5 Reasons Why Aulani Should be on Your Hawaii Bucket List
Meeting Mickey Mouse, photo credit: Disney PhotoPass
Staying at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, is an experience like no other. Aulani is neither a theme park nor simply a Disney hotel. It is a gorgeous retreat on the Hawaiian island of Oahu offering pristine beaches with crystal-clear water, five swimming pools and two water slides, and breathtaking views of the ocean.
Disney has created a truly unique experience that beautifully integrates Hawaiian culture, art, and spirit with signature Disney service and hospitality.
I have been to Aulani three times—twice when my daughter was a baby (check out my post all about Aulani with a baby) and again when she was four years old.
Kids love Aulani without a doubt. The activities, the pools, and the beach were all designed with families in mind. Aulani is also one of the few vacations where I have an amazing time and leave feeling renewed and refreshed as well.
Let me tell you 5 reasons why taking your kids to Aulani should be on your bucket list:
Aulani’s location on Oahu is ideal for a vacation with kids
Why you and your kids will love the resort itself
How the Disney character experiences are different than other Disney locations
Why the children’s area Aunty’s Beach House is not to be missed
Several experiences you can enjoy that are unique to Aulani
Related: What to Wear in Hawaii and
Flying with Toddlers: Your Survival Guide for Airplane Travel
Disclaimer: I am a former employee of Disney Cruise Line. However, I was no longer an employee of the Disney company during all of my visits to Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, and when I wrote this article. I did not receive any compensation for this post, and this post is not sponsored by Disney.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means that if you purchase a product, I make a commission at no cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy for details.
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Location
Aulani is located on the leeward (west side) of Oahu in the neighborhood of Ko Olina which also houses the Four Seasons Resort, Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach club, and the Beach Villas at Ko Olina.
Ko Olina is about 17 miles from the Honolulu airport and nearly an hour drive from downtown Honolulu. Find the best bargain flights to Hawaii on Southwest Airlines.
The distance from the island’s center has several benefits. First is the tranquility of Aulani. You don’t hear traffic noise, loud music, or construction.
Next, the four man-made lagoons of Ko Olina are shallow and gentle—perfect for kids to be able to boogie board, snorkel, and try stand-up paddling.
If you have been to beaches elsewhere on the island, you know that the current and waves are rough! Even standing in shallow water, I have been nearly “wiped out” many times when the tide came in.
I felt a lot safer with kids in the water at Aulani because there are no waves close to the beach.
Aulani also provides high quality children’s vinyl-coated life jackets and boogie boards at no cost. Snorkel sets and stand-up paddleboards are available for rent on the beach.
Boogie boarding at Aulani lagoons
Finally, Aulani’s location is great with kids because you can simply enjoy the resort and not leave.
In my experience, young kids don’t want to be on sight-seeing tours all day on vacation. They want to run free and swim in the pool and build sandcastles.
At Aulani, kids have so many options for play that they won’t want to leave.
One important note is that you must be a guest at Aulani to take advantage of all the activities and amenities. Guests staying at neighboring resorts or rental properties are only permitted to visit the restaurants.
Keep in mind, saltwater at the beach creates “mermaid hair” that is really difficult to comb. My favorite detangling product is a must have to avoid bath-time tears.
We also found that boogie boarding and life-jackets can create rug burn that really stings in salt water—this Body Glide is a must-have.
Music Credit: Sunny, @iksonmusic
When buying sunscreen, you need to look for reef safe sunscreens. Hawaii is the first state to ban the sale of sunscreens that destroy coral reefs as of 1/1/2021.
The primary sunscreen ingredients that cause problems are Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Octocrylene, and Titanium Dioxide.
Here are a few safe sunscreens to bring to Hawaii below:
If seeing all the sites of Oahu is on your bucket list (Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, the North Shore, Hanauma Bay, Kualoa Ranch, the Dole Plantation and many other adventures), I highly recommend a two-part vacation.
