We did a 2 night stay at Aulani in August 2021. The property is gorgeous (not *too* Disney) and the private beach is so well manicured. We stayed in a studio and had a view of the parking garage and the hills behind. If you plan to spend a ton of time in your room you may want to upgrade to the 1 bedroom, but we are not stay in the room people so it didn't matter to us. Beware, everything on property is EXPENSIVE. We ate at the Olelo room and did character dining at Makahiki - food was nice and the service was excellent. Spend some time in the lazy river, it's worth it! We also enjoyed treatments at Laniwai spa, and if that's in your budget, it's a must do. Aulani is far from everything else in Oahu, so if you plan on seeing the island, be prepared to rent a car. The only thing we really didn't like was the shave ice - it's sub par compared to the shave ice on the north shore, and the Mickey ears add on was not worth it because it was more like two round ice cubes than shave ice. Overall it was a wonderfully joyful and relaxing trip and we will definitely be back.

I just finished a 4 night standard studio stay at Aulani. I originally had an ocean view studio, but I had set up alerts for a standard view studio and hotel room. The DVC App txt me as soon as the standard view studio became available. This saved me a ton on points. 

Aulani was wonderful as usual. My kids enjoy the water area so much. We ate sushi at the Oleó Room and that was delicious. I highly recommend staying at Aulani 

Our family managed to snag three days during spring break in 2021 at Aulani in a Studio and we could not have been happier with our stay. 

The activities were excellent for us and our five year old daughter. She kept herself entertained for a half a day in the kid's play area, running across bridges, taking the slides, and making quick friends with other keiki at the park. Then, she fell in love with the twin water slides at the park, riding so many times we could no longer keep track. We also absolutely loved the Menehune Adventure trail. It is well designed, gives you plenty of exercise running all around the resort, and activates the resort itself as the menehune play drums, rise islands from the sea, open sails on the outrigger, spurt water from hidden jets and more. 

As adults, we loved the food. Makahiki was the primary restaraunt open in the phased COVID reopening for the resort, and it did not disappoint with a fabulous prix fixe menu including savory local fish, a sumptuous chocolate dessert, and incredible corn soup. We also did the Ka'a Luau, with a very interesting choice of bento-style boxes that were loaded with local delicacies including pork, short ribs, macademia-crusted fish, and more and more. Finally, we used the Ulu Cafe daily for breakfast and lunch options, and found the food there generally agreeable for quick stop dining. 

The weakest link for the resort, in our opinion, is the phone app, which lags the Walt Disney World app in features. There is no room unlock via app, no scheduling or reservations through the app, and no mobile orders for food, a feature we've come to rely on heavily when visiting WDW. Similarly, if there was ever a place for magic bands, it would be Aulani as carrying the room key around for purchases during the day was a real pain. An RFID band, even if not Magic Band official, would be most appreciated and is something offered at a few other resorts in the area.

We stayed in a 3-bedroom villa with breathtaking views of the water. There were twelve of us ranging in age from 12-90 and we never once felt crowded. The bedroom breakdown was perfect for each family group to have its own space and the kids (all cousins) spread out between the three bedrooms and the sleeper sofa and chair in the living room. Each of the bedrooms had doors leading out to the long, shared balcony with enough loungers and seating for every person in the family.

During the day we'd all venture out to our preferred resort activities, snorkeling, drifting along the lazy river, sunbathing at the beach, swimming or paddle-boarding in the lagoon, shopping, spa visits, reading on a lounge, or admiring the beautiful landscape or walking the coastline trail. The resort is filled with amenities, activities, and events to please every age, the service is as you'd expect for a Disney destination, and our every need was met and/or the top-notch staff would help us find acceptable alternatives.

At sunset, the balcony and cocktails, mocktails, and shaved ice became our family meeting point to share details of our daily escapades, to plot the next day's adventures, and to rest and reset for the evening ahead. Our balcony was at the end of one of the tower buildings and had an unobstructed overlook of the gorgeous lagoon and the wide ocean beyond. During our week stay, we went out for evening entertainment, stayed in for game or movie nights, and went beyond the resort to take in some of what the island offered.

Dining options both on-site and nearby provided a wide range of options. Casual, informal, or fancy and from light snacks to multi-course meal. Nearby eatery locations gave us a chance to venture off property, but between the full kitchen in the villa, the BBQ grills available for guest use, and the on-property restaurants, it wasn't often we had to leave the resort, and that resulted in an enjoyable way for a large family to enjoy multiple meals together each day and to keep overall expenses manageable.

Our goal was to bring together three generations of family from two continents to celebrate a nonagenarian grandparent. While the lure of all Ohau has to offer from a tourist perspective was out there, our number one plan was to stay resort-inclusive, be together as much as possible, and to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings. Aluani checked all our boxes and we can't wait to return someday. Perhaps for the centennial birthday celebration?

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