Aulani, What view do you suggest?

[taaren]

Weird I could have sworn the guide told me it was pool view was up to floor 7. We were in the Ewa tower, not the Waianae but it seems like they would make it standard across the resort. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention since we were being wow-ed by the Grand Villas at the time. All I know is floor 10 was stunning from the Ewa side, particularly for sunrise and sunset.

Though someone suggested asking for the first floor pool view so you could just walk out from your patio to the slides which sounded awesome to me.

 

[lilpooh108]

We just returned (early this morning) from seven nights in a 2-BR OV and we were on the 7th floor. Does it say somewhere that floors 1-7 are pool view?? I'm interested to know, because, while we could see the ocean from our balcony (though barely from inside the room itself), this was not the view I expected at all. The pool is beautiful, but if we ever go back, we definitely will save points and go with Island Gardens view. The building also matters: we were in the Waianae Tower, and it looked like the Ewa Tower would have better OV's; we could not see the sunset from our villa. Most of the Ewa Tower isn't open yet.

We were told by the DVC guide touring the GV that 1-5 is pool view and 6 & above is considered ocean view. For GVs, I think anything above floor 3 is ocean view. Don't quote me on the GV part though, I was mesmerized by the GV view and was barely listening to that part

 

[ToodlesRN]

Golden Week (which is the big Japanese holiday) starts around 4/28th and ends around 5/6th. As you get closer to summer, the hotels in general tend to get busier because of graduation travel and summer travel (from the Japanese side of things). I personally would go that April week that you're thinking about but any of those 3 weeks would probably work out OK.

Thanks! Will the weather be just as warm as it will be in May? Hoping to get some warm weather, last time we were in Hawaii it rained the entire time and wasn't able to enjoy the beaches.

 

[spleen]

Thanks! Will the weather be just as warm as it will be in May? Hoping to get some warm weather, last time we were in Hawaii it rained the entire time and wasn't able to enjoy the beaches.

April / May tends to have similar weather - you should be out of the rainy season (i.e. winter) and the weather should be drier as a whole but of course, it may depend on your luck. All of this is saying that unfortunately, nobody can predict the weather.

For reference, here is a record of historical high/low temps, rainfall totals at Honolulu International. Gotta love the snowfall totals.

 

[aymekae]

I know I'm not the OP, but the topic is of interest to me as well. Our first thought was, "This is our first vacation to Hawai'i, so we're going to do it right with an ocean view!" *fist pump* Hehe. But I have seen such gorgeous photos of the pool view and the not quite so visible ocean from the ocean view rooms, that I think we will be very happy with pool view.

That said, I think our next highest priority would be "closest walking distance to the hot tubs"! Any help in putting in requests for that? Like, is first floor good, and if so, which building? Thanks for any help!

 

[CarolynK]

I know I'm not the OP, but the topic is of interest to me as well. Our first thought was, "This is our first vacation to Hawai'i, so we're going to do it right with an ocean view!" *fist pump* Hehe. But I have seen such gorgeous photos of the pool view and the not quite so visible ocean from the ocean view rooms, that I think we will be very happy with pool view.

That said, I think our next highest priority would be "closest walking distance to the hot tubs"! Any help in putting in requests for that? Like, is first floor good, and if so, which building? Thanks for any help!

We said the exact same thing to ourselves about ocean view, but after our stay, I wouldn't do it again. It was a waste of points for us, but like I said earlier, I think the positioning of the Ewa Tower is better for an ocean view than the Waianae Tower.
As for hot tubs, there are three (technically 4, counting the double one) and they are spread out all over the pool area. There is one close to the lobby of the hotel, one behind the mountain on the west side (a waterfall from the mountain spills down into this hot tub) and the double-decker one that is in the far back (west side) of the pool area: this is the coolest-looking one, the most crowded one, and the best choice for a sunset view.

 

[DenLo]

I'm surprised that the CM's at Aulani, the guides and MS are giving out conflicting information on Aulani's views. Unlike the other DVC resorts, Aulani's POS is very specific as to the view for each room number. Wdrl has a thread with details about Aulani's views on the DVC News forum. http://dvcnews.com/forum/showthread.php?6530-Aulani-Rooms-and-Views-Phase-1-amp-2-UPDATED

 

[ToodlesRN]

I did it, booked our trip for May with a poolside view and wait listed for Island view as I need the extra points for another Disneyland trip!! So excited now!

 

[spleen]

I did it, booked our trip for May with a poolside view and wait listed for Island view as I need the extra points for another Disneyland trip!! So excited now!

Congrats! I'm sure you'll have a great time!

