Visiting Aulani

[Jeepdisney]

we are going to Hawaii the that’s week of August for our honeymoon. We sadly cannot afford to stay at Aulani but I would love to visit there while on the island. my Question is does it cost to park and visit Aulani? I know we won’t be able to use their pools but can we eat there? We are staying at the Aston at the Waikiki Banyon are there any favorite restaurants in that area you recommend?

 

[DreamIsaWish]

There's a parking garage for Aulani. Afraid I don't know how much the charge is, since we were staying on points so it was included. I think there are some public lots in the area, but every time we drove into Ko Olina the sign said "FULL" for the beach lots. So I'd just prepare to park in the Aulani lot and pay.

You can visit the beach, since all are public. You can't meet the characters if you're not staying there (we were asked for a room key when we didn't have pool wristbands on one day). You can certainly shop for cute merch ;-)

 

[Kwami]

Some of the information on this website is a bit out of date (mostly stuff about Covid-19 restrictions and what's closed), but it seems reasonably accurate overall. https://alohaaulani.com/faqs/

So, for parking:

"Day visitors can do self-parking at a rate of $12 for the first hour and $5 for every half hour after that up to $37. The first 30 minutes are free. You can get free validated parking for 2.5 hours if you spend $50 or more on one single receipt at 'Ama'Ama, Makahiki, The Olelo Room (between 5 and 11pm), Off the Hook (between 5 and 9pm), Kalepa's, or Hale Manu. Alternatively, you can get 5 hours of parking for free for spending at least $50 at KA WA'A (the luau) or 4 hours for free from spending $50+ at the Laniwai spa. Again, make sure it's all on a single receipt as receipts cannot be combined to form a larger total. To get your parking ticket validated, take the ticket and receipt to 'Ama'Ama, Makahiki, or Laniwai Spa."

I bet that info is somewhere on the Aulani website, too, but I'm too lazy to go looking for it now.

 

[SueInBoston]

I think resort reservation is now required for dining reservation, unless you do snacks for grab and go from Ule Cafe.

 

[Kwami]

I think resort reservation is now required for dining reservation, unless you do snacks for grab and go from Ule Cafe.

Like I said, some of the information on that website is out of date. I think that the parking rates are correct, though, and I'm sure that they'll still validate parking for certain spending. Disney's website confirms that, but doesn't say which places will validate. It does mention the single receipt thing, though. I don't know why they're so picky about that.

 

[Paul Stupin]

There are 2 or 3 free parking lots in the area for public access to the beach, all very near Aulani. They are small, though, and fill up quickly. You could also check pkg rates at the Marriott, which is just a short and nice walk away.

 

[WillGan]

we are going to Hawaii the that’s week of August for our honeymoon. We sadly cannot afford to stay at Aulani but I would love to visit there while on the island. my Question is does it cost to park and visit Aulani? I know we won’t be able to use their pools but can we eat there? We are staying at the Aston at the Waikiki Banyon are there any favorite restaurants in that area you recommend?

If you eat at Aulani, you can valet. But, and this is a big but, the quality of food there is nothing to gloat about and I live here in Honolulu. If you care about great food, you may be better off going across the street to Monkeypod and walk over to check out the property! Places to eat in Waikiki and nearby areas are of much better quality and selections based on what your looking for. I’d love to share more. Just reach out and I’ll fill you in! Aloha!

 

[WillGan]

There are 2 or 3 free parking lots in the area for public access to the beach, all very near Aulani. They are small, though, and fill up quickly. You could also check pkg rates at the Marriott, which is just a short and nice walk away.

Get there early for those parking spaces!

 

[WillGan]

I think resort reservation is now required for dining reservation, unless you do snacks for grab and go from Ule Cafe.

You can walk in to Olelo Room. Waited maybe 5 mins.