COMPLETE - Aulani Trip Report - June 2023 - Pictures & Food Recommendations

[gregf71]

Preface & Day 1 - Travel & Arrival at Aulani

First of all, our cast of characters. Me (51), my wife (47), and our daughter (17); Southern Californians born and raised and San Diego is home. Disneyland veterans of countless visits, several trips to Disney World, a handful of Disney cruises, a trip over to Disneyland Paris eighteen years ago, and one prior stay at Aulani in 2018 (though we tried to return in 2020, but, well you know…fate dictated otherwise back then).

As far as I am concerned, the trip planning part is almost (almost) as fun as the vacation itself. Not only is researching the destination and potential sites and activities enjoyable, but the same goes for treats and meals. In the end, you can only hope that it all pays off and that all of the effort was worth it.

For our 2023 Aulani vacation, DISboards, Tripadvisor and Yelp, YouTube videos, online articles from Hawaiian magazines, recommendations from friends, and of course memories of personal experiences all played into our plan. This time out, it was going to be a mixture of new and old, and we could not wait!

And us, well we like to travel on our stomachs as they say, so food is always an important part of our vacations. So, making the effort to get the reservations we want is totally worth it…even at ungodly hours of the morning. Direct emails, Yelp, and OpenTable helped make that a bit easier for a few off-property meals thankfully; and as it turned out, even though we were staying at Aulani for seven nights, we only actually needed three dining reservations on property. Yes, we got them, but the Aulani website tried its best to throw a few technical obstacles in my way. For example, on all three days that I could attempt an online dining reservation, the main Sign In hyperlink failed, sending me each time to an error message page. Thankfully, I kept my wits about me and clicked on the My Aulani options instead, which then allowed me to successfully login to my Disney account. And why is that necessary? Well, it is necessary because even though the Aulani site clearly states that “dining reservations are available 30 days in advance,” the reality is that the 30 days only counts for those with resort reservations; for those not staying at Aulani dining reservations can only be made up to 14 days out. Thus, to make an Ama Ama or Makahiki reservation online 30 days prior, you must first login to the Aulani site and have your resort stay linked to your account.

In addition, I found that the Aulani Dining Reservations page worked better for me (as in actually displayed available times) when I searched for either Makahiki or Ama Ama separately, not together. Oftentimes when I set the Restaurants option to Both Restaurants, my searches returned with no times whatsoever, yet when I searched for just one specific location, then it returned times. This latter glitch proved hit or miss as I tried to replicate it. The login issue, however, was very consistent. I even reported it to their technical support team, but last I checked it was still not fixed, but it has been a while since I last checked.

Heh…and let me tell you, getting up three separate mornings at 2:45am San Diego time to login to the Aulani site and make a dining reservation was not my idea of a good time, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right? Truth is though, after the fact it may not have been absolutely necessary. I made them in this order: Makahiki Dinner for our arrival night, Makahiki Breakfast for the next morning, and Ama Ama Dinner for our final evening; and knowing that we were going in late June when the resort would most likely be crowded (but it sort of wasn’t), I didn’t want to take any chances. Turned out, at least for our dates and times, that the Makahiki dinner continued to show decent availability around the time we reserved for a good week or so. The Makahiki breakfast, on the other hand, which is a character meal of course, appeared to be the most in demand reservation. While I made ours online at 3am Pacific time, when I checked again later that morning, around 7am our time, nothing was available at or near our 8am reservation time. Lastly, for the Ama Ama Dinner reservation, we purposely made ours for 5pm for two reasons: it was our final night on property and we needed to pack that night, plus we’d like to finish our final Aulani dinner before sunset (set for 7:15pm), so that we can pop out one last time and watch it sink below the horizon from the water’s edge. All that said, when I checked Ama Ama again at 7am that morning, all of the times between 6:30pm and 7:30pm, the sunset hour, were gone, but 5pm and 5:30pm still showed availability; plus, as I originally wrote this, now over a full day since making our Ama Ama reservation, while the 5 o’clock hour times are gone, I still see times for 8pm and 8:30pm. The point is, you just never know what the demand for all of these reservations will be. The moral of the story, my friends, if it is important to you, then it is worth it to make the effort, even at 2:45am Pacific time on a work night.

OK, enough with the preface. Let’s get to the trip itself!

Our alarms went off at 3am Pacific time on a Tuesday morning. Strangely, the door to our bedroom immediately opened up. It was the teenager; up and already dressed. Who was this person and what had they done with our daughter? Well, as she quickly explained, she never actually went to sleep that night. Yes, she is quite the night owl.

Well, since we didn’t need to try to get the teenager out of bed with a crowbar, we immediately set out to get ourselves dressed and in order, grab a quick bite to eat, pet and feed the cat (who would be taken care of by the mother in law during our vacation), loaded the car with our luggage and stuff, and then hit the road to the airport parking structure. Traffic is wonderfully light at 4am on a Tuesday morning in San Diego.

Car parked, we jumped into the airport shuttle with all of our stuff and arrived at the Hawaiian Airlines outside service counter just as their staff were arriving to open up. No one was in line ahead of us, so we walked right up to the wonderfully friendly staff member to check in.

We had a direct flight between San Diego and Honolulu, plus we had purchased the upgrade to the extended space seats. According to the Hawaiian Airlines website, in select cities, which San Diego was one, purchasing these seats granted us access to the Priority Security line to the gates. While checking in and dropping off our bags, I asked the Hawaiian representative about that, but she wasn’t aware of it. I said that it was on their company website and was about to bring it up on my phone, but instead she just grabbed a stamp and pasted the word “Priority” on each of our boarding passes! Sweeeeeeet!

We then made our way into the main terminal and easily found the entrance to the Priority Security Line. Within just a few minutes, we were through security and looking for our gate…the one at literally the very end of the terminal wing. No matter, we had plenty of time before boarding. A bit of breakfast, some coffee, and bottles of water were now the priority, which we obtained, but let’s just say none of it was anything to write home about, except the price tag, but what do you expect in an airport?

Eventually boarded and in our seats, my wife and daughter sat in the two by the window while I sat across the aisle from them in the 2-4-2 seating offered on this flight. This was our first time flying Hawaiian airlines and we were looking forward to it. The flight would take a little under 6 hours and was thankfully uneventful. The little screen in the seat in front of me pixelated in the center a bunch during videos, but I still managed to occupy some of my travel time playing a few of the games it offered. They did offer a hot breakfast of sorts, but like the food in the airport, it wasn’t anything special…but the two cans of POG juice I enjoyed during the flight was grand!

Upon landing, we made the trek to baggage claim and ended up waiting more than I hoped for our bags to come out. Thankfully, all three did come out and I am always thankful for that because in my lifetime that hasn’t always been the case.

We booked an airport shuttle to Aulani with Hele Hele Transportation. Unfortunately, there was a little miscommunication as we followed the instructions I was provided, walking out and down to a designated area, only to not find any person or any vehicle indicating the company. I then checked my phone and found a voicemail, indicating that someone was waiting for us back at baggage claim. So, we walked back, but found no one. I called the number back and got a live person. They had been at baggage claim, but were now over in the designated pick up area…where we already had been. Sigh. So, we walked back over and this time successfully found the right person and boarded the awaiting van, which by happenstance was filled with another family from San Diego.

The drive out to Ko Olina was just fine. A little bit of traffic, but nothing major whatsoever. Honestly, if you have ever dealt with traffic in a major city, the traffic on Oahu, even during busier times is really not a huge deal.

While en route, my wife noticed an alert on the side of the highway, indicating that the H3 was going to be closed that coming Saturday for several hours. Knowing that it was on my list of things to do later during our vacation, when we had a rental car for a couple days, she asked me when I had that planned for. Not having seen the sign myself, I happily responded, “Oh Saturday.” To wit she broke the news. Bummer. If you have never driven up the H3, then you are missing out on one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the world in my opinion. Thankfully, we’d driven it before, but I was sad that we couldn’t do it this time out.

We arrived at Aulani around 11:30 am and given the time we figured that we’d have to check our bags and enjoy some of the resort amenities for a while until our room was ready. While my family grabbed a seat in the entrance lobby space, I lined up at the front desk. Before I could be called up to the desk by a CM, another one, tablet in hand, approached me. They asked if I’d checked in online ahead of time, which I acknowledged affirmatively. Beckoned to follow them, I was escorted out of the front desk line and taken back to a desk outside of the front doors. Apparently, this was the check in desk for those that had already checked in online. If there was a sign identifying this fact, I didn’t see it, but then I was totally swept up in the “arriving at Aulani” moment.

A few bits of information on my part, followed by some taps on their tablet on their part, and then I was told that our room was ready and handed our room keycards! If I am honest, I was blown away! Happily perplexed, I wondered why I hadn’t been texted earlier, so I pulled out my phone and guess what I saw?! Yeah, it was a text from Aulani welcoming us to the resort and notifying me that our room was ready. Yay!

Our room was 1020 in the Waianae Tower; categorized as a partial ocean view (which was what we had booked, so no Pixie Dust room upgrade for us, which was completely fine), it looked out towards the ocean through a gap between the tower on the left and the Four Seasons resort off on the right.



If we looked straight down from our balcony, there was a pathway leading from the back of the Ulu Cafe and the former adults pool (“former” in the sense that it’s not only for adults any longer) to the base of the building where there was an entrance to the Laniwai Spa. Glancing down and a tad to the right, we looked upon the exterior hydrotherapy area for Laniwai. And as a bonus, on one of the beds rested a teal bag, emblazoned with Stitch and “Aloha from Aulani”.



Now, first things first…we needed our Aulani refillable mugs and that day’s pool wristband (those are so much fun to collect)! Priority #1 were the mugs, especially since I had seen on social media about a week prior that Aulani recently got a metal mug back in stock. Thankfully, it was at Ulu! Following the rules, we had to go directly to the cashier and purchase our chosen mugs. We simply pointed to the three that we wanted and then charged it to our room. Receipt in hand, we then went back to the rear service counter in Ulu to obtain our mugs! Sweeeeeeet!



