Pictures of Aulani at Ko'Olina, Ohau, Hawaii

[TLPL]

Thanks, looks like they are topping out.

They did! last week!

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/hawaii--ko-olina-resorts-175/1233-aulani-topped-off

 

[dianeschlicht]

Daddio, I have said all along that I disliked the location. We drove up that way the last day of our last Hawaii trip. That was before DVC was an hope anounced there. I wanted to get a look at the much touted Ko"Olina area. I was disappointed then, and I still am not happy that is where DVC decided to make it's first Hawaiian resort. I can only hope they build another on one of the other islands.

 

[Daddio]

Daddio, I have said all along that I disliked the location. We drove up that way the last day of our last Hawaii trip. That was before DVC was an hope anounced there. I wanted to get a look at the much touted Ko"Olina area. I was disappointed then, and I still am not happy that is where DVC decided to make it's first Hawaiian resort. I can only hope they build another on one of the other islands.

It is a bit disappointing to drive by baren land, industrial land and (what appears to be) oil storage tanks. Once inside the resort, it is completely different.

For those that need excitement, I am not sure this is the place to be. Especially without a car. Even with a car, there isn't much in the area. For nature lovers, Hawaii can't be beat. There are enough tours, trails and hiking areas to keep you busy for weeks. I suspect that the pool chairs will be the focus of attention as the resort gets into full swing. I am guessing you'll have to be up by 5AM local time in order to secure one

If only there was a casino.... YA!

David

 

[rparmfamily]

You will definately need a car for this location IMHO. Of course, you always need a car in HI. There are not hiking trails, or kayaking,etc close, you can't be out in the open ocean in that area (too dangerous) The North Shore isn't too far a drive, and there is a lot of neat things to do up there.

Disney of course can't control you driving past an industrial part, same goes for going to Disney in Orlando LOL. It is the industrial/agrigultural part of the island and one of the last areas of development. Did you get off in Kapolei and look around? Nice area. The waterpark is right there (Wet and Wild Hawaii) but most other "tourist" things are a little bit of a drive.

I think this property is trying to aim for the "stay here and relax" vacation idea.

Here are pictures on my blog of the next lagoon over. Disney's looks the same. There are 4 lagoons, all open to the public, though parking is very limited.
http://sparm.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-post.html
If you click on a picture, it enlarges.

 

[itsreally4mommy]

If there's something Disney knows how to do well, it's landscaping. I have no doubt once all the construction is done, they will fill it in quite nicely.

 

[rparmfamily]

Check out the pics of the lagoons in my blog. I think Disney will have no issues making this fantastic. I think the others are complaining/concerned about the drive out there (it's on the far west coast of the island, thru a dry/desert/agricultural/somewhat industrial part of the island.) The property itself is gorgeous.

 

[disneygal55]

We were in Ko Olina about three years ago. My DH's employer sent us to Hawaii (all expenses paid) as a bonus for his being their top salesman for many years. Although I was a bit disappointed by the surroundings on the drive down ( I expected Hawaii to be ALL swaying palm trees, ocean vistas and thatched huts(LOL)...not highways and industrial buildings), I quickly recovered once we reached our destination. We stayed at the J.W. Marriott, which is next to the Disney site. It was so beautiful and both the lagoon views and the mountain views were spectacular. We did have a car and drove to Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, and to the Turtle Beach Resort area. We some some gorgeous ocean vistas and pretty much explored the island. There's the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center if you want more touristy things. We can't wait to go back and can't believe that Disney chose the same site where we once stayed...this was before we even thought of owning DVC.

 

[KyCruisinSusan]

yes. It is on the beach.... and it has walls and windows and plants and grass too. Not showing on these pictures doesn't mean it doesn't exisit!

 

[nikkistevej]

I'm sure Disney will do it right- I cannot wait to go.

 

[rparmfamily]

We were in Ko Olina about three years ago. My DH's employer sent us to Hawaii (all expenses paid) as a bonus for his being their top salesman for many years. Although I was a bit disappointed by the surroundings on the drive down ( I expected Hawaii to be ALL swaying palm trees, ocean vistas and thatched huts(LOL)...not highways and industrial buildings), I quickly recovered once we reached our destination. We stayed at the J.W. Marriott, which is next to the Disney site. It was so beautiful and both the lagoon views and the mountain views were spectacular. We did have a car and drove to Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, and to the Turtle Beach Resort area. We some some gorgeous ocean vistas and pretty much explored the island. There's the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center if you want more touristy things. We can't wait to go back and can't believe that Disney chose the same site where we once stayed...this was before we even thought of owning DVC.

I think that is a shock for most people coming to O'ahu...forgetting that nearly 1 million people live on this TINY island!! I don't know who decided we'd all live on one of the smallest ones in the chain LOL The other islands aren't anywhere like O'ahu in terms of devopment and population. And Big Island is downright...big LOL!

 

[tbay]

thanks so much for posting the pictures
we have stayed at the marriott and enjoy the area
I can't wait till it is completed looking forward to visiting:

 

[dianeschlicht]

It is a bit disappointing to drive by baren land, industrial land and (what appears to be) oil storage tanks. Once inside the resort, it is completely different.

For those that need excitement, I am not sure this is the place to be. Especially without a car. Even with a car, there isn't much in the area. For nature lovers, Hawaii can't be beat. There are enough tours, trails and hiking areas to keep you busy for weeks. I suspect that the pool chairs will be the focus of attention as the resort gets into full swing. I am guessing you'll have to be up by 5AM local time in order to secure one

If only there was a casino.... YA!

