Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa Review

We only visited for the character breakfast. We didn't mention that it was for an anniversary and a birthday but the birthday girl was still treated like royalty. Food was excellent. We also had an hour wait before our shuttle took us back to Wakiki. Lei, one of the greeters, brought us board games and pins then hungout with us. She made the trip extra special and added so much Disney magic. Then to top it off, she hugged the youngest of our group like she was truly family. 11/10 because of Lei. I wish I could tell her manager but I couldn't figure out how.

Such a magical place filled with Aloha. I like how it is for all age groups. Aulani brings Ohana to all who visit. Pre register your kiddo s at Aunty s play house ahead of time save time.
Sign up starts at 8 am each day. Stop by and pick up your Daily IWA activity calendar to plan you adventures.
They put them out at 7 pm the night before.
You can also Purchase a Aulani cup and you can fill them up at several locations though out the resort your entire stay.

This is A BEAUTIFUL PLACE to Relax and Spend Quality time with your CHILDREN!!!!!!. This is not a Theme Park, it's a Luxurious Hotel in Paradise with several pools to choose from, water slides, and the Beach!!! This is the Perfect Place to be away from Work, Traffic and daily Stresses from Life in the City. This is the place to pamper you and your family!!!!!

Absolutely gorgeous place to visit. It reminds me of the Jungle Cruise, but much more modern. The swim areas are amazing and they have a pool/aquarium to snorkel in if you are a guest. Beautiful cove to swim in and sun bathe in.

Gorgeous, beautiful weather, wonderful service as you would expect from disney. Clean, prompt service. Great time.

Only did character breakfast. Food was great but in the disney character meal tradition.....expensive

We had a great time at Aulani overall, but will probably stay elsewhere next time.

The positives:

The room was huge (suite with living room and dining room area separate from the bedroom and large bathroom). There was also a half bath near the room entrance.

The various pool areas and lazy river were really nice. The beach and protected cove/lagoon area was awesome.

Compared to the handful of other properties in the surrounding Ko Olina area, it probably has one of the better locations just because it is across the street from the Ko Olina Center (market and restaurant area). But then again, there is a free shuttle that goes around the various properties every half hour.

The negatives:

As you would expect, the resort was PACKED with families and kids on our early August stay. Bell hops were slammed when we arrived and still hadn't received our bags even after waiting over an hour after arrival. So we went down to pick them up ourselves (finding a line of people trying to do the same).

There were plenty of lounge chairs surrounding the various pool areas, but they are ALL "reserved" (mostly people staking their claim by leaving towels/belongings) early in the morning. The pools are also packed with kids/parents as you would expect, but we had no issues finding spots in the pools to swim around. I had to drop off a rental car at the Marriott a couple of blocks away and after hanging out at their nice lobby area overlooking the property and pool area, it seemed to have a WAY more chill atmosphere with much less people around (lots of available pool lounge chairs and hardly anyone at the pool!).

I also didn't find Aulani to be very Disney. Sure you have (expensive) character breakfast/dinner and see them in a half hour show at the pool in the afternoon, but that's pretty much it. I was expecting it to be like Legoland with themed rooms, daily Lego themed treasure hunts, etc. Plus, my toddler isn't really into taking pictures with the characters and would have equally enjoyed herself in any nice resort with a nice pool/beach. So the premium of staying in a "Disney" resort was definitely not worth it for us.

Lastly, Ko Olina was nice and we were expecting it to be more chill than the Waikiki area (Aulani wasn't, but I have a feeling neighboring resorts are). The food at Aulani was ok. Food at Monkeypod across the street was also just ok. There aren't as many options in this area. This is a completely different experience from the Waikiki area, where it seemed that every restaurant we stumbled upon (with some help from Google Maps and its reviews) was Amazing! But Waikiki is definitely a much busier (less chill) type of place.

Beautiful location and views. Close to some shopping and restaurants. Facility clean staff friendly and rooms spacious and comfortable.

