Beach Casabella, is it worth it?

[carsonsdmom]

Headed to Aulani in October with our 10yr old and we plan to spend a lot of time on the beach. Curious is the beach casabellas are worth it? The pics I’ve seen seem like the casabellas are set back a little from the sand/shore. We are hoping to be close to the sand and water so we can watch our son play and swim. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

[vikequeen]

It was for us. We liked having a place out of the sand and sun with a little more space than the jammed together beach chairs. But worth it is always relative. When we were there, it was day off rental, and you had to line up early to ensure availability. They would sell out. it was spring break. And the beach is so busy, you really can't keep eyes on kids all the time from those chairs if they are at water edge. so depends on your comfort level with that.

 

[carsonsdmom]

It was for us. We liked having a place out of the sand and sun with a little more space than the jammed together beach chairs. But worth it is always relative. When we were there, it was day off rental, and you had to line up early to ensure availability. They would sell out. it was spring break. And the beach is so busy, you really can't keep eyes on kids all the time from those chairs if they are at water edge. so depends on your comfort level with that.

So am I correct in that they were further back from the shore than the regular beach chairs?

 

[southerngirl528]

Aloha Carsonsdmom! For my DH and I the casabellas are great! Neither of us really tan and have had run in's with skin cancers, so our way of still enjoying the beach is to rent a casabella or cabana and stay in the shade!

We have stayed at Aulani multiple times, mostly in Jan or Feb, but a couple of times in September and the beach/lagoon area was never super busy during our stays. During times when school is out I'm sure it is busier though.

There are rows of beach chairs and casabellas. I would suggest grabbing one early so that you have your choice of location. Happy planning!

 

[vikequeen]

I guess it depends on when you go . . the beach has always been pretty busy when we were there. But again, peak spring break time. Yes, they are just behind the beach chairs on a row of grass at the back of the lagoon. If you google "aulani beach casabella" you get a bunch of images that will show you where they are. But some of those photos were not very realistic about how busy the beach is, in my experience.

 

[nkereina]

IMO, no they are not worth it. They are not on the beach but on the grass at the back of the beach. So all the chairs and umbrellas that are free would be between you and the lagoon, making it very difficult to keep an eye on kids on the water. The lagoon has a drop-off so keeping an eye on kids there is important. When we were there in September, there were ample free beach chairs and umbrellas available all day every day. They don't have the same demand as the pool chairs do, so you should have no issue getting beach chairs for free.

In addition, the casabellas to us ended up just being padded loungers which were not worth the money. We didn't need the reserved seating due to all the chair availability, the servers were no more frequent at the casabellas, and then once the sun moved later in the day, it was shining directly in our casabella and the awning no longer shaded us. I had to sit up in the chair and drape towels over my legs to stay shaded. It was not comfortable.

If you decide you want to try it, they can only be booked day-of and almost all of them were available every day we were there so you should have no issue booking one.

 

[kyton]

I'm in the same thought process as Nkereina. We have 3 kids - currently aged 13, 11 and 8 - we prefer to be under an umbrella in either the 1st or 2nd row. That way we can watch the kids swimming and playing at all times. We tend to get 3 lounges under 2 umbrellas as our daughter will also come back and laze around with us reading her kindle.

 

[carsonsdmom]

IMO, no they are not worth it. They are not on the beach but on the grass at the back of the beach. So all the chairs and umbrellas that are free would be between you and the lagoon, making it very difficult to keep an eye on kids on the water. The lagoon has a drop-off so keeping an eye on kids there is important. When we were there in September, there were ample free beach chairs and umbrellas available all day every day. They don't have the same demand as the pool chairs do, so you should have no issue getting beach chairs for free.

In addition, the casabellas to us ended up just being padded loungers which were not worth the money. We didn't need the reserved seating due to all the chair availability, the servers were no more frequent at the casabellas, and then once the sun moved later in the day, it was shining directly in our casabella and the awning no longer shaded us. I had to sit up in the chair and drape towels over my legs to stay shaded. It was not comfortable.

If you decide you want to try it, they can only be booked day-of and almost all of them were available every day we were there so you should have no issue booking one.

Thank you! This was helpful.

 

[carsonsdmom]

I'm in the same thought process as Nkereina. We have 3 kids - currently aged 13, 11 and 8 - we prefer to be under an umbrella in either the 1st or 2nd row. That way we can watch the kids swimming and playing at all times. We tend to get 3 lounges under 2 umbrellas as our daughter will also come back and laze around with us reading her kindle.

13, 11, and 8... curious if the 11 yr old did anything at Aunties and anything that the 11/13yr olds considered an absolute “must do”

 

[kyton]

13, 11, and 8... curious if the 11 yr old did anything at Aunties and anything that the 11/13yr olds considered an absolute “must do”

Nope - our kids refuse point blank to go to Aunty's. They went years and years ago but on every subsequent visit, it's a no. My kids will swim until they grow gills LOL so we are at the lagoon all morning followed by the pools after lunch.

 

[carsonsdmom]

Nope - our kids refuse point blank to go to Aunty's. They went years and years ago but on every subsequent visit, it's a no. My kids will swim until they grow gills LOL so we are at the lagoon all morning followed by the pools after lunch.

That’s my son too! Just curious as he’s an animal freak and I thought the feeding the fish thing sounded cool but wasn’t sure if it was too young. Last question Any suggestion for “perfect” place to setup by the pool for optimal use of waterslides and lazy river?

 

[carsonsdmom]

Aloha Carsonsdmom! For my DH and I the casabellas are great! Neither of us really tan and have had run in's with skin cancers, so our way of still enjoying the beach is to rent a casabella or cabana and stay in the shade!

We have stayed at Aulani multiple times, mostly in Jan or Feb, but a couple of times in September and the beach/lagoon area was never super busy during our stays. During times when school is out I'm sure it is busier though.

There are rows of beach chairs and casabellas. I would suggest grabbing one early so that you have your choice of location. Happy planning!

Thank you so much!

 

[kyton]

Because we have lazed down by the lagoon, my husband and I tend to set up camp at the outer tables and chairs by Off The Hook. That way we are right in between the dark slide and the big pool whilst the lazy river is close enough to walk over and look at if they aren't back by a certain time. We usually have a late lunch from Off The Hook and a drink or two.

 

[vikequeen]

Nope - our kids refuse point blank to go to Aunty's. They went years and years ago but on every subsequent visit, it's a no. My kids will swim until they grow gills LOL so we are at the lagoon all morning followed by the pools after lunch.

my boys were 11 and 13 on our last visit. They have outgrown auntys. nothing there for them anymore.