101 Dream Vacations

Nothing on Accident at… Aulani

Nothing on Accident at… Aulani

One of my favorite parts about Disney is the attention to detail in everything. Disney is a company that is an expert at storytelling and that expertise doesn’t just end with great movies it overflows into all aspects of the company, you see it in the parks and the resorts even on the cruise lines. The same is true at Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa on the great Island of Oahu. The word aulani translates to “messenger of a chief,” It expresses a connection to tradition and deep story-telling. Join me as I can only skim the surface of the beauty and wonders of this amazing resort and culture of the Hawaiian people.
Lets talk about the shape of Aulani, that is one of the first things I noticed it doesn’t look like other resorts around. The curved arch is based on a traditional Hawaiian canoe house as echoed in the framing of the Maka‘ala lobby as well as in the resort’s physical layout. You will see pictures of this throughout the resort.

[bctt tweet=”From the moment you walk into the Maka’ala you are transported to a beautiful culture that engages all of the senses” via=”no”]
From the moment you walk into the Maka’ala (lobby) You are transported to a beautiful culture that engages all of the senses and pays homage to both ancient and modern culture. Maka’ala is the Hawaiian word for watchful, and with so many sights to take in in the lobby you will want to keep your eyes open to take it all in.
As you walk in your eyes will be drawn straight out towards the Ocean, but don’t stop there look around, the mural you see above the grand doors leading you out is a picture representing current and future culture.

Turn around and look behind you and you see the doors which you came in and a view of the Mountains which represent ancient Hawaiian culture. Just as water flows you will notice the images flow on the mural from past which is the mountains to future which is the ocean.

 

In Hawaiian culture men and women had their specific roles and responsibilities and each of the two towers at Aulani pays homage to the cultural differences in those roles. So when you look to your left you will be looking at the ‘Ewa tower or the feminine tower, all the murals and imagery will be those of the women and their traditional roles. The water features on this side will be soft and tranquil.



As you look to your right before you head to the front desk notice you are walking towards the masculine tower or the Wai’anae Tower, the mural and imagery on this side will depict traditional males in their roles in Hawaiian culture. The water feature on this side has rough and jagged sides and the water is moving more aggressively.


Now as you head over to the front desk you will notice the beautiful artwork behind the desk. It is beautiful and memorizing but each picture was taken by a child who was told to take a picture of something that you think represents Hawaiian culture in a specific color. So pay attention to each picture because it tells a story that a child wanted us to get about Hawaiian culture.


As you are checking in, the children can hang out in the Keiki (Children) waiting area.
One especially fun part of Hawaiian culture is the legend of the mischievous Menehune. They live live in the Hawaiian valleys and come out at night, and although they only come out and play and cause mischief at night they can sometimes be spotted around the resort. They are hiding all over the resort and waiting for you to find them, they are truly weaved into many aspects of the resort from obvious areas like the  Menehune Bridge splash pad area, to interactive games like the Menehune adventure trail (interactive scavenger hunt) and of course in more not so obvious locations so keep your eyes open. 
Before we leave the Maka’ala let me mention that if you have any questions about the Hawaiian cultural experts that are situated in the lobby most of the time they will be dressed differently than the other cast members.
Now it is time to head to your room and quickly unpack as you will want to head back out to do some more exploring. At Aulani you can stay in the resort in a standard room or a studio, 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom villa, so you have plenty of room to bring the whole family.
If you are wanting to do a little shopping at the resort there are two main shops and they are near the lobby going towards the masculine towers. The Kalepa’s store and the Hale Manu. The Kalepa’s Store is inspired by mom and pop stores around Hawaii, and to pay homage to them you will notice pictures of them all around the store.

Now it’s time to get serious… Let’s talk food. So at Aulani there are two main (or table service in Disney language) restaurants, Makahiki and ‘AMA‘AMA we will look at each of them in detail because this is a blog about story telling and each has a story to tell, and well, I like food so here we go.
Makahiki is named after the Makahiki season which is a time to celebrate the harvest. Makahiki is located on the first floor of the main building and as you look around you will notice vibrant colors, and abundance of food, the harmonious use of resources and you will really feel as though you are celebrating a bountiful harvest. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served here all buffet style. Aunties Breakfast celebration is held here and features some of your favorite characters including Mickey Mouse.



‘AMA‘AMA, named after a local mullet fish,  the restaurant itself is inspired by fishing settlements on the coast of O‘ahu that date back to the 12th century. You see ‘Ama’Ama was a small fishing hut built by Auntie and Uncle but as their family grew so must the house you will notice the different sections of the restaurant look as though they were built at different times and the materials used changed and became more modern for each addition. ‘Ama’Ama offers more than just a great story the food here is so fresh and so good, and the whole restaurant being open air provides some unparalleled views.





