I love staying at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, in Hawaii so much.
Here’s everything you’ll need to know to plan the best stay possible.
Jump to:
- What is Aulani?
- Where is Aulani located?
- How do you get to Aulani?
- When to Visit Aulani
- How Many Days Do You Need?
- Rooms and Villa Types
- What’s Included in Your Stay
- Other Amenities
- Restaurants and Bars
- Character Meet and Greets
- How to Book Your Trip to Aulani
- Tips for Staying at Aulani
- Saving Money at Aulani
- What to Pack for Your Stay
- Is it worth it?
What is Aulani?
Aulani, is a beautiful Disney hotel and resort that allows guests to immerse themselves in Hawaiian culture, situated on a pristine lagoon.
It’s home to 351 hotel rooms and suites and 481 Disney Vacation Club villas and studios.
Where is Aulani located?
Aulani Address: 92-1185 Aliinui Dr, Kapolei, HI 96707
Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, is located in Ko Olina, near Kapolei in the leeward side of the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
How do you get to Aulani?
Aulani is 25 miles from Honolulu International Airport (Daniel K. Inouye).
The best ways to get from the airport to the resort is by:
- Renting a car
- Uber/Lyft
- Shuttle service by Hele Hele ($25 per person each way)
I’ve used all three methods but found renting a car to be the best especially since we spend a majority of our vacation exploring the island.
Plus, it’s a tradition of ours to always stop at the Leonard’s MalasadaMobile in Waipahu on the way to the hotel, as soon as we land.
Rental Car Companies at HNL
- Alamo
- Avis
- Budget
- Dollar
- Enterprise
- Hertz
- National
- Paless
- Thrifty
- Sixt
Overnight Parking at Aulani
Self-parking and valet costs $40 per day with a maximum of 2 cars per reservation.
However, if you’re a DVC Member, parking is free.
Airlines That Fly to HNL
If you’re coming from the mainland U.S., Canada, Asia, New Zealand, or Australia, these are all of the airlines that fly to Honolulu:
- Air Canada
- Air New Zealand
- Alaska
- American
- ANA
- Asiana
- Delta
- Fiji Airways
- Hawaiian
- JAL
- Jetstar
- Korean Air
- Philippine
- Qantas
- Southwest
- United
- Westjet
- Zipair
When to Visit Aulani
The best time to visit Aulani is when it’s not outrageously expensive.
That’s why I believe that the best times are actually the cheapest times:
- early November through mid-December (excluding Thanksgiving week)
- mid-October through mid-November
I also love visiting in mid-January through February but it is the rainy season which kinda sucks.
I understand that some of your schedules may not allow you to visit outside of the popular holiday weeks and peak times like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but if you can, I would try to visit in early June or early September.
How Many Days Do You Need?
6 or 7 nights at Aulani is perfect.
It’s gives you a perfect amount of time to enjoy all of the pools amenities at the resort while also giving you plenty of days to explore the entire island.
For the perfect trip, you’ll need
- 2 full resort days
- 4 or 5 days exploring the island
Coming from the east coast, it just makes better sense to visit for a week since we’re already traveling that far.
But if you’re from the west coast, you’ll honestly only need two or three days to get the full effect.
Rooms and Villa Types
These are the types of rooms you’ll find at Aulani:
- Standard Room
- 1-Bedroom Suite (no kitchen)
- Signature 1-Bedroom Suite (no kitchen)
- Signature 2-Bedroom Suite (no kitchen)
- Disney Vacation Club Deluxe Studio (no kitchen)
- Disney Vacation Club 1-Bedroom Villa (with kitchen)
- Disney Vacation Club 2-Bedroom Villa (with kitchen)
- Disney Vacation Club 3-Bedroom Grand Villa (with kitchen)
The beauty of staying at Disney Vacation Club property is that non-DVC members can also book and stay in villas which comes in handy due in part to having a kitchen and washer/dryer in your room.
I’ve stayed in a Standard Room, 1-Bedroom Villa, 2-Bedroom Villa, and Deluxe Studio and if I had to choose, I would 10/10 times choose the villa followed by the Standard Room. The studios isn’t worth it and feels so tiny.
Room Views
These are the room views you’ll be able to choose from:
- Standard = parking area or conference center
- Island Gardens = partial view of the mountains, spa, or landscaping
- Poolside Gardens = partial view of the pool, courtyard, and water features
- Partial Ocean = partial view of the ocean from room or balcony
- Ocean = view of the ocean from from balcony
The price for an Oceanview is about 35% more than a Standard View. Don’t get me wrong, the oceanview is awesome, but is it worth a minimum of $200 extra per night?
What’s Included in Your Stay
Before we go any further, I just wanted to let you know that Aulani is NOT an all-inclusive resort, which is sad.
That means you’ll have to pay for all your meals and drinks.
But other than that, these are all of the amenities that are included in the price of your room each night:
- 5 fun and unique pool areas (lazy river, infinity pool and whirlpool, splash pads, slides, and more)
- Beach access
- Disney character experiences and meet and greets
- Aunty’s Beach House with complimentary kids club activities
- Disney movie nights
- Epic Hawaiian fireside tales
- Live Hawaiian music
- Gym and fitness center
Other Amenities
You’ll also find 3 shops for all your souvenir and shopping needs, most with exclusive Disney Aulani merchandise you’ll only find there.
