Aulani Resort & Spa Trip Planning Guide
Aulani is Disney’s resort & spa hotel (that’s an understatement!) in Oahu, Hawaii. This trip planning guide offers tips for planning a vacation at Disney’s Aulani, from when to visit to how long to stay at the resort to what to do while you’re there. It also discusses whether Aulani might be right for you in the first place, and how you can make a visit more economical. We’ve now visited Aulani several times, and have updated this guide based upon each of our experiences at Aulani.
Unlike most other Disney destinations, Aulani is a bit of an odd duck. It’s not attached to a theme park or part of a more comprehensive trip or experience put on by Disney, but it’s not “just” a hotel, either. The most apt comparison we can think of is to other resort complexes on Oahu, or in other tropical settings that offer a multitude of things to do on the premises, but really are best enjoyed alongside other experiences in that locale. It’s also somewhat like a cruise ship on land.
Aulani is a great place for guests to stay who independently want to travel to Hawaii, but it’s difficult to recommend to Disney fans as a “Disney Destination” if those fans aren’t also interested in visiting Hawaii. The good news is that Hawaii is an amazing place in its own right, so most people contemplating a stay at Aulani are probably not solely interested in Aulani. The bad news is that a trip to Hawaii is very expensive, so even being a Disney fan plus being curious about Hawaii may not be sufficient for justifying the trip.
We’ll explore that all below, for now let’s dig into the Aulani – A Disney Resort & Spa planning guide…
Is Aulani Worth It?
We’ve already started to explore this question above, and there’s really no direct answer we can provide to you. In terms of the hotel/resort itself, Aulani is incredibly nice. I want to keep this trip planning guide manageable in length, so you can read our separate Aulani 1-Bedroom Villa Room Review to get an idea of the quality of the rooms, themselves. Suffice to say, Aulani is our new favorite Disney hotel.
That Aulani is incredibly nice should come as no surprise. It’s virtually brand new, has staunch competition from real-world luxury hotel brands on Oahu, and does not benefit from its proximity to a Disney theme park as a convenience-advantage. To the contrary, it’s a bit removed from Honolulu and Waikiki Beach where most of the major players are (having stayed in Waikiki and the upstart Ko Olina where Aulani is located, I’ll take Ko Olina any day of the week). Plus, in the more adult market of Hawaiian vacations, the Disney brand doesn’t have quite the same pull as the name does for families traveling to theme parks.
In other words, Disney had to come out swinging for the fences with Aulani in order for the resort to be a success. Fortunately, Disney did exactly that, and while the resort does command the typical Disney premium, arguably for what you are getting, it offers a significantly better value than any of the theme park-adjacent hotels in the United States.
To be abundantly clear, it ranks right up there with hotels like the Grand Floridian and Grand Californian in terms of cost (or exceeds them), but it also offers a lot more. The rooms are incredibly nice, and successfully blend luxury with themed accommodations. This is something with which we find Disney constantly struggles, and the balance is not an easy proposition. Aulani just works in both regards.
The rooms are artfully and tastefully decorated, feeling culturally appropriate, but also with the type of high quality furnishings, fixtures, and design that you’d expect of a luxury hotel. It’s exceedingly rare for us to say this about Disney hotels, but Aulani’s rooms nail both luxury and theme. You can see just how gorgeous the resort is in our “The Beauty of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa” post, which features a lot of photos.
Of course, room quality is not the only consideration in terms of whether a resort is worth it. Most people aren’t going to visit Hawaii and spend a ton of time in their room, honeymooners excluded. Again, Aulani excels in terms of both the overall resort quality and the available amenities.
From the resort’s impressive Hawaiian art collection to the amazing Waikolohe Valley pool area (including my favorite thing about Aulani, the lazy river) to the daily events and activities, there is plenty to do, see, and enjoy at Aulani. If you’ve ever done Disney Cruise Line (or another ship, for that matter), it’s sort of like that in terms of activities. We did a ton of these activities at Aulani, and had a blast just enjoying the resort.
The other part of the equation is whether Hawaii, and the island of Oahu in particular, is worth visiting for you. We cannot answer that (although we offer some insight in the “Things to Do Beyond Aulani” section of this post). If things like Pearl Harbor, hiking, beaches, or island culture (among many other things) interest you, chances are a visit to Aulani and Oahu will be worth it for you.
While we think Hawaii is a better couples’ destination than it is a family vacation spot, Aulani is a great place to get a mix of both. The kids can have fun with the activities geared towards them, and the adults in the family can enjoy a romantic experience.
