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Questions about Aulani

TheTimeTraveler

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I will be visiting Aulani in the near future and I had a couple of questions for those in the know.

Does Aulani have an "on site" car rental agency?

Does Aulani have an on site nail saloon?

Next door in the old Marriott Hotel (not Timeshare) do the new operators have a restaurant open to the public, and if so how is the food ?

Any shuttle available between Aulani and the Airport? What about a shuttle between Aulani and Honolulu ?

Thanks for all the anticipated wealth of answers!





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jsfletch

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The Ihilani hotel (old Marriott)is still under renovation and won't be open until April?
Aulani has an airport shuttle as do other operators in the resort.
 

ailin

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I will be visiting Aulani in the near future and I had a couple of questions for those in the know.

Does Aulani have an "on site" car rental agency?
.

They have Alamo onsite, but I found the prices pretty expensive compared to renting from the airport. Picking up from the airport and dropping off at Aulani was also more expensive. If you're staying on DVC points and don't need to pay for parking, it might be cheaper to rent from the airport and keep the car the entire time. If you need to pay for parking though ($37/day!), then it's a whole other story.
 

Southerngirl528

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Aloha TheTimeTraveler,

Aulani is amazing!! My very favorite Disney resort. :)

As said, yes Aulani does have an Alamo car rental onsite but I agree the prices are higher than one can rent at HNL. I think a car rental is very important to have if possible. It allows you flexibility to pick up supplies at the very closely Costco and/or BigTarget (no more than 5 min drive back toward Honolulu), drive to see the beautiful North Shore and do a circle island tour as the scenery is entirely different, go visit Pearl Harbor, etc., etc. It can also save you some $$ on shuttle/taxi service depending on the size of your party.

Not sure about a nail "saloon" (LOL! Thanks for the laugh with the typo. I got an immediate visual of a nail salon with swinging doors and cowboys. ;) ) But the Laniwai Spa at Aulani does have salon services including for nails. The spa is pricey like most high end resorts, but ultra nice.

As another poster said, the hotel to the right as one looks toward the ocean from Aulani is the former JW Marriott Ihlani. It has been closed for refurbishment for a good while and will reopen as a Four Seasons resort. Yay! IF they are open when you visit, you could certainly enjoy their restaurants.

Aulani does NOT have their own shuttle but I believe they recommend Speedi Shuttle. I would double check with the resort or if you are a DVC Member, ask Members Services on the options.

Happy planning! :banana:
 

ThreeLittleBirds

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I was able to rent my through Costco and pick up on site. Saved a lot of money that way
 

Southerngirl528

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Alamo as well as all the major companies are available through Costco Travel. You just have to choose the Aulani location for rental when booking on Costco's travel site.

I have booked for a pickup at Aulani as well with Alamo for a recent brief stay at Aulani before catching a cruise in Honolulu but ended up canceling the rez and hiring a limo since our stay was only 2 nights. But our other 2 stays which were multiple nights we picked up our car at HNL and returned to the same to save money.
 

cp73

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Last week we stayed at the Marriott Ko Olina. Of course we had to walk down to the Aulani several times to check it out. We also had dinner at Ama Ama. Now let me say first that we live in So Ca near Disneyland and have been passholders for many years in the past and my kids are now in their mid to late 20's. So we continually enjoy going to Disneyland and Ca Adventure. I wish I could say I was empressed with the Aulani but I was not. I think they tried to cram too many towers in a small space. Its just to compact for the space. Too many people in a small space. The pool areas were filled by 8am with people saving seats. Just way too many people in a small space. Also the lagoon in front of the hotel was crammed with chairs. They should have excluded one of the towers and spread it out over more space. Its no where the peacefulness and expanse as the Marriott Ko Olina.

Our dinner an Ama Ama was fine. Good but not great. The view from the restaurant was very nice and enjoyable. Glad we tried it this one time. The service at the restaurant was also nice.

Like I said I was disappointed with the resort and thought it was nothing special. Its just doesn't fit with the Hawaii feel.

What do you think?
 

Kapolei

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The Marriott timeshare is definitely a more relaxing experience with plenty of space. I have never been one that wants to be catered to. I like self parking, opening my own bottle of wine and grilling my own steak.

I am sure Aulani is first rate for those that like the hotel experience. I have walked through there many times. The entrance is beautiful and it is highly staffed. It is just not my thing. But I am sure we would enjoy a weekend there if it was free.
 

Southerngirl528

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What do I think? Pretty much posted my own opinion earlier in this thread.

I always have to smile when someone doesn't love a resort that we do. Why? 'Cause if everyone adored the same resort I'd have a heck of a time booking it!! :D

Seriously I do get what Cp73 is saying though I don't agree. For instance, our other TS at Marriott Ocean Club Napili is an entirely different experience from our stays at Aulani w/DVC points. Both stunning resorts with excellent cast/staff and lovely locations. MOC has a huge plot of beachfront real estate on Ka'anapali Beach and we love love the property. Aulani is certainly more "vertical" as they have a LOT less property to build upon.

