Aulani 2017 - Part 2

Continued from Thursday's post - Aulani Part 1

When I left you, we had just finished Day 2 of our 4 day, 3 night stay at Aulani. Here's how we spent our last full day at Aulani and the morning before we left for the airport to head to Kauai.

Sorry in advance that some of the photos are blurry. All the photos taken in the pool were with my water proof case for my phone. It had gotten a little foggy the day before when it was raining and I just realized that some look a bit blurry in parts.

Day 3

Day 4

The Magic Kingdom Mamas had recommended that when at Aulani, you walk down the street a little bit to check out Paradise Cove (they used to have a blog post on Aulani, but I think they just updated their website and I can't seem to find it anymore). So, the morning of our third day, we walked down to check it out. It was very secluded and very quiet and we were almost the only ones there that morning. It was absolutely gorgeous and the photos don't do it justice. Had we not had a five year old who wouldn't sit still with us, I would have loved to sit and read and picnic there for a while.

After the beach, we headed across the street to the coffee place for some drinks and some breakfast and then we headed back to the resort for some pool time. We spent the majority of the day at the different pools, in the lazy river, and at the splash pad (Mason's FAVORITE place) as well as enjoying some choice beverages in a pineapple (the Mai Tai's were THE BEST there and on the last day I HAD to have one IN a pineapple - it cost like $9 more but was so worth it!).

We headed to story time at the fire pit with Uncle and Moana, ate dinner, took in one last sunset, and packed up our stuff to head to Kauai the next day.

In the morning, technically day 4, we took one last picture with our wrist bands, had some breakfast, and headed to the airport to continue our vacation with our family!


So, the burning question...
Is Aulani really worth the price? 

Yes and no.

Yes because I think you should definitely go at least once.
No because it was a quite expensive 4 days and I think it is a bit overpriced for what you get.

There is no denying, the resort is GORGEOUS and amazing. I LOVE that they kept it very Hawaiian while still having some touches of Disney. They had character breakfasts (that we didn't do because we could see them here at Disneyland and they were pricey), they had character sightings where you could take pictures, there were things like food items that were Disney themed, and more. Overall though, you felt a very overwhelming sense that you were in Hawaii, not Disneyland, if that makes sense. Would I pay money to be there during the peak season? HECK NO. October was perfect for us. We never had to fight for a pool chair. There were no waits in the restaurants. We got an upgraded room for free. When it was raining outside, the indoor areas were not crowded. There are SO many perks to going in off season, not just the price discount. Sure the weather might be better and hotter in the summer (it was like 75-ish when we were there which was nice outside, but not quite hot enough for the pool for my liking) or it might be more fun and decorative around the holidays, but you could not pay me enough money to be there with all those other people. Nope. Nope. Nope. It's the same reason I avoid Disneyland during the peak times. It's just not fun. I mean, did you see the pictures of Mason at the splash pad on the 3rd day? I mean, he was ALONE for like half the day when he was playing there! That is such a rarity at a Disney place EVER.

Would I go back?

Yes and no lol. I originally said no. I mean, it was fun while it lasted, we experienced it once and I do think it is quite overpriced. BUT having said that, looking back on these photos, and seeing other people's pictures of them there, make me want to go back. It is truly a gorgeous resort with tons of things to do (we never left the resort except to walk across the street to eat). You literally could drop your kids off at the kids club and go to the spa or hang by the adult pool or do whatever (we didn't, but you could). Or you could spend all day with your kids and just explore the area, enjoying the sights and relaxing. Having said that, if we were to go back, I think we'd do Aulani for a couple days, all inclusive, not leave the property, and then head to Honolulu for a few days and explore around over there. I've never been to Oahu besides this trip and I'd really like to explore a bit and see Pearl Harbor.

Any questions about anything I didn't cover... just ask!