Our Honeymoon at Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa Overview

My husband and I just returned from our fairytale honeymoon at Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii. This was a trip that we had been planning for quite a while and it was the perfect end to all the wedding festivities. If you’re looking for an incredible beach front resort in the paradise of Hawaii than keep reading to learn all about our experience.

Accommodations

We were traveling to Hawaii out of Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. We were fortunate to get a direct flight on the way there which made the 9 ½ hour travel time a little more bearable.

Flying into the Honolulu airport, we had arranged transportation through Aulani and met our driver outside of baggage claim. He drove us from the airport to Aulani which is in Ko Olina. The drive only took about 30 minutes and our chauffeur pointed out a lot of the popular sites along the way.

When we arrived at Aulani we were greeted by Aulani staff and directed to the lobby for check in. The lobby is open air which we found to be unique and decorated with the Polynesian culture in mind.

They had our room ready for early check-in so we could immediately go see where we would be staying for the next nine days. To save a little on costs, we decided to skip the ocean front view and instead booked an island gardens view. The view from our balcony was stunning and surpassed our expectations!

The room was modern and updated with the signature Disney amenities. They even had a welcome card with our towels folded in the shapes of Mickey ears and an elephant. The attention to detail is a special Disney touch and one of the reasons we love staying with them.

Activities

Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa is the perfect place if you are looking for a mix of activity and relaxation. We knew arriving straight from our wedding that we would be tired and wanted to plan in some relaxation days while still seeing all the popular tourist sights.

The resort area has multiple different pool areas as well as direct access to the beach that it shares with the Four Seasons resort next door. They provide towels for you to use throughout your stay and you have access t

o all the pools and beach chairs. We discovered that guests claim their seats early and to get a good spot you must go early in the morning!

We rented snorkel equipment through the resort for the duration of our stay. This was a great activity because you could pick up the rental equipment whenever you wanted to snorkel and return it when you were done. We spent some time in the cove that is located right off Aulani’s beach. This was perfect because there were barely any waves and we still got to see some great sea life! There were a lot of different types of fish and if you go early enough in the morning, you may even see some sea turtles!

In addition to the ocean, Aulani has an area called Rainbow Reef which is their 3,800 square foot man-made saltwater lagoon. There are plenty of amazing fish and it is perfect if you’re looking to experience the wonders of snorkeling without being in the open ocean.

When we were looking for a little more adventure than just relaxing on the beach we enjoyed floating on the lazy river and riding Aulani’s two water slides.

Food

Dining at Aulani was a great experience! I have both a gluten and dairy allergy so it can often be difficult to find options on vacation. Disney parks and properties are great about accommodating allergies and Aulani was no different. You can check out my reviews of Disney Dining with allergies here. 

The resort has multiple different restaurants on site, but our favorites were Makahiki, The Olëlo Room and Off the Hook.

Makahiki had a character dining breakfast experience and then a three-course menu at dinner. We ate here multiple times and loved all the options. The character breakfast was especially exciting because we got meet some characters that we don’t see as often such as Stitch and Max.

Off the Hook was a great option for a quicker dining experience and anytime that we wanted to order a to-go meal. They had lots of different options, but my favorite order was the shrimp flatbread. You can even order from the restaurant and have it delivered to your seat at the pool or beach.

The Olëlo room was a great option for an adult dining experience. The atmosphere was that of a cocktail lounge with live music and great drinks. The menu was centered aroundheavy appetizers and we split multiple different plates to make it into a meal. If you are looking for great sushi on your visit to Aulani, this is the spot!

There are also several places around the resort to order snacks, quick service food, shave ice and my favorite – dole whip!

Resort and Spa

A of our trip was the time that we spent at Laniwai – A Disney Resort and Spa. We both indulged in a full body massage as well as time spent at their hydrotherapy gardens.

As a guest at the spa, you had the option to check in for your appointment an hour early and spend time in their hydrotherapy gardens. There were multiple different pools and water features you could choose from.

Some were hot water, and some were cold water, but they are all designed to increase muscle recovery and enhance relaxation. This was a unique feature and truly enhanced the massage experience.

I highly recommend booking spa activities before arriving at the resort as they were fully booked for a lot of appointment types, and we couldn’t book all the services we would have liked.

Overall Experience

Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa was the perfect place for our Hawaiian honeymoon. It was a great blend of an active but relaxing vacation. It’s location on the beach and resort amenities resulted in a trip we will never forget!

This was a review of Our Honeymoon at Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa