# What do you wish you had brought to Aulani?



## mikewdw

planning first trip in couple weeks.  any items you wish you had brought that you forgot or didn't know to bring.  any first timer info appreciated!
thanks
mikewdw


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## blondietink

Do you plan on cooking in your villa at all?  If so, I wish I had brought some simple condiments like those small shakers of salt, pepper, some sugar  and dried herbs that I use a lot at home.  I now have a Ziploc bag full of that stuff so when we go on vacation that includes a kitchen, I have it ready to throw in the suitcase.


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## squeezle

Extra ziplock bags (gallon and quart) for storing leftovers as well as wet swimsuits/clothing
Laundry hooks w/ clips to hang up wet swimsuits - they also double as a chip clip because the Maui Style potato chips are insanely delicious!
Our own water bottles to fill up by the pool


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## nkereina

We bought pool floats to use in the lagoon at Target but were unaware that Aulani will not inflate them for you. Luckily, the ABC store across the street sold air pumps. But if you have a small hand pump at home, probably easier just to bring it if you're going to use floats of any kind. 

Also, depending on the room you're in, I might recommend some kind of organizing tool like a shoe holder or folding shelves or even a laundry hamper. We were just two adults but had a studio which is smaller than a standard hotel room, and I was always straightening things and organizing them. The lack of space made the room feel cluttered to me.


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## PattiPB

Great thread idea, Mike!

Heading to Aulani for the first time in June, too, and following this thread looking for wisdom!


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## cgattis

squeezle said:


> Extra ziplock bags (gallon and quart) for storing leftovers as well as wet swimsuits/clothing
> Laundry hooks w/ clips to hang up wet swimsuits - they also double as a chip clip because the Maui Style potato chips are insanely delicious!
> Our own water bottles to fill up by the pool


Wow...I literally purchased and packed all of these things this weekend!  A great start!!


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## happymommy

We stay at a neighboring resort, but I always bring spices, sometimes small amounts of condiments, my own tongs for cooking and grilling, nonstick Reynolds Wrap, food storage containers, pool rafts (or buy them and other items at Target, Marriott has two places to fill them with air), Pam cooking spray if I see it on sale at home, a small collapsible cooler for cold water when we go out around the island or for beer and snacks at the pool (I bought my favorite one actually at the Walmart in Kapolei).  My daughter wears glasses and has a pretty strong prescription, so we got her a prescription snorkel mask at a local dive shop here in Maryland, so I will bring 2 snorkel sets (purchased at Costco) and her mask as well.  I agree to anything that can keep the room/villa organized is good, like I bring extra wire hangers (from the dry cleaning), as I hang as much as possible, and those wooden ones take up too much closet space if I ask for more from housekeeping!  I always say that I will pack less clothes next trip, as we really only need shorts, tee shirts, a sundress for me, swim suits, flip flops and tennis shoes for working out, and a couple exercise outfits.  Also a sweater (and jeans next trip since we're also going a couple days to VNP on the Big Island and it's very cool there).


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## candeeapril

We are staying in a 1 bedroom villa with rented DVC points.  Do we need to bring our own shampoo/condtionter, etc or will there be some provided?


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## OKW Lover

mikewdw said:


> any items you wish you had brought that you forgot or didn't know to bring.


I'd say extra batteries and SD cards for the camera.  Otherwise you can get everything you need while on the island at fairly reasonable prices.


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## squeezle

deleted: double post


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## happymommy

candeeapril said:


> We are staying in a 1 bedroom villa with rented DVC points.  Do we need to bring our own shampoo/conditioner, etc or will there be some provided?



I guess like any DVC they provide a little tiny starter bottle, but when we've done DVC we bring our own.  I actually (especially in Hawaii) don't use shampoo, but cleansing conditioner (I started with Wen but now use Sally Beauty "One" or also the one you can buy at Target and Walgreens (both in Kapolei) "Renpure" which helps with frizzy hair).  I'd plan on bringing your own.  Or, like we did one trip for 2 weeks, we just brought carry on bags and I did a quick stop at Target after check in and bought all our toiletries (and I was a zombie - 6 hour time change so after like 4 hours of sleep I was shopping after being up for almost 24 hours by the time I got the stuff to the room.  Oh well!


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## OKW Lover

candeeapril said:


> Do we need to bring our own shampoo/condtionter, etc or will there be some provided?


Soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash are all provided.


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## MouseOfCards

If you're in a unit with a washer/dryer, you should bring some additional detergent and dryer sheets. They provide small packs for 1 or 2 loads, but we use ours a lot on each trip.


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## MouseOfCards

Also, recommend either a waterproof pouch for your smartphone so that you can take pictures in the pools, or get a waterproof camera (we received many envious stares while using ours).


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## andreapd

OKW Lover said:


> Soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash are all provided.



Just got back from a stay on rented points in a one-bedroom villa! There were the standard mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion, as well as two bars each of facial and bath soap. However, they run out quickly (and frankly, I usually snag them for souvenirs/using on shorter trips). I picked up smaller—though larger than travel size—bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash and packed them in our checked bags. In a villa, you get only trash/towel service on your 4th day. So depending on the length of your stay and number in your party, those little bottles may not be enough to get you through.

I echo the ziplocs comment. And our kitchen didn't have a flat spatula/turner, a pizza cutter or tongs, so if you plan to cook things needing these utensils, bring or buy.

I'd also bring multiple bottles of good sunscreen. I kept one in the villa bathroom and one in the beach bag, so we'd always have it near us for reapplying. Also, bring a bottle of aloe in case of burns.

The concrete in the pool area is incredibly hot in the middle of the day. If you can stand to wear them, water socks/shoes are a great idea. Though we ended up just wearing our flip-flops and ditching them off to the side near the pools.


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## andreapd

andreapd said:


> And our kitchen didn't have a flat spatula/turner, a pizza cutter or tongs, so if you plan to cook things needing these utensils, bring or buy.



To correct myself, someone did tell me you can call down and get at least the flat spatula and tongs, which should be part of the standard kitchen utensils. So I guess if anything is missing, call down to the desk!


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## OKW Lover

There is a list of the standard equipment in each unit.  Usually its laminated to the back of one of the cabinet doors.


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## andreapd

OKW Lover said:


> There is a list of the standard equipment in each unit.  Usually its laminated to the back of one of the cabinet doors.



That is true, but the one in the Aulani kitchen simply said, "kitchen utensils," and didn't list them individually. Not knowing what exactly was included/expected, we just rolled with it.


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## Bejeweledj9

We didn't take much the first time, but the SECOND time was a different story!
Our kids shared a suitcase so we had an extra checked bag to use - here's what we used it for in our 1 bedroom villa:

Coffee filters (basket type, not cone)
Ground Coffee
Coffee creamer pods (like the ones at the gas stations that don't go bad)
Lots of drinks in Tetra Packs - i.e. Soy milk, tea, juice boxes
Non-parishable food for the kids - i.e. mac & cheese cups, cereal, fruit snacks, fruit cups, applesauce squeezes, crackers, etc
Boxed Wine i.e. Bota Box
Liquor in plastic bottles (the smaller ones that aren't in glass bottles)
Snorkel equipment (we found we didn't like the resort's - it's one size fits all)

We found this saved us a ton of money buying stuff for the kids (not the coffee & booze, lol) who seemed to be constantly hungry/snacky but we didn't want to buy there.  We were able to have a glass of wine on our villa condo as soon as we got there, and made several of our own mixed drinks in our Aulani cups before heading to the pool.  Not that we didn't buy food & drinks, but we were so glad to have some of that stuff with us!  Aloha!~


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## Psymonds

Bejeweledj9 said:


> Lots of drinks in Tetra Packs - i.e. Soy milk, tea, juice boxes
> Non-parishable food for the kids - i.e. mac & cheese cups, cereal, fruit snacks, fruit cups, applesauce squeezes, crackers, etc
> Boxed Wine i.e. Bota Box
> Liquor in plastic bottles (the smaller ones that aren't in glass bottles)



that's a lot of weight!  hopefully you weighed it before you got to the airport and had to drink that boxeau wine at check in!