 

[kjd469]

I am at Aulani right now in an OV studio in the Wainae tower on the 10th floor...I would classify it as "Marriott view". I think calling it an OV is a bit of a stretch and would definitely not waste the extra points in the future. We have a great view of the Marriott hotel and it's parking structure with the ocean way off in the distance.

 

[lilpooh108]

I am at Aulani right now in an OV studio in the Wainae tower on the 10th floor...I would classify it as "Marriott view". I think calling it an OV is a bit of a stretch and would definitely not waste the extra points in the future. We have a great view of the Marriott hotel and it's parking structure with the ocean way off in the distance.

I'm curious...what part of the pool area are you directly over so that you can see the Marriott & the parking stucture? The menehune bridge area or closer to the lagoon?

 

[aymekae]

Thanks for all the help. I submitted a request for a PV Studio for 9 nights next November! I have spent the last 2 weeks dreaming of Hawai'i and Aulani. I'm sure I will spend the next 10 months doing the same!

 

[taaren]

I am at Aulani right now in an OV studio in the Wainae tower on the 10th floor...I would classify it as "Marriott view". I think calling it an OV is a bit of a stretch and would definitely not waste the extra points in the future. We have a great view of the Marriott hotel and it's parking structure with the ocean way off in the distance.

I guess that means you're in the Waianae tower facing Waianae if you're facing the Marriott since the J.W. is essentially north of the Aulani buildings. (On the outside of the Aulani "V" rather than the inside?) If you have a pool-oriented Ocean view from the Waianae tower you shouldn't be able to see either the Marriott or parking structure at all. You may want to write in to MS with some pictures of the view to tell them that room needs to be reclassified ... I'd feel cheated on the view if I was expecting the inside of the V ocean view and got the view I'm thinking you have ; Sounds like "Island View" needs to be a larger category if all those rooms on the upper floors on the outside of the V are classified as "Ocean View" ...

 

[kjd469]

I guess that means you're in the Waianae tower facing Waianae if you're facing the Marriott since the J.W. is essentially north of the Aulani buildings. (On the outside of the Aulani "V" rather than the inside?) If you have a pool-oriented Ocean view from the Waianae tower you shouldn't be able to see either the Marriott or parking structure at all. You may want to write in to MS with some pictures of the view to tell them that room needs to be reclassified ... I'd feel cheated on the view if I was expecting the inside of the V ocean view and got the view I'm thinking you have ; Sounds like "Island View" needs to be a larger category if all those rooms on the upper floors on the outside of the V are classified as "Ocean View" ...

I would definitely categorize it as Island view rather than ocean view and will definitely be sending member services a letter with pictures. We have an angled balcony that if we look to the left we see nothing but Marriott, right we see the other part of the Waianae tower(the hotel rooms I think) and looking straight out we see the Marriott's parking structure with the ocean way past that in the far distance. Also the road into the Marriott is directly below our room and is quite noisy with delivery trucks, etc. Just really not what we thought Ocean View would be....next time I will choose Pool view to get the ocean and the nicer views it offers.

 

[spleen]

I think technically, if you can see the ocean from the balcony, it's considered an ocean view even if the majority of the view is taken up by something else (like a neighboring hotel for instance). This is in general the same classification that most hotels in Hawaii use ...

 

[DisneyMomJen]

I am at Aulani right now in an OV studio in the Wainae tower on the 10th floor...I would classify it as "Marriott view". I think calling it an OV is a bit of a stretch and would definitely not waste the extra points in the future. We have a great view of the Marriott hotel and it's parking structure with the ocean way off in the distance.

We were there in August for the opening of Aulani staying in a 2 bedroom oceanview. This is the exact view we had - the Marriott next door. You had to look all the way to the side to see the ocean. I would not book an ocean view in the future.

 

[AZMermaid]

Did anyone have noise issues with the pool view rooms?

 

[spleen]

We were in a 3rd floor (lobby level) pool view villa and there was some noise from the pool area with the balcony doors open. With them closed, it was silent.

 

[CarolynK]

We were in a 3rd floor (lobby level) pool view villa and there was some noise from the pool area with the balcony doors open. With them closed, it was silent.

Same here. Our villa looked out over the kiddie play area of the pool on the 7th floor. The doors really insulate well.
Also, I was surprised to see that the balcony doors have screens

 

[spleen]

Same here. Our villa looked out over the kiddie play area of the pool on the 7th floor. The doors really insulate well.
Also, I was surprised to see that the balcony doors have screens

This is Hawaii - we need the screen doors on the lanai to let the trade winds in and to keep the bugs out.