Extremely overcrowded. Service leaves a lot to be desired. Wi-Fi is on 2G... ie very very slow. Check-in and registration very slow and they make mistakes which requires repeat visits killing more time.. overall during the summer it appears that the hotel is extremely overwhelmed and this seriously degrades experience

A calm little beach, pools, waterslides, Hawaiian breezes. Fantastic getaway for everyone! The Storyteller and Moana will tell you a bedtime story by the fire as well. The Aulani is a great location and resort.

I used the buffet without making a reservation.
You can take pictures with your character.
The character will come to every seat 3 to 4 times.
The beach was also very beautiful.

My wife and I are here for our honeymoon and so far the experience has been amazing.

really nice place and really nice staff. i loved every single bit of it. Surely made Hawaii an awesome experiance. One thing though is that it isnt near waikiki and there arent too much to do around the area, but there are still cool stores to checkout across the street. In general, i think it deserves a 5 star because of how nice the ocean view was and everything in general. i would definately reccomend this place to anybody who s going to hawaii

Excellent vacation resort if you love being on the beach or in pools. Lazy river, multiple pools/ hot tubs and two slides available for adults and kids. Hotel restaurant meals are great although there are lots of options nearby.

I visited the lagoon and it was incredibly beautiful. The surrounding pools were also very nice.

I went to a rental car because I was far from the hotel, but it was very good!

Attention to every detail makes this resort super special. Disney character breakfast etc bring that magic to Paradise

Pools were fantastic. Food was okay. Beds left something to be desired.

Top class vacation Disney Style (in terms of Quality)

First day at the beach.. wonderful experience between food, paddle boarding, fun and sun.

The buffet was delicious!! Staff is wonderful, drinks are strong, and ambiance is wonderful. Characters leave by 8:30 pm though.

I went to eat at the olelo room. A bar at the resort that the servers speak to you in Hawaiian. The decor of the room is filled with simple Hawaiian words, such as numbers and colors. The food and drinks were good. I would suggest the kalua pig nachos with the taro chips on the side. The chips tend to get soggy after a while

Service is indeed Disney! There seems to be construction of pool from the middle of August, 2018, and it is regrettable that there are places where the view is not good because it is closed half by one and the pool can not be used or there is blindfold. Instead, for those who stayed for 4 nights or more during this construction period, $ 50 per day for the room was refunded for payment with the room, so it would be good for shopping and meals.

We went for Disney character breakfast. The food and service were both mediocre. The characters as usual were very well done.

Ama ama restaurant with top notch service. Food quality is good but expected inflated resort prices. Glad valet was free with validation. Biggest knock is poor signage for the resort, especially at night!!! Google maps will take you to the service entrance lol

Beautiful and wonderful for our family. We would return for sure. It was clean, nicely decorated and had a great pool and lagoon/beach.

We love having a Villa with a living room and kitchen. It is a home away from home!

Among O'ahu's non-Waikiki hotels, they are definitely top class in terms of satisfaction. Not to mention the pool and the private beach that you can enjoy every day, it is fun to meet the Disney characters that appear in various places irregularly. Hotel which seems to be able to stay freely in calmness and calm atmosphere again. Especially recommended for couples and families going to Hawaii.

A great family vacation location. Expensive but what can you expect for something with the resort facilities available. Family had a great time!

Absolutely worth it especially for big families. Alot of included activities and things to do. Only thing is recommend is to buy snacks and drinks prior to arriving for your stay. Drinks and food can add up There's a nearby Wal-Mart or Target. I will definitely be back.

It was a very awesome place. Mgmt. Staff Excellent to work with. Room was excellent.

Not the best, the beds are not comfortable and I pay for a partial ocean view so I was expecting really comfy beds, the hotel food is really expensive and not many choices. The buffet on mammas is ok but for the price same verer food not such luck.