Next, we rinsed out and attempted to fill said mugs. Easier said than done I am afraid…as began our week long saga with all of those darn soda dispenser machines around Aulani. Pick a situation…no carbonation, out of a type of drink or flavor add-on, no ice, or just completely offline. Have to admit that it was pretty darn annoying. Overall, it certainly didn’t ruin our vacation, and on a plus side I guess, we got to walk around the resort quite a bit looking for working soda machines. One time I ended up just walking up to a bar and asking for a Coke because the machines were all down at that moment. Thankfully, the bartender agreed, but by policy had to give me the soda in a plastic cup, which I then poured into my mug. I will say this though, when the machines did work, the Peach Sprite became my absolute go to for liquid refreshment. Yum!

Priority #2 was booking our sailing canoe experience, so once we got our mugs sorted, I headed down to Makiki Joe’s along the beach to get that reservation. I had read that bookings could only be done the morning of the sailings, but I also read that this was not the case, so I figured that it was best to just ask in person. Boy, am I glad that I did because the answer that I got was up to 1 week in advance, but it did have to be done in person. Knowing our schedule for the week, the best day for us was the upcoming Monday, which would be our last full day at Aulani. Stating this preference, they pulled out the following week’s folder and checked the sign-up log. That Monday was wide open, so the next question was what time. Knowing that both I and our daughter deal with a bit of motion issues, I mentioned this and the CM responded that the earlier sailings were better because the water tended to be more calm. With that, we booked the second sailing in the morning, which I believe was 9am or something close to it. Oh, and when you book, you have to pay up front, but you can charge it to your Aulani room account, which is what I did.

At this point, we agreed that it was time for lunch. While my wife very much wanted a poke bowl from Ulu Cafe, my daughter and I had something a little more cooked in mind. Off to Mama’s Snack Stop we marched and ordered chicken strips for her and the famous coconut shrimp for me. Short version, all three of us very much enjoyed our selected items! Ok, the chicken strips are standard Disney chicken strips, but the poke bowl and the coconut shrimp both lived up to all of the hype we had seen and read about online.



During this time, one thing that very much stood out to us was the crowd. There were a lot of people at Aulani that day; a lot! Which may have helped explain why the Mickey-shaped Spam Musubi sold out in literal seconds according to a CM in Ulu (more about them later). Given that it was our arrival day, we kind of feared that this crowd level was a harbinger of doom…that it was going to be this packed our entire stay. Thankfully, as the week played out, today proved to be an aberration. The rest of our stay was by no means empty, but there was certainly an obvious drop in the number of people at Aulani the very next day and afterwards. I don’t know, is it a Tuesday thing?

Finished eating lunch and pool wristbands claimed, we separated, with my wife heading back up to the room for a bit, graciously taking our mugs, and my daughter and I choosing to walk around and scope things out a bit. Ultimately, we ended up on the pathway along the lagoon and at Little Opihi’s, where I had to get a treat off of my Aulani bucket list…the White Chocolate Dipped Pineapple Quarters with Toasted Coconut Shavings!



A few words about the Pineapple Quarters…first and foremost, you get two separate white chocolate enrobed pieces of pineapple, each on their own stick, which ended up being perfect because one for me and one for my daughter. I guess that I should have inferred that there was more than one given that the word “Quarters” is plural, but it never actually crossed my mind. Secondly, these things are frozen! Again, I hadn’t thought about it beforehand, but when I read about them online and saw them mentioned in videos, I swear that I don’t recall this fact being mentioned. Third, while very tasty, chunks of the hard white chocolate and coconut shavings coating simply fell off and down to the ground with each bite I attempted. Both of us must have easily lost a third of the coating as we walked and ate. Still…worth it!

Ultimately, we chose to follow the path along the Four Seasons, going off to the left into a shady outcropping along the lagoon. Here, there was a perfect open space, simply perfect for taking pictures of the resort:







Eventually returning back up to the room, we all finished unpacking (after calling housekeeping to get more closet hangers because they never have enough hangers in Disney resort hotels) and then meandered down to check out the two main shops (the first of many visits this week) and then finally over to Makahiki for our early-ish dinner (remember, our body clocks were still 3 hours ahead). I know, I know, many others have a harder time adjustment than us, but still it was dinner time.

As you know, the dinners at Makahiki are now served prix fixe for three courses (we sure do miss the buffet, but that’s ok). Our table was out under the open sky, which was great as the weather was perfect and the restaurant really wasn’t that busy at all. Our server very quickly greeted us and provided some information about the meal service and drink options, then left us for a bit while we perused the menus. He returned a short while later to get our drink orders, to wit my wife requested a Tropical Itch (no ingredients listed here and you will see why in a second), me a Li Hing Rita (tequila, Triple Sec, sweet and sour, and li hing powder) , and our daughter a Strawberry Guava Island Cooler (strawberry, guava, and lemonade topped with Sprite). As he turned to walk away with our drinks order, the server immediately spun back around to confirm with my wife that she wanted the Itch or the Mai Tai. She confirmed the Tropical Itch, he acknowledged that, turned away again, and headed off.



Several minutes later, our drinks arrived via a different server, along with the complimentary bread service. Neither my or my wife’s drink looked exactly like the images in the menu, but they looked close enough we thought. As it turned out, mine was what I ordered (and amazing if I may say; sweet and sour and fabulous; image is above), but after several sips of her drink, my wife concluded that she got a Mai Tai instead of the Tropical Itch that she had ordered. It was still tasty she said, and with this being our first night at Aulani, she figured that she’d have other opportunities to try the Itch, so she simply enjoyed it.

The food was very good, not spectacular, but very good. My daughter and I both ordered the Wedge Salad, while my wife got the Caprese Salad. For our entrees, my daughter and I again matched, both getting the 8oz Filet Mignon, and my wife ordered the Local Catch of the Day. I also added the four sauteed jumbo shrimp for an additional $27. Boy, that ended up being a mistake. Not that they were bad at all, but in the end it was just too much food. They were indeed “jumbo shrimp” and full of garlic butter goodness, but I am afraid that in order to eat all of them (and I even offered bites to my family that were declined) I had to skip some (or maybe all) of the broccolini. Oh, and our filet mignons? Excellent, especially with the shallot confit and bleu cheese butter. My wife’s fish entree? While we cannot recall what it was any longer, she ended up enjoying it very much.

Finally, for dessert, we ended up getting one of each of their three offerings: the Roasted Pineapple Cobbler (me), the Warm Chocolate Toffee Brownie (my wife), and the Kona Coffee Cheesecake (our daughter). We each enjoyed our selections very much. I had seen and read online that the Cobbler was either deeply loved or disappointing; for me, it was a definite win!

Happily fed and tired from a long travel day, we decided to call it a day. Tomorrow was our first full Aualni resort day and we couldn’t wait to hit the water!

Day 1 was in the books. Stay tuned for more! Up next...Day 2 - Show Us the Water!

 

[princesserin1350]

Loved the start of your trip report and looking forward to following along! We're planning an Aulani visit next year and are really looking forward to the food so looking forward to all of your recommendations.

 

[gregf71]

Day 2 - Show Us the Water!

Up and dressed before the rest of my family, I was allowed to go downstairs to get some “free” coffee in my Aulani refillable mug (not the good stuff from Off the Hook mind you), walk around, and take some pictures.









Warning; be careful of that coffee. It was decent taste-wise (not great by any means), but it was lava hot; and my metal mug, with its top on, didn’t help the temperature decrease terribly quickly. The lesson learned: remove the lid and let it cool more quickly before you scold the inside of your mouth!

This morning, we had 8am reservations at Makahiki for the character breakfast. Upon checking in, we were immediately queued through the Olelo patio for our outside pictures with Mickey.

It was also our first opportunity to get our surfboard (cutting board) signed. I mean Mickey should be the first one to sign it, right?! If you are curious, we picked up the board on Etsy. It is a beauty.



After Mickey, we were escorted into the restaurant, passed what used to be the buffet space to the right, where we eventually met Chef Goofy, posed for more pictures, and obtained his signature on our surfboard. Finally seated, we settled in for a fine breakfast. Similar to dinner, the Makahiki breakfast is a three course prix fixe. It starts with a shared basket of pastries (not sure if you could ask for any more of these), a plate of sliced fruit and berries for each person, and then an entree per person; juice and coffee is also included. Regarding the latter, we all went POG juice all the way. Best part was that the POG was served in tall glasses. I easily put down three of these! So good!

The hit of the bread basket was the guava danish, which we shared, but all of the items were tasty. The fruit was very good, especially the pineapple. For our entrees, my wife ordered the Buttermilk Pancakes, our daughter the Punaluu Sweet Bread French Toast, and me the Hawaiian-Style Loco Moco with the eggs fried over-hard (so, the yolks cooked). Spec-Tac-U-Lar!!!! All of it! The Buttermilk Pancakes have a claim to fame because of the macadamia nut-tahitian vanilla sauce that comes with it. My wife was kind enough to let my daughter and me each get a bite and it was decadent. The French Toast? If you have never been to the Big Island and visited the Punaluu Bakery in person, then you are missing out. Well worth the effort to get out there, but you can get their stuff online and other places throughout the islands I believe. Using their bread to make fresh French toast was a masterwork. Soft, sweet, savory, all of the above! Finally, my Loco Moco. Let me just say that I was saddened to hear that Ama Ama ceased their breakfast service, where during our last pre-pandemic visit I enjoyed an amazing Loco Moco. If tastebud memory serves, this Loco Moco was just as delicious! Oh, and that Portuguese fried rice underneath…wow! Oh…and during the meal, we were visited by Pluto and Goofy’s son, Max, both of whom we enjoyed pictures with and collected signatures.

Very well fed, we returned to our room to change into our swim gear and slap on the sunscreen. It was time to hit the water!!!! That day’s wristband was acquired and our first stop was the lazy river. My personal favorite!

We spent the rest of the morning just floating along, eventually making our way over to the infinity pool and grotto, and then back over to the lazy river, where my wife and daughter gave the two water slides a whirl. I preferred simply floating along the river as much as possible this vacation..

Eventually lunchtime summoned us all. It was now time for what turned out to be one of our absolute favorite food items during the entire trip. Grabbing an umbrella-covered table near the Wailana Pool Bar, we ordered some drinks and the Maui-Style Onion Rings, but most importantly…the Ahi Poke Nachos!!! My gosh!!! Those nachos!!! Our drinks, especially my wife’s Coconut Mint Mojito (rum, sweet and sour, cream of coconut, and fresh mint) and my Lava Flow (rum, cream of coconut, strawberry puree, and pineapple juice) were excellent and the onion rings with a great jalapeno buttermilk dipping sauce were very good, but those nachos!!! Sweet, savory, full of flavor with every delectable bite. We absolutely devoured them! Even our daughter, who is not a sushi person and not a fish person, loved them! That says a ton! Oh, and for her drink, she liked her Strawberry-Guava Island Cooler so much the night before that she had another one.