If the resort experience or Hawaii don’t really interest you, and you’re primarily a passionate Disney fan who is thinking about visiting Disney’s newest destination, it’s tough to say Aulani will be worth it for you. Aulani is not a theme park experience, and really is only “Disney” in terms of some character motifs and the overall quality and attention to detail. Unless money and vacation time are no object, we do not recommend Aulani to Disney fans who otherwise aren’t interested in visiting a luxury resort in Hawaii.
Another category for whom Aulani may not be worth it is those passionate Disney fans on tight budgets who are interested in the Aulani experience and visiting Hawaii, but would have to forgo an annual visit to the theme parks in order to afford Aulani. Unlike Tokyo Disney Resort, which we strongly advocate skipping the US parks for a year (or two) to experience, Aulani is unlikely to satisfy those looking for a Disney theme park “fix.”
We absolutely love Aulani, but we want to try to be objective in analyzing who will enjoy the experience the most. Aulani will be an amazing destination for a lot of people, but it also won’t appeal to a lot of people–just like virtually any vacation destination out there. Of course, without knowing you and your interests specifically, we can’t say definitively how you’ll feel about it, but hopefully this section gave you an idea of how it might appeal to you.
When to Visit?
Hawaii essentially has high seasons dictated by two things: winter and school breaks. The latter is especially true at Aulani, which is a mixed family and couples’ destination, rather than primarily a couples’ destination like the rest of Oahu. The former is generally true at Aulani and throughout Hawaii, as many guests flee cold weather for a dose of paradise.
There’s also weather to consider. Hawaii is pretty warm year-round, but it gets even hotter in the summer. No matter when you visit, you can except highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s or 70s. Still, the better times for weather in Hawaii are generally the spring and fall.
Based upon all of these factors, the “sweet spots” for trips to Aulani are late-April through mid-May and September through October. You avoid all significant school breaks with these dates, and you’re also outside of the range of snowbird season. Plus, these are good seasons as far as weather goes. These are educated guesses on our part based upon things we read and travel intuition, and are not at all observation based. Frommer’s seems to agree with us, but note that they’re working off of Hawaii travel trends in general.
Our educated guesses paid off with our early-May visit (just after Japan’s Golden Week–we’d probably go a week later next time to avoid this popular travel week for Japanese visitors, but crowds were still light), as the we were told that Aulani was less than half-full, Pearl Harbor had no significant crowds, and the weather was excellent. Your mileage may vary–do your own research into dates to confirm our speculation isn’t just crazy.
Things to Do at Aulani
Let’s break this down into two separate questions. First, what to do at Aulani. Second, what to do beyond Aulani. If you’ve ever done a Disney Cruise before, you know that it’s kind of a go at your own pace, do as much or as little as you want type of thing. Aulani is the exact same way. Like the Disney Cruise Line, there are daily newsletters printed out with schedules of daily events, and there’s pretty much a scheduled event every hour of the day.
The schedule is definitely lighter than Disney Cruise Line’s personal navigator, but considering that everyday you have numerous pools and other on-site options, plus the whole of Oahu to explore, it’s pretty full of activities.
Some of these activities are repeated every day, every other day, or at some random interval, but some may happen only once per week. We definitely recommend reviewing the sample schedule online so you can plan meals and other day trips around the schedule events at Aulani that are must-dos for you.
Listed below are a few things you can do at Aulani:
- Ka Wa’a Luau
- Laniwai – A Disney Spa
- Fireside Mo’Olelo
- Ho’ Okani Pila (Learn the ‘Ukulele)
- Menehune Adventure Trail
- Morning Beach Yoga
- Rainbow Reef Snorkeling
- Aunty’s Breakfast Celebration at the Makahiki
- Character Meet & Greets
This is just a partial list of things that we did do at Aulani, and doesn’t include ordinary stuff like lounging around the pool, taking dozens of laps around the lazy river, wandering the grounds, or hanging out at the bars. It also doesn’t cover activities specifically for kids and teens. It’s also worth pointing out that there were about 5-10 other daily activities we would have liked to do, but simply didn’t have the time. We’ll cover some of these activities in future posts if you’re interested in learning about them in more detail.
The only thing you definitely need to know about at this point is the Starlit Hui is no more. Part of me wants to preface that with “sadly” since I really loved this show–and because the replacement for this free show costs over $100 per person, but the new Ka Wa’a Luau is a full scale luau.