Aulani is “off the beaten path”, and not a convenient drive to any other experience other than Paradise Cove Luau next door.
You can stay in a hotel closer to the island’s center for the first half of the vacation and rent a car or take tours to see all that Oahu has to offer.
Rentalcars.com is your one-stop shop for finding bargains on rental cars:
While you’re staying in Honolulu, the Polynesian Cultural Center is a family-friendly attraction with interactive activities, performances, and exhibits.
After you have seen the best of Oahu, head west to Aulani for the last few days to relax and reenergize before going home!
Bargain Cha$ing Tourist tip: Avoid parking at Aulani: the price is $37 per day. If you want to venture away from the resort, I recommend booking a rental car onsite and turning it in the same day to avoid the hefty parking cost. 2. The Resort
I can rave all day about the actual property of Aulani itself. The view as you drive up to the grandiose towers with the beach in the background is rather breathtaking, and that’s before you actually enter the resort.
Disney has created a culturally accurate Hawaiian aesthetic with subtle Disney fine touches. The “Mickeys” here are definitely hidden and require some patience to find!
The grounds of Aulani are immaculately clean and well-maintained.
Waikolohe Valley is the name for the lush outdoor space with five pools, an amazing lazy river, water slides, a splash pad, and a children’s water play zone called the Menehune Bridge.
Menehune Bridge
The lazy river, Waikolohe Stream, is one of my favorite experiences at Aulani—it’s so peaceful and refreshing. Alternatively, the water slides are fast and energizing which the kids love.
Getting around the resort is easy—everything is stroller/wheelchair-friendly. My favorite part is that the beach is steps away from the pools.
Going back and forth between Waikolohe Valley and the beach is incredibly convenient. There’s no need to pack up the car to drive to a beach and rent beach chairs.
My daughter, niece, and nephew (and I) love that we can seamlessly move from one area to the next and never get bored. Definitely bring a water-proof phone case to the beach and pools.
Waikolohe Stream
During one trip to Aulani, one of the kids got lost for a few minutes. She had stepped into an elevator that quickly closed and took her to another floor.
We soon found her wandering around the gift shop, but those few minutes were scary. I am now a big fan of small kids wearing the Apple Airtag.
We have confirmed that this design of kids’ wristband is waterproof even when repeatedly submerged in water.
Secret Beach with seals
Bargain Cha$ing Tourist Tip: For a free “excursion”, there is a “secret beach” between Aulani and Paradise Cove Luau where you may see turtles or seals after a little hike down to the beach!We appreciated the Pau Hana room when we needed to take a break from the sun. Here you can find crafts or ‘ukulele lessons, and you might run into one of your favorite Disney friends!
Kids can also borrow a tablet for an interactive treasure hunt called the Menehune Adventure Trail. The ladies that run the community hall were so friendly.
We visited one last time when we were checking out to go home, and they stocked us up with crafts and coloring pages for the airplane!
Pau Hana Room
Bargain Cha$ing Tourist Tip: You can earn Disney Dollars with the Disney Premier Visa card that can be redeemed toward your resort stay. The Disney Premier Visa card also offers 0% APR for 6 months on Aulani vacation packages.Additionally, Disney gift cards can be applied to your resort reservation, at the front desk toward payment for your resort stay, and for on-site merchandise and restaurant purchases. You can save 5% on Disney gift cards at Target using the Target Red Card.Costco also runs specials on Disney gift cards ($250 gift card for $224.99)The third-party travel sites with deals on Aulani are Southwest Vacations and Priceline.com. 3. Character visits
Of course Aulani wouldn’t be a Disney resort without the beloved Disney characters! I love the relaxed energy of character meet and greets at Aulani (at least during my trips).
The lines are minimal, and it’s a much more laidback experience than at other Disney properties.
The Aloha spirit must have an effect at Aulani, because everyone is calm and seems to be enjoying their time with the characters!
Dancing with Goofy, photo credit: Disney PhotoPass
I recommend the character breakfast at Makahiki as a must-do activity.
