Making Ourselves at Home at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa

Opened in 2011, Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa takes inspiration from the local culture to create an authentic, Hawaiian experience for guests of all ages and interests

So often, when travelers think of Disney, their minds shift to visions of castles, characters and mouse-shaped treats.

And yet, one of the most wonderful things about Disney is how dynamic the vacation experience can be.

You don’t have to spend your days at a theme park to live the magic – and one of our favorite locations to visit happens to be a resort with no rollercoasters in sight.

Disney’s Aulani is a stately resort and spa on the western coast of the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. Built in 2011, Imagineers worked with cultural experts and Hawaiian elders to develop design plans to pay tribute to local culture.

Don’t sleep on the details. Our agents said they were always finding new surprises and nods to the local culture around the resort grounds.

The property houses more than 350 rooms and suites, and nearly 500 Disney Vacation Club units. Guests can dine on-site at various eateries, lounge by the pool or ocean, or pamper themselves at the renowned Laniwai Spa.

For the adventurous traveler, excursions on and offsite let you explore Hawaiian culture well beyond the bounds of the resort.

We spoke with a few members of the Magical Vacations Travel family to find out more about their experiences at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa.

Aulani was a picturesque honeymoon setting for Shelly and her husband this past August. As much as they love Disney parks, the pair wanted a more serene setting to celebrate. Her first impression of the resort was that it looked even better than the photos – beautiful and upscale.

“As soon as we stepped into Aulani, we could feel the Disney magic!” Shelly said.

They’d planned to split their time on and off resort grounds so that they could explore the island as well as the hotel. Onsite, the newlyweds relaxed in an oceanside casabella, dined at Makahiki and experienced the popular KA WA’A Luau. They took in the sights from their upgraded ocean view room, and even got a chance to mingle with beloved Disney characters.

Shelly and her husband spent a fair amount of time outside of the resort as well. “It was such a great feeling knowing that we had Aulani to go back to each evening after a long, exhausting day,” she said. “Sometimes I would want to cut our activities short just to get back to Aulani!”

One of Shelly’s biggest takeaways from the trip was the exceptional level of service, crediting the amazing cast members for helping to really hit home the feeling of Disney magic throughout their stay.

Magical Vacations Travel President Michele traveled to Aulani alongside her daughter in October of 2015.

“It was beautiful,” she said, “it reminded me so much of the Polynesian Resort.”

In town for a business conference, Michele made the most of their time with excursions and events on and off property. They booked the KA WA’A Luau, took in a sunset dinner at AMA AMA and spent a day sightseeing their way around the island in a rental car. A longtime Disney aficionado, Michele feels that Aulani is the type of getaway that could appeal to guests of all interests.

“You can have a traveler who wants to just relax and enjoy all of the pools on property, or someone who wants to be on-the-go and explore the island by renting a car and hiking, or going to the amazing waterfalls,” she said.

Even if you’d rather get to Aulani and stay on site until you check out, you’ll be hard-pressed to take in everything the resort has to offer. Between the pools, restaurants, crafts and watersports, it’s very possible you’ll keep discovering new spots and “must-dos” every time you turn the corner.

For Michele, one of the most impressive features of Aulani was the Laniwai Spa. “It’s voted one of the best in the world,” she said, “and it lived up to all of my expectations.”

Darcy was one of the lucky travel agents to have won her trip to Aulani with her husband and daughter back in September of 2012.

She was in awe from the moment they arrived on property. “The wonderful cast members welcomed us in front of the resort and presented us with beautiful flower leis and a kukui nut lei for my husband,” she said, also taking note of the intricate details throughout the grounds designed to pay tribute to the Hawaiian culture.

Darcy and her family had big plans for this trip – scheduling visits to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, the Dole Plantation, the North Shore as well as a catamaran tour.

“We initially planned to do more sightseeing around the island,” she said, “but we enjoyed our resort days so much that we rearranged our plans to have more time onsite.”

With a 10-year-old daughter in tow, Darcy and her husband were especially grateful for all of the activities and amenities to keep them busy when they were at “home” at the resort.

“(My daughter) had so much fun with the waterslides and lazy river,” she said. “I could barely get her out of the water at the end of the day, but a little shave ice usually did the trick!”

As a family of three with various interests and wish list items, Darcy was impressed with how well the resort catered to everything they wanted to do. She’s confident that any kind of traveler would be not only satisfied with a trip to Aulani, but that they’d walk away just as awestruck as she was.

“The resort offers so many options – from the complete relaxation of a do-nothing day by the pool, to excursions around the island, and so many things in between,” she said. “There is truly something for everyone at Aulani, which is not always easy to find within one destination.”

An Aulani vacation is among the most special and interesting trips we can imagine for our clients. Not only are you getting the thoughtful creativity and supreme service of a Disney vacation, you’re getting it all in one of the most exquisite settings on Earth.

As Darcy put it… “Aulani is just on a higher level.”