After lunch, the remainder of the afternoon was spent back in the pools and the lazy river, with my wife and I popping out into the lagoon for a bit. I signed out a free boogie board.

Today was also when we got our first shave ice on property. No Mickey ears this time for us. We did that during our previous visit a few years ago and it was so hot then that the ears fell off almost instantly. It was equally warm this day or so we thought, so we were content with just ordering our icy treats sans ears. We ordered two; while we cannot recall exactly which three flavors we chose for one of them, I do know that for the other I asked for POG with all three flavors poured over all of the ice instead of separate sections…it was wonderful!

Tonight’s dinner would be at the Olelo Room. No reservations are accepted here, so after swimming all day we returned to our room, showered and cleaned up, and then headed down around 6pm or so. We found ourselves seated at a high table and chairs, within an excellent eye and ear shot of the musician playing guitar and singing some tunes. It was most tranquil.

The experience was wonderful! One of the dining highlights of our trip for sure. For our drinks, my wife ordered the Passing Showers (cucumber vodka shaken with sake), I had the Lychee en Voyage (lychee vodka, lichi-li liquer, lychee nectar, and lemon juice), and our daughter requested the Berry Berry Citrus (yuzu, raspberry essence, agave syrup, topped with cranberry juice). To say that we all very much enjoyed our drinks is putting it lightly. All three were a bit out of our usual comfort zone, but we were all very pleased with our selections!





One thing to note here. Aulani has a standard list of “Resort Cocktails” that they serve everywhere on property where cocktails are sold. That said, when you visit a particular Aulani restaurant, lounge, or bar, check to see if they have any location specific drinks that are only served there. If they do, as was the case for the Olelo Room, we highly recommend that you choose from that list.

Now to the food! My wife ordered what was probably the most visually stunning dish of our entire trip, the Ahi Sashimi:



She adored this! I, on the other hand, ordered the Godzilla Roll; in fact, we ordered two of them, one for me and another to share. Our daughter, not being a fish or sushi person (yet), ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders.

Overall, there was only one small issue with our Olelo Room dinner. For some reason, the sliders our daughter ordered took forever to come out. The sashimi and the sushi rolls came out rather quickly, but not the sliders. Our perplexed server walked by our table multiple times, totally confused about what was taking so long. She even went back to the kitchen to press the staff on it, which eventually resulted in them finally coming out, but sheesh. In the end though, the delay did end up with a bit of a silver-lining. Hungry as she was, our daughter looked at what was on the table and made one of those minor life-moment choices. She grabbed her pair of chopsticks and claimed a piece of the Godzilla Roll. My wife and I looked upon the scene with amazement. Was she really going to have a piece of sushi?! Yes! And she liked it a lot. In fact, she grabbed another piece! Proud parent indeed! Oh, and how were the sliders (when they eventually showed up)? She said that they were fabulous!

Dinner over, and happily full, we checked the time and realized the sunset was shortly upon us! We hustled down to the beach pathway and headed off to the left-side of the lagoon. We didn’t quite make it all the way out to the traditional out-cropping where most people go, instead stopping along the way to capture this image:



Over the course of our Aulani stay, we witnessed several sunsets. Unfortunately, every time there were clouds along the ocean horizon; we never got a view of the sun sliding down into the waters. Still, each and every sunset that we did see was magical.

Next, checking the Daily Iwa on my phone, we realized that a little blue alien meet and greet was scheduled over at Aunty’s Beach House! Heading over, surfboard and pen claimed from our room, we joined the small-ish line and met Stitch!

Pictures taken and signature collected, we meandered back to the room, stopping at both shops yet again to purchase a few more things…which became a frequent occurrence while here (a few things this time, a few other things the next time, and so on).

Up next...Day 3 - Ko Olina Center, a Shave and a Haircut, and Mina’s Fish House

 

[EllieBride]

Joining in. Beautiful photos and sounds like your trip is off to a great start.
And I am sooo jealous of the Stitch bag. We are big-time Stitch lovers and would have loved to have found that!

 

[Irondraco]

Day 2 - Show Us the Water!

Up and dressed before the rest of my family, I was allowed to go downstairs to get some “free” coffee in my Aulani refillable mug (not the good stuff from Off the Hook mind you), walk around, and take some pictures.

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Warning; be careful of that coffee. It was decent taste-wise (not great by any means), but it was lava hot; and my metal mug, with its top on, didn’t help the temperature decrease terribly quickly. The lesson learned: remove the lid and let it cool more quickly before you scold the inside of your mouth!

This morning, we had 8am reservations at Makahiki for the character breakfast. Upon checking in, we were immediately queued through the Olelo patio for our outside pictures with Mickey.

It was also our first opportunity to get our surfboard (cutting board) signed. I mean Mickey should be the first one to sign it, right?! If you are curious, we picked up the board on Etsy. It is a beauty.

View attachment 782190

After Mickey, we were escorted into the restaurant, passed what used to be the buffet space to the right, where we eventually met Chef Goofy, posed for more pictures, and obtained his signature on our surfboard. Finally seated, we settled in for a fine breakfast. Similar to dinner, the Makahiki breakfast is a three course prix fixe. It starts with a shared basket of pastries (not sure if you could ask for any more of these), a plate of sliced fruit and berries for each person, and then an entree per person; juice and coffee is also included. Regarding the latter, we all went POG juice all the way. Best part was that the POG was served in tall glasses. I easily put down three of these! So good!

The hit of the bread basket was the guava danish, which we shared, but all of the items were tasty. The fruit was very good, especially the pineapple. For our entrees, my wife ordered the Buttermilk Pancakes, our daughter the Punaluu Sweet Bread French Toast, and me the Hawaiian-Style Loco Moco with the eggs fried over-hard (so, the yolks cooked). Spec-Tac-U-Lar!!!! All of it! The Buttermilk Pancakes have a claim to fame because of the macadamia nut-tahitian vanilla sauce that comes with it. My wife was kind enough to let my daughter and me each get a bite and it was decadent. The French Toast? If you have never been to the Big Island and visited the Punaluu Bakery in person, then you are missing out. Well worth the effort to get out there, but you can get their stuff online and other places throughout the islands I believe. Using their bread to make fresh French toast was a masterwork. Soft, sweet, savory, all of the above! Finally, my Loco Moco. Let me just say that I was saddened to hear that Ama Ama ceased their breakfast service, where during our last pre-pandemic visit I enjoyed an amazing Loco Moco. If tastebud memory serves, this Loco Moco was just as delicious! Oh, and that Portuguese fried rice underneath…wow! Oh…and during the meal, we were visited by Pluto and Goofy’s son, Max, both of whom we enjoyed pictures with and collected signatures.

Very well fed, we returned to our room to change into our swim gear and slap on the sunscreen. It was time to hit the water!!!! That day’s wristband was acquired and our first stop was the lazy river. My personal favorite!

We spent the rest of the morning just floating along, eventually making our way over to the infinity pool and grotto, and then back over to the lazy river, where my wife and daughter gave the two water slides a whirl. I preferred simply floating along the river as much as possible this vacation..

Eventually lunchtime summoned us all. It was now time for what turned out to be one of our absolute favorite food items during the entire trip. Grabbing an umbrella-covered table near the Wailana Pool Bar, we ordered some drinks and the Maui-Style Onion Rings, but most importantly…the Ahi Poke Nachos!!! My gosh!!! Those nachos!!! Our drinks, especially my wife’s Coconut Mint Mojito (rum, sweet and sour, cream of coconut, and fresh mint) and my Lava Flow (rum, cream of coconut, strawberry puree, and pineapple juice) were excellent and the onion rings with a great jalapeno buttermilk dipping sauce were very good, but those nachos!!! Sweet, savory, full of flavor with every delectable bite. We absolutely devoured them! Even our daughter, who is not a sushi person and not a fish person, loved them! That says a ton! Oh, and for her drink, she liked her Strawberry-Guava Island Cooler so much the night before that she had another one.

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After lunch, the remainder of the afternoon was spent back in the pools and the lazy river, with my wife and I popping out into the lagoon for a bit. I signed out a free boogie board.

Today was also when we got our first shave ice on property. No Mickey ears this time for us. We did that during our previous visit a few years ago and it was so hot then that the ears fell off almost instantly. It was equally warm this day or so we thought, so we were content with just ordering our icy treats sans ears. We ordered two; while we cannot recall exactly which three flavors we chose for one of them, I do know that for the other I asked for POG with all three flavors poured over all of the ice instead of separate sections…it was wonderful!

Tonight’s dinner would be at the Olelo Room. No reservations are accepted here, so after swimming all day we returned to our room, showered and cleaned up, and then headed down around 6pm or so. We found ourselves seated at a high table and chairs, within an excellent eye and ear shot of the musician playing guitar and singing some tunes. It was most tranquil.

The experience was wonderful! One of the dining highlights of our trip for sure. For our drinks, my wife ordered the Passing Showers (cucumber vodka shaken with sake), I had the Lychee en Voyage (lychee vodka, lichi-li liquer, lychee nectar, and lemon juice), and our daughter requested the Berry Berry Citrus (yuzu, raspberry essence, agave syrup, topped with cranberry juice). To say that we all very much enjoyed our drinks is putting it lightly. All three were a bit out of our usual comfort zone, but we were all very pleased with our selections!

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One thing to note here. Aulani has a standard list of “Resort Cocktails” that they serve everywhere on property where cocktails are sold. That said, when you visit a particular Aulani restaurant, lounge, or bar, check to see if they have any location specific drinks that are only served there. If they do, as was the case for the Olelo Room, we highly recommend that you choose from that list.

Now to the food! My wife ordered what was probably the most visually stunning dish of our entire trip, the Ahi Sashimi:

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She adored this! I, on the other hand, ordered the Godzilla Roll; in fact, we ordered two of them, one for me and another to share. Our daughter, not being a fish or sushi person (yet), ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders.

