared for it to get crowded too as this is a popular activity for visitors.

Our overall impression with Waikiki is it is very touristy and wasn't what we were looking for.  Driving back to Ko'Olina in the dark was easy and just like driving in the GTA.

We eventually decided that rather than using the next day (or any other day) to rent a car and check out Pearl Harbour and Diamond head, we were going to enjoy the Aulani resort, since it was expensive and we wanted to take advantage of what we were paying for.

Turndown service, along with Belgian chocolates and a bookmark,  greeted us when we returned to our room

Read More

To Oahu and Disney Aulani (Day 10)

By now, we were pros going through airport security and were on another short flight to the next island.  We chose not to rent a vehicle on Oahu since we were planning on spending most of our time near the resort - we planned to rent a car for maybe a day or two when we would venture farther.  We had pre-arranged with Charley's Taxi for a transfer to the resort (Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa) from the airport.  They offer a fixed rate, are reliable, and have clean vehicles.  If you pick up a taxi from the airport, you may be stuck with a metered taxi and you'll be paying for the time that you're sitting in traffic (Honolulu rush hour traffic can be just as bad as the GTA).

I liked the open air terminal at Kona airport

The transfer to Disney Aulani was about half an hour from the airport, which wasn't bad at all, since we weren't in rush hour.  The resort is located in Ko'Olina which is on the west side of Oahu - the area is not crowded like the popular Waikiki Beach area - there are just a few neighbouring hotels, a golf course, and a harbour.  The nearest town (also the closest gas station) with more restaurants and stores is Kapolei, which is just a few minutes east of Ko'Olina.  The resort itself seems to get a little busier on weekends since locals are also drawn here for the stay and the character breakfasts.

arriving at the resort

entrance to Aulani's lobby

part of the lobby

The Aulani Resort opened in the Fall of 2011, so this is a relatively new property.  As soon as we arrived at the Aulani resort, they made us feel like royalty and Ohana (or family) and it genuinely seemed like they wanted to.  The first words we heard were "Aloha! Welcome Home" as they gave me a fresh flower lei; Nigel, a kukui nut lei; Evan, a menehune pendant necklace; and Elliot, palm fronds fashioned into a fish. We were offered some fruit infused water, which seemed to be the best we'd ever tasted; this place is just amazing!  The atmosphere is simply magical as you enter the lobby, from the music to the decor - this resort is not like other Disney resorts (get Disney World and Hawaiian Pavillion out of your head) and doesn't focus on the Disney magic, but integrates it into the focus of Hawaiian culture. The music you'll hear all around the resort was written by a local artist, Kealii Reichel specifically for Disney, and it is so beautiful, making you feel like you are in a classic Disney movie.
The video below is from the Disney Parks Blog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XDEDTa0ejYo), and highlights the choice of music for the Aulani resort.

Check in was as easy as any hotel, and like other Disney properties you can use your room key to charge any purchases on the resort (eliminating the need to carry your wallet).  Each of us got a room key card customized with our names on them (even the baby) which we could keep at the end of our stay.  We would be staying in a Partial Oceanview Parlor Suite for the next 5 nights.

Keep in mind Disney Aulani is a bit more expensive than most of the other resorts or hotels in Oahu, but provides a great value for the experience (and I would stay there again) - at the time we were there, the Parlor Suite we were in was close to $1200 per day, and a standard room was around $450 a day.  What many people do to experience this resort, is stay at Aulani for a couple of nights and then at some other hotel for the remainder of their time in Oahu, but I would stay here for the full duration of your time on the island especially if you have kids because there is also an included daycare (Auntie's Beach House).  Of course, there are other ways to save on the cost of your stay, such as finding out if there is space in a group we are arranging your own.

washroom

sink, cabinet storage, mini-fridge, kettle, & coffeemaker

the parlor- eating area

there's a pullout bed in the cabinet

Our Parlor Suite was amazing and so was the view from our lanai (we could see the mountains and the sunset).  There is a parlor area with a couch and chairs, as well as a dining area for 4.  There was a 1/2 bath connected to the parlor and a huge luxury bathroom in the suite (whirlpool bath, shower stall, and a toilet which kept the seat warm and washes you up after).

the bedroom, which connects to the lanai in the parlor

the bathroom opens up to the bedroom

another angle on the bathroom

Whirlpool tub

The toilet is in the separate room within the bathroom

We had a king size bed suite and in the parlor there was a pull out bed from the couch and another pull out bed from under the tv.  There were tv's in both rooms and they are set up so that in addition to watching tv, you can view and purchase pictures taken of you on the resort (photopass, character meet and greets). There is access to the lanai through unusually heavy patio doors either from the parlor or the suite, and the lanai stretches across both entrances.

our lanai

view from our lanai

view from our lanai

Disney really knows how to make things convenient - every room has a playpen which you can set up for the baby, and they also provide both a large coffee maker, and a large kettle (not the small 4 cup ones found in most hotels).

If you're thinking this resort is for families only, think again, we observed a lot of romance.  The distribution appeared to be about 50/50 for couples and families and we even saw a wedding finishing up on the resort near the beach.  The grounds are very well maintained and there a lot of pools, a couple of water slides, a children's water play area, and a lazy river.   There are a few restaurants scattered around, snack bars, drink refill stations, and a gift shop in the lobby which also has some grocery type items (like milk, salads, etc.). Food can get very expensive, there so an alternative is to walk across the street where there is a selection of more affordable restaurants, or buy groceries at the Country Island Markets.

We spent the evening exploring the resort and the area around us.

a view of the pools, lazy river, children's play area, and gardens from our floor near the elevators

where the resort looks on to the beach

sunset on Oahu from Aulani

Read More