Disney’s Aulani
by Jennifer | Sep 19, 2017
My husband surprised the family and me with a trip to Disney’s Aulani for our 5 year wedding anniversary. Besides being the best surprise ever it was the best family trip! We have been wanting to go to Hawaii for a while now and I am so glad we did it at Aulani. It is a great way for a young family to experience Hawaii!
When we arrived at the resort we were greeted in true Hawaii fashion I received a lei and the twins received a special Menehuni necklace (these little guys are from the Hawaii legends and like to cause trouble). I loved how the resort was Hawaiian theme but was enhanced with Disney magic Like the hidden Mickey’s and Mickey lamp in our room.
We are Disney vacation club members so we were able to get a bigger size room that included a kitchen and dining area, which was perfect with the twins. The resort’s shop had everything we needed to stock the fridge and kitchen like milk, waffles, mac and cheese and more. There was a bedroom and the living room had a pull out sofa which was perfect since my Dad came along. And if you are traveling with a few extra people under the TV folds down to a twin size bed (which the twins loved).
We didn’t want to leave the beach! The water was so warm and clear. The resort had sand toys and boogie boards that were free to use! Plus since the lagoon area of the beach was man made and had large rocks it blocked the waves. Making the water safer and the waves smaller. Aulani has a snack shop right on the beach as well as chairs for their guests to use.
And if a pool is more your speed, you have your pick. There is a private adult only pool and spa, a kids splash zone, lazy river, kids water play area, hot tubs and more than 4 other pools around the resorts. And you can go snorkeling at the resort’s pool that is home to many exotic fish and coral reef.
Savvy and Grey were so excited to see their favorite characters walking around the resort and available for meet and greets. Some friends we saw were Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Stitch, Chip, Dale and Moana. We also did a few character dinings to spend extra time with these Disney stars.
Everyday we were able to pick up a list of activities and events that were happening at the resort. The community room hosted things like, animation classes, tee shirt making, ukeli lessons, and lei making classes. The community center also offered free rentals on movies (each hotel room has a DVD player) and board games. One of our favorite events was the toddler splash and play time. Where you met on the beach and had treasure hunts and built sand castles.
The highlight of every morning was heading to Aunty’s beach house for their daily open house. We learned to hula dance, sang our favorite Disney songs, played dress up, colored and so much more. After the open house Aunty’s beach house serves as child care where kids spend time doing numerous activities like slime making and painting. This gives parents a chance for alone time or a date night. Kids must be 3 years old and up and be potty trained.
One of my favorite things about Aulani was the way it treated my sweet tooth. We had so many yummy treats, some even delivered to our room. My two favorites were my Stitch made from chocolate and plate of three mini Mickey treats.
We made memories that will last forever on our trip to Disney’s Aulani! We can’t wait to go back and explore even more!