Adults only at Aulani?

[dr&momto2boys]

I'd find a different place for an adults only romantic trip. The hottubs are definately filled with kids and they are not discouraged from being in there as much as some places do. (And I think that's appropriate for a Disney resort.) It's not that the kids are not well behaved, just that there are certainly a lot of kids even in Ama Ama in the evening.

 

[ciao_gina]

Let me clarify, I don't want to offend anyone, I don't dislike children or having them around, I just want to know if people that have been think that adults without kids will enjoy themselves at the resort or is it really best experienced with children. I must admit I am a little surprised that there isn't an adult only pool etc like they have done on the cruise ships.

Not offended at all. I have a child and I thought often that I wouldn't go as a honeymooner or a couple of any age. I would find a resort on a nicer island that isn't a Disney or family-centered vacation spot. The quiet pool is unfortunately not adult-only and has a bar right next to it so it would be ideal for parents who drop there kids off for dinner at Aunty's beach house. Not sure if you read my report but my biggest problem was sitting in the hot tub on Valentine's Day watching the sun set while a group of kids who were not chaperoned were splashing each other. On another day a woman was teaching her young twins how to swim in the hot tub. Also in the lazy river there are always kids racing each other and passing you and bumping into you and being loud.

I wouldn't go to a resort where I had to pay extra or have to find an out of the way secluded spot.

 

[Leitadala]

Hello all,

My husband and I are thinking about going to Aulani in the fall but since we don't have kids it would just be the two of us. From reading some reports it seems like we might not have the best/romantic time since there are no adult only areas. We have been on two Disney Cruises so we are ok with there being lots of kids around but on the ship there are adult only areas. It sounds like there are often lots of kids even in the quite pool? And I gotta say I get so annoyed when there are kids playing in the hot tubs like they are the pool. So what do you all think? If we go I am going to hope for a relaxing and fun trip with my husband, do you think it would just be better to wait and go when we have kids? Thanks in advance!

DH and I went there for our anniversary trip in October and had a lovely time! There is a "quiet pool" that I thought was Adults-only (I guess not though, I can't remember... all I know is there were never any kids in it) and there are several hot tubs so you can probably find one that isn't crowded if you want some quiet romantic times. The chairs that face the beach, especially the ones next to the restaurant (by the fire) almost never had loud crowds around them. I guess everyone has different opinions, but I really think it's a resort for everyone (families or singles or couples without kids)!

I think I might have a pic of the quiet pool in my Trip Report... can't remember right now though lol

 

[Bunless]

Disney always does great for our family of two.

We are DINKS and we just got back last night from a ten day stay at Aulani. The resort was at 100% occupancy. I'll be honest, I don't like being around kids... they bug me, I can't relax around them. But, after this trip, I've never been more relaxed in my entire life.

--We had two beach days where we rented a casabella on the beach. With the sun shade, it feels quiet and intimate, even with a beach full of families that include children.

--We did three spa days. Two of the days included a treatment, one of the days I just got a day pass. A day pass is not always available, it depends on how booked they are. If you get a treatment, you can stay there all day long, from opening to closing. You can order room service to the relaxation room or hydrotherapy garden. The money is worth it, without a doubt.

--On 'resort days' we did the art and wildlife tours. These tours say that they are for 'Ohana (family), but families with kids quickly bailed when they started getting restless at the adult attention span being required. There is a self guided art tour that you can get in the community hall, it took me three days to go through it. The resort has the largest collection of contemporary Hawaiian art in the world. They also have adult only activities for star gazing (with a telescope), star/navigation stories, hula, crafts, etc. There are several quieter areas around... explore the grounds, find them, it's worth it.

--We took two days to see different things around the island.

--BIG HINT for poolside dining, don't go to Off The Hook, go to One Paddle Two Paddle by the quiet pool. It's always deserted and has the same daytime menu.

