Just Checked Into Aulani!

[Paul Stupin]

I think I’ll post, no doubt inconsistently, some random thoughts and observations while we’re here. If you guys seem to like it, that will encourage me!

1. Staying in a one bedroom ocean view in the Waianae tower. So clean and nice! With the new TVs, it’s possible to google cast from my iPad, so we can watch Netflix and such. Easy to set up and convenient. Internet seems fine.

2. Huge huge line at checkin this aft. It does seem crowded, but we’ll have to see what things are like after the weekend.

3. Walked over and had lunch this aft at the Four Seasons. Place seems kind of dead, but the service is great. We asked the server how to get reservations at Mina’s and Noe, since availability is almost zero online. No problem! Tomorrow at 8 for Noe, Monday at 8 for Mina’s. Our preference would have been 7 pm, but no availability. That said, can hardly complain!

4. The hotel and grounds are as beautiful as ever. A little worried about finding lounge chairs in the shade in front of Ama Ama tomorrow, or anywhere for that matter, since I don’t plan on going down there at the crack of dawn. Am sure we’ll figure something out. Looking forward to swimming, snorkeling, lazy river-ing, and sliding tomorrow!

5. One nice aspect of this tower is that I think we’ll get afternoon shade. It’s nice to sit out on the balcony and read, but not necessarily in the blazing sun.

6. Tonight dinner at Makahiki. Sunday we’re driving over to the Kualoa Movie Ranch for the two hour raptor tour. Should be fun!

Later you guys!

 

[alohamom]

Have a blast!

 

[vacay77]

Following along! I hope you have a great time

 

[braysmommy]

Have fun! Following along

 

[suzy_q]

Let us know how the lounge chair situation is!

 

[hygienist999]

We arrive on the 26th. Wondering how long it took your safe travels account to say approved with the green check after uploading your negative test results. I'm hearing people have the QR code but no green check and are having to retest at the airport.

 

[Paul Stupin]

We arrive on the 26th. Wondering how long it took your safe travels account to say approved with the green check after uploading your negative test results. I'm hearing people have the QR code but no green check and are having to retest at the airport.

My wife and I have been to Aulani twice this year, and both times when we’ve uploaded our negative test results we’ve received the green check instantaneously. I don’t think it will give you the QR code otherwise. Also, this time, when we checked in at Hawaiian Airlines in Los Angeles for the flight, they scanned our QR codes and gave us each a purple wristband, enabling us to bypass getting checked and scanned in Honolulu. So convenient! Am hoping proof of vaccination will enable us to avoid all this next time.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Let us know how the lounge chair situation is!

It’s 7:41 am and I can see people getting on lounge chairs. Plenty are still available, but we’re not going down there for a while.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Had dinner at Makahiki last night. My wife and I had pretty much the same thing, caprese salad with fresh buratta, fresh ahi, then I had the pineapple cobbler while she had the chocolate cheesecake for dessert. We never order dessert but it was included. Was delicious. I’d give it an A-/B+. Ulu Lounge very crowded!

 

[surran12]

We check in tomorrow for our first trip. I greatly appreciate all the information you are passing along!

 

[Paul Stupin]

Hi everyone....

Lounge chairs can be tough, especially by the pool. They were all gone relatively early. Around 11:00 AM, loungers were still available by the beach, and one of the cast members told us that they don’t really enforce the one hour rule. So we put our stuff on them, then went for a long walk down to the Marriott, then up to the shopping center and the Four Season. When we returned in about 90 minutes, our chairs were happily waiting for us undisturbed, with a nice umbrella for shade, but right now it looks like zero availability. Fri and Sat are the busiest days though, and we still got seating pretty easily. We prefer it to the pool, with so many kids running around.

Loving the Waianae Tower. No waits for elevators and very quiet!

Internet on beach surprisingly ok! Am writing this on the sand right now.

Bring coffee filters! None in the room, and none available anywhere within walking distance. They’re sold out in the shopping center across the street.