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## happymommy

I wouldn't ever pack drinks to Hawaii - you can buy it across the street at the Island Market reasonably anyway, even liquor.

Now, to Disney, I have brought one bottle in a wine diaper (I can get beer or wine delivered from Safeway but not my vodka, or rum).  Most it saves me is really like $20 though, so no big deal.


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## Bejeweledj9

Yes we did weigh it - I was worried a bit. We were close!  But not over 50 - had some Disney Magic that day!

And we had an free checked bag to use, so why not.  Yes, you can obviously get that stuff there, but I didn't want our first stop to be the store, I wanted it to be the beach   And I was super happy about bringing the milk - I still have the picture from the ABC store where a gallon of milk was over $10.


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## Brancaneve

If you have a kitchen with a dishwasher, I would absolutely bring dishwasher detergent and I always bring gloves to save the manicure


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## bnk1120

A soft cooler is great to have to take drinks to the pool and when you leave the resort.


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## amysibbo

We wish we had brought our own snorkelling gear as we could feel all the fish in the ocean but couldn't get a proper look at them!


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## Jemwillow

A water proof pouch is a must. Bought one over there for $15 at the target in Kapolei. Helped my iPhone work as an underwater camera loved it!  Didn't use the water shoes at all.  For coffee filter I would use doubled up paper towels. I probably wouldn't pack this but some might ...a snorkel mask combo.  The one you rent is good for the rainbow reef then you can get another one at the beach. You can also upgrade and get the package for the entire stay. But it was like $40/pp. you can get a 10% discount if you are DVC.  We didn't then my daughter wanted to snorkel the next day ugh!!!


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## Jemwillow

another quick tip if you have a full kitchen. is to fill up empty tic tac containers with salt and pepper/or your must have condiments. That was you don'y have lug along full bottles or throw away ones purchased on the island.


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## cgattis

Jemwillow said:


> another quick tip if you have a full kitchen. is to fill up empty tic tac containers with salt and pepper/or your must have condiments. That was you don'y have lug along full bottles or throw away ones purchased on the island.


That's genius!!!!! Thanks!!!


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## Siliobear

blondietink said:


> Do you plan on cooking in your villa at all?  If so, I wish I had brought some simple condiments like those small shakers of salt, pepper, some sugar  and dried herbs that I use a lot at home.  I now have a Ziploc bag full of that stuff so when we go on vacation that includes a kitchen, I have it ready to throw in the suitcase.


Are you saying the villas don't stock salt, pepper, sugar?


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## cgattis

Siliobear said:


> Are you saying the villas don't stock salt, pepper, sugar?


There were none of those things in ours, except for a couple of sugar packets in with the coffee.


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## blondietink

Siliobear said:


> Are you saying the villas don't stock salt, pepper, sugar?



Sometimes previous guests will leave what they have picked up in fast food places, but other than that, no there is generally none of those things provided in the villas.


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## BayGirl22

Jemwillow said:


> another quick tip if you have a full kitchen. is to fill up empty tic tac containers with salt and pepper/or your must have condiments. That was you don'y have lug along full bottles or throw away ones purchased on the island.


If you stay in condos/timeshares a lot or camp you could use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Advance-sw-sp-Swiss-Spice-Pepper/dp/B000BS5IXA 
I have one that I think is actual Swiss Army brand, purchased in Europe.  Its moisture proof so keeps contents dry for much longer.


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## mommy2allyandaveri

Bejeweledj9 said:


> Yes we did weigh it - I was worried a bit. We were close!  But not over 50 - had some Disney Magic that day!
> 
> And we had an free checked bag to use, so why not.  Yes, you can obviously get that stuff there, but I didn't want our first stop to be the store, I wanted it to be the beach   And I was super happy about bringing the milk - I still have the picture from the ABC store where a gallon of milk was over $10.



I'm very interested in this. We will have free checked bags as well.  How did you ensure the drinks would not spill/explode? Would like to possibly take drinks, salsa, applesauce.

