Aulani without kids

[Neverland_Girl]

My boyfriend and I are considering a trip to Hawaii in December and we're thinking about doing a couple of nights at Aulani. Is there enough for two 22 year olds without kids to do? I love Disney and kids so I don't mind the Disney feel and being surrounded by kids, but we don't necessarily care to do character breakfasts and that stuff. I've heard it's kind of secluded from the rest of the island. We aren't big beach people so being close to the beach isn't a must for us. Thanks for the future input!

 

[alldiz]

I think you would be more than fine for a few nights. Some nice meals at Ama Ama, Spa, adult pool area. Take a trip to North shore and maybe Kaulua? ranch. A luao.
Plenty to keep busy for a few nights I think.
From what I hear Hawaii(all islands) as a whole is pretty slow paced not much nightlife. Waikiki area seems to have the most action.
Happy planning
Kerri

 

[TagsMissy]

We did a 8 night trip as 2 adults a while back and we're returning later this year for a 10 night trip, just two adults. Plenty to do on the island and I like the fact that the resort is away from the hustle and bustle.

 

[KBinCO]

when we went, it seemed most didn't have kids. If you're going around Christmas, it may be swarming with kids but if you go earlier in December, there may not be as many kids. I think I would enjoy it without kids and I'm not even a big Disney person.

 

[pepperandchips]

If you look on these boards you can find several good TRs by ladies who traveled to Aulani with their husbands and no children. Specifically I can think of @nkereina and @Vernie822 as well as a very good report I read by a Diser who went with her parents and aunt, but I can't remember her username right now. Also check out Disney Tourist Blog and the Dreams Unlimited podcasts about Aulani. Tom on the DTB doesn't have kids and on the Dreams podcasts there is both a perspective from Tracey who brought her niece as well as Kevin & John who travel as a couple. It seems there are a lot of folks planning couples trips on this sub forum, many more than I see on the WDW or DL forums.

If it were me, I wouldn't frame your decision about your situation being kids or no kids, just whether the expense of staying at a Disney (read: ultra luxury prices with not necessarily ultra luxury rooms or service) beach resort is worth it for you. It sounds like you might be better served in another area of Oahu if you're not interested in the amenities at Ko Olina, and the Disney character meals and kids programs aren't high on your priority list. You could always visit Aulani to eat at Ama Ama or get a spa treatment. We are just a few years older and no kids, and we wouldn't be staying at Aulani if it weren't for DVC points - I'd never pay the cash prices to stay at Aulani when there are so many other great options that meet our needs at similar or lower costs. (For example, the St. Regis in Princeville Kauai is comparable with Aulani and it's a daggone beachfront ST REGIS)

 

[nkereina]

Thanks for the mention @pepperandchips !

OP, DH and I spent part of our honeymoon at Aulani. We don't have kids. My trip report is in my signature, the Aulani portion was at the end of our trip.

If you guys are Disney fanatics like us, then you know that Disney caters to everyone. We never felt like the resort was geared towards kids and families. We did do the character breakfast but only to try the buffet at breakfast – we didn’t bother meeting or taking photos at the buffet. We loved the lazy river, enjoyed the spa, spent a lot of time in the lagoon and on the beach. We loved the places across the street from Aulani and visited the Marriott down the road. We did have a rental car which I would recommend because we were able to spend a day at Kualoa Ranch/Kailua and another day at the North Shore. But with your ages, a rental car may not be feasible, so I would say to budget for some of the excursions Aulani offers. Although we loved the resort, I don’t think we would have liked spending every single day of our week there. Sightseeing in between resort days broke it up and allowed us to see the island as well.

 

[CalifLynn]

I just got back and it was DH and our 15 year old DD in our group. I would never go with just DH and me. While we did love the spa, the rooms were just so so compared to some other resorts we've stayed at on Hawaii.

My DD is a huge Disney fan and that's why we stayed there and she didn't feel there was enough Disney to be worth the prices we paid. Loved the lazy river and water slide, but felt too cramped and surrounded by strollers at the pool to really relax.

 

[Elima2015]

To be totally honest, I don't think my DH and I would have enjoyed Aulani as a young 20's couple. Not being in the kid-stage yet, I think I would have felt a little frustrated dodging strollers, toddlers who stop right in the middle of the pathways to look at bugs, and the tired preschooler who collapses in tears in the middle of Ulu (this was us last month...) for the amount of money it costs to stay at Aulani. It IS beautiful and they have great activitiy offerings in the Pau Hauna room. If sitting at the beach isn't your favorite, then I'd probably save the money and stay some where that costs a bit less and is closer to the other great things Oahu has to offer.