Overall, there was only one small issue with our Olelo Room dinner. For some reason, the sliders our daughter ordered took forever to come out. The sashimi and the sushi rolls came out rather quickly, but not the sliders. Our perplexed server walked by our table multiple times, totally confused about what was taking so long. She even went back to the kitchen to press the staff on it, which eventually resulted in them finally coming out, but sheesh. In the end though, the delay did end up with a bit of a silver-lining. Hungry as she was, our daughter looked at what was on the table and made one of those minor life-moment choices. She grabbed her pair of chopsticks and claimed a piece of the Godzilla Roll. My wife and I looked upon the scene with amazement. Was she really going to have a piece of sushi?! Yes! And she liked it a lot. In fact, she grabbed another piece! Proud parent indeed! Oh, and how were the sliders (when they eventually showed up)? She said that they were fabulous!

Dinner over, and happily full, we checked the time and realized the sunset was shortly upon us! We hustled down to the beach pathway and headed off to the left-side of the lagoon. We didn’t quite make it all the way out to the traditional out-cropping where most people go, instead stopping along the way to capture this image:

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Over the course of our Aulani stay, we witnessed several sunsets. Unfortunately, every time there were clouds along the ocean horizon; we never got a view of the sun sliding down into the waters. Still, each and every sunset that we did see was magical.

Next, checking the Daily Iwa on my phone, we realized that a little blue alien meet and greet was scheduled over at Aunty’s Beach House! Heading over, surfboard and pen claimed from our room, we joined the small-ish line and met Stitch!

Pictures taken and signature collected, we meandered back to the room, stopping at both shops yet again to purchase a few more things…which became a frequent occurrence while here (a few things this time, a few other things the next time, and so on).

Up next...Day 3 - Ko Olina Center, a Shave and a Haircut, and Mina’s Fish House

What a trip report - we got back from Aulani in June and had a great time too! Thanks for sharing

 

[gregf71]

Loved the start of your trip report and looking forward to following along! We're planning an Aulani visit next year and are really looking forward to the food so looking forward to all of your recommendations.

Thank you! There's a bunch more to come! Stay tuned!

 

[gregf71]

Joining in. Beautiful photos and sounds like your trip is off to a great start.
And I am sooo jealous of the Stitch bag. We are big-time Stitch lovers and would have loved to have found that!

Thank you! It certainly was off to a grand start...but something not so good is about to happen. Stay tuned!

 

[gregf71]

What a trip report - we got back from Aulani in June and had a great time too! Thanks for sharing

Of course! Happy to share in the hopes that it can help others who are planning their future Aulani trips. There is a bunch more to come!!!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Off to a great start! Following ...

 

[TinkAgainU]

Loving your trip report - although it tends to make me hungry lol. We are staying at the Marriott Ko Olina in a couple weeks - will walk to Aulani (it was not in the budget, but is in our hearts), hopefully, we can live vicariously thru you - and still enjoy a few things as a "walk over" ...

 

[gregf71]

Loving your trip report - although it tends to make me hungry lol. We are staying at the Marriott Ko Olina in a couple weeks - will walk to Aulani (it was not in the budget, but is in our hearts), hopefully, we can live vicariously thru you - and still enjoy a few things as a "walk over" ...

Walk over and get those Ahi Poke Nachos!!!!!

 

[gregf71]

Day 3 - Ko Olina Center, a Shave and a Haircut, and Mina’s Fish House

Breakfast today was at Eggs N Things, a short walk from Aulani, over in the Ko Olina Center…and it did not disappoint! Even though we did have a reservation, the joint was busy that morning, so we ended up with a bit of a wait, but not bad at all. The time allowed us to window shop for a few minutes at the businesses that share that section of the center with them, so that was totally fine.

Seated outside on their patio, we received very prompt and courteous service. POG juice and coffee all around for the three of us. The juice was good, but not nearly as good as Makahiki the day before, though the coffee was definitely a step up from what I poured into my refillable mug at Aulani.

For our entrees, my wife ordered the kalua pig benedict on a taro bun, while I had the fresh strawberry and Nutella mochi waffle. Our daughter, not being a breakfast person per se, ordered a cheeseburger. The benedict and the mochi waffle were stellar; the burger was decent, but for some reason they grilled the top and bottom of the bun to the point of burning them quite a bit, which didn’t bother our daughter too much, but I thought it was odd.





Breakfast concluded, we were now free to revisit a few of the shops we looked at through the windows previously, specifically Crazy Shirts and Things Unique. I particularly loved the Crazy Shirts location, not just because I am a fan of their products, which I am, but because they had several Ko Olina specific shirts to purchase that you can only get at this store! Both my wife and I ended up with a cool Ko Olina Crazy Shirt today! Things Unique was also a very cool store, where my wife and daughter both found a few cool trinkets to bring home. I also wanted to pop into the Tommy Bahama store here, but unfortunately it hadn’t opened for the day yet and honestly we never made it back over, but that was just fine.

Across the street, we headed to the Island Country Market, which I am sure most of you know is part of the famous Hawaiian ABC Store chain. This place manages to pack a ton of stuff into this not very big space. Souvenirs galore, food, snacks, drinks of all kinds, snorkel gear, to name a few of the product types for sale here. It’s kind of amazing actually. We ended up leaving with a few items, though I cannot recall exactly what they were if I am honest.

Unfortunately, before we could explore any more of the center, our daughter complained that she wasn’t feeling very good, that she had a headache, so we ended up returning to Aulani for a bit of a respite before more planned swimming later in the afternoon and a little visit to the Laniwai Spa for me.

Lunch ended up being super casual. After the large breakfast, we really weren’t terribly hungry when lunchtime rolled around. So, around 12:45 pm, I make the trek down to the Ulu Cafe on sort of a mission. On our arrival day, while purchasing our resort mugs at Ulu, I asked about the Mickey-shaped Spam Musubi and was told that they literally sold out in seconds that afternoon (but if you recall, it was super crowded that day). The next day, which would be yesterday in our tale, they supposedly sold out after several minutes, better but minutes nonetheless. So today, having been told that they were put out at 1pm each day and advised that a line often formed just beforehand, I decided to give it a try. Yes, when I arrived there was indeed a small line of perhaps four people standing inside Ulu, back where the trays of musubi would be placed. After politely confirming why they were there and then settling into my place in the line, we all just chit-chatted for about 15 minutes until the first tray was presented. The first tray must have had at least thirty to forty musubis on it, possibly more (it was hard to tell), and I think that I saw at least three trays coming out, but don’t quote me on this. All I can say is that they have a limited quantity each day that is put out at 1pm; once they are sold out, that is it for the day. Thankfully, the four people in front of me didn’t take them all; in fact, they probably took a total of ten to twelve in total. Grabbing the two that I wanted, I then got a cup of mixed fruit from a nearby fridge, charged the items to our room, and returned upstairs triumphant; of course, returning back down to Ulu a few minutes later to refill our respective mugs.



How long until that day’s batch of musubi was exhausted? No idea. I can say this though, when fate had me walking by Ulu during the early to middle of the afternoon on the remaining days of our stay, I’d glance over to see what the musubi situation was. My observation was that they tended to remain available for several hours beyond 1pm. I am certain that they eventually all sold out, but the seconds and minutes I heard about our first two days at Aulani were a definite aberration…I think.

As 2:30 pm rolled around, it was nearing time for me to head down to the spa for my pre-booked Men’s Traditional Shave & Haircut. Boy, did I ever need a haircut! With my reservation being for 3 pm, I had been advised in my confirmation emails and subsequent phone calls (yes, they were very thorough) that I should arrive at the spa 15 minutes early. Entering Laniwai, one is immediately enveloped by calmness. The ambiance is so incredibly chill and soothing, and that’s just in the lobby space. After checking in at their front desk, I checked out the various goodies for sale. Yeah, there were soaps, salts, lotions, and other spa-type stuff (sorry, almost all of it flew over my head), but what definitely caught my eye were the Laniwai Spa duckies! There were three different styles of duckies…and there were three of us in our family…hmmm. I called my wife and described the duckies. As fate would have it, we each liked a different duckie, so obviously I had to purchase one of each! And no, these duckies are not sold anywhere else on Aulani property; they are only available at Laniwai Spa.

After my fowl purchase, I was summoned by one of the staff, offered a refreshing cup of ice water, and escorted through a nearby door, into the salon space. Grabbing a comfy chair in the waiting area, I remained there for several minutes. Through my partially blocked view, I could see a hair stylist actively working with another guest. He acknowledged my presence, welcomed me, and said that he was almost done with his current client and would then need to clean up and prepare for my services. Not a problem, I wasn’t in a hurry.

As the other guest finished their salon experience, he walked by me and said that I was in for a treat. I smiled and said thanks, wishing him a great rest of his day. The stylist hurriedly swept up his working space and proceeded to push away pieces of rolling equipment and bring in a few others. He repeatedly apologized for the delay, but it was totally fine.

Eventually claiming me, he ushered me around to where the other gentleman had been. Seated in the chair, he immediately asked if I’d like some water or orange juice, which I agreed to, so he quickly headed off to grab them for me. He returned with a cold bottle of water and a small can of orange juice. Still needing to do a bit more preparation, he asked me to enjoy the drinks while he finalized things. The water was cold and wet. I mean, it was water. I don’t recall the brand, but it wasn’t one that I was familiar with. The orange juice was a little strange for my taste; not very sweet and a little pulpy. When he returned, he asked me what I thought about the orange juice and I provided an honest answer. He nodded and agreed that it wasn’t one of his favorites either, but he didn’t choose it.

Finally all set, he began my shave and a haircut. The online description of this service is as follows, “Precision haircut with clippers or shears paired with a luxurious hot lather shave. Two passes of a straight razor will give you the closest shave possible. The added touch of hot towels, preshave oil, clarisonic exfoliation, finished with after shave balm and a Moroccan oil scalp massage will elevate your experience leaving you feeling like you're ready for any occasion!” It listed the service as lasting 80 minutes, which I believe was accurate.

I’m not going to write a narrative of the entire shave and a haircut experience, but I will say this: I got an amazing shave and a haircut that now well over a month removed still looks great. Pascal, the hair stylist, was fantastic to chat with during the services and he even reaffirmed the goodness of some of our away from Aulani plans the next couple of days. Was it pricey? Come on, you are at the spa at a Disney resort in Hawaii. Yes, it was pricey! Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Returning to the room, I found my family there relaxing. It turned out that they just stayed and napped while I was at the spa. Checking the time and the schedule for character meets, we saw that we were nearing a Minnie Mouse appearance! Grabbing the surfboard and my daughter, we headed downstairs for another signature and some pictures.