I try to pick up extra condiment packets, salt/pepper, jelly/jam to take with us when I see them around.

I'm not sure how we would keep milk cold but I do plan to take what I can from home since I know stuff is super expensive there.


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## squeezle

mommy2allyandaveri said:


> I'm very interested in this. We will have free checked bags as well. How did you ensure the drinks would not spill/explode? Would like to possibly take drinks, salsa, applesauce.



We use these to keep things from leaking in our luggage - they are like a ziplock bag with an absorbent liner.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FLK2IU/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=A2ZMY2TBBDRA6P&th=1



mommy2allyandaveri said:


> I'm not sure how we would keep milk cold but I do plan to take what I can from home since I know stuff is super expensive there.



You could consider shelf-stable milk cartons that do not need refrigeration.


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## ppjluvsdvc

I do not think you should try to bring any carbonated beverages in your checked baggage.


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## cgattis

ppjluvsdvc said:


> I do not think you should try to bring any carbonated beverages in your checked baggage.


We've done that before with no issues.  YMMV I guess.


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## Bejeweledj9

mommy2allyandaveri said:


> I'm very interested in this. We will have free checked bags as well.  How did you ensure the drinks would not spill/explode? Would like to possibly take drinks, salsa, applesauce.
> 
> I try to pick up extra condiment packets, salt/pepper, jelly/jam to take with us when I see them around.
> 
> I'm not sure how we would keep milk cold but I do plan to take what I can from home since I know stuff is super expensive there.



We had the Tetrapaks of soy milk from Costco and those are pretty durable. Same with juice boxes and wine. You could do the squeeze packs of applesauce? And maybe individual packs of salsa. Everything liquid we took was either in plastic or those tetrapaks. We already had the refillable cups from our previous trip so we didn't worry about soda, etc. Oh we also took coffee, filters and creamer pods.


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## Bunless

I have a spread sheet with notes for what to take/not to take on vacations. I just read my Aulani notes...

Hawaii: 
Don’t Bring/Bring less of
--Paperback books (or more than one, I just stared at the water the whole time, and napped)
--extra shoes--only one pair, maybe two needed (it's not a fashion show, it's a beach)
--Straw Hat (looks great in photos, blows away every chance it gets)
--not as many pairs of underwear (because you're just going to wear your swimsuit all the time)
--Chocolate or candy (in the heat, it melts.. plus I just wanted fruit)
--Gym Bag (HAHAHAHAHAHA)
--less jewelry (you're at the beach! not a fashion show)
--straws (water quickly replaced sodas and mixed drinks, improved stress level much?)
--chopsticks (already in the unit)

Still Bring
--3 dresses--BUT ONLY THREE one long, one short, one nice (swimsuit and coverup the rest of the time)
--beach bag
--beach safe (find the key!)
--body glide
--Salt
--Pepper
--Chip Clips (remember, it's humid, protect the chips)
--Glad-ware

Bring More
--Coffee!!!
--3 swimsuits instead of 2

Brought Too Many
Kind Bars, Packs of Nuts, Granola Bars (still bring, but only one per day, instead of one per day for each person)


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## GooglyBear808

When I was there I walked down to Ulu cafe to pick up a dole whip and grabbed some packets of salt, pepper, shoyu, and ketchup to take up to our villa.  One night we made popcorn and noticed we had no salt so I ran downstairs to Ulu cafe but they were closed and the condiment organizer was gone!!  Just an FYI


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## mommy2allyandaveri

laundry detergent
more gym clothes (we worked out every morning)
swim shirts - even though we used lots of sunblock our kids still burned. We ended up getting a couple at the sporting goods store next to target


Anyone know if I can bring a couple of limes and an onion in my carry on?  May seem silly but I can probably buy all of those for less than $1 at home.


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## squeezle

mommy2allyandaveri said:


> Anyone know if I can bring a couple of limes and an onion in my carry on? May seem silly but I can probably buy all of those for less than $1 at home.



