Five Suggestions for an Adult-Only Trip to Aulani: A Disney Resort & Spa

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About Aulani: A Disney Resort & Spa

Aulani is located on the island of Oahu in the community of Ko Olina. It is a beautifully crafted resort that truly honors the Hawaiian culture through its architecture, art, food, and so much more! As it is a Disney resort, it also includes many of the magical touches that Disney fans are accustomed to, like character interactions, friendly cast members, and incredible pools. 

The exterior of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa is seen under a blue, morning sky with an empty pool, loungers, and palm tress in front of it.

My husband and I recently spent a few days at Aulani with the help of David’s Vacation Club Rentals. After this vacation, I truly believe that Aulani has some of the best experiences for an adult-only trip, and I am excited to share them with you here!

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is seen from across the beach at night as the resort is illuminated with warm lighting.

 

Suggestion #1: Splurge on ‘Ama’Ama – Contemporary Island Cooking

If you are looking for delectable food and a waterfront view, then ‘Ama’Ama is the place for you! It is a higher-priced dining experience, but in our opinion, it is worth every penny for the four-course dinner. Each of the courses was made with fresh and local ingredients like tuna, pineapple, ube, and more. 

Coconut Flan is served with a “Happy Anniversary” chocolate piece on top at the ‘Ama’Ama – Contemporary Island Cooking at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.

One of our favorite parts about ‘Ama’Ama was how knowledgeable our server was about the menu. He suggested that my husband try the He’e appetizer (octopus, miso and parmesan risotto, with lemon, herbs, and Hon Shimeji mushrooms), which ended up being incredible and, in my husband’s words, soft, buttery, and tender. 

The He’e appetizer of octopus risotto is served in a white dish at ‘Ama’Ama at Aulani.

Our server also recommended adult beverages which could be paired with each of our courses and his suggestions were fantastic! So, if you want to have a romantic and delicious dinner in paradise, then we highly recommend ‘Ama’Ama!

The Citrus Bar dessert from ‘Ama’Ama at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is served on a white plate with a chocolate piece reading “Happy Anniversary” on it.

Here are some of our other top picks from the menu: 

  • Pork Belly 
  • “Paniolo” Wagyu Filet
  • Citrus Bar

 

Suggestion #2: Wake Up Early

I know what you are thinking! It’s vacation! Who wants to wake up early?! Hear me out, though! The morning is when Aulani is at its most quiet and tranquil. One of my favorite parts of our vacation was waking up early and finding a pool chair that overlooked the lagoon. We could sit and look out into the ocean without the typical lively sounds of the resort. 

The beachfront at Aulani is seen from one of the resort’s pools under a blue sky. There are many loungers on the beach as palm trees tower above.

This was when my husband and I felt most relaxed at Aulani. The other positive of this was that we had our pool chairs secured for the day. This can be a difficult task if you arrive after the pools have officially opened.

A water play area with a wooden footbridge at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is empty in the early morning as golden sunlight shines on the resort exterior.

During the morning, we also recommend visiting the most popular attractions like the waterslides and the lazy river. These experiences opened at 8:00 am, and we ensured that we were in line for the waterslides a couple of minutes after this opening time. This saved us from waiting in the long lines later in the day that were directly in the sunlight. 

The lazy river at Aulani is seen under a blue sky with no guests yet in it. The turquoise water flows between brown rock walls with the resort exterior visible in the background.

We highly recommend the tube waterslide for thrill-seekers! For a more relaxing experience, visit the lazy river in the morning. At that time, it was easy to find a tube to float down the river, as it was less crowded. 

A wooden carving of Stitch is draped with pink flowers in front of some greenery.

While you are floating, look for the beautifully hand-carved animals along the sides of the lazy river. We spotted various sea creatures like whales and crabs, as well as several varieties of birds. Have you spotted any of the incredible hand-carved animals? 

 

Suggestion #3: Enjoy the Free Guided Tours

Did you know that Aulani offers several free guided tours around the property? The guided tours that we noticed on the Aulani app were:

  • Maka’ika’i, the Art and Culture of Aulani Resort Guided Tour
  • Maka’ika’i, the Nature and Wildlife of Aulani Resort Guided Tour

We were lucky enough to experience the guided Art and Culture Tour, which was led by a local Hawaiian storyteller. What made us even luckier was that we essentially experienced a private guided tour, as our 7:30 pm time slot was not filled with any other guests! While on this tour, we journeyed around the main lobby of Aulani and learned all about how Disney Imagineers had incorporated Hawaiian culture into the resort. 

