Trip Report: First time to Oahu, Aulani and eating Gluten Free

[mgmgmg]

Thanks for the great trip report! I'm enjoying it a lot as we also have someone with celiac in our group. What were your top meals?

 

[Jeepdisney]

That sounds like an amazing kayaking experience!

 

[maryr1oz]

Thanks for the great trip report! I'm enjoying it a lot as we also have someone with celiac in our group. What were your top meals?

So glad you are enjoying it

DH said his favourite spots were Herringbone, Cheesecake Factory and Tommy Bahama in Waikiki, The Counter in Kahala, Mina's Fish House at the Four Seasons and everywhere he ate at Aulani!

 

[maryr1oz]

Thursday 15 September

Originally I had plans to head back over towards Honolulu today, maybe stop for lunch at La Mariana Sailing Club, visit Salt at Kaka'ako... then we cancelled all plans and spent another resort day at Aulani.

By 9am we had coffee and were set up by the old adults pool reading our books. I liked the Aulani special coffee, but what I ended up liking much better was coffee with just the coconut syrup - that was really good!



We swam on and off throughout the morning, and then ordered from the poolside menu for lunch.



We had a great server in this area, she was really helpful with allergy menu options.

I had the Chicken Sandwich (not GF)



DH had a GF beef burger



I didn't take too many photos this day, but I did take a heap around Ulu Cafe for some reason... so here's those photos

Freestyle machines outside Ulu



Coffee station outside Ulu




Mug choices at Ulu - we got the green one and used it quite a lot over the week - DH would get coffee in the morning, and throughout the day we would fill it with sparkling water. There are a heap of sugar free drink options via the machines.



Breakfast options



Popcorn buckets



This was the only GF bakery type sweet treat option I saw inside Ulu (may have missed others)

 

[maryr1oz]

Late in the afternoon we retired to our balcony, and had some drinks as the sun went down.

DH had grabbed a fruit cup from Ulu Cafe on the way back to the room



This was my view from our balcony as we sat having drinks



These condiments came from the Ulu Cafe condiment station - I noted that the soy sauce was GF




I also grabbed a Moana cupcake to take back to the room - definitely not GF - and a standard cupcake that looks better than it tastes

 

[maryr1oz]

Friday 16 September

Another resort day for us... first stop was the old adults pool - this is timestamped 8.15am, and we were the first people in this area.



We shared a breakfast platter from Ulu for breakfast, it was noted as GF



Goofy popped by to say hi in the morning



We ordered pizzas from poolside menu for lunch - a GF pepperoni



And a non-GF pepperoni option...



In the afternoon we spent some time in the spa - we loved this spot, it was never crowded and so peaceful



Then we went to the beach, it was finally Dole whip time! Although it's GF, my DH doesn't like Dole whip - he thinks it's too sugary. More for me!



He had a Premium Bar instead...

 

[maryr1oz]

This evening we went for a walk through the resort and I took a bunch of photos

 

[maryr1oz]

Saturday 17 September

Our final day

Finally today, the fitness centre had reopened, so this was our first stop of the morning.

The gym was large, with lots of equipment the only shame was there were no windows, so no nice views. We have been in some other Disney gyms with great views, so that was just the only downside.

 

[maryr1oz]

After the gym, we grabbed a coffee at Wailana, and then we had our last pool day.







We spent the last of the afternoon packing - lucky we had brought an extra case from home between the two of us.

For our final evening, we headed to Off the Hook for dinner.



We went over about 5.20pm and were seated straight away. We ordered drinks before dinner. I tried the Coconut Mint Mojito, and I was instantly sad I hadn't ordered it previously - it was the best drink I had of the whole trip.



DH had the Tropical Mai Tai



For dinner DH had -
Fresh Island Catch - Coconut-Jasmine Rice, Baby Bok Choy, Red Curry Sauce - $34

I think he thought it was a bit dry and could have used more sauce.




I had -

Chopped Salad - Chopped Romaine Lettuce, Crispy Wontons, Bacon, Tomato, Avocado, Egg, Capers, Furikake, Ranch Dressing add Shrimp - $31

It was good, but overpriced.



We enjoyed our last drinks and last sunset at Off the Hook.

 

[maryr1oz]

Sunday 18 September

We had an 8.30am international flight back to Australia, so we left Aulani around 5am. Anticipating our early exit, we stopped by the front desk the night before and they signed us up for express check out, meaning we didn't have to go by the lobby in the morning.

It was very quiet at that time as we were leaving, and we walked our cases over the garage to get the car. We had to fill the car up with gas on our way to the airport, and there was a Texaco in Kapolei, on Kamokila Blvd that was open, so that's where we stopped.

The car rental return at HNL was super easy, there were many others returning cars at that time of the morning, It was about a 5 minute walk from there over to our check in area. Surprisingly the check in queue moved quickly and we dropped our bags in about 10 minutes. Security queue was reasonable, but really it only took us about 15 minutes to get through here too.