Now, being around 5 pm or so, it was time to get back to the room and get dressed for dinner. Tonight, we planned something that we hoped to be very special indeed…dinner at Mina’s Fish House at the Four Seasons next door! Gussied up (for us at least), we made our way over to the rear pathway by the beach, and followed the signs up to the restaurant. Checking in at the restaurant, we noticed that it was rather busy, and even though we had a reservation we were told to expect a little bit of a wait. I’d say that we were eventually seated about 15 minutes after our reservation time; no big deal. And thankfully, our table was under the patio cover, which proved to be a good thing later (spoiler alert…it rained a little and those not under cover had a bit of an issue).



The view from our table at Mina's:



Almost immediately after being seated our server greeted us and said that he’d be right back, needing to deal with a good sized stack of menus that he had under his arm from a large group table he was also serving. Not a problem, we said, as we began skimming the drinks menu. Unfortunately, he didn’t return for many, many minutes. However, we did watch him fly by, back and forth several times, and even greet and take drink orders from another nearby table that were seated after us. Sigh. Nope, high class restaurants don’t always mean the best of the best service, but it certainly didn’t ruin our experience. I think that someone eventually noticed our frequent head turning and looking around from our table and eventually a manager came over to apologize and assist us with drink selections. While my wife and daughter easily found beverages they liked, I was having a little trouble. I tend to like my cocktails on the sweeter side and the menu offerings this night just didn’t call out to me at all. I asked the manager about a few of the drinks and we basically came to the conclusion that none of them were for me. So, he offered me this…he’d go tell the bartender what I liked and then they’d create something just for me. That sure sounded cool, so I agreed! A bit later, our drinks arrived, each in a different tiki-type mug (to be clear, not to keep) and they were all wonderful!



Eventually, our server returned and took our dinner orders. As an appetizer, we decided to share the garlic and duck fat french fries, served with “Volcano” onion ketchup and tartar sauce. These were magnificent!!! Crispy and full of flavor…and the ketchup was beyond words. For her entree, my wife ordered the special, off-menu fish dish. We cannot recall what type of fish it was, but we do remember that it was served atop a curry base. While she did enjoy her meal, she felt that it would have been better having the fish and curry separated. She liked both very much, and the spice mixture on the fish was especially good, but in her opinion they just didn’t mesh well together. Our daughter decided to go with the honey-glazed broiled half chicken, served with roasted garlic (little bites of heaven, I called them) and a small salad. She enjoyed it very much (and she allowed me to steal several bites of the garlic). She also shared bites of the chicken with each of us and we both agreed that it was delicious. Me? I had to go surf and turf! I ordered the 14 ounce New York strip and a half Kona lobster, served with crispy Maui onion, lilikoi steak sauce, and melted seasoned butter. This dish was unbelievably delicious!! I am a huge sauce man, and every single delectable bite of steak in the lilikoi sauce or lobster in the butter was pure greatness.







As we neared finishing our entrees and the remaining duck fat fries, one of those infamous rouge clouds floated over and decided to drop a little something on us. Thankfully, we were under cover, but those that were not were a bit unlucky. The restaurant staff valiantly rushed over to raise up some umbrellas, but most folks and what was on their respective tables were getting a little wet. As with most of these troublesome clouds, it blew by pretty quickly and all manner of calmness returned.

We did scout the dessert menu at Mina’s, but honestly with the fries and the really good sized portions of our entrees, we simply couldn’t see ourselves having another bite to eat. With the final bill summoned and paid, we meandered back to Aulani and our room, of course after one more stop at the shops to see if something else caught our eyes…which always happened.

Next up...Day 4 - Island Adventures Day 1

 

[gregf71]

Day 4 - Island Adventures Day 1

Up, dressed, and ready to go, I headed down to the Enterprise Car Rental desk at 7:30 am to claim my position in line. As it turned out, there was no line yet, so I found a shady space right there and sat on the ground until it opened at 8 am. Paperwork and payment all squared away (we had booked it months earlier online), the staff member directed me to the sidewalk along the front of Aulani’s main entrance. Years before, when we also rented a car at Aulani, I recall taking an elevator or stairs down into the adjacent parking garage to claim our car, but this time they drove it right up to us on the exterior sidewalk. After a quick check for any pre-existing damage we were off! The first thing on our Friday morning agenda…malasadas!!!

Our breakfast destination was Leonard's Bakery Malasada Mobile in Waipahu, parked in the Waikele Shopping Center, near Lowe's and Petco. During our previous Aulani vacation, we visited here for an afternoon snack on the way back to the resort following some island adventures. This time, we stopped by for some good eats in preparation for our day out!

For those not in the know, this location along a back edge of the Waikele Shopping Center parking lot is where a small group of food trucks set up shop. I don’t remember them all, but aside from Leonard’s there was a shave ice truck that I was very much interested in. Unfortunately, their open hours just didn’t fit into our schedule. Oh well.

Leonard’s malasadas are quintessential Hawaii for us. We simply must have them at least once during our vacation. Made fresh, they are hot, soft, chewy, and delicious; every single delectable bite. For our breakfast this morning, we chose to get two of each available flavor: original, cinnamon sugar, and li hing (the famous sour plum mixture); so six in total..



The first three (one for each of us) had to be devoured immediately and they were perfect, but we made sure to eat them outside of the rental car because the sugar/cinnamon/li hing powder coverings fell everywhere with each bite. Now, I do believe that if you go to Leonard’s brick and mortar store, then they offer more options, particularly filled malasadas and other items, but for us the three flavors at this mobile location were just what we needed!

Departing the Waipahu area, our plans led us north. Our first stop along the way was at Green World Coffee Farm. From a visitor’s perspective, there really is not much to do here, and you can be in and out in less than 30 minutes depending on what you choose to do (especially ordering drinks) and see. There is the main building, which includes a food and beverage counter, a general shopping space, and then a covered side area with some tables to sit at. We chose to order a couple coffees for my wife and I and a smoothie for our daughter. The line was out the door when we arrived, but was actually only four or five people long, so it moved pretty fast for ordering. What took a little bit of time was getting our order, but that wasn’t terribly surprising given the number of people in the next room who were waiting for theirs to come out first.

The shop space offered a wide variety of items for your purchasing pleasures. There were some pretty darn cool and unique coffee mugs for sale, created by local artisans, but more coffee mugs at home were truly the last things that we needed, so we admired them, but ultimately left them there.

Our coffees and our daugther’s smoothie were all very good; not amazing by any means, but they sure hit the spot. We actually ended up sitting in the side room to enjoy them with our three remaining malasadas, which I went out and claimed from the rental car. While sitting there, we all watched as kids interacted with some chickens and chicks on the grass outside the windows. Our daughter, of course, could not be excluded from this, so abandoning us for several minutes she went outside to join the fun, tearing up a little of her plain malasada to feed to the birds.

Eventually, we all headed out through the store and the rear door, where across the way sat a small grove of coffee trees. It beckoned us to check it out, so we did. It was very cool, with about a half dozen or so rows of trees, many of which with green coffee bean berries growing proudly. Adult and baby chickens meandered all over this space (so you had to watch your steps), as did a few little kids (with a parent in tow) who were following the fowl creatures all over.



Our next stop was just a short drive up the road…the Dole Plantation. Yeah, I know, totally touristy, but there is nothing wrong with that. It is a fun place, so you should enjoy it for what it is. Full admission, we pretty much came here just to shop, but considered doing the train tour if the timing worked out (it didn’t). The shopping is basically broken into two parts: Dole branded food, hats, shirts, and souvenirs and then independent local vendors hawking their specialty goods, which can run the gamut from wall art, home decor, clothing, accessories and more! My wife in particular was on a mission to find a sun catcher for her mom. When we were last here years before, she bought one that her mom ended up loving very much, so she hoped to get her a new one. Thankfully, that vendor was still here and my wife found the perfect item within minutes! I also found a little something for my mom, so in the end we were both happy. And of course we grabbed a few things for us, in particular some Dole candies and treats. I will say though, there was an artist setup in the larger front area of the shopping space, who had some really sweet Star Wars x Hawaii pieces that really garnered my attention. In the end though, we realized that we really didn’t have the wall space for one of them (not to mention I would be paranoid about trying to get it home).

Shopping done and a little walking around the property, we decided to head out. Returning to our rental car, we soon discovered a little situation, but thankfully the timing was in our favor. When we had parked, we did so in a spot within a marked row which happened to be up against the fenceline (on the other side of which was the maze). All along the fenceline leading up to our row of parking spots was clear signage not to park along that stretch of the fence. Well, some folks decided that those signs apparently didn’t mean them, so there was now a run of several cars parked there, most importantly a rather large truck positioning themselves not very far behind us!

Seeing this, my wife walked up towards the truck, waving her hands to get the driver’s attention. They claimed that a Dole employee told them to park there, but we didn’t see a soul around, so who knows. In any event, motioning to our car, we told them that we were leaving and that they could have our spot. We just needed them to pull out from where they were so that we could leave safely. I suppose that we may have gotten out of that spot without much issue, but why take the chance? Thankfully, the driver was totally cool and gave us the space we needed. Phew!

Lunchtime and that meant Big Wave Shrimp Truck up in Haleiwa! Yeah, I know there is a more “famous” shrimp truck in Haleiwa, but honestly when I heard that it was always super-crowded, parking was a challenge, and you had to pay for parking, we figured it wasn't worth it, especially when there are other great options in the area. While researching for our previous Aulani vacation, we learned about Big Wave Shrimp Truck and we are so glad that we tried it. Parking was free and readily available (and being managed by a man who told us where to park), the line at Big Wave was short (in fact, this time we walked right up to order), and the food was great!

We ordered two plates to share, the amazing garlic shrimp and the equally tasty kalbi plate, both served with a bit of green salad, two scoops of white rice, and a slice of pineapple (oh my gosh, that pineapple!). Like our previous trip, it was a magical meal. The shrimp were succulent and fully enrobed with garlicky goodness (the drippings of which when falling atop the rice was fantastic). We kept having to lick our lips and fingers so as not to lose out on any of the wonderful garlic oils and butter. The kalbi was rich, flavorful, and perfect. And did I already mention the pineapple?!



