Aulani, a Disney Resort & SPA

If you don’t have kids, this is probably not the place for you. With my family being vacation club members since 1994, we have stayed at many Disney properties. There always seemed to be some adult amenities around (even on the cruise ships), but not here. With the size of the property, I was pretty shocked to learn there was no adult pool. Finding a chair by the pool/beach was not as difficult as I thought it would be, but it does get crowed quickly. If you are picky about your location, you are probably going to want to go down early. Be prepared to be constantly avoiding families with strollers on every walking path. I know everyone is likely on vacation, but I’ve never come across such an oblivious group of people unaware of how they are blocking public paths and doorways. If you want to escape to somewhere a bit more quiet, the Four Seasons is right next door with very nice bar facing the ocean, and a couple of very good restaurants. There are some very casual options at Aulani, but the nicer restaurants are all prix fixe, which doesn’t work for everyone. The Luau is definitely worth it for the show, which we really enjoyed. The food at the Luau was pretty good for buffet style, and there was an open bar. There are some good restaurants and shopping a short walk across the street (Monkey Pod is excellent). This is a Disney resort, so everything is very well taken care of and the service is excellent. If you don’t mind all the children around (or you have young ones), it’s a great place to stay. Pools are nice, slides are fun, and beach is a protected lagoon style. If you prefer something a bit quieter with the same beach/location, you might want to splurge for the Four Seasons.

Beautiful as only Disney can do! Absolutely beautiful resort that is catered to families with kids. Many water activities for children and adults. Our room is very comfortable and the view is spectacular. You can purchase a drink cup for approximately $25 that you can refill your soft drinks as much as you want for your entire stay. Make sure to make your reservations for restaurants because they get quite busy. There is a nice little shopping center within walking distance if you need to pick up something special. This is first class all the way do be prepared.

Aulani was the perfect spot for us. We stayed there for the last 5 days of our trip and that was a pretty good length of time. I would classify it more as a Disney owned resort than a true Disney resort. There were a few Disney touches but definitely not like a Disney Orlando sort of vibe. I felt it was a bit classier of a place. Everything was very well kept and exactly what you'd expect from a resort in this price range. The lagoon and pools were great for my 2 year old. She even went down the water slide with me a couple of times. Overall we had a great time. I think if I returned I would forgo the oceanview room and stay an additional day or two with the savings.

It is a fabulous place to stay. Great service, great beach protected from the waves. Very crowded and lots of kids but adult areas seemed secluded. It has just about everything you would need while staying there. I would say expensive to eat there every meal but there is other dining across the street from resort.

The standard room was perfect for our family but when we checked in we were told we got “upgraded” to the garden view but realized it was the standard room we paid for. Don’t let them trick you thinking you got a deal or a free upgrade because let me tell you… nothing is free here. $40 a day for parking, for a family of 4 at the MINIMUM it’s 120-150 a meal. All of the restaurants on the resort are trash, poor service is a understatement. Due to the lack of service birds will feast on peoples food right beside you while you wait for your order. You’re better off going across the street for all your food needs, monkeypod and eggs and things was our favorite. Tried the character breakfast but since it was packed and we didn’t have a reservation was turned away. Having to explain to your kids why they can’t meet Mickey who’s blocked by a pay to play rope kind of sucks. If you want to meet any of the characters you’ll be chasing them throughout the park like paparazzi because they barely stop. They don’t force people to stay in floats on the lazy river so it’s pretty much the Wild Wild West so don’t think it’s going to be peaceful. All in all you’re better off saving your money and going to Disney World for a better Disney experience.