Previously, many Aulani guests who wanted the full luau experience had walked 5 minutes down the road to Paradise Cove, where a similarly-expensive full luau is held. We attended that on our most recent trip and enjoyed it (see our full Paradise Cove Review & Oahu Luau Tips post); it’s cheaper than Ka Wa’a and is a fun show. There is potential for Ka Wa’a Luau to be a nice addition; it just stinks to lose a free experience for something that costs extra–and a lot extra at that.
One thing to note is that Ka Wa’a Luau is held on Aulani’s Halawai Lawn, so if you request a room overlooking that lawn, you will be able to see the luau from your balcony for free. Obviously, not the same as attending it…but much cheaper!
Things to Do Beyond Aulani
You’re hopefully not going all the way to Hawaii and staying at a Disney resort the entire time. Listed below are just a few of the things you can do on Oahu alone:
- World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument (Pearl Harbor)
- Diamond Head Hike
- Paradise Cove or Polynesian Cultural Center Luau
- Visit Kualoa Ranch
- Koko Head Crater Hike
- Visit ‘Iolani Palace
- Manoa Falls Hike
- Visit the North Shore
This is just a partial list of things that actually interest us. It doesn’t even include the beaches, spas, shopping, dining, entertainment, and nightlife for which Hawaii is known. You’ll want a guidebook to help plan what else you should do on Oahu. We like Oahu Revealed, which is written by a local and is not superficial fluff you could find on TripAdvisor (I’m looking at you, other Hawaii guides…).
You should definitely consider island-hopping while in Hawaii. Round-trip flights between the islands are about $150-200/person, or you can do one-way flights for half that, and head back to the US out of a different airport in Hawaii than the one into which you flew. This is what I’ve done, and recommend doing both in terms of cost-savings and time-savings.
On the Big Island, my strong recommendation is a visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is one of my favorite National Parks anywhere. Read our Things to do in Volcanoes National Park post for more on this. (Notwithstanding Aulani, we both actually prefer the Big Island to Oahu.)
If you want more insight into what we’ve done in Hawaii, things we enjoyed (and did not our Hawaii category of postsenjoy–which includes a really popular tourist spot), check out on TravelCaffeine.
How Long to Visit?
We recommend no fewer than 7 days in Hawaii, with time on Oahu plus one other island. I’ve done the Big Island twice, so that’s my default recommendation, but Maui also looks intriguing to me. Hawaii is an incredible state, with a wide array of offerings. The islands are small, but there’s truly something for everyone.
On my first visit to Hawaii, I spent 14 days there and didn’t run out of things to do. Sarah and I have been to Hawaii 3 times together, and only stayed at Aulani one of those times. On our more recent visit, we were in Hawaii for 7 days split between Oahu and the Big Island, and it was not nearly enough time.
Dedicate at least 2 full days to enjoying and exploring Aulani. The resort offers a lot of entertainment, activities, etc., and it’s difficult to do these all in a couple of days, plus enjoy their excellent pools, hot tubs, spas, etc. Also, you’re spending a lot of money to stay at Aulani, so you should make it a priority to enjoy the resort.
If the entertainment really interests you, or you love lounging by pools or in lazy rivers, you could spend even longer at Aulani. If neither of those things interest you, maybe 2 nights will suffice. Basically, what we’re saying is that only you know what you enjoy doing, so we can’t make a definitive recommendation because we don’t know you.
Whether you should spend the duration of your stay on Oahu at Aulani largely depends upon your budget and priorities in Hawaii. Even by Hawaii standards, Aulani is pricey. While you will find high prices at just about any resort in Hawaii, many are much less expensive than Aulani, and offer a high caliber resort experience. Cheaper still are basic hotels and motels that you won’t want to spend time “enjoying,” but instead might function as good shower/sleeping bases for the days you explore the rest of Hawaii.
Still, there is something to be said for the convenience of just staying at one hotel in Oahu, and having that hotel be a resort to which you can come back in relax in a nice hot tub or enjoy other entertainment at the end of the day in Hawaii. In our view, if money is not a significant concern, stay at Aulani for the duration of your visit to Oahu.
If money is a concern, spend 2-3 nights at Aulani and stay elsewhere the rest of the trip. If money is somewhat of a concern, let convenience (or lack thereof) of Aulani as a home base when looking at your general Oahu itinerary be the deciding factor that pushes you off the fence one way or the other.