Aulani is definitely more "Hawaiian". Olelo Lounge is only staffed by CM's that are fluent in Hawaiian. Aulani has absolutely stellar nightly live music nightly in both lounges by well known Hawaiian artists, most are Na Hoku award winners. Jerry Santos, Teresa Bright, Tony Conjugacion, Ben & Maila and on and on. If one knows Hawaiian music, they would know these names. Hawaiian lore and legend is interwoven throughout the resort and the Starlit Hui show they have a couple of times a week is wonderful and Keali'i Reichel's handprint is all over it. He also wrote music specifically for the resort and it took some convincing for him to even agree to be one of their cultural consultants. He had to be convinced that Disney truly WAS going to honor the Hawaiian culture as they said they were. There really are no "hidden Mickeys" but hidden Menehune. I have made it my personal mission on our multiple stays there to chat w/CM's that are native to Hawaii (which is the vast majority) and ask them what they really think. I have been impressed by their opinions of Aulani. Aulani has a topnotch spa that is world class by any standards. Superb.

I have not been onsite at Marriott Ko'Olina but from aerial views it's easy to see they have a much larger plot of land. Marriott seems to be pretty darned savvy to buy large pieces of real estate to develop. I'm always amazed when using the beach walk at Ka'anapali (MOC) at just HOW much beachfront MOC has. It's a very good "stroll" from one end to the other. I prefer having the views at MOC to Ko'Olina's. Seeing the island of Lana'i, Moloka'i and Kaho'olawe from this property is just beyond gorgeous. MOC is much more spread out because they have the real estate to do so, which is awesome. We love a lot of things about MOC that Aulani may not have and vice versa.

In summary, both Aulani and MOC are 2 of our favorite places anywhere. We go as often as possible and love our experiences at each. And I love that we don't all love the same thing. It's what makes travel and the human experience so wonderful. :cheer:
 

ThreeLittleBirds

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What do I think? Pretty much posted my own opinion earlier in this thread.

I always have to smile when someone doesn't love a resort that we do. Why? 'Cause if everyone adored the same resort I'd have a heck of a time booking it!! :D

Seriously I do get what Cp73 is saying though I don't agree. For instance, our other TS at Marriott Ocean Club Napili is an entirely different experience from our stays at Aulani w/DVC points. Both stunning resorts with excellent cast/staff and lovely locations. MOC has a huge plot of beachfront real estate on Ka'anapali Beach and we love love the property. Aulani is certainly more "vertical" as they have a LOT less property to build upon.

Aulani is definitely more "Hawaiian". Olelo Lounge is only staffed by CM's that are fluent in Hawaiian. Aulani has absolutely stellar nightly live music nightly in both lounges by well known Hawaiian artists, most are Na Hoku award winners. Jerry Santos, Teresa Bright, Tony Conjugacion, Ben & Maila and on and on. If one knows Hawaiian music, they would know these names. Hawaiian lore and legend is interwoven throughout the resort and the Starlit Hui show they have a couple of times a week is wonderful and Keali'i Reichel's handprint is all over it. He also wrote music specifically for the resort and it took some convincing for him to even agree to be one of their cultural consultants. He had to be convinced that Disney truly WAS going to honor the Hawaiian culture as they said they were. There really are no "hidden Mickeys" but hidden Menehune. I have made it my personal mission on our multiple stays there to chat w/CM's that are native to Hawaii (which is the vast majority) and ask them what they really think. I have been impressed by their opinions of Aulani. Aulani has a topnotch spa that is world class by any standards. Superb.

I have not been onsite at Marriott Ko'Olina but from aerial views it's easy to see they have a much larger plot of land. Marriott seems to be pretty darned savvy to buy large pieces of real estate to develop. I'm always amazed when using the beach walk at Ka'anapali (MOC) at just HOW much beachfront MOC has. It's a very good "stroll" from one end to the other. I prefer having the views at MOC to Ko'Olina's. Seeing the island of Lana'i, Moloka'i and Kaho'olawe from this property is just beyond gorgeous. MOC is much more spread out because they have the real estate to do so, which is awesome. We love a lot of things about MOC that Aulani may not have and vice versa.

In summary, both Aulani and MOC are 2 of our favorite places anywhere. We go as often as possible and love our experiences at each. And I love that we don't all love the same thing. It's what makes travel and the human experience so wonderful. :cheer:

There are actually hidden Mickeys. I didn't know this was a thing (haven't been to Disney since the 1970s) but I saw one on one of my many floats around the lazy river, and someone told me that it is a fun thing to look for hidden Mickeys around Disney resorts.

I guess you will have to go back to find some!
 

Southerngirl528

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There are actually hidden Mickeys. I didn't know this was a thing (haven't been to Disney since the 1970s) but I saw one on one of my many floats around the lazy river, and someone told me that it is a fun thing to look for hidden Mickeys around Disney resorts.

I guess you will have to go back to find some!


Thanks, ThreeLittleBirds. My sentence about the hidden Mickeys was badly worded. What I meant to get across was that there is really not nearly as much emphasis on hidden Mickeys as there is in any Disney hotel, or theme park. And believe me, hidden Mickeys are EVERY where at WDW and DL. ;)

There are hidden Mickeys in the runners on the beds at Aulani that I spotted on our first trip. And there is a super cool hidden Menehune in a piece of furniture in the lobby. :D
 
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