My guess is that would be a hassle - you would have to declare them, have them inspected, and somehow prove the limes weren't from Florida or Puerto Rico. http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/pq/travel-shipping-information/traveling-from-the-u-s-mainland-to-hawaiʻi/


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## blondietink

Limes and onions are not liquid, so normally I would say ok.  However, Hawaii has very strict rules on bringing in fresh produce onto the islands.  There are garbage cans located in the airport with large signs that say dump your fresh produce food here before claiming your luggage.  They absolutely do not want foreign bugs and diseases invading the islands if they can help it.   You also must go through agricultural screening when you leave the islands.


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## mommy2allyandaveri

blondietink said:


> Limes and onions are not liquid, so normally I would say ok.  However, Hawaii has very strict rules on bringing in fresh produce onto the islands.  There are garbage cans located in the airport with large signs that say dump your fresh produce food here before claiming your luggage.  They absolutely do not want foreign bugs and diseases invading the islands if they can help it.   You also must go through agricultural screening when you leave the islands.



Good to know, thanks!


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## Pooh2

We did carry-on only so prepared a list to do a Target run the first full day.


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## JCornell

More sunscreen.
I noticed a lot of people in and around the water with their phones in waterproof bags.  Looked handy if you like to have your phone with you.  I do have a waterproof GoPro which is also great around the water.


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## cgattis

JCornell said:


> More sunscreen.
> I noticed a lot of people in and around the water with their phones in waterproof bags.  Looked handy if you like to have your phone with you.  I do have a waterproof GoPro which is also great around the water.


We had a half dozen people at least ask us where we got our waterproof phone cases that we wear on lanyards.  Definitely useful.


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## BayGirl22

cgattis said:


> We had a half dozen people at least ask us where we got our waterproof phone cases that we wear on lanyards.  Definitely useful.


Good to hear.  I just bought two of them on Amazon for DH and me, different brands because there were so many choices.  They ended up being identical, and when I tried them out in a bowl of water overnight they worked perfectly.


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## TheHulamuffins

I agree with the idea of prescription goggles for snorkeling, if you wear glasses and your prescription calls for more than about -4.  This will make a real difference to your experience in the snorkeling reef.  On different trips, we went on 2 snorkeling boat tours, one that stocked prescription goggles and one that did not--with no obvious indication up front.  The prescription goggles give you a very much better experience.  Although I have now purchased my own prescription goggles, I am in the market for lighter ones--I don't recall the ones I had on the boat being quite this heavy.  You may also want to bring your own snorkel.

I purchased the anti-jellyfish lotion/sunscreen combination for a Carribbean trip.  I am not sure whether there is any need for it at Aulani.

For people who don't need or want to carry their phones around in a waterproof case, one of those smaller waterproof containers that holds credit cards, drivers licenses, etc. is valuable.

I like the 2.5 gallon ziplock bags for bringing wet swimsuits home.

A sun hat is a good thing to pack.  There is not a lot of choice around Aulani, in my experience.  If you like visors or baseball caps, you can get them there, though.  I also recommend comfortable flip-flops, underlining comfortable.  

I think we purchased souvenir beach towels at Aulani.  They take up a lot of room in a suitcase, and you can do fine with the regular-size towels that are provided.

The coconuts that they sell at Aulani, for drinking coconut water and I suppose eating the coconut filling itself, are intriguing for people who live far from coconut trees.  It is sometimes hard to open them, though, because the opener tabs they put on them often break off before the "plug" (about as big around as a penny) pulls out.  I would have liked to have a mini screwdriver or other tool that would accomplish that.


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## jamiecarr@dvcstore

mikewdw said:


> planning first trip in couple weeks.  any items you wish you had brought that you forgot or didn't know to bring.  any first timer info appreciated!
> thanks
> mikewdw



Food! We were only staying 2 nights, prior to going on a cruise, so we thought we wouldn't want or need to cook. we stopped at a Walmart on the way from Honolulu, so we had a rental car and stopped for some things, so I had the opportunity. I just wish we would have purchased more snacks or easy things for the villa on the nights we were tired from the sun and didn't feel like we had to get out to go find food.  Aulani is one of my all time favorite resorts and locations to visit, so have a fantastic time!


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