Getting There
Unless you’re an incredibly strong swimmer or an Olympic canoeing champion, you’re going to be flying to Hawaii. Honolulu International Airport is nearly halfway between Los Angeles and Tokyo, so you’re in for a long flight (approximately 9 hours from Chicago). Flight prices vary widely depending upon your city of origin and season, but expect to pay over $600 per person, and in some rare cases over $1,000.
Redeeming frequent flyer points for tickets to Hawaii requires more miles than an average domestic flight on most major airlines, but can be worth it. If you’re considering visiting Tokyo Disney Resort and/or Hong Kong Disneyland, Hawaii can be a free stopover. We have a post that explains how to visit multiple Disney destinations (including Aulani) on a single airfare.
Once you’re on the ground in Honolulu, you can either take public transportation, a shuttle service, or rent a car to get to Aulani. Be aware that Aulani is farther from Honolulu International Airport than traditional tourist spots on Oahu, like Waikiki Beach hotels. It takes about 25 minutes to get from the airport to the Ko Olina area where Aulani is located in no traffic.
Parking at Aulani is free for Disney Vacation Club members (or rather, your annual dues pay for it), so if you’re a DVC member, we highly recommend a rental car. If you’re not a Disney Vacation Club member, parking costs $37/night. If we were not Disney Vacation Club members, we would probably take a shuttle/Uber to Aulani.
Don’t worry, you can still explore Oahu if you do this, as there is an Alamo Rent-A-Car location at Aulani, and it’s cheaper to rent a car for a day or two and establish those days as our days for exploring Hawaii outside of Aulani. $37/night for the duration of a stay is just unreasonable for parking and really adds up over the course of the trip. If you elect not to rent a car, the best option for getting to Aulani is Uber. There’s also the Ko Olina Transportation Shuttle, which will drop you off directly at Aulani. Public “TheBus” transportation is a cheaper option, but it requires a long walk (nearly 2 miles) and a transfer. Not advisable with luggage. Go to Page 2 for Saving Money at Aulani, What to Pack, Where to Dine, and More…
First, there’s definitely a lot that I have to say about my first experience at Aulani, most of it not in its favor, so I will spare every one with my disappointments; however, I’m willing to give it a second chance next time I stay in Oahu, for just a night or two, on the way to other islands.
Now, in general, I recommend that a person should experience Hawaii in an off-the-beaten-path way vs. at a costly Disney resort without a theme park way, if you want to experience Hawaii for what it REALLY is; this is coming from someone who is an outdoors person, world traveler and, believe it or not, a big Disney fan. On the flipside, if you have children/elderly people in your party that require extra care and would like for them to enjoy a safe and secure Hawaiian themed resort (in Hawaii) with the Disney name and activities (and money is no object), then this would be a good choice. It is also a very nice choice for couples who just want to stay at the resort and appreciate it for all its grandeur. 🙂
I’d be curious to hear what your disappointments were, if you don’t mind. Getting feedback–both good and bad–is helpful to those planning or weighing whether to stay at Aulani.
Totally agree with you about experiencing the *real* Hawaii. Even when we’ve stayed at Aulani, we’ve sought out off-the-beaten path places (and stayed at local spots on the Big Island).
Another tip for military folks who rent a car- go to the Commissary and Class 6 on Base (Pearl Harbor area) for your grocery/booze needs. It’s MUCH cheaper.
Another comment.
There are a lot of tours you can do and great ones on Travelocity under things to do (type in where you are going). We looked up all the things we want to do then looked at their sites (the company is on the page for each tour). , then we googled around for prices. There is one company, Oahuprivatetours.com
they do any tour private. Meaning, it is just your group. There are prices on their site but you can have them take you where they feel is great about Oahu and also customize it to where you want to go and things you want to do. We are doing 2 days with them and mixing things like snorkeling with turtles, a waterfall hike and the circle island tour. They also take you where buses etc. don’t go and away from the crowds. Show you and take you to great places to eat etc.
We are mixing Aulani and Oahu. Aulani being “home” and then still doing Oahu and Hawaii like we would on vacation.
I highly suggest Aulani and doing a private tour (or two) with oahuprivatetours.com to make the trip your own and customize it to what you want to see and do. 🙂
[email protected]
islandgroceryservice.com
They will deliver to Aulani and any resort/hotel in Oahu. If you go to their site they have a list, you shop online before you go or while there, then have them deliver while you do other things. Our groceries will be there and put away when we check in.
I googled this because Safeway at home delivers groceries which helps a lot when your sick or just tired and don’t want to make it to the store.
