When the whole world was upside down and we were dealing with the worst of the Miles medical drama, for some reason I kept imagining our family at Aulani. I sort of became obsessed with the idea as it represented a pipe dream or a safe haven away from the trials we were enduring and now tasked to bear for the rest of our lives. As things began calming down and we felt like we could start planning into the future again, Aulani was there waiting for us - a pot of gold at the bottom of the rainbow after a truly terrible storm, and it delivered all of that and more.
My in-laws lived on Oahu for many years when they were first married and Morgan was born there (hence his middle name, Kalani), so Hawaii is a special place for them. They were more than happy to join us on this trip which made it all the more perfect. We decided to spend the first part of our trip in Kailua renting a beach house and then finish off our trip with Aulani. I highly recommend doing this if you visit. This way, we were able to see the whole island, and enjoy plenty of hikes, waves, boogie boarding and grocery shopping so that when we arrived at Aulani we didn't have to leave and we could maximize every bit of the magic offered there. If you just want to read about Aulani scroll down to that section, otherwise read on for the totality of our Hawaii adventure.
OAHU
Our first full day on Oahu was a bit rocky: on our way out in the morning we were stunned to receive the alerts on our phones indicating a ballistic missile was heading our way. We piled into the bathroom with mattresses (debris protection), toys, food and water and just stood around perplexed scanning the internet for anything validating or negating the alert and we found nothing.
After about 15-20 minutes we figured if there was something happening we probably would be seeing it on the news so we decided to head back to the beach and around 30 minutes later we were finally alerted it was an error.
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| Morgan had the foresight to screenshot his phone alert because what a memory! |
Later that day, Miles' cold had taken an alarming turn and he was really struggling to breathe. Kai was recovering from the flu, and Miles had been on tamiflu as a prophylaxis but it seemed the flu had taken hold of him and with his heart condition it is not something to take lightly. We took forever finding an urgent care that was even open, I think we tried four different facilities that were all closed because you know, Hawaii time. The doctor that we did find was obviously taken aback by Miles' medical history and felt he possibly had pneumonia, so he sent us on to the ER. HOURS later when a doc could finally see us, Miles' breathing had improved and they looked at us like we were psycho overprotective parents. Ha! It wasn't our choice to bring him there on our first day of vacation! Regardless they gave him a steroid to help his lungs and we were sent on our way. From then on the kids got a lot healthier, but sadly they gave the flu to Diane who had it pretty bad for most of the trip - but no better place to be sick than on a beach in Hawaii.
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| Tide pool exploring |
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Kai got pretty good at boogie boarding - so long as you positioned
him on the board and pushed him when the wave came! |
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| Matsumoto's shaved ice on the North End was worth the drive |
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| "Snorkling" Shark's Cove |
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| Just raring to go! |
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| These two braved the swim out to Waimea Falls |
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| The flu won't bring these guys down - not on their vacation to paradise |
AULANI
Disneyland is exhausting. It is crowded, hot, chaotic and overstimulating yet it is completely and unequivocally magical. Aulani brings the magic of Disney to Hawaii, and does it in a way that honors the local culture, embodies "Ohana", and allows the entire family to relax and recharge.
There were plenty of Disney touches ranging in subtlety, like the gorgeous Hawaiian version of classic Disney songs piped into the elevator or hidden Mickey's carefully woven into the Hawaiian motif in the tapestries to favorite characters splashing in the lazy river or joining you for a dance party. But it isn't the icons that make Disney the brand we cherish it is in the details, the employees, the exemplary cleanliness and awareness of the precise needs of their clientele. Disney goes above and beyond and thinks of ways to make each guest's experience magical, down to the inconspicuous minute details that create the Disney atmosphere which keeps us coming back for more.
Let's start with the room. We stayed in a villa with two full bedrooms and bathrooms plus a large living area with two pull out beds, a kitchen and dining area and a separate half bath. The kicker? The half bath was big enough for a pack and play which is GOLD for parents of small kids. The rooms were amazingly quiet and sound proof with thick doors and walls and nearly silent doors (even the main one) so we never had to worry about waking a child. Each "room" had access to a large balcony (very thorough and high up locking system, thank you Disney) with a beautiful view and effective blackout curtains so the rooms stayed dark. We had brought all the food from our beach house with us so we always had tropical drinks and fresh fruit as well as kid-friendly healthy food choices to help keep prices down and ease our travel since eating out with my two is quite stressful. We did eat out a few times and of course loved everything, because you know, Disney, and they do have some outstanding Mickey-shaped treats including the yummy ice cream bar straight from the Parks. Happy sigh.
A sweet snorkeling reef at the resort had underwater viewing which was Miles' favorite place - anytime we even got near he'd start pointing and saying "fSH, fSH, fSH!"
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| Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, we got in an amazing date night at the Ama Ama fancy restaurant - do make this happen. They have sitters at the resort you can and should hire if you don't bring family. |
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Next, the pool and slides. No height requirements. Seriously Disney? I love you. Your child can wear a life jacket everywhere (they are comfy, clean and free) and can ride with you on the tube slide or ride alone on the tunnel slide but you can be at the base to help them get out. So we rode the slides over and over and over again. There was also an extensive lazy river with lots of fun features, a giant water playground and a splash pad. Plus there were multiple pools all with unique and perfectly designed features and hot tubs everywhere which kids were allowed in (again, Disney, I love you). There was one adult pool and one gorgeous infinity edge hot tub for just adults. Saying the kids had a blast is an understatement, we all were just in heaven. It was really windy when we were there which made it a little chilly (definitely pack swim shirts and sweaters), and I think they actually lowered the temperatures of a couple of the hot tubs to make them even more kid friendly.
We met a bunch of characters and the kids were thrilled with all of them. We try to make the interaction be fun, not just about the picture, and we love dancing or playing a quick game of peekaboo. When we were there in January you could meet Stitch, Moana, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. The characters occasionally walk around and surprise the kiddos too which makes for truly magical memories. So if you're going, do your homework and make sure your kids know and love at least some of those guys!
Aulani was everything I hoped for and more. It provided the rest and restoration we needed, and the magic and nostalgia of Disney. Forging cherished memories, our time in Hawaii brought our whole family closer and ended up being more than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, it was Ohana.
