TRIP REPORT - July 2018 Waikiki and Aulani FIRST Visit! Last for Aulani

Room.jpg Day 5 - Check out/ then check into Aulani

Here is where I ran into difficulty on the trip. The day started off "eh" and ended the same! I wish I could redo this day. My daughter REALLY wanted to see the Bishop Museum. I initially had a docent tour of the Palace scheduled today(free as hotel guest) but we were unable to squeeze both in by the time we were due to pick up the rental car at the International Market Place. So I caved into the Bishop NATURAL HISTORY Museum. We are from the east coast and have visited many natural history museums - Pittsburgh, NYC, Chicago, DC and even LA. So we had an idea in our head of what to expect. I pictured animal dioramas , taxidermy, etc. There was none of that here and that is what we came for pretty much. We were there all of an hour but at this point missed the Palace window. My lunch plans were askew now because we wrapped up much earlier! On the bright side the museum was free. Had I understood more clearly what it was I am sure I would have had a better time - just one of those things of giving up something you wanted to do to do something else that wasn't what you thought.

So we ate a quick lunch - AGAIN Udon noodles.We hustled back to the hotel for late check out and picked up our rental car at a nearby hotel. I felt really sad leaving Halekulani but I was looking forward to Aulani.

I was hesitant on how many days to spend in Aulani. Should it be 3 or 5 or heck all 11? I have read stories of people checking into Aulani and never leaving the entire vacation. So again, I pictured it in my head what it would be to keep me busy for a length of time and booked 5 nights. As Julia Roberts would say in Pretty Woman.... BIG MISTAKE. HUGE.

Trip to Aulani super easy. The closer we got to the area the more remote I began to feel. Similar to the feeling I had 20 years ago on my first and only cruise. Sort of captive. Sort of anxious. Saturday.jpg Saturday2.jpg Saturday3.jpg Saturday4.jpg saturday8.jpg

Thank God I had a car and thank God I planned A LOT of off site activities - which I could cancel I reasoned to myself if I found myself very captivated with the resort.

My first impression was this place is so dark. It is a cross between Animal Kingdom and Poly at WDW. Both resorts which I enjoy and have stayed at but prefer Yacht Club and Grand Floridian. I had booked a studio standard view and while a view is important to me, I already knew nothing would top the view I had in Waikiki so I did not even try. I expected nothing so I wouldn't be disappointed.

The hallways, the room.....where are the lights? I had to read the schedule of events on the deck in the sun to see. Our view was actually decent for the room category so that was a pleasant surprise. I had ordered my daughter a small surprise which she enjoyed and it was in the room waiitng for us.

But again, I am in the Animal Kingdom Lodge and why isn't that making me happy? We put our bags down and I turned into the most chipper cruise director you would ever see. I was oohing and aahing over the weekly schedule - talking everything up and trying to convince myself.

I suggested we all tour the property and take some pictures and get the lay of the land. An hour later, DH looked at me said "mind if I make a phone call?". I knew what we he was doing.....I had a bonus night of the trip - night 11 in Hawaii - that I had triple booked us everywhere because I wasn't sure where we would want to stay. Would I like Waikiki or Aulani or want to try another resort? He came back to report we were booked ocean front at Halekaulani for night 11. And then he said and your welcome....

Here is where I started comparing the resorts and I wasn't fair. I was missing my turn down service at Halekalani - where they put slippers by the bed, completely clean your room AGAIN, hang up the swimsuits, refresh the robes, new toiletries...you name it! I was staying on borrowed DVC points and it isn't fair to compare but I was.

Hmmmmm. Up next - RESORT DAY! Guess how many we had of those? AND review of private cabana.
 
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Day 6 - Bright and early for Cabana Day! I had us down thereand ready for check in at 9 Am sharp. I had my choice at booking between Adult Pool and family pool cabana. Price is 100.00 dollar difference and the only difference is location. When we scoped the cabanas last night, I was pleased with where we would be. There were a few cabanas in the family area near the sprinklers I would NOT have been happy with. Too noisy. Too much commotion. Adult area perfect for us.

We were given a fruit platter at check in and a dessert platter around 2 pm. We had a waitress who checked on us constantly and ordered a great fish taco lunch from the Ulo Café thru her. Today was my day! I determined I would be in the Disney Aulani spirit by sundown.