--The quiet pool... very quiet, because no one is there. People would always take the loungers away to the bigger pool and there were none left! At all! Personally, I think if they made the quiet pool an adult only area, more people would use it. The way that One Paddle Two Paddle and the quiet pool are situated, it would be a logical place to make an adult only area. If they can do it on the cruise ships and Castaway Key, they could do it there.

--The 'Olelo lounge tends to be rather quiet in the evening. There is nothing there to interest kids, so families with children don't go. The music is very, very good traditional Hawaiian music. Many times locals get up and do hula.
While I can't actually tell you good hula from bad, to me, what we saw people doing in the bar was more authentic and better done than what we saw at the Polynesian Cultural Center (though that whole place just gave me the creeps).

Actually, everywhere is quiet in the evening... I think children are too exhausted from the day.

 

[Bunless]

Oh Yes... and to those mentioning hot tubs.

I never wanted to get in them because of the very, very young age of some of the children in them. Not that these very, very young children were causing a problem... but because a swim diaper can only do so much.

We never got to enjoy the infinity hot tubs

 

[tjkraz]

Personally, I think if they made the quiet pool an adult only area, more people would use it. The way that One Paddle Two Paddle and the quiet pool are situated, it would be a logical place to make an adult only area. If they can do it on the cruise ships and Castaway Key, they could do it there.

It's all about balancing capacity. If the area was vacant most of the time you were there, then obviously nobody wanted to use it. Hard to argue that kids were to blame if there weren't any kids in the pool.

When you hang a shingle that says "adults only" then families willing to visit that pool are prohibited. Even if no adults are present.

At Castaway Cay they have the blessing of more-than-adequate space. Even with 4000 cruisers wandering the island, there is plenty of room for a family beach, teen beach and adults-only beach. Each offers a near-identical experience.

At Aulani, there's every reason to believe adults will also be using the main pool. Not sure there's justification for having two pools available to adults and just the one for kids and families.

Aulani may have been at full capacity when you visited but there are still hundreds more hotel rooms and villas slated to open. Disney may someday change the labeling of that pool but the sensible thing to do is to wait until the resort is fully built-out and see how different groups are impacted by availability of resort amenities.

 

[Bunless]

Aulani may have been at full capacity when you visited but there are still hundreds more hotel rooms and villas slated to open. Disney may someday change the labeling of that pool but the sensible thing to do is to wait until the resort is fully built-out and see how different groups are impacted by availability of resort amenities.

I agree.

There were a few things that I noticed that seemed to be designed for adults, but not marketed toward adults. Places like the lounges with Hawaiian music, the quiet pool, certain tours of the resort. Children with parents might come in, but then quickly leave when they found nothing for them there. They were child-free by design, but not by rules. I like that, I think it's a good way to go.

There is something different about a pool, though, and I feel that having one that is advertised as an adult only haven makes it more likely to be used in the current... who knows about the future, but at least in the current.

 

[lilpooh108]

While it's true that Disney resorts tend to cater to children, I suspect there are fewer children at Aulani than some of the others just because of the expense to get there. The airfare for a family of 4 from our area is going to be in the $6000 range.

Not true for us when we were there. The hot tub facing the lagoon was filled with little kids who didn't get out for hours.

Warm water + little kids not taking pee breaks = . I have a toddler and I didn't let her in the tub, I'm not sure why other parents don't care.

There is 1 "quiet" pool behind the Waiane building toward the JW side, but there are usually a few kids in there too. There's a hot tub there, but it has no view.

I think the Hawaiians CM are way more laid back than DCL or WDW Cms. I didn't see them regulating any rules, etc.

If you want to avoid kids, you'd really just have to avoid them. I loved Aulani, but DH and I kept saying that everything was Four Seasons prices without the Four Seasons "feel." Speaking of the Four Seasons, I highly recommend the Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island. Romantic, secluded and perfect for an adults only get away. If you want to combine Aulani with an adults only resort (or upscale resort), I would go to Aulani FIRST then go to the secluded resort second. For our honeymoon, we did Hualalai first then went to Maui second and it was just stressful being in Maui from going to the relaxing place first.

Good luck planning!