Rooms are nice and everything is good but the customer service is not the best. The hirrocane hit and they started to give to go noxes for the food. But it was 20 dollars a person but you had no choice. It is very crowded in the pool area so there will people all around u.

This is a beautiful location with lots of fun things to do for the kids. I felt like we were constantly discovering new things for kids to do even until the last day. The food within the resort is very expensive but there are various restaurants nearby that are much more reasonable. Take some time to explore well the first few days you are there to make sure you know everything available to you!

We're only a day into our visit, but I'm having a great time! The lazy pool is the warmest.

This was the first stop of our Hawaiian vacation. We selected the Aulani since we are traveling with our 6 y/o daughter. She loved the snorkeling and the meet n greets with the characters. I wish we would have stayed at the Four Seasons next door and just visited the Aulani on a day pass. The rooms here are just like the Grand Californian. My daughter felt like she never left Los Angeles. Upgrade to the rooms with the kitchenette and take a taxi to the grocery store. The food at the Aulani is terrible! And I m thankful that the pull out sofa bed was comfortable. Our king sized bed had a mountain in the middle of our bed. It recked my back the first night I slept on it. Also, my daughter was really bummed when we arrived and I got the Lei and all she got was a tiki necklace that in her words a boys necklace . I watched a few other young s girls arrive and receive the same necklace with the same disappointed face that they didn t get the beautiful flowered lei. I will come back to O ahu but will not stay at the Aulani.

If you are looking for the exact same magic that you find in Florida or California then this isn't the place to come. Don't get me wrong; this place is awesome! It has Disney magic but it is magic unique to this location. The food is delicious and the staff are very attentive. Quick service breakfast can be had sitting on the beach watching the ocean. If the beach isn't your thing there are many pools available for kids and adults. Stop by the tour desk and book an excursion. My favorite by far was the Sunset Rim hike. Not only was the view worth it, the guide was one of the most knowledgeable and personable I have ever met. His passion for sharing what Hawaii has with us was palatable. We will definitely be going on that hike again on our next visit.

Walked through late in the evening, but have to day it is a typical Disney type place. They had a snorkel reef place for little kids (salt water with marine life) and snack stands with themes. You get that "magical " experience that is Disney.

I stayed for two days in a row and it was very good.
This resort hotel is conscious of Disney's world view, so it is recommended for Disney lovers.

The room was large and clean, and I enjoyed the atmosphere of tropical and Disney at the same time.
The facility has a swimming pool (including heated water) and a beach where you can relax and enjoy activities such as character greetings and snorkeling.
I went there at the end of January, so I could just go into the sea during the day.

There is a concierge who is fluent in Japanese, and he takes care of all the reservations for restaurants and spas, which was very helpful.
It was tough because the solicitation for vacation packages was quite persistent.

Great place for families! The kids will love the water slides and pools. Try making spa reservations 24-48 hours in advanced because they get booked.

Everyone is so friendly and it's a great place for kids!

Awesome place, I always have a blast when I stay here

Loved the service and beach. The Spa it very calm and peaceful.

Great place to stay. Book in advance for availability and they do not take walk-in reservationsfor that day. All reservations to Aulani is taken in the mainland

Ate breakfast only and it was great. Was able to walk around.

The resort is nice and clean...alot of water features, pool, water slides, lazy river and the ocean are steps away. The one critique I have is, food and activity expenses are high. Six of us came on this trip from Phoenix using Costco Travel, r/t flight, car rental and room accommodations (2 rooms) broke down to approximately $1,600.00 a person for 5 nights. $320.00 a day doesn't cover food, drink, spa treatments or some activities. The staff is very friendly and accommodating.

Great Hawaiian resort. Excellent amenities and service!

Aulani is a great Resort to stay at with your kids. There's a lot of activities that they could partake in aside from using the pool. Their food is good especially their Character Breskfast.

Concierge is very nice. Location is pretty but a bit isolated. WiFi is a little slow. Facilities are very nice.