The meal itself is delicious and fresh with cute accents like these dolphins made out of bananas and berries.
Aulani Character Breakfast
The patio seating with the ocean breeze is refreshing. There is an organized photo opportunity with one character (we saw Mickey each time) before sitting down for breakfast, and we bought the photos every time because they always turned out really cute.
During my trips, the breakfast was a buffet, and characters like Stitch and Minnie Mouse walked around the tables.
The character breakfast is now a three-course meal, and I believe the characters are available for photos but don’t walk table to table.
Aulani Character Breakfast
Bargain Cha$ing Tourist Tip: Bring snacks from home to have handy at the pool, at the beach, and in your room. Food in Hawaii is very pricey. You can also make a Target or Costco run on the way into Aulani if you have a rental car. I like Nature's Bakery bars and Happy Tot bars.
Happy Tot organic fruit pouches are easily portable and tasty (even to me!).
Take and Toss sippy cups are very handy. Plus, it's not a tragedy if one gets left behind somewhere. Munchkin snack packs are lightweight, and easy for small hands to carry.
Photo Courtesy of Disney PhotoPass
For dinner, we often bought a pizza to share from Ulu Cafe. I’m embarrassed to say I never ate dinner at any of the sit-down restaurants at Aulani.
After full days of swimming at the beach and pools with small kids, we were too tired to sit through a dining service.
There are several options across the street from Aulani for dinner. We usually brought back one of the take-out options. There are also several grills available to use on property.
Speaking of different food choices, I like to have kids’ probiotics available when traveling because eating different foods on vacation can result in constipation.
Culturelle Kids Fiber easily dissolves in liquids. The kids have no problem chewing Pedialax tablets either, and they actually like the watermelon flavor.
Aunty’s Beach House
4. Aunty's Beach House
Aunty's Beach House is another amazing opportunity at Aulani. During the one trip that my daughter was old enough to participate, unfortunately, Aunty’s was closed due to Pandemic restrictions.
However, I can speak from the experiences of my niece and nephew from previous trips, and they didn’t want to leave Aunty’s.
The children’s space is designed like a real beach house which I love, but the kids love Aunty’s for the play areas, movie room, crafts, and activities.
Aunty’s is for children ages 4 to 12 and requires reservations. Most of the activities are free but the blocks fill up fast.
You can pre-register and make reservations 90 days prior to your trip. There are also premium activities for a fee that include character interaction and a souvenir.
Aunty’s Beach House yard
Making slime at Aunty’s Beach House, photo credit: Disney PhotoPass
5. Unique Experiences
My family went on the Sailing Canoe Adventure and raved about it. (I didn’t go because my baby was too young, but it’s on my must-do list for next time).
They sailed on a hand-crafted Hawaiian canoe similar to the boats Polynesians have sailed on for thousands of years.
Sailing Canoe Adventure
They said it was an awesome experience to learn about authentic Hawaiian culture while sailing along Oahu’s beautiful coastline.
My niece and nephew loved seeing dolphins in the wild!
The tour is run by Hawaiian Ocean Adventures, and you can reserve your adventure from Aulani’s beach rental stand called Makiki Joes.
The crew meets you on the beach at Aulani which can’t get any more convenient.
This is an outstanding experience for both kids and adults that is unique to Hawaii.
Sailing Canoe Adventure
Mo’olelo fire pit storytelling is another original Aulani experience for all ages. I appreciate that Aulani honors this aspect of traditional Hawaiian culture.
The Ka Wa’a Luau was not available during my visits. However, knowing Disney productions, I imagine it is spectacular!
This event requires reservations and fills up fast.
Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, has so much to offer. The serene location, amenities, activities, and amazing experiences are only a few reasons to book your next family vacation to Aulani.
My vacations at Aulani with kids were nothing short of spectacular. I hope I have convinced you to put Aulani on your bucket list, and I hope to see you on the beach soon. Aloha!
Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, photo credit: Disney PhotoPass