Aulani Pros-what are the best pool chair locations?

[TigerLaw]

Got an Aulani first timer question for the experts on the board. everybody talks about how hard it is at times to get pool chairs at the resort, my question is what are the most desirable pool chair locations and why? What are the factors that I should be considered when trying to get a place for my wife and I (no kids) and why?

Thanks and advance for the help!

 

[TigerLaw]

Deleted

 

[Amw1064]

I would love to know as well. We are going to Aulani in June for the first time.

 

[wdrl]

Like many things, pool chair location preferences will vary from person to person.

First, let me say that Aulani is well laid out and fairly compact. Its takes less than 5 minutes to walk from one pool area to another, or from the beach to the pool, or to one of the eating places, bars, or drinks stations. If you had little kids you wanted to keep an eye on while they played in the water, then you might prefer/need one area over the over. But for adults, every area will give you about the same ease of access as any other.

If you something that is a bit more quiet, then getting chairs near the Wailana Adult Pool should be tops on your list. Since the Wailana Pool area is reserved for guests 18 and older, this area doesn't fill up as fast as the other pool areas that cater to families with kids. The sun doesn't hit this area until late morning, then you have sun until the afternoon. The Wailana adult pool is right next to the Ulu Cafe and the Wailana Pool Bar.

The Ka Maka Landing was added in October 2013. This is a good place to be to have immediate access to the Ka Maka Grotto Infinity Pool and Hot Tub, as well as the Keiki Cove water play area for kids. You can see a bit of the ocean and lagoon, especially when you are in the Infinity Pool. This area fills up fairly quickly.

The Infinity Pool also offers some great sunset views, too:

Waikolohe Valley is the name of the area that has Aulani's main pool, the lazy river, the Menehune Bridge Water Play Area, and Rainbow Reef, the enclosed snorkeling area. This area fills up faster than the other areas because lots of families want chairs near these features. Of course, the chairs that offer shade because of umbrellas or natural landscaping are grabbed first.

This photo was taken around 7:00 AM before the main pool opened (see the rope in the lower right). You can see some guests were already grabbing chairs.

Aulani is a beautiful resort, and when you are sitting by the main pool you can really enjoy its beauty. Here is a photo with the Ewa Building in the background:

And here is one with the Waianae Building in the background:

There are a few secluded spots scattered around that can be quite appealing. We found a few chairs next to a hot tub that was off one of the paths that meanders about the Waikolohe Valley. Here are a couple photos of my wife and the view we had from those chairs:

You can see the hot tub with the lazy river and the Menehune Bridge in the background:

The lagoon has lots of pool chairs that are free to Aulani guests, as well as some clamshells you can rent. The chairs will umbrellas are grabbed first.

There are chairs in front of the Ama Ama Restaurant which offer great views of the lagoon and ocean:

I think you just need to go to Aulani and pick the spot that best for you.

 

[JonLouisB]

My wife and I have been twice, once with kid in tow and once without. It all depends on your objectives for the spot you want. Do you want quiet? Close to bathrooms? Close to waitress? Close to pool access?

With the little one, we found the seats by the menehune bridge to be the best. The chairs by the main pool are the ones that are swooped up the quickest, so if you want those, get there early. The chairs by the menehune bridge are also close to the entry for the lazy river which is convenient, but it's also near the exit for the slides, so there can be lots of foot traffic going through. If you're adults only, I'd guess the chairs by the adult only pool would be the quietest.

 

[Camshell]

We preferred the chairs in front of AMA AMA. Nice ocean views, umbrellas, and fairly quiet and relaxed. We had chairs on both levels, each level had equally beautiful but slightly different views. These chairs seemed to be slightly less popular than the ones right by the pool that families saved early. I think families with small kids want to be closer to the pool. We were able to get 2-4 chairs anytime between 8 am -10 am in this area with no problem in early March - Sun - Friday.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

2 Adults? That was us just a couple weeks ago and we always headed to the adult pool.

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

That's a great recap above of the pools and locations!

We were at Aulani last week, and we preferred to find chairs near the zero-entry section of the main pool. Our kids liked to go back and forth between the main pool and the grotto pool, which was not far away.

 

[cindyzig]

We liked to grab chairs next to the Menehune Bridge and by the entrance to the lazy river (right in front of the towel check out desk). Someone was always heading off to the lazy river or the water slides off to the right. It was central for us And, Goofy visited there regularly for photo ops. I loved chairs by the infinity pool look out over the pool and lagoon. So beautiful!

 

[apple9117]

If its 2 adults, the adult pool area always has open chairs!

 

[lodge]

I wish Disney pool areas had storage spaces as we never sit in one spot long enough to warrant trying to keep a chair. Its obsurd for us to keep items on an unused chair and with advanced years, I don't feel like playing that game anymore.

 

[dsneygirl]

We liked the spot right by the folding A frame sign there. The first or second row and nearer to the building than beach. Our kids were little though so they spent a lot of time in the zero entry area.

 

[Anal Annie]

We were there last August when the resort was at 100% capacity (with DS17) and chairs were at a premium (we had to get our spot by about 7:30). The adult pool looked inviting but DS couldn't go there. We went to the chairs on the wood deck in front of Ama Ama on our first day - it was a nice view but HOT as there wasn't as much shade there. The CM's told us the spots facing the lagoon tended to be more hot & humid. We found that we really liked the back row of chairs on the end, right by the steps leading down to the Ka Maka Landing and the infinity pool. It felt out of the way, had less foot traffic cutting thru on that row, there was some on & off shade and it was very close to the infinity pool for a quick dip and just above a towel hut (for fresh towels). We were also still able to get wi-fi there whereas once we went down the steps toward the landing and got further away from the lobby we lost wi-fi connectivity.

Looking ahead from "our" seats:

Looking behind us toward the infinity pool:

 

[Pooh2]

Our favorite spot was on the beach! In September, there were chairs available anytime of day at the lagoon.
Most mornings, the chairs near the main pool area were reserved with towels by mid-morning.

 

[rlk]

This is from my favorite spot at my favorite time of day, 6:45am, right after an early morning run. Front row in front of the Grotto Pool, great views of the infinity pool and the ocean. You will have a lot of people passing by you. 2nd favorite: The chairs in the background were great too. That area has a great view of the beach and has no foot traffic.


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[happydayva]

We are so excited to be visiting the week before Memorial Day!! My question is what do you all do with your few items you take down to the pool (towels, sun screen, flip flops) if you won't be visiting the chairs long enough to reserve them?