Some Aulani Disappointments

[mahna2022]

I am a Pooh-sized American, aka a fat guy, and if you don't leave Makahiki TS breakfast feeling absolutely stuffed, with leftovers, then you might want to see a medical professional about a clinically-diagnosable eating disorder.

Nobody is getting short-changed that it's not a buffet.

We did Off the Hook for breakfast. Same Mickey waffles, less money, ocean view. No complaints, which was wonderful since my kids can be complainers.

 

[VGCgroupie]

We did Off the Hook for breakfast. Same Mickey waffles, less money, ocean view. No complaints, which was wonderful since my kids can be complainers.

We considered doing this, but we needed 2 signatures to finish off the surfboard we bought after our 1st breakfast so I jumped at the chance to pay to not have to track them down and stand in line.

Next time we are for sure going to eat there. 5 nights and we still have so many things we didn't get to experience, so happy it's not a one and done resort.

 

[mahna2022]

We considered doing this, but we needed 2 signatures to finish off the surfboard we bought after our 1st breakfast so I jumped at the chance to pay to not have to track them down and stand in line.

Next time we are for sure going to eat there. 5 nights and we still have so many things we didn't get to experience, so happy it's not a one and done resort.

Breakfast and lunch are better than dinner! And they have Mickey Waffles in adult-size portions for adults. Also, the pineapple there was somehow the BEST we had anywhere in Oahu.

The resort is not without its flaws (rooms could use a refurb; I found them a little dark), but we had an amazing time. We were also confused by adults swimming in street clothes? Sweaters, sweatpants, blouses, dresses? I didn't understand this or how it was allowed. If you don't want a "traditional" swimsuit, can't you get a full-body one?

 

[VGCgroupie]

Breakfast and lunch are better than dinner! And they have Mickey Waffles in adult-size portions for adults. Also, the pineapple there was somehow the BEST we had anywhere in Oahu.

The resort is not without its flaws (rooms could use a refurb; I found them a little dark), but we had an amazing time. We were also confused by adults swimming in street clothes? Sweaters, sweatpants, blouses, dresses? I didn't understand this or how it was allowed. If you don't want a "traditional" swimsuit, can't you get a full-body one?

Interesting, haha I saw some full body suit style swim clothes but didn't see anyone in a dress swimming. Maybe next time!

 

[mahna2022]

Our partial ocean view room (which actually had an amazing ocean view) was pin-drop quiet, even with toddlers in rooms on either side. That's a major achievement.

My biggest gripe other than the pushing of my kid, actually, is just that the Dole Whip was too icy. I far prefer Disneyland's, and Magic Kingdom comes in a close second. But I even liked the Dole Plantation Dole Whip better than Aulani's!

As with all hotels, you have to understand what you're getting and what the comparable hotels are. Aulani and the Four Seasons are not apples to apples. Four Seasons is hundreds more per night when comparing room categories. Aulani and the Marriott Vacation Club a couple of lagoons over are way more similar.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

We loved the malasadas at Makahiki

 

[AstroBlasters]

I am a Pooh-sized American, aka a fat guy, and if you don't leave Makahiki TS breakfast feeling absolutely stuffed, with leftovers, then you might want to see a medical professional about a clinically-diagnosable eating disorder.

Nobody is getting short-changed that it's not a buffet.

I agree that the portion sizes are huge and that the quality is quite good.

We can only ever eat half the food and bring the rest up for breakfast the following day.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I also witnessed several adults getting in kids way with zero awareness of their surroundings and acting like they were the only ones who cared about seeing / filming goofy dance at the side of the pool. Although I have seen this behavior from adults at the theme parks also.

Yeah…. I am over the Peter Pan Disney Adults…..

 

[AstroBlasters]

Every other luxury hotel on the island continues to offer a lei greeting, unbelievable people continue to defend this penny-pinching

Whenever I read statements that start with “Every other” or “No other” I know that the following statement is likely to be factually incorrect.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Whenever I read statements that start with “Every other” or “No other” I know that the following statement is likely to be factually incorrect.

And comparing a resort where a high percentage of the rooms have kitchens in them to hotels on the room service complaint is apples vs. oranges.

 

[VandVsmama]

I feel like we should start a support group for mourning of leis.

 

[AstroBlasters]

And comparing a resort where a high percentage of the rooms have kitchens in them to hotels on the room service complaint is apples vs. oranges.

I think that’s a fair point.

The fact that Ama Ama doesn’t serve breakfast/lunch/brunch is still pretty astounding to me.

 

[mahna2022]

Yeah…. I am over the Peter Pan Disney Adults…..

I think that’s a fair point.

The fact that Ama Ama doesn’t serve breakfast/lunch/brunch is still pretty astounding to me.

I get why they don't serve breakfast (we and so many other families at our Off the Hook breakfasts there), but lunch seems like a huge missed revenue opportunity. I'm sure they've done all their feasibility studies, but sometimes you just want a nice lunch, you know? We didn't eat at any of the nicer restaurants because my kids are chicken fingers kids, but the menus looked amazing.

The Disney Adults were interesting at this resort, and seemed at a loss for why there might be children there.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Every other luxury hotel on the island continues to offer a lei greeting, unbelievable people continue to defend this penny-pinching

No. Every other luxury hotel on the island does not offer them. The Halekulani is arguably the highest end hotel on Oahu and it does not offer them. Most of them don’t. And calling people who are either indifferent or frankly just don’t care about the leis (that’s my wife and I!) “unbelievable” seems a tad overreactive.

Receiving a lei upon arrival at a hotel in Hawaii is hardly a guaranteed birthright. Why get so worked up about it? I don’t think the practice is ever universally coming back, so at some point, attitudinally, it might be a good idea to come to terms with this reality, and move on.

 

[scoobdoo]

And comparing a resort where a high percentage of the rooms have kitchens in them to hotels on the room service complaint is apples vs. oranges.

Except Aulani had room service from day one through march 2020

 

[scoobdoo]

No. Every other luxury hotel on the island does not offer them. The Halekulani is arguably the highest end hotel on Oahu and it does not offer them. Most of them don’t.

Why lie?

 

[AstroBlasters]

Every now and then a poster earns the ignore button. Life is too short for constant outrage over silly things.

 

[SirDuff]

Why lie?View attachment 891724

How is this screenshot - which doesn't mention Leis anywhere, prove that the post you quoted (which was contradicting your statement that all other hotels do a lei greeting), is a lie?

 

[mahna2022]

No. Every other luxury hotel on the island does not offer them. The Halekulani is arguably the highest end hotel on Oahu and it does not offer them. Most of them don’t. And calling people who are either indifferent or frankly just don’t care about the leis (that’s my wife and I!) “unbelievable” seems a tad overreactive.

Receiving a lei upon arrival at a hotel in Hawaii is hardly a guaranteed birthright. Why get so worked up about it? I don’t think the practice is ever universally coming back, so at some point, attitudinally, it might be a good idea to come to terms with this reality, and move on.

Ooooohhh, if you'd like to have a debate between whether Halekulani or Ritz Turtle Bay is the highest end hotel on Oahu, I would be more than happy to do some field research for you. I've stayed at the latter, which is amazing, but not the former. Game on?

(BTW: Turtle Bay did have leis and room service. We did not get the room service, because those menus are always overpriced and limited. The leis were wasteful).

 

[Pyxie]

I haven't been to Aulani yet, but I don't understand the back and forth sometimes on whether or not a resort is "worth it" or "going downhill." If you don't enjoy it anymore, stay somewhere else. If you do, then keep going there as long as you enjoy it. We all appreciate different things and it's as simple as that.