The groceries are the same price. There is a small delivery fee but retailmenot has a discount so that helps. It is worth it for us to have just that more time to relax and do things and not worry about grocery shopping. Plus things are there when you get there and you can grab a snack or lunch right in the room when you get there after a long flight. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on this–that’s great info on the grocery delivery point!
I wanted to add that you can get grocery DELIVERY to Aulani. It can be there when you check in and the groceries are even put away for you. You can do it all online before you go and not have to take time to grocery shop. 🙂 We have an autistic son and this was the best way for us to get things without taking him to the store. Plus all the things we need and want were there and you don’t have to pack as much.
Hi Tom,
Love all of your Aulani info. We are going next year. Any chance your 2-4 trip reports will be up anytime soon?
Thanks for ALL you do. This is the best blog out there.
Awesome article…Aulani is an amazing place even if you aren’t a Disney fan, but if you are it’s really the best hotel Disney has ever made (even better than my favorite Polynesian and Beach Club hotels).
This past Spring Break, my family of three (9 year old boy) spent twelve days on Oahu. The first seven were at The Modern Hotel in Honolulu (basically Waikiki); I highly recommend that hotel. For the last five, we stayed at Aulani on points we rented from DVC – an excellent recommendation from this website. Aulani had many great features, but also some challenges so that I cannot unequivocally recommend it.
The rooms are nice, but seemed little different than other high-end Disney hotel rooms; layout-wise, ours was very similar to a room at the remodeled Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. That is to say, everything is fabulously designed and high-quality, but you don’t get a lot of room for the price you are paying.
The resort is basically in a horseshoe shape facing out onto the ocean. In the middle of the horseshoe is the recreation/pool area and then the beach at the lagoon. The pool are is kind of designed like a mini-theme park. There’s a central focus (the volcano with the waterslides), a long, meandering lazy river that adds kinetic movement, various attractions (snorkeling tank, kiddie watermark, etc.), and food areas. Everything is gorgeously designed to emphasize the Hawaii theme and concentrate energy. The pools, hot tubs, slides, and lazy river are fantastic, but crowded.
We ate at all the restaurants. I agree with the review: the higher end restaurants serve adequate food at an inflated price, though the view at Ama Ama makes up for it. The “cheaper” food options were pretty good, though, as these things go.
My wife had an extensive spa visit, and described it as the best spa experience she’s had. As a family, we did many of the activities, and they were all very well run and fun. The Menehune Trail interactive scavenger hunt is extremely well designed and HIGHLY recommended for families.
However, there’s a giant caveat: when we were there, the place was packed. This added a level of anxiety to many things that is at odds with a relaxing Hawaiin vacation. There are lines for everything, it can be very noisy, and to get chairs in a good spot you have to get up really early and basically stake them out all day. This was okay for me, as I like to get up early for a run anyway, but if you don’t want to get up at 6:30 am (the best spots are all gone by 7:00) on your Hawaiian vacation you might want to avoid Aulani at high season.
As huge Disney fans, we’re glad we visited Aulani. We had fun, but I still would not go back unless it was very off-season. For that much money, there are plenty of amazing options on the gorgeous island of Oahu, and most will be much more relaxing.
Well written and informative post. Very helpful advice in this particular article! I am expecting such types of more post. Thanks for sharing such a good post, just keep it up!!!
In regards to the price of Aulani, one thing families should take in to consideration is that the child program is included in the room rate. We recently stayed at the Hyatt on Kauai, which had a children’s program that was less robust than what it appears Disney is providing, for 80/day per child, no meals. We have two children and both my husband and I like to do a lot of water sports that are not amenable to children (my husband loves to open ocean SUP, I like to snorkel, etc) and having child care is HUGE. We are planning a fall trip, and my husband is planning several days of serious paddling. Being the primary parent who can drop the kids off for a few hours while I run, spa, snorkel etc, is huge to me, and well worth the gap in cost. Honestly, for the hotels in Hawaii that provide similar amenities, Aulani’s rack rate is not any worse, and may be better considering all the add ins. (Tho the parking is bananas, I’m not thinking about it….)
All of this sounds interesting and it might be nice but to be honest, I am NOT a Disney lover and the thought of Disney characters in Hawaii turns me OFF! Maybe I should just do the standard visit? It will be my first time in Hawaii.
There are tons of great hotels in Hawaii that provide a high level of service with no Disney. You may trade off that the kids programs are extra cost, and aren’t as robust. i’ve had the good fortune to travel to Hawaii several times, and been able to stay at lovely hotels that don’t do Disney. I would be hesitant to recommend Aulani to someone who isn’t in to Disney, just because there are so many other options across the islands.