After eating, we popped across the street to Bubble Shack Haleiwa, a little shop that sells bath and shower products that my family likes very much. I mean, seriously, with the wonderful shower and tubs in the Aulani guest rooms, how can you not go find some of these things while out exploring the island. Sure, they do sell stuff at the spa at Aulani, but the prices at Bubble Shack were way better!

Bath products purchased, it was not time for some real shave ice! Matsumoto’s, you say? Nope, we did that last time. How about a family owned joint just across the street from Bubble Shack? A place that offers a discount if you show your receipt from Big Wave Shrimp Truck? A place that may have a small-ish menu, but offers big flavor with all-natural, real fruit juices? Friends, I give you Kaimana Shave Ice!

This place is literally steps from Big Wave Shrimp, and in addition to a great treat also offers an incredibly peaceful space to enjoy it back behind their building; lots of green and a serene pond. While my wife and daughter ordered one to share, we simply cannot recall the toppings and flavors they chose. I chose lilikoi and blueberry with sweet cream drizzled on top and mochi balls.



I thought mine was spectacular. My wife very much enjoyed theirs as well, but our daughter honestly said that she preferred the sweeter, non-natural flavors they had at Aulani. We all agreed that the texture of the ice here was phenomenal. It was shaved so finely that its mouthfeel was nothing like the shave ice at Aulani (which again was finer than what we remember from years ago, but nothing like Kaimana).

Reclaiming our rental car, we were just a very short drive away from the North Shore Marketplace. This was our meeting spot for our afternoon adventure. Having arrived early for our 1:50 pm check in time, we visited a few shops and hit the public bathrooms before our conveyance pulled up.



Today, we were embarking on the “Pua'a 'Ahiu – Wild Boar Off-Road Expedition” tour, which we had booked many months in advance through the Aulani website. It is marketed as a 3-hour tour that is “a hike on wheels into the great outdoors — scramble up steep ridgelines and negotiate muddy trails from the comfort of a high-stance, open-air 4-wheeler.” First thing that I want to say is that our expert local guide/driver was amazing! He was very knowledgeable about everything, professional and thoughtful…and an excellent driver for what we were about to experience. All of the scenery that we enjoyed was indeed beautiful, much of it only accessible via off the beaten path “roads” (if you want to call them that). But, their use of the word “comfort” in the general excursion description wasn’t totally accurate in my opinion (at least in my personal experience…more on that later).

We shared the back of the Pinzgauer all-terrain vehicle with a family of four, two adults and their two kids. We three sat on the narrow padded bench (seat only) on the right side, while they all sat along the left side, with both myself and their dad positioned at the rear, and our knees frequently resting up against the tailgate (which by the end of our adventure left large red dirt marks on the outside of our rear-facing knees). When things got rough on the road, and trust me they certainly did, we each had a ceiling mounted strap to hold onto if needed. Did they help? Well, sort of, as both I and our daughter found ourselves jettisoned off of the padded bench a couple of times, swinging from our respective overhead straps, and falling back into our seats. And I am not a small guy, so that should give you an idea of how jerky this experience can get.

The tour took us on paved roads (at pretty decent speeds, and my hat almost blew off on the way back), onto dirt paths (both level and very much NOT level), and through muddy “I don’t know what to call them”, but they sure were not flat and I don’t know if they were necessarily trails! There were even sections where the tall vegetation surrounded our vehicle on both sides, with long reaching arms of greenery hitting us in the head and shoulders; it certainly demanded some level of paying attention during those moments.

The excursion’s description on the Aulani website adds, “Enjoy spectacular panoramic views of verdant mountain peaks, windswept coastlines and lush, water-filled valleys from secluded lookout points…Ramble through fruit orchards, visit old WWII fortifications and pick seasonal wild fruit…Trek into the ancient valley of Anahulu to visit one of the island's longest and most iconic rivers—and take a refreshing swim in a secluded freshwater pool!” Well, most of that we did, but not all of it exactly. We did see one old WWII era pillbox from a distance. We did “ramble” or should I say drive through a fruit orchard that had different types of trees, but we never picked any fruit of any kind. And we certainly never swam, nor was given the opportunity to swim at any point. But, one thing it does not mention is that we did enjoy a wild ride in what the driver called “The Playground”, where he very quickly took us up and down and around again a series of red dirt dips and climbs. It was exhilarating to say the least! We did enjoy beautiful panoramic views and coastlines, lush mountain peaks and valleys, and impressive lookout points that only those taking this tour will see, so all of that was true. I had a sense that what you got to see and experience really depended on the driver and what was accessible on that given day. Here are some pictures:







Did we enjoy it? Yes, we did, and we’ve enjoyed other similar types of adventures like this during other vacations in other places; but I came to a conclusion…these types of things just aren’t for me any longer. We had a blast, but I ended up paying for it later. Stay tuned, my friends.

The excursion driver returned us to the parking lot at the North Shore Marketplace, where we disembarked, thanked and tipped the driver, and said our “see ya laters” to the other family (who of course we ran into a couple of times while at the resort after the fact). Now a bit past 5 pm, it was time for dinner. The destination this evening would be Seven Brothers in Haleiwa.

Not to show any sort of disrespect to Seven Brothers, but it ended up being an alternative choice after we learned several weeks before our trip that our first choice (Broke da Mouth Grindz) would be closed the entire month of June. Yes, search Broke da Mouth Grindz and eat there if you can. They have locations on the Big Island, where we discovered them, and on Oahu, not far from Aulani. While I was disheartened that we’d miss out on Broke da Mouth this vacation, Seven Brothers turned out to be AMAZING!

Have you ever heard of In N Out Burger from Southern California? I know that it has expanded beyond just SoCal, but it has its origins here (remember, we are from San Diego). Well, after enjoying a spectacular meal at Seven Brothers, I would refer to it as the In N Out Burger of Hawaii…and that, to me, speaks volumes!

Our daughter ordered their Spencer Burger (grilled jalapeno, bacon, Swiss cheese, topped with a homemade onion ring and spicy, blue cheese ranch) and fries. My wife ordered the Teri-Samoa Burger (their original patty dipped in thick caramelized teriyaki sauce, bacon and grilled pineapple, topped with American cheese and house sauce) and fries. And while I also ordered the Teri-Samoa Burger, I had the enhanced Paniola fries (grilled pineapple, bacon, caramelized onions, melted cheese, BBQ sauce topped with two homemade onion rings).





Friends, mere words cannot properly describe how fantastic this meal was. Think of every positive word that you have ever read in an online dining review and add them here! Yeah, it was that good! Find a Seven Brothers…find one!

Very, very, very happy and satisfied after our dinner, we drove back south towards Aulani, stopping at the Costco in Kapolei along the way. Thankfully, it was open a tad late this evening, so we managed to get in there not long before closing. Our primary target was some apple bananas, which we found, but they were really green; we took a chance and bought some (which ultimately turned out to be a bad decision because they never ripened before we left Aulani days later). We also hit the Hawaiian candies and treats aisle, grabbing a few bags of goodies, one for us and a couple for me to bring back to my office to share.

Finally back at Aulani, we enjoyed our first ever hunt for a parking space in the structure. Honestly, I jest, it wasn’t that bad, but we did end up going all the way up to the top before we found a spot, and one that took a few attempts of repositioning to get into.

Back in our room, we managed to arrive in time to observe the sunset from our balcony, after which we went down to refill our mugs before calling it a night.

Next up…Day 5 - Island Adventures Day 2

 

[DaisyNY]

Following along…great reviews!

 

[Wayland10]

I’m really enjoying your report- lots of great ideas !

 

[gregf71]

Day 5 - Island Adventures Day 2 - Part 1

Today’s narrative begins much earlier time-wise than any other day. SInce technically, it was the next day of our vacation, I am starting this day’s tale at about 1 am…the time that I woke up in bed in absolute muscular agony!

Yeah, the reality of the previous day’s off road adventure had finally caught up with me. My back ached beyond reason, my ribs hurt really bad, and upon waking up I could not get comfortable and fall back asleep, no matter what I tried. That excursion absolutely did a number on me. Now, again I’ve thoroughly enjoyed other similar types of adventures in the past and always came out of them just fine, but every day is a new day and every year is a new year, and your body may tell you one day that you simply cannot do those types of things anymore. Well, that was the case here.

I ended up taking a very long, hot shower and popped some pain meds, but even with that I don’t believe that I ended up falling asleep until maybe 5 am. Thus, when our alarm went off at 7am, I hadn’t slept much that night; maybe a combined four hours total, but probably less. Strangely, I awoke refreshed and with no pain; maybe it was endorphins, I don’t know, but when my wife was concerned about our plans for the day, I actively responded, “Let’s do it!”

That said, we did end up altering our agenda for today a bit. Originally, after stopping for some treats and then breakfast, we were going to drive up the beautiful H3 and over to Manoa Chocolate, but as you may recall on our arrival day we learned that the H3 would be closed today. So, we decided to simply remove the H3 and Manoa Chocolate stop from the itinerary.

Our first stop was Nisshodo Mochiya, a very well hidden little Japanese confectionary gem that we absolutely fell in love with on our last trip and had to return to. We picked up some mochi and a box of fruit flavored chi chi dango, all of which was spectacular! If memory serves, this place is the oldest candy store in the United States. The quality and taste of their products speaks to why they have been around for over 100 years!





Next stop was breakfast at Liliha Bakery on Nimitz. We paired this location with Nisshodo on our last trip to Oahu, but the last time we just grabbed pastries to go; this time we decided to get a table and dine in. Service was good and the food was delicious. My wife ordered the French toast, which she enjoyed very much, as well as a guava cream cheese strudel. Our daughter, not being a breakfast person per se, ordered the BLT and a pepperoni pizza roll from the bakery. I, not being terribly hungry, ended up getting an ensemada (a Spanish pastry that they have mastered) from the bakery and an order of their famous grilled butter rolls with jelly…oh that neon red jelly!



Departing Liliha, we wanted to check out the coast a bit before driving into Honolulu. Heading southeast, we made our way to the coast and up to Sandy Beach and one other small parking lot along the coastal road, both at which we stopped to check out the views:









The wind and the waves were very aggressive that day, let me tell you!!

Once in Honolulu proper, we parked at the International Marketplace given its very central location in the area. Wow, has the Marketplace ever evolved since we last saw it back in 2003! Yes, it is a mall, but it’s a nice mall and it has an easily accessible parking garage for day visits into Honolulu!