I reminded my husband of the DVC tour we had booked. We have tossed this around for years and never really felt motivated to jump. Mostly because we love the Yacht Club and of course no DVC there and DH loves club level which aside from AK doesn't really exist in the DVC world. But ANYWAY, I was SO SURE we would love Aulani and I could just SEE US making the plunge into DVC. So when I was offered a tour before we arrived for 100.00 room credit - why not?

Why not....It was not bad at all. Very informative and confirmed pretty much what we knew. Lasted 46 minutes and I was back at the cabana where DD was relaxing. We swam in ALL the pools. We never went into the lagoon as DD called them ankle slappers but she had thought of renting a paddleboard, not sure what happened that she did not. We got shave ice here - really disappointing. NOTHING like the shave ices we would have later in the trip. As the island tour guide we hired for tomorrow would soon explain to us is that it is all in the flavor and the fineness of the ice. The flavoring DD declared artificial. It was ok.

We really stayed in our cabana area until 6pm. So 9 hour day outside and it was great to have the cabana! I felt as though we really got our money's worth out of it and was happy to have done it. Nice to have fridge full of water, a safe, food, fresh towels and electric outlets if we needed them. It was a day well spent with chairs for sunning outside and chairs inside if hot. We even spotted Shellie Mae for a photo opp! Characters seemed to be around a fair bit on the lawn.

Before arriving in Hawaii we were in Disneyland where we ate REALLY HEAVY every day. Napa Rose, Blu Bayou, Carthay Circle, etc. so I am over food at this point. We had originally planned to stop at Costco and buy some things for the room but never did. I am glad. We didn't need anything but goldfish crackers and nuts I brought from home. We got a pizza for dinner from Ulu Café and it was surprisingly decent. Long wait but ok food.

I am excited for tomorrow! We hired Ohau Private Tours for an adventure tour of the North Shore! It would prove to be a long day ahead of us 8:00 until 5:00 but I was excited to see the North Shore!


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Day 7 - Ohau Private Tours Day.
Fantastic Company! Very reasonable and so accommodating. We had the owner, Jason, as our guide today. We had spoken with him months ago to line up our date and chose a combination tour of site seeing and activities for the North Shore.

We stopped briefly at a coffee plantation for free samples and the opportunity to buy real beans harvested in Hawaii.We then visited several scenic sites along the way as well as swimming with turtles - this was amazing. You are in the water with them and the beach was accessed thru a neighborhood pathway between homes. It was interesting. Could never have found on our own this way. We had around 8 turtles swimming with us.

My husband also cliff jumped and we snorkeled at Sharks Cove which was beautiful. Fear not, it is shaped as a shark's fin hence the name...there are no sharks!

The day went fast and we did a lot. We stopped for the best poke, per our guide, which is Foodland grocery store of all places in the North SHore! We snacked on this while driving to the food trucks in the North shore. Great fish tacos! Dessert of course followed thanks to Leonards. All of this was part of the tour - aside from price of the food - and we were together for 8 hours with our guide.

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I feel as though we saw a lot! We got back to Aulani around 5:30. We had dinner plans tonight for the character meal but we ended up rescheduling it for a breakfast later in the trip. I just wasn't sure WHAT time we would be back and I didn't want to stress about it.

Dinner was Onu Steak and Shrimp which was super reasonable and good! Kind of hole in the wall type place but ok. Had I realized what it was I would have done takeout.

We wanted to watch Hawaii 5 0 tonight in our room but the Wifi is ridiculous...no way could Netflix be streamed. I was trying to download photos for a text and gave up. Yet my ability to do all of this was fine near Costco.
 
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climb5.jpg Day 8 - PART 1 -Best day of the Aulani Stay!!!!

Yet another early morning.....DH and DD were off to climbworks for ziplining and I was due at the infamous spa.

I was really on the fence about this. The cost seemed high and I just wasn't sold. I enjoy massages on a monthly basis and was afraid I would compare the styles of massage so I opted for something totally different.

I did the warm wrap which as AMAZING! So highly recommend. Part body scrub, part head massage, part body massage all while wrapped like a taco. I was really impressed! My technician was super nice and we chatted pretty much the entire time.

I arrived at 8 AM for a 10 AM appointment. This was more than enough time to enjoy the outside showers and plunge pools and the inside amenities. The nice thing about rope dropping the spa is I had the entire outdoor space to myself until close to 9. When others came out, I went in to enjoy the sauna and deserted relax room. Literally NO ONE was in here at this time, they were all outside.