If you are interested in seeing Aulani, I would make reservations at Ama Ama for a meal. All that said, if you decide to go, I think you will have a great time. Relax, do the Pau Hauna activities, hang out at the adult pool, book a spa treatment, go for a walk around Ko Olina, head over to Monkeypod, have breakfast or a sunset dinner at Ama Ama. Plenty to do for 2 days. So now I'm talking myself into going sans kids.

 

[keaster]

We are planning to do a couple only trip January 2018, it's what my husband wants for his 50th birthday!

 

[M<3'sMickey]

My husband and I went in August for our honeymoon and stayed at Aulani for a week. I had been there previously with my family (all adult) and had an amazing time that time and an even more amazing time on my honeymoon. On our honeymoon, we were there for longer than you are planning on being there for, but we spent days just hanging out at the resort. We went to the pool, went down to the beach, someone had gifted us a cabana for my bridal shower so one day we relaxed in there (it was on the adult side). The day we were in the cabana, our cabana host spread some Disney magic and gifted us with the day passes to the Rainbow Reef to snorkel. I recommend doing that as well. It was really cool and you can get snorkel equipment to snorkel in the lagoon. The other days we spent at the main pool and all the kids never bothered me, but I'm a teacher so my life is spent around kids day in and day out (the best part was, I didn't have to watch these kids though!). We ate at Ama Ama one night for dinner and as we were sitting there Uncle was telling his stories around the fire pit so we got dinner and entertainment. Another night we went night swimming before everything closed down. We also so the Starlit Hui so if you're there on a night that it's being performed, I recommend going to that too.

The other days we spent doing touristy things - Pearl Harbor, Kualoa Ranch, an all day Oahu tour, etc. We had bought the GoOahu cards through Costco and utilized them to the fullest.

I wouldn't hesitate to go to Aulani as two young people because we had an amazing time. But that's just me!

 

[GeneralTso]

We just did this and it was heavenly!! There is plenty to do, or not do. You can relax as much as you want. Heads up though--the adult pool is pathetic. Really sad.
We had high hopes but it looks like an afterthought. Not nice at all. Just shoved in the corner.

Cabanas near the infinity pool are fantastic.
Romantic dinner at Ama Ama is lovely.
Time walking the beach is exactly what you want. Have fun!

 

[Janrantoo2]

We got the casabellas. I love to watch the ocean but sister has skin issues. I could sun bath a little & come into the shade when I needed a break. The snack shack was right behind us and the cabana boy/girl came around occassionally. It was also quieter at the lagoon and it was nice to take a little nap while tucked under the awning.

 

[lorimay]

We did it, just the 2 of us for 5 nights and it was great. We only ventured off property to see Pearl Harbor. I knew we wouldn't want to leave the property our first visit.
We also rented a casabella and it was great.
Ama Ama is a beautiful romantic dinner, what a view! Breakfast is delicious too.
We spent many hours in the lazy river too. The kids don't bother us at all. It makes us miss our grandkids actually.
You will love it, I have adult kids that are close to your age and I know they would love it.

Enjoy!

 

[StaceyDarling!]

I'm sure this all depends on the type of personalities involved as well as the type of vacation you are looking for. But for instance, I'm 25 and my husband is 27 when we traveled to Aulani for our honeymoon and we had a spectacular time. I don't think we could have picked a better place for us if we tried!

There is plenty to do for adults, adult only pools and infinity edge hot tubs where you can watch the sunset. The beaches are perfect and plenty big enough to be able to shy away from the families (if thats what you are looking for). You can snorkel and paddle board. The spa is HEAVEN. The restaurants are delicious. The resort as a whole is gorgeous! If you are looking for options that has less families or kids then Ama Ama is your best bet. My DH and I are huge Disney fans, and we love kids, so having families with kids around us doesn't bother us one bit. I think there was actually less young children there then I was expecting there to be. Of course, there definitely was children, but never once were we bothered. Not by the pool, or at dinner, or in the lobby or anything.

We loved the adult pool. Although it doesn't have much to it, its in a nice quiet corner of the pool area, and it's never really too crowded. There's a pool side bar as well.

We aren't beach people and we literally went to the beach like 4 times during our 8 day stay. We were really only expecting to go once. But the beach was so beautiful and relaxing that we used it much more then we thought we would. The pools and hot tubs were more so our favorites.

Aulani was a perfect place for a couple. My DH and I would go back in a heartbeat, and we are dying to. There are plenty of things to do for fun, adventure and excitement, as well as romance and relaxation at Aulani for you guys! And just across the road is a group of other restaurants that you can visit. Monkeypod has great food for lunch or dinner. As well as something for night life. Live music, apps, drinks, etc!

 

[OKW Lover]

My boyfriend and I are considering a trip to Hawaii in December and we're thinking about doing a couple of nights at Aulani. Is there enough for two 22 year olds without kids to do?

Aulani is great without kids. We are retired and have been there 3 times so far and haven't gotten tired of it yet.