Just returned from 4 day stay at Aulani. It was on the heels of a 16 day trip "down under" so main purpose was to relax, gain a few time zones and see the new resort.
THE RESORT: My thoughts are much the same as other comments - beautiful, a lot of attention to detail - textures and layers of decor. Since it was just DH and I, and for only 4 days, we stayed in a ocean-view studio. We had a beautiful view of the pool and the ocean - had my coffee on verandah every morning. The studio seems MUCH larger than other DVC studios - especially larger than recent stay at VB, maybe just better layout. Bathroom very large.
FOOD: There is a shopping center at Barbers Point (one exit back toward Honolulu) with Safeway, Target and a few restaurants. We bought a box of cereal, some bananas and a quart of milk for about what a muffin and coffee would cost at resort. Also bought a case of water (although there is free water around everywhere). We ate lunch one day at the pool side - I had a turkey wrap and it was fine, DH liked his (forgot what it was). About $14 each - pricey. We met friends in town for dinner two nights and had them out to Ko Olina for dinner one night - thought Ama Ama was too pricey (entree's = ~ $40 a la carte) and didn't want a $43 buffet so we went over to Chucks at the Marriott vaca club (entrees about $10 less than Ama Ama and include roll, nice salad bar and choice of potato/rice). One night we ate at a small Italian place at Barbers Point (don't remember name). It was very good and very reasonable (Salad ~ $13, Entree ~$19). One day we drove to North Shore and ate at a "hole in the wall" restaurant that was fabulous for about $7 each. The last day we ate at the breakfast buffet ($27 each). The food was good - hot food not as hot as it should have been - but the fruit was very fresh.
OTHER: The lazy river moves VERY slowly. There was a wind the afternoon we were in the river and it actually whirled around between the buildings and blew us backwards. The engineers need to work on a little more umph there. Also, an "adult area" pool would be welcome.
Last comment - we noticed a curious lack of "Disney" or "DVC" other than character appearances at the pool in the afternoon. At other resorts, we have received a "welcome home" call and often an invitation to a DVC reception. We even asked at the DVC room and they agreed that they are very much in the background. Not sure why that is.
THE RESORT: My thoughts are much the same as other comments - beautiful, a lot of attention to detail - textures and layers of decor. Since it was just DH and I, and for only 4 days, we stayed in a ocean-view studio. We had a beautiful view of the pool and the ocean - had my coffee on verandah every morning. The studio seems MUCH larger than other DVC studios - especially larger than recent stay at VB, maybe just better layout. Bathroom very large.
FOOD: There is a shopping center at Barbers Point (one exit back toward Honolulu) with Safeway, Target and a few restaurants. We bought a box of cereal, some bananas and a quart of milk for about what a muffin and coffee would cost at resort. Also bought a case of water (although there is free water around everywhere). We ate lunch one day at the pool side - I had a turkey wrap and it was fine, DH liked his (forgot what it was). About $14 each - pricey. We met friends in town for dinner two nights and had them out to Ko Olina for dinner one night - thought Ama Ama was too pricey (entree's = ~ $40 a la carte) and didn't want a $43 buffet so we went over to Chucks at the Marriott vaca club (entrees about $10 less than Ama Ama and include roll, nice salad bar and choice of potato/rice). One night we ate at a small Italian place at Barbers Point (don't remember name). It was very good and very reasonable (Salad ~ $13, Entree ~$19). One day we drove to North Shore and ate at a "hole in the wall" restaurant that was fabulous for about $7 each. The last day we ate at the breakfast buffet ($27 each). The food was good - hot food not as hot as it should have been - but the fruit was very fresh.
OTHER: The lazy river moves VERY slowly. There was a wind the afternoon we were in the river and it actually whirled around between the buildings and blew us backwards. The engineers need to work on a little more umph there. Also, an "adult area" pool would be welcome.
Last comment - we noticed a curious lack of "Disney" or "DVC" other than character appearances at the pool in the afternoon. At other resorts, we have received a "welcome home" call and often an invitation to a DVC reception. We even asked at the DVC room and they agreed that they are very much in the background. Not sure why that is.