David

Sorry my post you quoted was so messed up. Evidently as I was typing something "jumped", and I had a couple of sentences get mixed in together. I guess you got the "gist" of my post anyway.

I think the idea that the best thing to do there is to get a pool chair is probably one of the reasons I'm not likely to visit this one much if at all. We usually go, go, go when we are in Hawaii, and we aren't beach or pool people. I thought we MIGHT use it for our first couple or last couple of nights of a trip though. We usually spend the first night and the last couple of nights on Oahu when we go to Hawaii. It helps us ease into the time difference at the begining and reaclimate to a busier schedule before heading back home. Unfortunately, it's remote enough from the things we like to do on Oahu, that now I'm not so sure we will do that after all.

By the way...I have never thought there was ANY are of Hawaii that I would consider unsafe. Well, unless it's from not watching your footing on a path or hike!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think that is a shock for most people coming to O'ahu...forgetting that nearly 1 million people live on this TINY island!! I don't know who decided we'd all live on one of the smallest ones in the chain LOL The other islands aren't anywhere like O'ahu in terms of devopment and population. And Big Island is downright...big LOL!

Agreed, and that is why I was so disappointed that they chose this site or even Oahu for that matter. To me the outer islands are more of what I go to Hawaii for.

 

[Sammie]

The area is perfectly safe. The major shopping area near Ko'Olina is Kapolei and that's a nice place to live and shop/eat. Brand new theaters, Target, Costco, and a new huge mall is in the works. The resort is quite a drive to Honolulu, so don't stay there if you plan on hanging out in Waikiki.

The resort is on a manmade lagoon that is on the ocean. The view is spectacular and the sunsets are amazing. The Ko'Olina resort area is gorgeous, lush and green. There is a Roy's there and Paradise Cove Luau as well (very popular.)

I live in central O'ahu and don't find any of those areas unsafe at all. I live by Pearl Harbor and regularly go to Ko'Olina and the surrounding areas.

Just a few miles and several minutes north of the beautiful Ko Olina Resort on Oahu's Leeward Coast you will find the other side of paradise. There, on sixteen miles of beaches and beach parks stretching beneath the Waianae Mountains, you'll find the tents, wooden containers, vans and simple overhangs that are the residences of many of Oahu's homeless population which, by some estimates, numbers over 4,000.

Does this situation still exist, or have they provided homes for these people?

Or is this area not near the Disney development?

http://www.beachaccesshawaii.org/2009/05/beach-access-at-ko-olina-resort.html

 

[bookwormde]

I am still hoping that have an equivelent of ME from the airport and ferry (and of course a nice disney film about the resort to look at instead of the oil tanks).

bookwormde

 

[rparmfamily]

Does this situation still exist, or have they provided homes for these people?

Or is this area not near the Disney development?

http://www.beachaccesshawaii.org/2009/05/beach-access-at-ko-olina-resort.html

Being that I go to Waianae, and am a regular old haole, I don't feel unsafe. Yes, there are lots of homeless on O'ahu. On all islands. I was just up Farington Hwy about 2 weeks ago going to Yokohama Bay (at the end of Farington Hwy) and I don't think there are 4K out there homeless but there are "tent" cities in that area. But the majority of the homeless are in that area because many are native hawaiians and that is where the concentration of native hawaiians are. And like many native communities in our fair country, they have their share of problems related to having their land taken from them,etc.

Though I'm not sure what your point is? Are you assuming that because there are homeless or people living on the beach (which happens all over the islands, you've been to Waikiki, and near the airport, right?) that it's unsafe? The rent on our own townhome is $2400 and I live by the airport AND homeless, so as you can imagine, if you are poor your options homes are slim pickings. You either make money and can afford rent or you don't. Very sad situation, as many out in those tent communities are famlies or older people who just can't afford a place to live. And no, no one has provided for them yet. Things happen slowly here in the islands I guess.


The link was about someone complaining about parking at Ko'Olina. Everyone knows you have to get there early to get a spot...and 3 lagoons do have 8 parking stalls but the last one (where the pics from my blog are) has probably 100. The author also complained about the beaches in Kapolei having homeles, but I've never heard of Kapolei beaches.

 

[ems_mom]

Sorry my post you quoted was so messed up. Evidently as I was typing something "jumped", and I had a couple of sentences get mixed in together. I guess you got the "gist" of my post anyway.

I think the idea that the best thing to do there is to get a pool chair is probably one of the reasons I'm not likely to visit this one much if at all. We usually go, go, go when we are in Hawaii, and we aren't beach or pool people. I thought we MIGHT use it for our first couple or last couple of nights of a trip though. We usually spend the first night and the last couple of nights on Oahu when we go to Hawaii. It helps us ease into the time difference at the begining and reaclimate to a busier schedule before heading back home. Unfortunately, it's remote enough from the things we like to do on Oahu, that now I'm not so sure we will do that after all.

By the way...I have never thought there was ANY are of Hawaii that I would consider unsafe. Well, unless it's from not watching your footing on a path or hike!

I just have to say I can't believe anyone flies to HI from the mainland (we come from Baltimore, MD) and doesn't go to the beach! We have a beach house in OC, MD; but what a difference! We love the beaches in Hawaii. We have only been to Oahu, Maui and Kauai but hope to get to all the islands. We have been to all the historical sites we could fit in, including the Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, the Bishop home, the Baldwin house in Lahaina, and Koloa town in Kauai. We also walked through many tropical gardens, some with guides and some self-guided.

My point is that there is a lot more to Hawaii than the beach, but the beach is one of a kind and unforgettable. My husband is a surfer and we spend at least a couple of days driving around the island (Oahu or Kauai) just checking out the surf. Even when the waves are bad, the views are incredible!