DVC Dude
Disney World Rocks!
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2006
- Messages
- 763
I made a reservation for a friend that is currently at DVC Aulani and sent me this e-mail.
Location
The Ko'Olina area is very separated from the freeway/major roads--unlike Vero Beach which is close to A1A. The sidewalks are relaxing and streets surrounding the hotel are easy to cross and beautifully landscaped. You can see the Marriott properties on either side of the hotel from various locations but it doesn't interfere with the beauty. The surrounding area is similar to Vero, high end town houses and homes. Except try to picture hills and quiet roads.
Opposite of Vero, you see the sunset, instead of the sunrise--a nice balance, right? Although each morning they have a ceremony to greet the sun. The resort is on the dry side of Oahu--much kess humid than Orlando. The weather has been fabulous which is odd because every time I look at weather.com it says 80% chance of rain and cloudy and I look out and it is sunny and dry. I can tell it has rained a couple of times when I go out and look at the pavement but I've missed it (except for the light shower when I was at Target). And the rain is really light feeling so everyone stays out anyway.
Lobby
The lobby is pretty breathtaking. Subtle Hawaiian music and sounds of water everywhere. I love walking into Wilderness or Animal Kingdom but this takes the cake! All party members are greeted with leis (or Keiki necklaces for children), fresh water and such welcoming customer service. All open air lobby, great height like AKL and WL and then you walk in and see open windows inviting you to large decks overlooking the pool areas and ocean. One thing I really like about the resort is the comfortable outdoor furniture. It blurs the lines between the recreation areas and the bars/restaurants. And very comfortable. Palm trees and vegetation everywhere. They must have worked hard to preserve existing vegetation when doing construction.
Pools and Beaches
There is a lovely adult pool and two main swimming pools. A lot of thought went into accommodating disabilities as well. Because the adults also have a large infinity edge whirlpool that overlooks the ocean, the children are accommodated by an infinity edge swimming pool and nearby whirlpool in a "grotto" that lights up with stars at night. There is a lazy river with a few surprises (mostly water and menehune) to greet you along the way. Two main water slides and the splash zone areas accommodate different age groups. Three or four whirlpools as well.
The beach area is in a cove that is shared by the other resorts. I hardly see anyone from the other resorts out there. The water breaks before reaching the cove so I miss the Vero type waves a little but it is a safe play area and beach for kids. The beach is sandy like Vero, but very few shells--good for sand castles though. The cove is great for snorkeling (sea turtles, stingray, lots of colorful fish). We went to Honolulu and the Waikiki beaches are powdery in comparison but so incredibly crowded. No desire to stay there compared to here.
Rooms
Very similar in feel to AKL but with a little lighter in decor. They have heavy pocket doors in the bathrooms. All of the usual villa amenities (plates, pans) but also accommodating Asian cooking (chopsticks etc.). There is music and playful noise on the poolside. And #585 overlooks Aunties and the Starlit Hui so there are entertainment sounds everywhere but off by 9:30-10. You can see the ocean from the 2BR villa #585 quite well even though it is not ocean view. I can also see the ocean from the Studio in #572. I think most rooms 5th floor and above would be able to. There is a great thread on disboards regarding room views where people have posted views from each room. All of the women in our party love the bathroom spa-like design and bath products.
Restaurants
I would say the food here is similar to the high end Disney restaurants. There is a lot of variety--the Makahiki breakfast would rival the Boma buffet. I like that the chefs are available and encouraging you to try different things. The food reflects Hawaiian and Asian cuisine as well. Fried rice for breakfast! The Olelo is a nice bar but smaller than I pictured. Both bars host live entertainment each night which is nice. The Ama Ama is lovely and overlooks the ocean. Perfect for a sunset meal. The have two drink stations in the pool area but none in the hotel--encourages a short walk
. The shaved ice is fantastic. People rave about the shaved ice in Haleiwa on the North Shore but I thought Disney shaved ice was much better.
There is a great restaurant across the street called MonkeyPod. Fresh ingredients emphasized and enough variety to satisfy even my niece who only eats ramen. Ha ha. There are some nice grilling areas here as well. If staying in a studio, it would be a great option for food preparation.
Other thoughts
I imagine many people who come here never leave the resort. Even though Aunties provides free child care and a stellar facility with plenty to keep kids occupied, it is hard for parents to get them to go because the water areas are so inviting. This resort draws many Japanese and local families as well. The kids have enjoyed trying to learn a few Japenese and Hawaiian words.
They have photo pass here. The photographers blend into the background and can take photos everywhere--even underwater. The CD is $99 and we plan to combine all of our cards.
There is a daily itinerary but I like that there are also a lot of other activities you can just drop in on (like making leis). Everything is designed to promote relaxation. They have a cute Kim Possible type game here which the kids want to play over and over. The device interacts with different features around the hotel--a high tech scavenger hunt. The Starlit Hui event is almost as powerful as seeing the Lion King show for the first time at Disney World.