Initially I was thinking the balconies of guests would be overlooking the spa and I pictured people having coffee and just sitting on their decks. THis did not bother me at all once I got there. The shower areas are pretty private and it is just a small whirlpool area that people could in theory see you from a balcony.

A parting gift was bath salts you mixed earlier. I brought them home and just used them the other day :). I debated on getting a robe at the spa as I loved the robe! I had concerns of getting all this stuff I was accumulating HOME and figured I could order online when I got home from the Disney Park App. I did and only to discover the Spa Robe and Room robe are NOT the same. I returned it and have yet to figure out how to get the SPA robe.

FANTASTIC treatment and then I went into the relax room for a few hours. I was here close to 5 hours. Great bathroom facilities, it was really a great morning! Get there early! you will thank me! Like 8 AM early. You can sleep in the relax room! I literally saw NO ONE until 9:50 AM.

I ate crackers for lunch, DD and DH went back to the Foodland for the Poke after ziplining!


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@scottmel I love the idea of "rope dropping" the spa!

I too have been on the fence about the treatments there as I have an rmt I see on a regular basis and feel no one compares to her.
More and more I am reading that the specialty treatments like the warm wrap you had are the best choice at Laniwai.

Would you happen to know if Ono Steak and Shrimp is new in Kapolei? I think it might be. I know there is one over near Waimanaolo beach. I looked at it on Yelp and I am putting it on my list for our next visit.

Sharks Cove is fantastic, I love it there. Anyone thinking of hitting Hanauma Bay should also try Sharks Cove. It is called this because of the way it looks. Three Tables is also right there, just to the south. I strongly suggest water shoes for Sharks Cove, very very very reefy and rocky to enter.
 
@scottmel I love the idea of "rope dropping" the spa!

I too have been on the fence about the treatments there as I have an rmt I see on a regular basis and feel no one compares to her.
More and more I am reading that the specialty treatments like the warm wrap you had are the best choice at Laniwai.

Would you happen to know if Ono Steak and Shrimp is new in Kapolei? I think it might be. I know there is one over near Waimanaolo beach. I looked at it on Yelp and I am putting it on my list for our next visit.

There are two wraps that looked really good. They are identifcal. One is cooling avocado and the other warm. I took the warm. Yes I am in the same boat thinking no one could top my masseuse at home. OMG this was amazing and the massage was excellent - where you have the lotion applied and head massaged. It was SO good that DH tried to make another reservation for me for me for a massage for the following day and there was no availability...

Good question on how new Ono Steak Shrimp is...I don't know. Area it was in looked newer etc. so my guess is yes? Would have been good take out to take back to Aulani. I had pictured it a sit down restaurant for some reason. I should have taken to go and eaten on the balcony.

Yes Sharks Cove very rocky! thanks for that reminder. Next time we are going to the the big bay that starts with an H ( I can never spell it!) that looks a little easier to access than climbing down the sharks cove area....AGreed?
 
Yes Sharks Cove very rocky! thanks for that reminder. Next time we are going to the the big bay that starts with an H ( I can never spell it!) that looks a little easier to access than climbing down the sharks cove area....AGreed?

Oh yes, much easier for entry. It is Hanauma Bay and physically it is closer from Waikiki so if you stay at Halekulani again head to Hanauma Bay from there. It does tend to get to capacity quickly in the morning so going early to Hanauma is important as they will shut down the parking lot when it is full.
 


Oh yes, much easier for entry. It is Hanauma Bay and physically it is closer from Waikiki so if you stay at Halekulani again head to Hanauma Bay from there. It does tend to get to capacity quickly in the morning so going early to Hanauma is important as they will shut down the parking lot when it is full.

Perfect thanks! I will rope drop there as well :) I assume I can rent snorkel etc there. I saw there are companies that can take you there etc. I do not plan on having a car in Waikiki......so maybe tour is best? I will definitely do the early one. thanks!
 
Day 8 - Part 2.
The more I studied luaus the less I wanted to go to one. DD really did though so I studied Aulani's, Paradise Cove and Fia Fia at the Marriott next door. Ended up booking Fia Fia the most expensive tier due to better seating. It is an intimate area so honestly you could have gone down a notch and been ok but I was not about to line up waiting to get into a luau and this was no line up necessary. you were first. you also received vouchers for 2 alcoholic beverages. I don't drink so gave them away. DH was slated to go with us but discovered an intro to photography class Aulani was hosting for sunset pictures and he wanted to give it a try.