The lobby of Aulani is seen with a tall arched ceiling of yellow and dark wood. At the end there is an art piece depicting Hawaiians hunting for fish in the water.

A large mural of Hawaiian art is seen displayed on an exterior portion of Aulani’s resort building.

Our tour guide recounted cultural stories and pointed out beautiful art pieces. It was an art lover’s dream! Keep your eye out for the compass in the main lobby, as it just might light up!

 

Suggestion #4: Eat the Snacks & Feel like a Kid Again

What Disney vacation is complete without a Dole Whip? If you agree with this sentiment, then Aulani is absolutely a place that you are going to want to visit! Located close to the beach is Little ‘Opihi’s – Beachside Kiosk. At this stand, you can grab your favorite pineapple Dole Whip, as well as some alternating flavors. 

A man stands at the Little ‘Opihi’s snack stand as a Cast Member behind the counter prepares an order. The stand has a brown rock façade and an orange menu board.

What makes Aulani Dole Whip special, though, is the waffle bowl option, where you can choose a white chocolate character piece to top your dish. My husband and I opted to turn our Dole Whip into a Stitch pineapple and vanilla swirl, and it was delicious! The other characters that we could have selected were Mickey, Minnie, or Moana.

A hand holds a cup with the Aulani logo on it, which is filled with a Dole Whip Waffle Bowl topped with a white chocolate piece with Stitch on it, multicolored Mickey sprinkles, and a mini plastic palm tree.

Aulani is filled with Mickey-shaped food! At the Papalua Shaved Ice stand, they turn your order into a Mickey shaped masterpiece! When we received our order, we felt like kids again. 

A hand holds up a red and pink cup holding a Mickey-shaped serving of shaved ice. The beach, blue sky, and palm trees can be seen in the background.

You can select up to three flavors for your shaved ice, and we highly recommend the Haupia option if you are a coconut lover. For more Mickey-shaped snacks, we have also heard that the Musubi (fried spam) sushi roll from Ulu Cafe is yummy! 

 

Suggestion #5: Book the Ocean View

Hawaii can be expensive, and when we first set out to book our vacation, we were looking at the standard garden view and mountain view rooms at Aulani. However, we ended up booking a Deluxe Ocean View room through David’s Vacation Club Rentals. The process to book our Aulani stay through David’s was seamless, and we saved a ton of money through this service. 

The ocean, beachfront, pool areas and exterior of Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa are seen from a Villa balcony under a bright and sunny blue sky.

The best part was when we entered our Deluxe Ocean View room, and our jaws dropped. The room we were assigned was spacious and located on the fourteenth floor, so the view from our balcony was incredible. We loved sitting out on our balcony and relaxing while taking in the gorgeous view. This was especially nice in the late afternoon after spending all day by the pool. So go for it! Book that ocean view room! 

The lights of Aulani’s exterior and guest rooms at night are seen from a high floor Villa balcony. The pool area is also illuminated below.

 

Bonus Suggestion: Search for the Hidden Menehune

Did you know that there are over 300 Menehune statues hidden around the Aulani Resort? Menehune are legendary creatures from Hawaiian culture, known for their mischievous spirit. My husband and I enjoyed searching around Aulani to find all the hidden menehune statues that we could. We found hidden menehune statues in the resort lobby, DVC sales center, and our personal favorite was the one hiding in the corner of one of the Ewa Tower elevators. 

A wood-carved Menehune figure is seen hidden in the dark wood ceiling of the Ewa Tower at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii.

What is the best place you have found a hidden menehune statue? 

 

Do you have any suggestions for an adult-only trip to Aulani? If so, I would love to hear about them!  

~Megan

 

Author Bio:

My name is Megan Parkyn, and I live in Calgary, Canada with my husband and black cat. I have been visiting Disney parks ever since I was two years old, and I even spent two summers working at Walt Disney World as a Cast Member through the Disney Cultural Exchange Program. My goal is to visit all the Disney parks across the globe, and so far, I have checked Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Aulani off the list. 

Guest Blogger Megan Parkyn visits with Buzz Lightyear during a Disney vacation

 

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