Totally agree with Ellen.
We are heading to Alauni Feb 25th. What should we expect for weather? Are the 60 degree mornings and nights chilly? My 80 year old mother is going with and she gets cold easily. What is a recommended form of public transportation? We want to get around the island but are not renting a car.
Parking at the Aulani
I will be there with my family for the week of Nov 9 th 2014. Is there any Disney Vacation Club members who would be willing to sponsor me for car parking for the week? It would really help out.
Thanks
Have you checked out The Big Island Revealed guide book? I found it to be invaluable for the Big Island. They make versions for the other islands, but their Big Island book was the first and was what created their following.
Good post. I’m experiencing many of these issues as
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We’re planning on staying at the Aulani for a week starting 12/17/14. We booked a 1 bedroom Villa. Is it going to be jam-packed? I know that’s the start of the busy season. After reading the blog my concern is obviously the chairs and being able to relax and enjoy Hawaii..
Thanks,
Mike
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These are all great things but it’s interesting the things I felt we valued and liked the most may not have been mentioned….We have stayed only one night at aulani but the awesome thing was that they let us check in as early as 7am the day of our reservation to be able to start using the resort. We have family in honolulu so we thought we’d drive over and see aulani.. Well we ended up falling in love and booked a room for the following evening. They told us we could come at 7am the next morning so we did! We were even able to check into the room because it was low season. We did sunrise yoga on the beach at 7, then had breakfast then went for our pool wristbands. So great that we had two whole days to spend at the pool and were able to do both AM workouts that they offered. We had lowest rate with military id and local discount and still around $400…
Lastly my fav fav thing is the spa. Even if we don’t stay at aulani we come to the spa when in Hawaii. I’m a spa snob.. Been to some of the best spas in the US and the level of service at laniwai still surpasses most in terms of attention to detail. I have a very detailed review on yelp (Jenny L from Albuquerque)…but basically they think of everything and more .. Heated scented neck pillows and three types of tea, homemade macaroons, jelly to awaken you after your massage,custom scented bath scrubs, plus the kinda cheese Hawaiian word that u take home on your bath salts.. Plus great services!
So my two takeaways are arrive as early as possible and go to the spa…
Now that we are dvc I look forward to some 2 night stays next time we are in Hawaii to get away from the in-laws!
Just realized “cheesey” autocorrected to cheese.. ^
Good tip about check-in, and this is actually the standard at every Disney hotel we’ve visited. While your room won’t always be ready (it certainly helps if it’s low season), if the front desk is open, you can check-in and drop off your luggage.
Great to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Aulani. My wife LOVED the spa, too. She’ll be posting on it fairly soon!
The restaurant Jennifer mentioned across the street from Aulani is Monkeypod, I believe. We ate there and loved it. Nice happy hour specials, too. Two other places we enjoyed were the Grass Skirt Grill on the North Shore (Haleiwa) and Leonard’s Bakery (truck between Aulani and airport or main location near Waikiki) for malasadas.
Also wanted to add that we had a fairly rainy trip, but it seemed nice at Aulani most of the time. I believe that it is on the drier part of the island. Maybe hotter as was mentioned, but in May the drier was helpful to us. We loved the timing of our trip because of the low crowds you mentioned, but we did have rain at some inconvenient times unfortunately (like our last day when we wanted to enjoy the beach and eat at Duke’s Canoe Club in Waikiki, our luau, and during our visit to a black sand beach on Big Island). Oh, well. It was still an amazing time! We’d had snow at home just a couple weeks before our trip, so any Hawaii weather was better than our weather. Just not as sunny as we had expected…
Wow! Great review of Aulani. We just returned from a visit ourselves. We stayed there for part of our first trip to Hawaii in mid-May. I have been following your blog for several years now and was thinking for a while that you two needed to get out there so I could hear what you thought and see some amazing photos. So, thanks! We did love the resort as well. We rented DVC points to make it less expensive, as you suggested in your post. Loved that we had free parking with the rented points also. We also stayed in Waikiki for part of our trip, and while it was more convenient to some things we did – like hiking Diamondhead – we definitely preferred Aulani. Loved the music they play throughout the resort (available on itunes!) and the top-notch service. We also made a trip to the Big Island for two nights, focusing on the Volcanoes National Park area. Amazing! Well worth the extra time and expense. We have three boys and they will never forget it.