First thing first, we wanted to see the beach and the Duke statue, then gaze upon Diamond Head in the distance. From the front of the Marketplace, it was only about a 4 minute walk to the beach. The Duke statue was magnificent as ever and the beach itself was beautiful, but pretty darn crowded. I am sure that it didn’t help that there was a surfing competition of some kind going on at that particular moment, plus it was Saturday. Our daughter said that she had to dip her feet into the water, so she and I walked down and she did just that.



Snack and lunch time. After a super short 3 minute walk up Kuhio Avenue from the Duke Statue, we arrived at Musubi Cafe Iyasume. A tight little place, but full of flavor! We each ordered one musubi: a Teriyaki SPAM for our daughter, a Takuan Radish Pickles for my wife, and a Plum SPAM for me:



My wife and I LOVED our musubis! Our daughter felt that her’s lacked a little something, but she still enjoyed it. And compared to the pricing of the Mickey-shaped musubi at Aulani, these were an absolute steal!!! The variety of musubis and rice balls that they offer is outstanding. Highly recommend this place (or one of their other locations) for a great snack!

But, let's not forget about lunch! Just a 2 minute walk, virtually around the corner, sat Hula Dog!!! Back in 2003, while on vacation on Kauai, we discovered Puka Dog. It was just a little stand in the Poipu Mall, but the dogs, especially their tropical mustard and relishes, were outstanding! We absolutely fell in love with them.

I don’t recall all of the details, but if I am not mistaken, they expanded to Oahu, but then the couple that owned them all separated and Puka Dog remained on Kauai, while those on Oahu became Hula Dog. Hula Dog even expanded for a short time to Newport Beach, California (we actually drove up there twice from San Diego…and it’s not close let me tell you, though still worth it!), but it has since closed.

Anyway…it was now lunch time at Hula Dog! Here, the restaurant operates through a food truck, parked in an open corner space along with at least one other truck. Sorry, I don’t recall what that other business was. There were some picnic tables there as well for our sitting and dining convenience.

Since we were not too long removed from breakfast, plus our musubi snacks, and a larger dinner planned later that day, we decided to share a dog and a lemonade. The process is this: choose your bread/bun (we selected the White Brioche), the type of dog (we went with the Polish sausage), next the spice level of the garlic lemon sauce (original mild please), the tropical relish (all the way pineapple), and finally the mustard (had to go with their delectable Hawaiian lilikoi mustard). And to drink…a tall lilikoi-passion fruit lemonade!



How was it? It was everything that we remembered it being. Every bite was delicious and full of flavor. Yeah, and I heard and read this from others, the bun is a bit large and bready (if that is a word), so there were a few bites that were initially just bread and sauces; but a quick second nosh to get some dog and you were good to go! The lemonade was fantastic too!

And with this, I am going to end Part 1 because I want to make sure that I can include pictures. Stay tuned!

Up next…Day 5 - Island Adventures Day 2 - Part 2

 

[gregf71]

Day 5 - Island Adventures Day 2 - Part 2

Lunch thoroughly enjoyed, we decided to pivot a bit from our original plan for this day. At this point, we were supposed to walk around Honolulu, westbound towards the Royal Hawaiian Center, where we thought about checking out a particular shop (Kira X Miffy) and another location for a possible treat (Kokoro Cafe). Maybe it was the heat of the day, maybe it was my lack of sleep catching up with me a bit, or maybe we simply forgot about the original plans. I don’t know. In any event, we headed back to the front entrance of the International Marketplace, stopping into a few shops along the way, and then headed out (paying for parking of course, which was actually pretty reasonable).

Our next destination was the Ala Moana Center, a massive shopping mall, about a 12 minute drive west of the International Marketplace. With our dinner plans in mind, we purposely parked in the Mauka Ewa Parking Structure at the mall (which was free I should add), giving us a shorter walk back to our car after dining.

Normally, when we go on vacation, we don’t make any effort to visit a local mall. Not to say that there is anything wrong with that, but we have some nice malls in San Diego too, so they are never high on our To Do lists when on vacation. Unless…yes, unless…they have a few very specific shops that you REALLY want to visit!

At Ala Moana, we had 3 primary and 3 secondary targets. As fate would have it, where we parked and entered the mall placed us furthest away from our big three (all of which happened to be virtually right next to one another as it turned out). So, we ended up visiting two of our secondary businesses first: BoxLunch and It’Sugar.

For those of you who don’t know, BoxLunch specializes in character-driven pop culture (e.g., Disney, Marvel, Peanuts, Barbie, Sanrio, etc.) toys and collectibles, clothing, bags and accessories. It’s full of tons of things that you never thought you needed, but you do. And, yes, we came out of there with a few items.

But the main event had to be It’Sugar! Wow, just wow! This place was huge and absolutely full of candy goodness! I mean they had huge decorative scenes made out of jelly beans! I mean, COME ON!









I know that this is a chain and they are in 28 states (we even have 2 in San Diego), but I have never seen one this big! I just walked around in awe, trying to scope out the joint, for a good 15 to 20 minutes, snapping pictures of some of the candy character statues:







This place was crazy and we loved it. Yes, we came out of there each with a bag of candies, self-filled to our particular likings from the many, many, many barrels of goodness all throughout the store.

Finally, it was time to find the 3 stores we came here for, which as I previously mentioned were very close to one another, plus the third secondary shop we wanted to hit (Kailua Crystals for our daughter) was right there with them! Our targets were Minamoto Kitchoan (famous for high end and fabulous Japanese confections), Big Island Candy (if you know, then you know), and LUPICIA (a Japanese tea company that specializes in teas from around the world).

I won’t go into all of the details about what we bought across these three stores; not that I don’t want to, but because we bought so much that I cannot remember everything. What I can say is this…the confections from Minamoto Kitchoan are pieces of art. Not only are they amazingly delicious, they are incredible to look at and admire. They are almost too pretty to eat…almost. If you go there and do not walk out with something peach flavored, then you are doing something wrong. Big Island Candy is the place to go for more savory sweets in my opinion. Their signature shortbreads (which we learned from an Aulani CM are actually sold in boxes at Kalepa’s Store) are divine, but for my money their brownies, especially the Chocolate Covered Passion Fruit Brownies, are simply the best! Last, but certainly not least, LUPICIA. Now, me, I am not really a tea person; neither is our daughter. But my wife is definitely a tea person and this place amazed and delighted her to no end. Admittedly, when she walked out of here with her purchases, she wasn’t nearly as giddy as she was at Minamoto Kitchoan, but her smile shined mightily!

OK! Shopping all done, it was nearing time for dinner. Thankfully, our restaurant of choice this evening, which we had a reservation at (very important) was a short 5 minute walk away. It came HIGHLY recommended by some close friends of ours who vacation on Oahu frequently. It’s also a place that when I mentioned it to my Aulani hair stylist at Laniwai Spa the other day, he referred to it as the place that the local chefs go. Friends, I give you Side Street Inn.

To say that the name is fitting is an understatement. This location (there are two of them) on Hopaka Street, is literally down a side street off of the main Piikoi Street. In fact, we walked right by Hopaka accidentally and had to backtrack a bit in order to find the place.

When we entered, we were greeted warmly and asked immediately if we had a reservation. We did, for 5 pm. Yes, a little early for most folks for dinner, but it’s what we wanted. Looking around the restaurant, most of the tables were open, so I figured that them asking about a reservation meant that other parties would soon be expected, but that never really materialized while we were there. The fact is that as we enjoyed our visit and meal, others did come in, but when asked if they had a reservation those that responded No were either offered a seat at the bar or told that there was a wait. The only thing that we could think of was that since it was earlier in the evening, they weren’t fully staffed yet, so they wanted to minimize the number of customers until later. Who knows?

As I was researching Side Street Inn, I concluded that there were 3 things that we should try here: the Pan-Fried Pork Chops, the Signature Garlic Chicken, and their Signature Fried Rice. Listing these items to our server, she immediately looked up from her writing pad and asked if we were local or had a refrigerator in our hotel room. I mean, we did have a fridge in our Aulani hotel room, but it was the standard small one; we were not staying in a DVC room after all. Answering No to her question, she smirked and said that given their portion sizes and that it was just the 3 of us, we should only order 2 items. Taking her word for it, we nixed the chicken and went with the chops and the rice.





Dear readers…um…well…these two dishes were some of the best food that I have had. These were not just any pork chops and fried rice. They were elevated to another level. The chops were crispy and flavorful on the outside, yet succulent and juicy on the inside. They came with what I thought was some sort of extravagant tropical ketchup for dipping, but when I asked our server, she said that it was simply bottled ketchup. So, seasoned fried pork chops dipped in ketchup, eh? Yes! It worked! And that fried rice! Oh my, that fried rice! Char-siu, Portuguese sausage, bacon, peas, carrots, and green onions made for a wonderful menagerie of flavor. Did we eat it all? Not on your life! Even with just 2 items, we left with a ton of leftovers…which made a pretty excellent late evening snack that night…but we still never ended up finishing all of it before we left Aulani days later.

Unfortunately, during our meal, there was one incident; not anything that we were in any way involved with, but my wife and daughter had some pretty good seats to the fireworks (as it all played out behind me). In another section of the dining area there sat a family group (don’t know how many in total), which included some kids, 2 of which, possibly pre-teen or early teens, became the focal point of an issue. It seemed that the 2 of them went unattended into a Side Street Inn restroom and decided to mess around a bit, leaving a literal mess, including wiping a bunch of soap all over the mirror. At some point, a staff person either saw them doing it or noticed what they had done and then serious discussions ensued between the restaurant management and the family. From what I was told by my observant family, the kids initially denied any wrongdoing and their parents supported them in the face of the accusations, but eventually they admitted to it. We don’t know how it was ultimately resolved, but I just hope that it was amicable.

Very happily fed, we slowly made our way back to the Ala Moana parking structure, grabbed the rental car, and headed back towards Aulani, stopping at the Costco in Kapolei again, but just to fill up the gas tank this time. Since we were now done with the rental and it was “after hours” for the Enterprise Car Rental desk, we turned the car in to an Aulani valet, making sure to explicitly tell them that it was an Enterprise return (very important we were told). The valet filled something out quickly and handed it to me as proof that they took possession of the car and that was it. Easy peasy.

Back up to the room with all of our shopping goodies from the day…and of course our dinner leftovers (which barely fit in the room’s fridge), we returned in time to yet again watch the sunset from our balcony. It may have started out as a tough day, but it turned out to be a great one.



