I’m here to recap a few short but oh, so sweet days we spent at the Aulani Disney Resort – and hopefully relive some of the magic while I type. After a very early 7am flight, we arrived on the island of Oahu just before noon. Ah, time traveling backwards for more beach time… love that.
Last year we took Cam to Disneyland for his birthday and, in preparation of the big weekend, we started watching YouTube family vlogs on visiting the parks. We did this again before visiting the Aulani – finding it pumps us for the trip, gives hacks/tips, plus gives Cam a digestible idea of where we are going – and right when we entered the grand lobby, Cam asked “are we where we saw on the TV?” So cute.
The excitement was building as we felt the breeze while checking in. But something else was also mounting… hunger! It was well past lunchtime in California and we didn’t plan properly so got to the property starving. Never fun when navigating crowds and lines. I also wasn’t prepared for how busy it felt and how confusing it would be to orient ourselves. The resort is huge and takes a second to understand the layout! After aimless wandering – and a brief Moana sighting! – we found a food shack …not the one we were originally looking for but a food shack! A banana and French fries for Cam (kid lunch) and a salad with chicken for me and Mike. Whew, we were back on track.
Even better, we got a text that our hotel room was ready for early check-in. Yes!!! A quick swimsuit change and the three of us were dashing down to the pool. First up? The lazy river. We floated around in circles on rafts, in and out of waterfalls, giggling and splashing.
For dinner we tried The ‘Ōlelo Room, where we split edamame, vegan tacos, and steak bites (the contradiction there isn’t lost to me). The food was way better than I anticipated, assuming everything on the property would have that cheap, theme park taint. The cocktails where also surprisingly sophisticated – not just lava flows and Mai Tais (although both lava flows, Mai Tais, and, of course, pina coladas, have their rightful place and impress on an island vacation; I was just happy to see a little mezcal, too).
Our first full day started with a guided “seaside stretch” for me. A free 6:30am class was held by the beach and it was a lovely way to start the day. I don’t have to go heavy into the details on how moving and grooving while hearing the waves lap can transcend. And not bad that I came back to the hotel with a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me. Thanks, hubs!
After Mike’s workout – a much more vigorous paddle board session – it was beach time! We noshed on French toast, bacon, and acai bowls after snagging the best lounge chairs closet to the ocean. Early birds…
This morning was my favorite few hours of our vacation. The sun was bright and the waves mellow. A fellow traveler gifted Cam a bucket and shovel so we spent the morning alternating between playing in the sand and dipping in the water. The conditions were nice enough for even me to go on a little swim out to a buoy. I think the last time it was warm enough for me to SWIM in the ocean was our honeymoon in St. Barts.
Having worked up an appetite, we were ready for lunch across the street at Monkey Pod. Everyone’s favorite place when they visit the islands. Highlights here were: the Mai Tais, of course; the bonus fresh fish taco I got “because there was an extra piece;” our souvenir monkey pod shirts (yes we did); and the Oahu Railway, with trains (trains feels like a generous description, actually… trollies, perhaps) for Cam’s viewing pleasure.
We finished the day with another stop at another pool (so many pools to explore at the Aulani!), where Cam got comfortable “swimming” in his life vest. His swim was actually more like running in the pool while he floated, which was cute to watch!
The best part of the evening was the stunning beach sunset! It’s cliche but really just can’t be beat. Cam had a blast running in the water while we enjoyed the cascading sun.
I would say I was up bright and early the next morning but it was still very dark when I walked down to beach yoga. Hello, sun rising while I did sun salutations.
We rinsed and repeated the morning before with acai bowls and French toast at the beach. A habit I could get used to. Unfortunately the sun wasn’t as strong this day so, when we made it to the pools, I spent a lot of time trying to connivence Cam to go in the hot tub.
Which he wasn’t about. Lazy river or bust in his opinion.
We were able to drag him out of the water for one thing… Moana.
The character sightings were something cool at the Aulani but not something on the top of our list. The exception there was, of course, Moana! Cam loves the soundtrack to the movie right now. This was the only Character Sighting we actually planned for – looking in the app at the schedule ahead of time – and took a picture with. I think casting was pretty spot on! She even sounded like Moana to me, so it was cool to see Cam interact (and talk about after!). 🙂
And then rainstorm hit in the afternoon. We opened the patio and blasted the Moana sound track (felt fitting) for a dance party.
YOU KNOW our last dinner was at Monkey pod again. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: those Mai Tais.
Cam was wiped by this point. We went back to the room, skipped bath, and put him to sleep. Mike and I stayed up watching HGTV. It’s the parent life for us. ❤
On our final morning, we kept with vacation tradition and ordered French toast and acai bowls for the beach. We also sported our fam MATCHING bathing suits that Mike bought us for Christmas. (As Mike predicted, many moms complimented our suits and inquired where to get their own – did we start a new trend akin to Christmas morning matching jams? We might have.)
And then it was time to say goodbye. Overall, the Aulani was great for us. We only stayed 3 nights and, of course, wish it was longer, but given how expensive it is, that amount of time was great. The beach setup at the resort is the most ideal and probably the reason we would consider going back. It’s a little crowded and nutty at times but, in pure Disney magic, it somehow feels okay – like organized chaos (that you paid a ton of money for)? The pools are endless and decently warm, which I appreciated. The food was about what you would expect – rarely spectacular but does the job. The Monkey pod across the street makes up for all of the sad chicken tenders I consumed at the resort though…
Last night while Cam was taking a bath, he asked “can we go back to Hawaii?” so I think he’s sold, too.
Until next time… Aloha!
VEG VIBES 