He dropped us at the Marriott. The luau looked very pretty and they had some vendors in the back selling their wares along with tattoo artists etc. We were first for the buffet. I don't really do buffet food but DD said it was good and was pleased with it. I ate some fruit and a piece of pork. Seemed standard fare to me, no complaints. The show really was good! I was a little hesitant on the whole thing but we both said it was something we were glad to have done! Show lasted about 80 minutes. We walked their property a bit before it began, very pretty! I liked the area! Tomorrow is my LAST full day in Aulan.

I got a jump start on packing though tonight. Interestingly enough we never unpacked. It just never felt like HOME to do so. We lived like nomads but you still accumulate stuff!!!!! So we pretty much packed it all up after the luau. We had talked briefly of skipping the last day here entirely and just taking the loss on the rented points and going back to Waikiki for 2 nights instead of 1. However we had surf lessons in the North SHore and I figured we would be salty and sandy mid day and who wants to fight traffic back into Waikiki after that and feeling like that? None the less we wanted to be backed in case the lessons were cancelled or something else unpredictable happened. Fun night at the Luau!

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Day 9 - Last full day in Aulani

Up again early! YET AGAIN I was suppose to have a breakfast at Ama Ama and it just never worked out. I cannot remember WHY we cancelled this one but we had done so earlier. This was a regret. I wish I could have tried the avocado sandwhich that looked so good on line!

But alas we were off to surf lessons with sunset suzy. WHY did I choose Suzy? Because she brings her dogs to the lessons! This is what sold DD to even attempt lessons and when they were over she was glad she did!

I booked a private lesson to have more control over time etc. Our lesson was for 10 and we left by 8:30. We were PLENTY early and just walked the beach a little bit. The two hours went fast and they we stopped in the cute little surf town to shop around etc.

Somehow on the trip DD became Anti Dole so she didn't want to stop at the plantation? Something happened with labor forces 80 years ago or something so she was boycotting. Fine with me.

We went back to the shrimp truck area from our north shore tour day, had a quick lunch there and then headed back to Aulani. We decided to walk the grounds, take some pictures and as I type this I realized I never even looked at photo pass there. I did have a few pictures taken thru the week but forgot about them until now. And Disneyland for that matter too!!!!

We went to Monkey Pod for happy hour 1/2 price pizza and appetizers. It was good! We hit the gift store to get a small stuffed animal for DD to take to a friend and I bought nothing else. That is a record for me! Did a few characters as well for a quick picture - even found Duffy too!

Bags Packed. Alarm set for character breakfast at 7:30 AM then we are leaving for an early check in for Halekalani!!!!

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Aulani...

Early and I mean EARLY breakfast with the characters. Rope Drop...AGAIN! I am happy we finally made it to an Aulani restaurant. I really wanted Ama Ama for breakfast but the consensus with the group was this..so I lost. But I was pleasantly surprised - it was good. I am not a buffet fan but considering I was first in line at the buffet the minute they opened and first one thru the line, I made an exception :) We opted to sit outside near the pond and it was a nice choice. What I found odd was waiting for a picture with Mickey Mouse. In an effort to avoid the line, we initially skipped this and jumped in to see him before we left. My husband is the one that insisted on the picture. He loves character photos...

After a good breakfast, we packed the car and left. For the record, my ORIGINAL plan was to keep our rented cabana for the day and use Aulani's facilities to shower/change before returning to Waikiki to stay somewhere near the airport for the final night. NO.

Drive was easy this time of day and we were back in Waikiki super fast. Low and behold my husband had called the night before to the Halekalani and was told an early check in would not be an issue.

We were back in our hotel room unpacking for the night by 9.30 AM! I told him I felt like a sailor on leave, determined to do everything I had fallen in love with the week before all over again in 24 hours. We hit the beach, the pool, our shopping district, honolulu cookie company and this time we bought a lot to take home and the crazy udon place AGAIN. We visited the Duke statue and walked the beach at night, I love how lighted up it looks. Wailoa Shaved Ice was declared the best by our family after sampling 6 different versions at other places during our trip. I ordered the Hawaii 5 -0 rainbow..of course! North Shore was a close second, Diamond Head ok and Aulani was our least favorite flavored ice.

