What do you wish you had brought to Aulani?

[mikewdw]

planning first trip in couple weeks. any items you wish you had brought that you forgot or didn't know to bring. any first timer info appreciated!
thanks
mikewdw

 

[blondietink]

Do you plan on cooking in your villa at all? If so, I wish I had brought some simple condiments like those small shakers of salt, pepper, some sugar and dried herbs that I use a lot at home. I now have a Ziploc bag full of that stuff so when we go on vacation that includes a kitchen, I have it ready to throw in the suitcase.

 

[squeezle]

Extra ziplock bags (gallon and quart) for storing leftovers as well as wet swimsuits/clothing
Laundry hooks w/ clips to hang up wet swimsuits - they also double as a chip clip because the Maui Style potato chips are insanely delicious!
Our own water bottles to fill up by the pool

 

[nkereina]

We bought pool floats to use in the lagoon at Target but were unaware that Aulani will not inflate them for you. Luckily, the ABC store across the street sold air pumps. But if you have a small hand pump at home, probably easier just to bring it if you're going to use floats of any kind.

Also, depending on the room you're in, I might recommend some kind of organizing tool like a shoe holder or folding shelves or even a laundry hamper. We were just two adults but had a studio which is smaller than a standard hotel room, and I was always straightening things and organizing them. The lack of space made the room feel cluttered to me.

 

[PattiPB]

Great thread idea, Mike!

Heading to Aulani for the first time in June, too, and following this thread looking for wisdom!

 

[cgattis]

Extra ziplock bags (gallon and quart) for storing leftovers as well as wet swimsuits/clothing
Laundry hooks w/ clips to hang up wet swimsuits - they also double as a chip clip because the Maui Style potato chips are insanely delicious!
Our own water bottles to fill up by the pool

Wow...I literally purchased and packed all of these things this weekend! A great start!!

 

[happymommy]

We stay at a neighboring resort, but I always bring spices, sometimes small amounts of condiments, my own tongs for cooking and grilling, nonstick Reynolds Wrap, food storage containers, pool rafts (or buy them and other items at Target, Marriott has two places to fill them with air), Pam cooking spray if I see it on sale at home, a small collapsible cooler for cold water when we go out around the island or for beer and snacks at the pool (I bought my favorite one actually at the Walmart in Kapolei). My daughter wears glasses and has a pretty strong prescription, so we got her a prescription snorkel mask at a local dive shop here in Maryland, so I will bring 2 snorkel sets (purchased at Costco) and her mask as well. I agree to anything that can keep the room/villa organized is good, like I bring extra wire hangers (from the dry cleaning), as I hang as much as possible, and those wooden ones take up too much closet space if I ask for more from housekeeping! I always say that I will pack less clothes next trip, as we really only need shorts, tee shirts, a sundress for me, swim suits, flip flops and tennis shoes for working out, and a couple exercise outfits. Also a sweater (and jeans next trip since we're also going a couple days to VNP on the Big Island and it's very cool there).

 

[candeeapril]

We are staying in a 1 bedroom villa with rented DVC points. Do we need to bring our own shampoo/condtionter, etc or will there be some provided?

 

[OKW Lover]

any items you wish you had brought that you forgot or didn't know to bring.

I'd say extra batteries and SD cards for the camera. Otherwise you can get everything you need while on the island at fairly reasonable prices.

 

[squeezle]

deleted: double post

 

[happymommy]

We are staying in a 1 bedroom villa with rented DVC points. Do we need to bring our own shampoo/conditioner, etc or will there be some provided?

I guess like any DVC they provide a little tiny starter bottle, but when we've done DVC we bring our own. I actually (especially in Hawaii) don't use shampoo, but cleansing conditioner (I started with Wen but now use Sally Beauty "One" or also the one you can buy at Target and Walgreens (both in Kapolei) "Renpure" which helps with frizzy hair). I'd plan on bringing your own. Or, like we did one trip for 2 weeks, we just brought carry on bags and I did a quick stop at Target after check in and bought all our toiletries (and I was a zombie - 6 hour time change so after like 4 hours of sleep I was shopping after being up for almost 24 hours by the time I got the stuff to the room. Oh well!