Besides those two restaurants there are numerous other quick service spots to grab something quick to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Although I have some favorite dishes from each my favorite for the story telling is The ‘Ōlelo Room although really this is more of a lounge/bar but you can get some appetizers which are big enough for a small dinner. ‘Ōlelo (pronounced oh-leh-low) is Hawaiian for “word,” or “to converse”—and this lounge truly celebrates the Hawaiian language. If you don’t come out of this place knowing at least a little Hawaiian maybe you drank a few too many of those amazing cocktails they serve there.




There are many other quick service food options available that we will talk about further in this post, but I promise you will not go hungry at Aulani.
Let’s talk about some  of the activities, again I won’t go into details here because well let’s face it I am getting pretty long winded with this post already, but I will touch on some options. Obviously there is the beach which is a beach right? WRONG Did you know that Aulani is the ONLY beach in Hawaii which allows alcohol to be served on the beach? There are a ton of things going on around the beach through out the day with exclusive things for teens, kids and families.
The vibrant heart of the Aulani resort is the Waikolohe Valley, an exciting and colorful oasis filled with thrilling experiences, creative designs and a magical invitation for guests: Come and play! At 7 acres in size, the Waikolohe Valley is the main recreation area for Aulani, and all kinds of activities take place there. “Waikolohe” means “waters of mischief” and the waters in the valley more than live up to their name. Here you will find the Pu’u Kilo, pu’u means “hill” and kilo means “observe” and when you really look closely at the Pu’u Kilo you may notice some things hidden into the giant hill located at the center of Waikolohe Valley take a look at the pictures and let us know in the comments or over on Facebook if you see any of the hidden things. There are two slides that go out of Pu’u Kilo the Tubestone Curl and the Volcanic Vertical. Another key part to the Waikolhe Valley is the Menehune Bridge, if you remember earlier we talked about the mischievous little Menehune, well they definitely are up to their tricks on this play structure as they can be spotted all over the bridge, dumping water from gourds, pipes and other water containers onto those below.







Besides Waikolohe Valley there are some great pools and other recreational areas for both families and adults only.
Besides the pools and beach areas there are many other options for recreation that goes along with the story of Hawaii and Aulani. One option is the Pau Hana or Community Hall, Pau Hana means “work is over” and this hall is filled with games and movie rentals, but my favorite thing that goes on here is almost every day a local Hawaiian artisan teaches some kind of traditional Hawaiian art such as making leis or kukui nut necklaces, or feather work. There are also classes on the hula, and the ukulele.



Another one of the more popular things at Aulani is Auntie’s beach house which I am not going into details about here but it is a great children’s area and most of the activities are included at no cost.



There are many other family activities (that can be enjoyed as a family or even just as adults) that help tell a story, one of those is the Starlit Hui, which is a nighttime luau type event hosted by Uncle, he invites you to join him in traditional dances, hula and much more. This is a show not to be missed. Another activity that uncle also hosts is Mo’Olelo Fire Pit Storytelling every night as he shares traditional Hawaii legends and stories.




For the adults Laniwai Spa,”Laniwai” means “freshwater heaven” in Hawaiian. and at 18,000 square feet indoors, and 5,000 square feet outdoors the Lanai Spa certainly lives up to its name. It full slate of spa and salon services and outside is the Kula Wai hydrotherapy garden, which includes two warm aromatherapy pools, hot and cold whirlpool spas, and six different warm outdoor rain showers – everything from a gentle mist to a pounding waterfall.




And you can’t forget to take in some of the amazing views that Hawaii offers to the guests of Aulani, so make sure you leave some free time in your schedules to relax and enjoy the views.

At Disney everywhere you look you can see details and a story and at Aulani it is no different, next time you visit any of the Disney properties take a few moments to look for those details and those stories I promise you won’t be sorry you did. I could spend a whole lot more time going through even more of the amazing details and storytelling that takes place at Aulani, but some things you will just have to experience for yourself. We would love to hear how you put yourself into the stories at any Disney property, feel free to share on our Facebook or the comments below!
If you are wanting to take a trip to Aulani or anywhere else for that matter, make sure you contact our sponsors over at 101 Dream Vacations, one of their amazing travel professionals will be happy to help you plan your next adventure. You can visit their Facebook page here. Don’t forget to also check out this post about Hawaii.