Aulani, a Disney Resort
Details on our experience at the resort in November, 2025.
FAVORITE LOCATIONSKID FAVORITES
12/27/20255 min read
Our experience was thoroughly positive. Especially the character experiences and resort pools.
Cost Estimates: Total package ~ $2k/person
Round Trip & direct airfare (SMF-HNL) for a family of four on Hawaiian airline, $2730.
Total 4-Night Hotel cost at booking $3240 - Check for special offers on their website!
Total room charges and resort fees (including all onsite meals, parking, small souvenirs, etc), $1380.
Rental Car from Alamo, booked by Costco-Travel, Compact SUV for 4 days, total cost, $163.
An Overview
The room type: Island Garden View with 2 Queen Beds
Hands-down, the beds & pillows were THE most comfortable materials. And the plug-in air mattress was pretty spectacular as well, which did fit quite comfortably between the balcony window and its closest bed. (Air mattress was provided at no extra cost and was conveniently setup by the delivering cast-member.)
The room included several Mickey Mouse decorations, with a Hawaiian flair, and a momento art print unique to the Aulani.
The bathroom was quite large and suitable for our family of four. The mini-fridge (empty, not pre-stocked) was a nice option for any leftovers or room snacks we purchased separately!
The Room
Pools and Palms is the main vibe of this resort. Lush foliage, meandering paths and pulse racing thrills... it really does have it all!
The resort boils down into 7 main water areas:
The Keiki Zone - with a splash pad and play structure. (My 10yo was too grown for some features in this area.)
The Lazy River - inner-tubes optional and a relaxing slow current. There are an unfortunate number of waterfalls (in 2 areas) that could douse an unsuspecting parent with villainous children driving your float direction.
The Water Slides - 2 options: individual enclosed tunnel style (pure darkness) or open-sided with single or dual inner-tubes.
The Main Pool
The Snorkel Pool - a fun feature (at an additional cost) with in/out privileges so the kids could snorkel with the tropical fishes off/on throughout the day. They also offer several fish feeding experiences, limited spots for each.
The Adult Only Option - A small mostly shaded pool with water-feature. Calm and Quiet but no less crowded.
The Lagoon - sheltered and scenic, typically the easiest location to secure lounge chairs.
Lounge chairs are scattered around all areas, usually 3-4 rows deep and patrons usually come down pre-sunrise to reserve their favorites. It is possible to find at least a pair together throughout the day, but if you want a view other than of the chair in front of you, be prepared to arrive early (I was there at 6am and spots were already secured). They technically have a rule that says any belongings left unmonitored on chairs more than two hours would be removed and held for retrieval at the pool desk, but I only saw them "check" this one time during our stay. Therefore, I believe this rule is very softly enforced.
A hidden feature many may not appreciate was the rock formations around the pools and the wildlife images that could be found within the shape of the structures. These were nice distractions while standing in the slide lines or floating down the river.
In addition, the activities desk and kids club has several options for young-ones to stay busy. Our favorite was a scavenger hunt that you could participate in by checking out a tablet and following the instructions as you're led around the resort and included interactive features with the surrounding environment.
There's a few shopping options, two small gift shops and one leisure/resort wear store. We purchased the Disney Aulani trading pins and medallions.
Make sure to download the Aulani Resort App, as this gives you access to mobile dining menus, restaurant reservations, and the daily activity schedule including character appearances. Our favorites were the photo opportunities with Stitch, Moana, Mickey and Minnie but many others were also available. Including the Aulani's very own cast of characters, which I was unaware of before arriving and am curious to learn more about!
The Resort
Our Favorites (in order):
Ulu Cafe - $16-25ea Good options for all meals and all age diners. We loved the self-serve fountain machines and endless coffee available with purchase of a souvenir cup. (~$40ea but worth it - we purchased 2 for our party of 4 and were able to work the system perfectly!) This Cafe also features mobile-order dining. My favorite menu item was the macadamia nut crusted fish with red curry sauce over white rice.
Shaved Ice Hut - $8ea Mickey shaped and large (easy to share) - we love a good shaved ice! And I highly recommend including the ice cream & the "snow cap" topping!
Off the Hook - $16-40ea Poolside casual dining, reservations not required.
The Olelo Room - Mostly a bar, small menu available, BUT you can takeout warm Malasadas for breakfast!
Makahiki - The Main Dining room located in the apex of the resort. We all want that one fancy dinner to truly celebrate our surroundings. Reservations ARE required. Only 3-course dining menus are available for each meal type ~ $37 kids/$85 adults.
Mama's Snack Stop - poolside kiosk with walk-up style ordering and a short menu.
Ama'ama - too fancy for our family. Not something my kids were interested in - they couldn't even pronounce the menu items.
The Luau - too costly for our family.
The Restaurants
Oahu, Hawaii
The Aulani is on the west side of the island, within the city of Kapolei, next to the Marriott and the Four Seasons Resorts. There are a few restaurants directly across the street, easily walkable, for some offsite dining options. Kapolei is also home to a Costco and the Ka Makana outdoor shopping mall. It's about ~ 25 minute drive from the Honolulu airport, the University of Hawaii and/or the famous Waikiki Beach.
We tried to do some West Coast beach combing but found the area not to our liking. Therefore after a failed offsite adventure we quickly returned to the well-groomed resort area. However, I do know that a previous trip to the island included a very favorable experience on the North Coast which we were disappointed not to return to during this trip.