Hardware facilities, environment and service attitudes are above the level of a typical Hawaiian hotel.
The fly in the ointment is that the hotel does not feel too much Disney style, using Disney's name is a little far-fetched.

The resort is good, but one thing that I want to mention is a very rude cast member 'Ashlee' working in Makahiki restaurant. I didn't know that people want to take picture with Disney characters have to eat breakfast in that restaurant. She should have explanined us kindly, but she was soooo rude. Not only us but also the others. It was very uncomfortable for us. She is not supposed to be here in wonderful resort. She is ruining good memories people.

We are just at the beginning of our stay, but so far it's been a wonderful experience! The cast members are so friendly and always helpful. We were greeted with smiles, alohas, leis, and cold water. Check in was easy. There's a lot of information, but they explained everything and what you don't remember, they will happily help you with later. The views are amazing. The room is comfortable and very clean. If you rented a vehicle, take advantage of the valet service for the same price as paid parking. I'll have to update this later as we are just beginning our stay...but so far it's been a wonderful experience!

Always a nice relaxing environment. Feels like there should be an amusement park of some sort attached to the hotel.

Amazing place for the family. Long the pools and attractions you are paying a lot of money for work. Unfortunately, they dont even give you a heads up that during your stay things will be shut down.

Unreal experience. Disney does it again. All the service Disney is known for in a Hawaiian getaway

Spa day with my bestie was such a treat. Hard to tell you just how amazing this was. Worth every single penny!!

Seems to stay true to the Hawaiian culture. Luau is reasonably priced, informative, and astonishing. Views are breathtaking. Experience exceeded our expectations. Tons of free activities, however IF YOU INTEND TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY, BE SURE TO SIGN UP AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE, AS THEY FILL QUICKLY. Lastly, if you have little ones, register for Aunties Beach House daycare.

The murals describing early Hawaii are exquisitely designed.

This is the best vacation spot in Hawaii. The Disney atmosphere to this place gives you a warm feeling and when it comes to displaying Hawaiian culture, you see it everywhere you go. The pools and Cabanas are fantastic, Ulu cafe and Ama Ama have spectacular food.

Everything has been almost perfect so far. Pool area is clean, and plenty of things to do for the kids. Food was hot and filling for the most part. One small mishap though. Ate some fried fish that gave me a tummy ache.

my entree, catch of the day sauteed mahimahi with lobster claws, drink and dessert under $40. very attentive waiter, Josh, thank you. my companions were very pleased as well. the ambiance, priceless

Beautiful location, inside and out! Staff was excellent

Went for the luau with the family. The hotel was beautiful from the moment you walk into the grand entrance. It felt very Hawaiian but with a Disney twist. The food at the luau was incredible! It was better than Jermain's but they did not do any kind of show with the whole hog being paraded around. The actual show was very good with the expected Moana theme about Maui's fight with the sun. It was very well done though.

It doesn t look large from the front but it is huge! The parking says it s for registered guest only but that is not accurate, all visitors can park there. The stores are plentiful and there is so much to see and do. The complex is easy to navigate through and the beach area is really nice with multiple pools and amenities. The food was good and the service as Disney, all the way. We highly recommend a visit there and great for a staycation!

Friendly staff... Awesome accommodations... Beautiful rooms and facilities

Fantastic resort, with beautiful views of the Pacific!!

The resort is very nice even while having construction happening it was still very nice. The staff was very nice and accommodating. Like any other Disney attraction please expect it to be expensive and overcrowded without any true luxury. Rooms were okay but nice touch was having a kitchen to cook instead of HAVING to eat out every meal.

Food was average to below average. Atmosphere was great and the hotel was beautiful!

Clean. Inviting. And an overall awesome place to visit.

Great attentive service and the ambiance was as good as any Disney resort worldwide.

Satisfaction is high as it is expensive. Will be back next time!