That night on our balcony DH said he felt like he did it all and what a great trip we had, etc. that for the record would not have happened had DD not done the ancestory test discovering she was part hawaiian and wanted to see "her people".

Up next - final thoughts and First Class via Delta Airlines....
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LOVE Honolulu Cookie Company! We do the same thing, buy a ton and then freeze them so we can ration them.

We were in NYC last summer and were able to buy some at Bloomingdales! I know you can get them in Las Vegas and some Tommy Bahama stores too.

@pepperandchips used them as wedding favors for her guests (she is such a smart cookie-LOL)
 
Day 11

Well after 11 nights in Hawaii and 4 nights in Disneyland, I realized I have been gone half a month and miss my house, my dog and my routine! We were given a 2 pm check out today which was super nice because yet again we were up early. My poor family never slept in once...Back at the beach and the pool and final meal at House without a Key. Have I mentioned I love it there? Lol. At least I was not back at the udon place! But yes we were back for more shaved ice...

Normally I tear up at this point on vacation, but I honestly did not. I knew I had a LONG trip ahead of me. We lucked out around a month before our trip, I was checking airfare for the heck of it and if we stayed an extra night we could avoid a stopover and save money. Now I did pay a change fee of course on delta but all said and done it was an extra $64.00 to change the tickets after the savings! AND I had a later flight! AND we only had one stop instead of 2.

We still had our car we rented for Aulani so we drove ourselves to the airport. Since we were flying Delta One, which is first class for long haul flights to the east coast, we had access to delta lounges at the airports. This is a great perk honestly. The food at the HNL airport honestly is awful. So visited the lounge which had drinks, hot soup, appetizers, plenty of space and comfortable quiet seating. Everyone spoke in hushed voices in here for some reason. Maybe because people were on phones with business calls? I don't know but it was very peaceful.

We had flown Hawaiian Air to HNL from Long Beach and I enjoyed it. Delta One has the pod seating and the ability to lay back. I never got comfortable enough laying back. It was so quiet and peaceful and lovely to have the experience and honestly time went fast but I never slept. I am sure this is typical of all long haul flights but you get a lot of clutter with your seat - pillow, comforter, shaving kit, tootbrushes, plastic bags - you name it I felt like I was holding it at one point thru the flight. I kept giving things to the air hostess - too much clutter! I found Hawaiian seating more comfortable but I never tried to sleep on Hawaiian either....Food was fine and service good too. The pods are set up as 2/1 splits. DH and I had our own row and DD had her own row.

I had a lot of time on this flight to analyze what we missed, what we liked and my inevitable wish for certain do-overs so to speak.

I even woke DH up(he can sleep anywhere) and asked him if we would have come 8 years earlier when DD was younger would we have felt different? He didn't even open his eyes just said "No". We have never utilized the child care at WDW ever so I can't say the aunties would have made any difference to me if she were younger...I just related it back to feeling isolated. But DH did point out had we never visited Aulani we would not have experienced the spa, climbworks or even surf lessons as all of these were hastily added by me as the trip loomed closer and I felt as I had made a mistake with booking us for as long as we did.

Dh, ever the optimist, reminded me that the point rental we usually do is from a friend at a super cheap price but she was out of points this time so we had to go thru Davids. Had she had the points, we would have rented at aulani for the entire stay not knowing any different at that time because at 10.00 a point heck the price would be a steal...SO that is my silver lining so far.

Our one stop over for a few hours in Minneapolis was made more pleasurable with the Delta lounge access and we did a quick 90-minute flight home.

We walked in the house at 12 noon, picked our dog up from the sitter and unpacked. I told everyone NO NAPPING we have to get back on schedule. At this point we have been up a really long time to the point I felt a little sick to the stomach but we went to dinner and somehow got a second wind. We stayed up until near midnight watching HAwaii 5 0 and slept until 11 am the next morning. That was it. We were back on our time schedule.

Having the trip behind us, the long flight home behind us and the dreaded jet lag a non issue, I approached them at lunch with the idea of returning in July 2019. It was an easy conversation. We are hoping Adventures By Disney releases their San Fran dates SOON as the plan is to this 4 day San Fran on the front end then fly to HNL for 10 nights to stay strictly at the Halekulani and do some things we missed! South Shore! More surfing! Outrigger! Tidepool swimming in Waikiki with some hiking.