We were then in the secure area about 6.20am. We browsed duty free for a little while, and found somewhere to sit and wait. There wasn't a great deal of food options open at that time, and the queue for Starbucks was about 50 people deep.

We ended up buying some fruit, bottled water and I got a sandwich. This was from a self serve kiosk just after the security entry. We also had a couple of salads that we had picked up at the ABC Store across the road from Aulani.

Flight left on time, as much as I was really hoping for a cancellation and the change to stay longer

It was a long 11 hour flight in the middle seat for me back to Melbourne, but we were fortunate to be in an exit aisle.

 

[maryr1oz]

Final thoughts...

We loved our trip, we have visited other Pacific Islands in the past, and found Hawaii to be a good mix of city and surf. Which is really great when dealing with DH's dietary requirements. Overall, we ate great food and had many choices - the pre-trip research and dining reservations paid off here.

The 16 nights was good for us. We felt like we got a really good break from work, and plenty of time to relax. The break up of spending time in Waikiki, North Shore and Aulani worked for us too, it was good to stay in the different areas and soak it all up.

We found Hawaii expensive, but we had anticipated this. The Australian dollar slipped further down day by day while we were away, but we just closed our eyes and enjoyed the trip.

DH was skeptical about renting a car for 11 days, but it turned out to be worth it. Although we didn't use the car every day, we did take many spontaneous trips to the grocery store and it was so easy to have the car at all times.

We got to pack a lot into this trip, but there was still plenty of things I would have liked to have done that we didn't get to...

• Hawaiian Chip Company
• La Mariana Sailing Club
• Salt at Kaka'ako
• Honolulu Museum of Art
• Ko Hana Distillery
• Waimea Valley
• Dole Plantation
• Waiola Shave Ice
• Morimoto Asia

Of course all the other Hawaiian islands as well!


Aulani -
We were lucky to get the DVC hotel room on rented points, and we really enjoyed the space. We received free parking during our stay, but were told laundry tokens were only for DVC owners, a specific DVC perk. Our room trash was collected every day, and on day 4 our beds were made, toiletries restocked towels replaced. The beds were a bit smaller than we are used to, and the pillows weren't great, but that is my only complaint about the room.

The staff around the resort were wonderful, everyone was friendly and helpful and we didn't come across anyone who wasn't displaying Disney service.

The shopping seemed like they could step it up a bit - every time we went past the marketplace it was packed, and a bit chaotic. I would have spent more money there if I had of been able to browse a bit more peacefully - in the end the souvenirs I bought were a pin, and this Christmas decoration.



The food at Aulani, while yes overpriced comparatively, was always good and was freshly made. We've always had good experiences with dietaries in Disney outlets, and Aulani was no different. That takes a layer of worry out of vacation, and makes days with no plans that bit easier.

We had a dinner booked at Makahiki, and also a couples massage booked at the spa, but as our week went on we cancelled them both. We were enjoying relaxing by the pool and eating from Ulu, so decided to save some $$$ by not doing these things. This brings me to my 'next time' list.

Things we didn't do at Aulani that I thought we would have -

• Eat at Makahiki
• Massage at Spa
• Menehune Adventure Trail
• Buy more stuff in the shop - eg mug, magnet, tshirt, spirit jersey
• Poolside storytelling
• Use the outdoor grills
• Art and Culture tour
• Snorkel at Rainbow Reef

You can never do it all though, and in the moment we just enjoyed relaxing poolside so much.

Of course, it would be lovely to have an adults only pool area restored. We would really like that if we returned. I took DH through the DVC villa open house, and I think he thought about the whole thing for a second, but really - we have had good experience renting points in the past, and we only get to travel to the USA once every two years usually.

We have booked our first Disney Cruise next year out of Miami, and will now spend the next 11 months looking forward to that.

Thanks so much for joining, hope some of the information was helpful.

 

[Triple A Mom]

Thank you for sharing your trip! I am celiac and have been GF for close to 15 years. I always appreciate info tailored toward GF restaurants including personal thoughts and experiences. We are taking our first trip to Alunai in May staying 6 nights and I am thankful to know I can expect GF options at Aulani similar to the parks.

 

[maryr1oz]

Thank you for sharing your trip! I am celiac and have been GF for close to 15 years. I always appreciate info tailored toward GF restaurants including personal thoughts and experiences. We are taking our first trip to Alunai in May staying 6 nights and I am thankful to know I can expect GF options at Aulani similar to the parks.

Hope you have a great trip! We loved our time at Aulani

 

[Where To]

I know the reservation system is still quite new, but still I was surprised at how many cars were turned away vs let through the gates - more people seemed to not have reservations than did have.

Thanks for mentioning this! I’m planning a trip in a couple weeks and didn’t know about the reservation system…I have one now