Laniwai Spa
There’s also a beautiful spa with an even better outdoor hydrotherapy garden where you can relax after your treatments.
I always make sure to book a couples massage during every visit to Aulani. It’s just so peaceful and relaxing.
Ka Wa’a Luau
There is also a really nice luau on property on select nights called Ka Wa’a which has a heavy emphasis of storytelling.
Although I think that the luau next door at Paradise Cove is better, the food at Aulani’s, as well as the open bar is hard to beat.
That said, it’s expensive.
But if you want to see Mickey and Minnie do the hula, then you’ll absolutely love Ka Wa’a. Because we do!
Poolside Cabana
If you plan on spending a full day at the pool but don’t want to fight for a chair, but instead have your own shaded retreat, then renting a cabana for the day could be well worth it.
Restaurants and Bars
The food at Aulani is good, but nothing groundbreaking. These are all of the dining options available:
- Ama Ama – fine dining
- Makahiki – character breakfast and just a normal restaurant during dinner
- Ulu Cafe – quick service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (pizza, poke bowls, açaí bowls, Mickey musubi, refillable mugs, and snacks)
- Off the Hook – grab and go foods and a bar
- The Odell Room – cocktails, sushi, and savory appetizers
- Waulana Pool Bar – light meals and Hawaiian fare
- Mama’s Snack Stop – fish and chips, chicken tenders, and more
- Papalua Shave Ice – famous Mickey ear shave ice
- Little Opihi’s – sweet treats like boba tea and Dole Whip
And if you don’t mind going off-property, there are a few places to grab a bite inside Ko ‘Olina such as Monkeypod (insanely popular), Starbucks, Mina’s Fish House, Roy’s, and other smaller spots.
Plus, there’s also some grab-and-go meals and poke bowls at the Island Country Market across the street.
For even more dining options, you can go 10 minutes down the road to Kapolei which has plenty of restaurants, as well as a Costco, Target, and my favorite, Foodland.
Character Meet and Greets
These are all the characters you’ll be able to see and even meet during your vacation in Hawaii.
Just note that you may not be able to see all of them sine their schedules do vary during the week.
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Max
- Pluto
- Chip and Dale
- Stitch
- Angel
- Duffy
- Shellie May
- ‘Olu Mel
- Moana
Best of all, PhotoPass is always available. Plus, they’ll kindly take photos of your using your phone or camera without hesitation.
How to Book Your Trip to Aulani
The best way to book your trip to Aulani is through the official Aulani website.
I prefer to go this route because aside from getting one of the best deals, you’ll also get access to some special offers and discounts.
Discounts
These are some discounts you’ll be able to take advantage (with blackout dates)
- Military = 30% off stays of 2 nights or longer
- Disney Vista Cardmembers = 35% off on stays 5 nights or longer
- Cast Member = CM discount varies but can be book on the phone
Tips for Staying at Aulani
Here are a couple of tips that should help you out when staying here:
- If you have a late flight, reserve a time on departure day to use the Luana Lounge where you can change and shower if you decide to use the pools that day
- Take an evening stroll around the lagoon to enjoy the sunset
- Download the Aulani app to check-in, see daily activities, and view character schedules
- Always use the valet since it’s the same price as self-parking
- Get coffee across the street at Starbucks, it’s better than the stuff on property
- Try to arrive around check-in time since rooms are almost never ready early
- You can request a late checkout one day prior to departure day
- Go for a peaceful walk in the morning (less busy than evening)
- Boogie boards are free to rent from Makahiki Joe’s
- Watch the sunset from the Four Seasons side
- Leave Ko Olina and explore the beautiful island
Saving Money at Aulani
These are my go-to ways stay at Aulani on a budget:
- Take advantage of all of the free activities
- Get the $25 refillable mug for soda, coffee, hot chocolate and tea
- Grocery shop at Target in Kapolei
- Visit off-season like February, October, early November and early December
- Avoid peak season (June-August) as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas week
- Skip the oceanview rooms
- Don’t rent the snorkel gear
- Use your Disney Visa to book your stay for a discount and resort credit
- Don’t eat every meal at Aulani. Branch out and go off-property like Zippy’s for some cheap yet delicious eats
- Get the poke from Foodland. It’s better than Ulu Cafe’s
- Don’t rent a car (if you’re only visiting for a couple days)
- Skip the Ka Wa’a Luau and go to Paradise Cove next door instead
For more tips, be sure to check out my complete list where I go into better detail.
What to Pack for Your Stay
There’s so much to list here so I’ll just direct you to my complete Aulani packing list.
That said, don’t forget the following items besides your daily outfits:
- swim suits
- slippers and comfortable shoes
- sunscreen and sunglasses
- beach bag
- travel credit cards and cash
- baby essentials
- prescription meds
Is it worth it?
1000% yes.
If you love Disney and want to get a taste of Disney while also immersing yourself in the local culture, then staying at Aulani is well worth it.
Even if you have to split your trip up and only stay at Aulani for only a couple days of your vacation, I truly believe that it’s worth the price.
The overall vibe is just so relaxing and peaceful, plus being located in Ko ‘Olina away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki is a great change of pace.
So if you’re looking for a Hawaiian escape with a touch of Disney magic, then staying at this property is so worth it.
Worse case, you can at least visit the property for the day and go to the character breakfast, luau, or even buy some merch.