I hope this trip report is helpful to some. When I began researching my trip, I honestly did it thru Trip Advisor where you had people loving Aulani or being disappointed. WHY? Answers were no chairs (ok no biggie I will rent a cabana. Problem solved). Others said too remote - no problem I will have a car. I felt as though I did research the foreseeable negatives and had solutions. I should have watched youtube videos - I found a few that were spot on after the fact and realized I would have backed the trip down a bit. IDEALLY - DH should have dropped me off at the spa on the way to ziplining and I spend the day at Aulani. That would have been enough for me to enjoy the glorious spa, have a meal there and shop the store. It would have been perfect.

It was a wonderful trip! We were pretty intense in disneyland before the flight so I think my meals would have been better in Hawaii had I just not felt so OVER FOOD. Looking forward to researching restaurants for the next trip! Halekalani was simply amazing. From doorbells on each suite (no knocking on the doors here), to amazing attentiveness, to the gift you received each night at turn down service - it was just awesome. No other words!

One day DD had the worst rash on her check from sunblock. We stopped at the spa to see if they had a suggestion for her face - gave us so many samples and called the room later to see if anything helped. Amazing employees always greeted us by name everywhere. How did they know our name I wondered always ? Everywhere?

Cannot wait to return! No matter WHERE you stay - rent a car, take tours, see that entire island! SOOO much more to Ohau than just Aulani or Waikiki.

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LOVE Honolulu Cookie Company! We do the same thing, buy a ton and then freeze them so we can ration them.

We were in NYC last summer and were able to buy some at Bloomingdales! I know you can get them in Las Vegas and some Tommy Bahama stores too.

@pepperandchips used them as wedding favors for her guests (she is such a smart cookie-LOL)

Thanks for the tip!!!! I will investigate where else to get them. I want to send DD some in a college care package! Thanks!
 
SOOO much more to Ohau than just Aulani or Waikiki.

This is so true and a really great way to summarize your trip.

We find Aulani (or the Marriott) to be a wonderful base for our time on Oahu, the traffic into and out of Waikiki is just too much for me.
I know the highway to Aulani is bad too but that section just above Honolulu from Pearl City on gets me very frustrated

I personally have never been a huge Waikiki fan but I am not into the crowds, the hustle and bustle, the shopping etc even the beaches are not my favorite right there. I have been totally spoiled by Lanikai, Kailua, Poipu (Kauai) and hapuna (Big Island) but you do have me thinking Halekulani might be worth a night or two if my kids really want another Waikiki stay. (they always do, they LOVE it)

Thanks for all the great pics and I showed my daughter your rope drop spa idea - she thought it was a fantastic idea too!
 
@aloahamom - I hope you do stay at Halekalani! I visited Royal Hawaiin and Moana Surfrider on our last night and could not believe how crowded and packed that area was. It was like Times Square. And I love crowds! Yet I was like WOW. 5 minute walk to Halekaulani and you will swear you are up North somewhere in minutes. I don't know how a resort can be at capacity yet I never saw anyone...So peaceful. The person on Trip Advisor that convinced me to stay here kept saying it will feel like a private island in the middle of craziness and I could not fathom how that was possible. But that is exactly what it is. I viewed it as the best of both worlds. Rope Drop Spa Day for sure!!!!:)
 
Am I the only one in this world who's not used to luxuries in life?!! lol I kept hoping you'll end up falling in love with Aulani and I understand the comparison to the hotel you previously stayed at (and we definitely try not to compare our stays at WDW in a value resort vs deluxe resort because you can't compare apples to oranges) but hope there was some essence you liked. Interesting trip report - always fun to see how others vacation especially the islands! All in all it seems you had a great time away from home!
 
Am I the only one in this world who's not used to luxuries in life?!! lol I kept hoping you'll end up falling in love with Aulani and I understand the comparison to the hotel you previously stayed at (and we definitely try not to compare our stays at WDW in a value resort vs deluxe resort because you can't compare apples to oranges) but hope there was some essence you liked. Interesting trip report - always fun to see how others vacation especially the islands! All in all it seems you had a great time away from home!

I think I compared because Aulani prices sure make it seem worthy of a compare and maybe that was part of the problem? I expected more? I am not sure. I LOVED the spa at Aulani! OMG that is worth a short stay right there! Had Aulani been smack dab in the middle of Waikiki i would have rated it a little higher. It was the location I ultimately disliked so much. I love reading trip reports too. I get so many ideas etc. :)
 
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