E Komo Mai to Aulani
Apparently the name Aulani means King's Messenger. The name itself seems to be more beautiful than its meaning in my mind. After visiting Disney's Aulani for myself, I think paradise or beauty may be a more appropriate meaning.
The trip to Aulani was scheduled at the end of a two week Hawaiian vacation so we could just relax. The original plan was to rent a car for a day and head up to the North Shore, but after arriving, it was hard to make myself leave even for a few hours. We stayed for three nights, so, maybe, if it had been longer, a car would have been warranted. It is important to note too that we've been to Oahu before. In fact, my husband lived there for a short time when we just met.
We found plenty to keep us busy at Aulani and we took advantage of much that the resort offers except for the spa. A reason to go back! The resort welcomes you better than any of the other Hawaiian resorts we have ever stayed in. There is usually a beautiful Hawaiian woman at the entrance greeting you. The ladies received a beautiful orchid lei and the gentlemen a Kukui nut lei. I have to admit that I loved my lei, but wished it would last like the nut one that my husband received.
The check-in process was super smooth and although our room wasn't ready when we arrived before the check-in time, they gave us the option of using the hospitality room to change to use the pools and such. We opted to wait for the room and have a nice lunch at Ama Ama. I'll cover this restaurant in another post, but it was a much better option for us for lunch than the counter service places. Also, lunch was better than dinner.
After a very short wait, we received a text message that our room was ready and the room number. Since we already had our resort cards, we were able to go right to the room and have our bags delivered. We ended up with a poolside studio. I was kind of afraid that the room would be loud, but it was fantastic. It was nice to easily pop in and out of the room. The downside was that there was no way to lock and unlock the glass door from the patio, so, we did have to go around if we wanted the room locked from both entrances. It was super convenient though if one of us stayed in the room for one reason or another.
Below are some pictures of the welcome materials, resort, and room decorations. There is also a shot of the hidden pineapple Dole Whip machine in the Lava Shack. This spot is kind of hidden, but it is a gem. Not only do they have self serve Dole Whip, there are some extra little souvenirs that aren't in the upstairs shops. I found a nice baseball cap for my husband in here along with a great rash guard. Both of these were unique to this shop. Stay tuned for more information on the shops of Aulani!
Well, this was my welcome to Aulani. I didn't want to say goodbye for many reasons, but I have plenty more pictures to share!
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