 

[OKW Lover]

Do we need to bring our own shampoo/condtionter, etc or will there be some provided?

Soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash are all provided.

 

[MouseOfCards]

If you're in a unit with a washer/dryer, you should bring some additional detergent and dryer sheets. They provide small packs for 1 or 2 loads, but we use ours a lot on each trip.

 

[MouseOfCards]

Also, recommend either a waterproof pouch for your smartphone so that you can take pictures in the pools, or get a waterproof camera (we received many envious stares while using ours).

 

[andreapd]

Soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash are all provided.

Just got back from a stay on rented points in a one-bedroom villa! There were the standard mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion, as well as two bars each of facial and bath soap. However, they run out quickly (and frankly, I usually snag them for souvenirs/using on shorter trips). I picked up smaller—though larger than travel size—bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash and packed them in our checked bags. In a villa, you get only trash/towel service on your 4th day. So depending on the length of your stay and number in your party, those little bottles may not be enough to get you through.

I echo the ziplocs comment. And our kitchen didn't have a flat spatula/turner, a pizza cutter or tongs, so if you plan to cook things needing these utensils, bring or buy.

I'd also bring multiple bottles of good sunscreen. I kept one in the villa bathroom and one in the beach bag, so we'd always have it near us for reapplying. Also, bring a bottle of aloe in case of burns.

The concrete in the pool area is incredibly hot in the middle of the day. If you can stand to wear them, water socks/shoes are a great idea. Though we ended up just wearing our flip-flops and ditching them off to the side near the pools.

 

[andreapd]

And our kitchen didn't have a flat spatula/turner, a pizza cutter or tongs, so if you plan to cook things needing these utensils, bring or buy.

To correct myself, someone did tell me you can call down and get at least the flat spatula and tongs, which should be part of the standard kitchen utensils. So I guess if anything is missing, call down to the desk!

 

[OKW Lover]

There is a list of the standard equipment in each unit. Usually its laminated to the back of one of the cabinet doors.

 

[andreapd]

There is a list of the standard equipment in each unit. Usually its laminated to the back of one of the cabinet doors.

That is true, but the one in the Aulani kitchen simply said, "kitchen utensils," and didn't list them individually. Not knowing what exactly was included/expected, we just rolled with it.

 

[Bejeweledj9]

We didn't take much the first time, but the SECOND time was a different story!
Our kids shared a suitcase so we had an extra checked bag to use - here's what we used it for in our 1 bedroom villa:

Coffee filters (basket type, not cone)
Ground Coffee
Coffee creamer pods (like the ones at the gas stations that don't go bad)
Lots of drinks in Tetra Packs - i.e. Soy milk, tea, juice boxes
Non-parishable food for the kids - i.e. mac & cheese cups, cereal, fruit snacks, fruit cups, applesauce squeezes, crackers, etc
Boxed Wine i.e. Bota Box
Liquor in plastic bottles (the smaller ones that aren't in glass bottles)
Snorkel equipment (we found we didn't like the resort's - it's one size fits all)

We found this saved us a ton of money buying stuff for the kids (not the coffee & booze, lol) who seemed to be constantly hungry/snacky but we didn't want to buy there. We were able to have a glass of wine on our villa condo as soon as we got there, and made several of our own mixed drinks in our Aulani cups before heading to the pool. Not that we didn't buy food & drinks, but we were so glad to have some of that stuff with us! Aloha!~

 

[Psymonds]

Lots of drinks in Tetra Packs - i.e. Soy milk, tea, juice boxes
Non-parishable food for the kids - i.e. mac & cheese cups, cereal, fruit snacks, fruit cups, applesauce squeezes, crackers, etc
Boxed Wine i.e. Bota Box
Liquor in plastic bottles (the smaller ones that aren't in glass bottles)

that's a lot of weight! hopefully you weighed it before you got to the airport and had to drink that boxeau wine at check in!