Enormous lines for MonkeyPod, even right now for lunch. Not sure it’s worth the wait.

Four Seasons looks pretty empty, but things are hopping at the Marriott down the beach.

 

[Cliffside]

Hi everyone....

Lounge chairs can be tough, especially by the pool. They were all gone relatively early. Around 11:00 AM, loungers were still available by the beach, and one of the cast members told us that they don’t really enforce the one hour rule. So we put our stuff on them, then went for a long walk down to the Marriott, then up to the shopping center and the Four Season. When we returned in about 90 minutes, our chairs were happily waiting for us undisturbed, with a nice umbrella for shade, but right now it looks like zero availability. Fri and Sat are the busiest days though, and we still got seating pretty easily. We prefer it to the pool, with so many kids running around.

Loving the Waianae Tower. No waits for elevators and very quiet!

Internet on beach surprisingly ok! Am writing this on the sand right now.

Bring coffee filters! None in the room, and none available anywhere within walking distance. They’re sold out in the shopping center across the street.

Enormous lines for MonkeyPod, even right now for lunch. Not sure it’s worth the wait.

Four Seasons looks pretty empty, but things are hopping at the Marriott down the beach.

Thanks for all the updates. We are heading there in September for the first time for our 25th wedding anniversary. Trying to do as much research as possible.

 

[hygienist999]

My wife and I have been to Aulani twice this year, and both times when we’ve uploaded our negative test results we’ve received the green check instantaneously. I don’t think it will give you the QR code otherwise. Also, this time, when we checked in at Hawaiian Airlines in Los Angeles for the flight, they scanned our QR codes and gave us each a purple wristband, enabling us to bypass getting checked and scanned in Honolulu. So convenient! Am hoping proof of vaccination will enable us to avoid all this next time.

Thank you.

 

[JC1984]

Thanks for the report. Not going till January but looking forward to reading your daily report.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Dinner tonight was at Noe, a “light Italian” restaurant at the Four Seasons. Good food, a solid B+. Would recommend the whipped ricotta as an appetizer. They give it to you with some delicious bread, and a dollop of honeycomb. You’re supposed to spread a bit of the honeycomb on the bread, and then over that spread some ricotta. It’s delicious!

Noe is on the north side of the hotel, by the quaint looking marriage chapel. There’s a walkway that curves around the hotel, and connects to the main path between the lagoons. We took that back to Aulani. There’s a section that’s not well lit right by the ocean that added some fun and adventure after dinner.

 

[LoveMickey]

Bring coffee filters! None in the room, and none available anywhere within walking distance. They’re sold out in the shopping center across the street.
Which type of coffee filters are in the one and two bedroom units? the same as they have at WDW resorts? TIA

 

[vacay77]

Bring coffee filters! None in the room, and none available anywhere within walking distance. They’re sold out in the shopping center across the street.
Which type of coffee filters are in the one and two bedroom units? the same as they have at WDW resorts? TIA

Same question! I told my husband that I just read they are all out of coffee filters and his immediate question was - what kind of coffee makers do they have?? He cannot function without coffee in the morning, lol.

 

[Paul Stupin]

It’s a Mr. Coffee machine. The coffee is Joffrey‘s, with the coffee in that pouch that’s the filter as well, makes four cups, two pouches of normal coffee, two of decaf. It’s says “Aulani Blend” on it, but it’s very basic and just ok. There’s much better to coffee to be had if you just buy it here in the market. We just got a blend named “Coconut Caramel Crunch,” which will be great to try when we get the filters! We plan on stopping somewhere on the way back from Kualoa ranch today.

 

[misterrandom]

Maybe we will bump into you at some point. We checked in on Friday and are here until the 21st.

 

[distravel]

Thanks for taking the time to write a current review! Have you ever eaten at the fish restaurant st the Four Seasons? If so, how was it? Enjoy the rest of your vacation!