Lex, Laura and I started the year 2019 off right by going to Hawaii in January! We had been planning this tropical get away for months and we were so excited when it finally arrived! It was so fun to have something to look forward to after all the holidays were over.
We stayed at the gorgeous Aulani Resort and were so excited to mix a little Disney magic in with our Hawaiian paradise vacation. When we arrived, we were each greeted with a beautiful lai and a glass of refreshing fruit infused water. We were then lead inside to the gorgeous foyer pictured above, the view from that balcony is unreal, pictured below. When we checked in, we were given our special Aulani buttons and directions to our room.
Laura and I decided we couldn't live without the Aulani spirit jerseys, we thought they would be the perfect thing to lay around our hotel room in after a long day at the beach as well as the most comfortable, yet sparkly travel outfit. We ordered them online and got them in time to wear on the flight over.
Our room was spacious and so comfortable. Lu and Lex shared the bed while I slept on the pull out bed, I always volunteer to sleep on the pull out beds when traveling with a group because I sleep so much better when I have a bed to myself.
This was the view from our balcony.
We brought up all our luggage and all the groceries we had bought at Costco, rested for a little bit, then set out to explore the hotel and the magnificent pool area. This is the view from the elevator lobby on our floor.
We were so excited to spend some time in that lazy river!
One day, about mid vacation, we had a spa day and spent the entire day lounging in the peaceful and serene Laniwai Spa, enjoying all the amenities as well as relaxing massages.
We were given thick, fluffy robes to wear around the spa
The treat table, the gummy bears were our favorite.
We had access to the Kula Wai hydrotherapy garden both before and after our massages. Early Hawaiians used this ancient hydrotherapy as they bathed in fresh cool streams, mineral baths and the sea. The fluctuations in water temperature helped “reset” the body's regulatory system, boost the immune system and increase circulation, which washed away daily aches and pains. Kula Wai takes rainwater therapy to a unique level.
We arrived at the spa an hour before our massages so we could enjoy the water garden, we had a good time going from the super warm jacuzzi to the ice bath (which was below 50 degrees) then back into the jacuzzi, its supposed to be good for circulation.
Our massages were so amazing, we got to choose our oil scent, I chose coconut. They used hot river stone and lomilomi sticks through out the massage which felt amazing. After our massages, we met in the relaxation room, I was so relaxed, I felt a little sleepy, so I chose to stay and close my eyes for a little bit while lu and lex went back to the water garden. I ended up sleeping for 2 whole hours... That massage really knocked me out.
After spending the entire day enjoying all the spa amenities, we received a small container of complimentary body scrub, we got to choose between these two scents. Both scents were delicious, I went with Plumeria.
The Aulani is absolutely enchanting at night, it was fun to stroll the grounds after the sun had gone down and everything was lit up.
There are several places to dine at the Aulani, and we wanted to check out as many as we could. We usually had one meal a day at the resort, and then ate our food from Costco for the other meals which worked out really well.
One of the nights, we got dressed up and had a fancy dinner at Ama Ama. The restaurant is named after the ‘AMA‘AMA, a local mullet fish—and is inspired by the fishing settlements along the leeward coast of O‘ahu that date back to the 12th century.
‘AMA‘AMA is designed to resemble a beachside house. Its spacious dining room features a thatched roof, mosaic designs, a fountain and a reflecting pool. One side of the dining room is completely open to the outdoors and looks over Aulani's private beach.
We were lucky enough to be seated right next to large, open patio so we had a perfect view of the beach at night and enjoyed the fresh, cool air and the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore throughout our meal.
It was hard to take a picture of the beautiful view since it was so dark, but the beach is were those lights are.
Our meal began with a chilled, sweet, chai flavored amuse bouche.
I ordered a virgin pineapple mule to drink, it was beautiful and delicious, and as you can see I had drunk most of it before our meal had even started.
I ordered two appetizers, crab cakes and mini shrimp tacos, and a side of brussel sprouts for my meal, everything was so fresh and flavorful, it was a delightful evening.
I will say, I was surprised at the size of the tacos, they were itty bitty, like barely big enough to fit one shrimp. I was expecting them to be just a bit bigger than that, but I still enjoyed them.
For dessert, Laura and I shared a caramel banana pana cotta.
There are several kitties that live on property at the Aulani, and I always kept an eye out for them. They aren't out and about as much as you might expect, they hid in the lush landscaping most of the time, and would only come out occasionally. They were friendly and so adorable, so when we were lucky enough to spot one, we made sure to get a few pets in.
There are many things to love about the Aluani Resort, but one of the lesser known things is the Luana Lounge. Flights out of Hawaii depart either in the late afternoon or evening, leaving a dilemma for some travelers about what they will do the last day of their stay, like us, our flight home left at 10 pm. Disney has figured out a solution that allowed us to have access to a changing room and showers, so we could spend our entire last day at the pool and the beach after checking out and not have to worry about being all wet and dirty for our late flight home.
During our stay at the Aulani, we booked a couple of extra special meals, like a character breakfast and a luau dinner. Pictures from those fun experiences coming next!
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