We're finally here...Aulani is Amazing!!!

[Disney Mom to Alex]

After a smooth but very long flight we arrived at Aulani on Friday. We have a 2 bedroom with an oceanfront view that is so incredible! The whole resort is just so beautiful.

I'm here with my husband, our DS(25), his fiance(24), DD(22), her best friend(22) and DS(8). My husband surprised me with this trip after I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September. He wanted me to have something to look forward to while I was undergoing chemotherapy. On January 31st I finished my chemo and am now cancer free, so we have a lot to celebrate!

After settling in and unpacking we headed off to Just Tacos. Everyone except my 8 year old thought the food was good. Then it was back to the room for some much needed sleep. The beds here are soooo comfy.

On Saturday morning we all went to Koa Pancake House for breakfast. It's about a 5-10 minute drive and definitely worth it. The food was delicious!
Afterwards we went to Target to get some water, snacks and food. When you first walk in they have a whole section of Hawaii souvenirs. You just can't beat $.59 keychains and $.20 postcards!

Next it was time for the beach! My son wanted to swim in the pool, but we couldn't find any chairs, so we just headed down to the beach and there were plenty of lounge chairs. The water was a little chilly, but the kids happily swam for over an hour!

We couldn't decide on where to have dinner and finally chose Brick Oven Pizza.
It was 7:30 by the time we pulled up to the restaurant and the wait was 1 hour All the other restaurants in the area we're also very busy, so we just waited. The pizza was pretty good.

Today when we woke up it was very cloudy and it rained on and off for most of the day. We hung out at the pool and then went to the lei making class.
We were supposed to go to Paradise Cove for the Luau tonight, but it was cancelled because of the rain, so we rescheduled for Thursday.

Tomorrow we're going to the spa for the couples massage! I can't wait!

 

[mouseaider]

Thanks for priming my pump! We are getting so excited for our April trip.

Congratulations on finishing your chemo and God bless you for what you had to endure. I work with many clients that are going through it. You need something to look forward to.

Enjoy your time and please keep the report as up to date as you feel necessary.

 

[AimKo]

Sounds wonderful! What a great way to celebrate

Aim

 

[wdrl]

Thanks for posting your trip report!. We are going to Aulani in September, so I'm anxious to read your comments about places to eat and things to do around the resort.

Have fun and enjoy your island time!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

YEA you!!! Soooo happy you have finished your treatment and are now celebrating at Aulani!!! Wooohooo!!! Sounds like a terrific trip so far -- that couples massage sounds like an absolute dream!!

Cannot wait to hear more!! Have a BLAST!!!

 

[snackyx]

If you are looking for lunch/light dinner items, don't overlook the ABC store across the street. It has a deli that makes fresh sandwiches, great pasta salads and daily choices for entrees. It is food to bring back to the room, but was very good at a fraction of the cost of eating on property, and was actually a nice change.

 

[MomsGoneGoofy]

Cancer Free

Enjoy your stay at Aulani !!!

 

[ONealFamily]

Thanks for your report. We're going next year. Can't wait!

 

[DiznyDi]

What a way to celebrate! Great husband you have there. Enjoy your trip and thanks for including us in your travels.

 

[rentayenta]

Great way to celebrate! Congrats!

 

[lsutigger2]

a big Whooo Hoooo to you!!!

keep the reports coming, as time allows. We have reservations for September and i'm soaking up all the info i can get.

(Okay, we need a hula smilie thingy - hint hint )

thanks for sharing.

 

[Tinks "SS"]

congrats on finising your chemo and being cancer free!! That is always a great thing. so glad you have a great way to celebrate it also. That is a great DH!! have a blast and keep us up to date.

 

[mickeysbutler]

yay for cancer free! Enjoy your trip! Can't wait to read more!

 

[spleen]

Congratulations on the cancer free status! Glad you're having such a great time - sorry about the weather we're having. Hopefully it'll clear up by Wednesday.

 

[disdad09]

Thanks for posting. What a great celebration.

 

[BLTLDZ]

So happy for you on so many levels!!!!
Here's to being cancer free..(I hate that C word!)

God bless you & your family.
Have an AMAZING rest of your trip!!

 

[DVCTiff]

Hooray for you!

I just booked our October trip this morning, and we're so excited! Can't wait to hear about your adventures.

 

[klmnluvdis]

congrats to you and your family on all levels!!!! we go 7/23 to 8/5 sooo excited thanks for sharing!!!!

 

[Disney Mom to Alex]

Finally have some time to give an update. It has rained every day since we got here!!

Yesterday morning we went to the spa for our couples massage. It was so relaxing and the spa is so beautiful. It was a first for both of us and we really enjoyed it. We didn't get to spend much time in the gardens because it was pouring outside!

While we were at the spa our older kids took our 8 year old (Alex) snorkeling at rainbow reef. After a little hesitation he did it! You have to understand that he loves the water but has always been afraid to put his face in the water and he finally did it in Hawaii!! I was so excited to hear about it, but at the same time a little disappointed that I missed this moment! The kids took plenty of pictures with our new underwater camera.

It was a long day and still raining so we decided to go to Makahiki's for dinner.
The food was not very good and at $43 a person not at all worth it.

Today we decided to take a drive to Waikiki. We went to Duke's for lunch. It was ok, nothing great. We got a table right by the window facing the ocean which was nice, but it was raining again so not as nice as it must be when it's sunny outside. Afterwards, we went to the International Marketplace to get some souvenirs. We left around 2:30 to avoid rush hour traffic. We get enough of that in New Jersey! It was really raining hard at this point and we ended up hitting traffic. I was hoping on getting back before rainbow reef closed so I could see Alex snorkel, but no such luck. He was happy to just go swimming so we went down to the pool. And guess what? It started raining again! We grabbed some chairs under an umbrella and Alex went swimming for about an hour.

Hopefully the weather will be a little better tomorrow. I don't think the sun has been out for more than 5 minutes at a time since we've been here.

 

[cdnsluvdisney]

We arrive on Thursday for 13 days! We are praying that the weather improves and that the floods will stop in Oahu and Kauai, as seen on the news. We are leaving rain and hoping for a sunny spring break vacation.

Enjoy the rest of your time there. Congrats on your great health and thanks for the updates. I feel like I'm "Home" already