As Disney would say "Make your reservation today!"
Thanks for making our vacation possible!
Location
The Ko'Olina area is very separated from the freeway/major roads--unlike Vero Beach which is close to A1A. The sidewalks are relaxing and streets surrounding the hotel are easy to cross and beautifully landscaped. You can see the Marriott properties on either side of the hotel from various locations but it doesn't interfere with the beauty. The surrounding area is similar to Vero, high end town houses and homes. Except try to picture hills and quiet roads.
Opposite of Vero, you see the sunset, instead of the sunrise--a nice balance, right? Although each morning they have a ceremony to greet the sun. The resort is on the dry side of Oahu--much kess humid than Orlando. The weather has been fabulous which is odd because every time I look at weather.com it says 80% chance of rain and cloudy and I look out and it is sunny and dry. I can tell it has rained a couple of times when I go out and look at the pavement but I've missed it (except for the light shower when I was at Target). And the rain is really light feeling so everyone stays out anyway.
Lobby
The lobby is pretty breathtaking. Subtle Hawaiian music and sounds of water everywhere. I love walking into Wilderness or Animal Kingdom but this takes the cake! All party members are greeted with leis (or Keiki necklaces for children), fresh water and such welcoming customer service. All open air lobby, great height like AKL and WL and then you walk in and see open windows inviting you to large decks overlooking the pool areas and ocean. One thing I really like about the resort is the comfortable outdoor furniture. It blurs the lines between the recreation areas and the bars/restaurants. And very comfortable. Palm trees and vegetation everywhere. They must have worked hard to preserve existing vegetation when doing construction.
Pools and Beaches
There is a lovely adult pool and two main swimming pools. A lot of thought went into accommodating disabilities as well. Because the adults also have a large infinity edge whirlpool that overlooks the ocean, the children are accommodated by an infinity edge swimming pool and nearby whirlpool in a "grotto" that lights up with stars at night. There is a lazy river with a few surprises (mostly water and menehune) to greet you along the way. Two main water slides and the splash zone areas accommodate different age groups. Three or four whirlpools as well.
The beach area is in a cove that is shared by the other resorts. I hardly see anyone from the other resorts out there. The water breaks before reaching the cove so I miss the Vero type waves a little but it is a safe play area and beach for kids. The beach is sandy like Vero, but very few shells--good for sand castles though. The cove is great for snorkeling (sea turtles, stingray, lots of colorful fish). We went to Honolulu and the Waikiki beaches are powdery in comparison but so incredibly crowded. No desire to stay there compared to here.
Rooms
Very similar in feel to AKL but with a little lighter in decor. They have heavy pocket doors in the bathrooms. All of the usual villa amenities (plates, pans) but also accommodating Asian cooking (chopsticks etc.). There is music and playful noise on the poolside. And #585 overlooks Aunties and the Starlit Hui so there are entertainment sounds everywhere but off by 9:30-10. You can see the ocean from the 2BR villa #585 quite well even though it is not ocean view. I can also see the ocean from the Studio in #572. I think most rooms 5th floor and above would be able to. There is a great thread on disboards regarding room views where people have posted views from each room. All of the women in our party love the bathroom spa-like design and bath products.
Restaurants
I would say the food here is similar to the high end Disney restaurants. There is a lot of variety--the Makahiki breakfast would rival the Boma buffet. I like that the chefs are available and encouraging you to try different things. The food reflects Hawaiian and Asian cuisine as well. Fried rice for breakfast! The Olelo is a nice bar but smaller than I pictured. Both bars host live entertainment each night which is nice. The Ama Ama is lovely and overlooks the ocean. Perfect for a sunset meal. The have two drink stations in the pool area but none in the hotel--encourages a short walk
. The shaved ice is fantastic. People rave about the shaved ice in Haleiwa on the North Shore but I thought Disney shaved ice was much better. There is a great restaurant across the street called MonkeyPod. Fresh ingredients emphasized and enough variety to satisfy even my niece who only eats ramen. Ha ha. There are some nice grilling areas here as well. If staying in a studio, it would be a great option for food preparation.
Other thoughts
I imagine many people who come here never leave the resort. Even though Aunties provides free child care and a stellar facility with plenty to keep kids occupied, it is hard for parents to get them to go because the water areas are so inviting. This resort draws many Japanese and local families as well. The kids have enjoyed trying to learn a few Japenese and Hawaiian words.
They have photo pass here. The photographers blend into the background and can take photos everywhere--even underwater. The CD is $99 and we plan to combine all of our cards.
There is a daily itinerary but I like that there are also a lot of other activities you can just drop in on (like making leis). Everything is designed to promote relaxation. They have a cute Kim Possible type game here which the kids want to play over and over. The device interacts with different features around the hotel--a high tech scavenger hunt. The Starlit Hui event is almost as powerful as seeing the Lion King show for the first time at Disney World.
As Disney would say "Make your reservation today!"
Thanks for making our vacation possible!