Up next…Day 6 - The Brunch of All Brunches, More Spa Time, and a Resort Photo Scavenger Hunt

 

[gregf71]

Day 6 - The Brunch of All Brunches, More Spa Time, and a Resort Photo Scavenger Hunt

It was now Sunday and we had a reservation at the Four Seasons next door for what I had read and heard was THE GREATEST BRUNCH ON THE ISLAND! It is called the “Brunch for All Seasons” and boy did it come with a hefty price tag, but you know, we were on vacation, and when something is frequently called THE GREATEST and it was such a short walk away, I mean you got to go, right?!

Since our reservation wasn’t until 11:15 am, we ended up with a little time to kill that morning. The teenager, choosing to remain in bed for a bit longer, stayed in the room, while my wife and I decided to go for a little walk along the pathway between the lagoon and the Four Seasons resort. I showed my wife the little outcropping that my daughter and I discovered on our first day at Aulani, but then we continued westward along the path, eventually popping out through an opening in the shrubs and onto a rocky surface.

From here, we carefully continued in the western direction away from the resorts. My wife immediately regretted her shoe selection that morning, not having realized that we’d be going literally off the beaten path. As we continued, we drew closer to the water and lots of tide pools strewn throughout the lower rocks, eventually making it over to the Secret Beach. In the distance, we could see one of the structures from the Paradise Cove Luau. There was a person fishing in the waves. It was most tranquil, but we couldn’t stay long.



La Hiki Kitchen, where brunch was being served, opened at 11 am and we had an 11:15 am reservation. Checking in a tad after 11 am, I’d say that we ended up waiting a bit beyond our reservation time before we were eventually seated, but it wasn’t that bad of a wait. During the extra minutes that we had, we enjoyed walking around the nearby landscaping, which was lush and beautiful. Still, we really weren’t huge fans of the architecture of the Four Seasons, especially when compared to the majesty of the Aulani buildings.

Seated, we were greeted by our server and asked about any drinks that we’d like. Once that was all in order, we all set off for the buffet! Oh and what a buffet! First and foremost, was the pig! An entire roasted pig at a carving station near the front, along with other cuts of succulent meats. Across from it, sat the Dim Sum section with steam baskets full of mandu and dumplings, plus a whole bunch of sauces for your dipping pleasures! In the next room were the bulk of the items: salads, small smoothies (yum!), yogurt and fixings, tons of fresh fruit (including apple bananas!!!!), a menagerie of hot dishes (this was where you got the lobster tails) and a ramen station, a breads and toast station (with jars of jams and honey), and desserts! Exiting the rear of this room and to the immediate right, took you to the tables of two types of poke, some sashimi, a variety of sushi rolls (with big diameters I might add), and finally a table covered with crab legs, oysters in the half shell, and shrimp! Oh, and I almost forgot, hidden in a little nook at the entrance of the restaurant, was an ice cream station! This was gastronomical heaven to say the least!













What did we eat? A lot of different things! Like any buffet, there were great things and some standard things, and a couple meh things. Was it worth the price tag? That’s tough to say. I mean, we were very happy and content with our meal. We left fully satisfied and had some excellent items. We did not walk away feeling that we didn’t get our money’s worth, but I did try to walk away not thinking about what it actually cost us. That said, while I did enjoy three lobster tails during my meal, none of us were tempted by the crab legs and the oysters. We had a sense that had we gorged ourselves on those, like we witnessed many others doing, then it might have been a better “value” for us. Still, with all that we enjoyed, we were happy and in no way regretful, and that’s all that really matters. Plus, our server was so cool! When we asked where we might purchase some of the local jams and honey provided in the buffet, she kindly grabbed us a handful of the tiny jars and let us have them!

Back at Aulani, we had a few hours before my wife and daughter needed to report to the Laniwai Spa for their respective treatments, so after a quick pop back up to the room to change into something more casual, we headed back downstairs for pictures and signatures with Chip and Dale, followed by doing the free Menehune Adventure Trail activity. Borrowing a tablet from the Pau Hana room, we bounced around the Aulani valley for close to an hour, visiting most of the designated locations in the videos and activating each interactive experience along the way (but if memory serves, not all of them worked, but most did). NOTE: When we last did this years ago, there were two options, an indoor and an outdoor adventure; only the outdoor option is currently offered, but who knows if that may change in the future.

Upon completing the adventure, we returned to the Pau Hana Room to return the tablet and claim our prize. Each of us received a little bag with two decorated kukui nuts and pieces to assemble a keychain. We each also received a third separate nut, this one with a turtle figure painted on it in celebration of something that I cannot recall any longer.

At this point, it was time for my wife and daughter to return to the room and get ready before heading over to the spa, so we all headed up. While my wife changed, our daughter poured out the contents of the bags onto one of the beds and went to work on assembling the keychains. She did a fine job and we each ended up with a pretty sweet (and free) souvenir!

Left to my own devices after they left for the spa, I decided to head back down to the Pau Hana Room and try the free Resort Photo Scavenger Hunt. I received a piece of paper that detailed a list of clues, each answer being something that I needed to take a picture of and show the Pau Hana CM to claim yet another prize. I forget exactly how many clues there were, but I do recall that there was a separate Bonus section that were clear descriptions of things to photograph. Most of the clues were pretty easy, but there was one that was particularly challenging (but I got it).

I want to say that it took me less than 30 minutes to complete the hunt and capture the images. Thankfully, there was a pool party taking place at the time and Mickey Mouse himself, in vacation garb, was there for me to take a shot of; that one was on the Bonus list. Returning to the Pau Hana Room, I scrolled through the pictures on my phone with the CM and they approved them. I was then handed something, don’t remember what, and was told to take it to the nearby DVC model room to claim my prize. A tad confused, I walked over there and met two very nice, very energetic DVC reps, who welcomed me in. Fearing that I was now in for a sales pitch (flashing back to our 2018 Aulani trip), I held up my scavenger hunt proof and they turned to grab my prize. They asked me how many were in my party and I replied 3, but confirmed that it was just me who completed the scavenger hunt. They smiled and said no worries, handing me three small-ish rectangular boxes.

I ended up chatting with the two of them for a good 20 minutes or so, and no, not about joining DVC; just a whole bunch of cool random things. While talking, I mentioned our previous vacation and how the DVC staff were relentless in trying to pull guests into sales meetings, even going so far as to offer luau tickets for an hour of your time. They said that was a thing of the past, which I appreciated very much. While there, I noticed a small-ish menehune sculpture resting on a nearby end table. I pointed at it and asked if they sold (or used to sell) those anywhere on property because I hadn’t seen them in any of the shops and thought it was a great souvenir. They smirked, chuckled a bit and then pointed to the three boxes that I was holding! Sweet! Here he is on a bookshelf at home:



My solo adventures eventually took me over to the Off the Hook bar, where I finally got an adult beverage served in a hollowed out frozen pineapple! I got the Tropical Itch, but it didn’t come with a back scratcher…wonder if that was because it was in the pineapple? No big deal whatsoever, but an observation nonetheless. What I did enjoy though…and maybe this is weird, but whatever…after finishing the drink, using the straw I scraped down the insides of the pineapple, collecting bits of very cold, saturated sections of pineapple goodness within it; each time the straw was full, I had another very pleasant treat! Yeah, I suppose that I could have asked for a spoon, but the straw worked…I only wish that it was a wider Boba straw or one that was a bit more hearty.



While sitting there, I received a text from a friend in San Diego, who wasn’t aware of where we were this week. He sent me a couple pictures, letting me know that he and his family were out and about eating lunch and getting treats at a couple of our favorite local places. I then sent him a picture of my pineapple with a smiley emoji. It took a minute and then he responded with, “Where are you?” I then sent him a couple pictures from our trip thus far and he replied, “No way!!”

After finishing my drink, I walked around the Aulani valley some more, taking pictures of many of the amazing animal sculptures integrated into the rock work around the lazy river and water slides. Eventually, it was time for my family to be done in the spa, so I returned to the room to meet up with them and find out how it was. They had a spectacular time. Our daughter had the 50 minute teen facial, while my wife enjoyed the 50 minute Signature Lomilomi massage, which incorporated lomilomi sticks and warm river stones. Since their services were scheduled back to back, for one hour prior to our daughter’s treatment, they were both able to enjoy the Kula Wai Outdoor Hydrotherapy Garden. They found the space very relaxing, but neither was willing to dip a toe into the cold water therapy plunge pool…not that I blame them one bit.

Checking the daily schedule, we confirmed that Donald and Daisy would both be doing Meet and Greets at the luau lawn in short order. If we timed it right (which we did), we could catch the end of Donald’s hour and the start of Daisy’s. Grabbing the signature surfboard, we all headed down and it worked out perfectly.

Another round of visits to the shops and then it was off to Off the Hook for dinner. As it turned out, this ended up being the most disappointing meal at Aulani. During our last stay, I very much enjoyed the burger here one evening, and this time I was looking forward to having it again. Since Off the Hook is just a walk-up, there are no reservations, so we had a little bit of a wait to be seated, but not bad at all. Unfortunately, the table we were given was towards the back and directly next to the bar and staff stations, so the environment was rather loud and chaotic; not very conducive for a relaxing meal. As I mentioned before, I ordered the Butcher’s Favorite Burger. My wife got the French Dip and our daughter the Chicken Club. Overall, they were good, not great, but good. My burger wasn’t what I remembered from a few years ago. I don’t know exactly what the differences were, but this one didn’t inspire me.

Finishing dinner near sunset, we marched out yet again down along the pathway by the lagoon. This time, we made it all the way out to the popular outcropping on the left side and I snapped a few more pictures:



Up next...Day 7: Rough Waters Means No Sailing Canoe and AMA AMA

 

[J-Dog]

Thanks for the excellent TR! You seem to be very food-focused - just like I am!

I you remember and don't mind divulging it - what does the La Hiki Sunday brunch cost per person?

 

[gregf71]

Thanks for the excellent TR! You seem to be very food-focused - just like I am!

I you remember and don't mind divulging it - what does the La Hiki Sunday brunch cost per person?

Looking at their online menu right now, it is listing "ADULTS USD 115, KEIKI USD 40", but tack on more for gratuity and beverages outside of water, juices, soda, and coffee, so cocktails and mocktails were extra.