Hula With Mickey Mouse at Aulani

Before I visited Aulani, Disney’s resort in Hawaii, I thought I knew what to expect. Having been to Walt Disney World and Disneyland more times than I can count, I assumed that Aulani would be similar to the Disney resort hotels in Orlando and Anaheim: Highly immersive (i.e. tons of movie theming), feeling very Disney (with hidden Mickeys everywhere) and closely tied to the theme park experience.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Aulani surprised me at every turn.

While there’s no doubt that your Hawaii family vacation to the resort will be a magical experience, only part of the magic comes from the mouse. The rest of it comes from the island itself.

Looking to plan a more traditional Disney vacation? Listen to Episode 2 of our podcast, Merging Into Life: Theme Park Secrets.

Aulani is on Oahu, about 20 miles from Honolulu, on the leeward side of the island. While it’s owned by Disney, there’s no theme park attached to it. (Disney also has non-park hotels in Hilton Head, S.C., and Vero Beach, Fla.).

Before I got there for my first trip in 2021, I had assumed the hotel would be a lot like Disney’s Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World, with wafting ukulele music, “Moana”-themed rooms and a tiki bar with volcanoes that erupt when you order a certain drink. But as soon as I stepped through the doors and into the lobby, I knew Aulani was different. The lobby opens to an expansive deck overlooking the resort, the pools and palm trees giving way to the sparkling ocean beyond. It was my first taste of the enchanting majesty and singular beauty of Hawaii.

Unlike other luxury resorts in Hawaii, Aulani doesn’t give out leis or kukui nut necklaces on arrival. However, you can ask for celebration buttons, like the ones you get in Disney parks, to mark birthdays, anniversaries or any occasion. When I arrived for my most recent visit in March 2024, I took one that says, “I’m celebrating,” and in the blank space wrote, “mai tais.” I was only half kidding. As I had already learned, Aulani makes my favorite mai tai on the island.

The main attraction at Aulani is the water, from the extensive complex of pools and decorative ponds in the center of the resort to the beach just beyond. The hotel shares Ko Olina Beach with the Four Seasons next door and the Marriott a bit farther away; though it’s public like all the beaches in Hawaii, each of the hotels has an area just for hotel guests with beach loungers and umbrellas.

If you don’t splurge on an ocean-view room (which I would 100% suggest doing, if you can swing it), the beach is the best place to watch the sunrise. Given that you’ll be fighting jetlag and adjusting to the time difference, you’ll likely be awake in plenty of time to watch the sun come up. That’s actually a good thing, though. Unless you’re in Waikiki, there’s very little to do at night, so you’re much better off waking up early and enjoying every bit of daylight that you can.

While the beach is delightful, you’ll probably spend most of your time at Aulani in the pools. The resort has the best water features I’ve ever seen. A saltwater lagoon offers snorkeling and fish-feeding without having to go into the open ocean. There’s also a lazy river, an infinity pool overlooking the ocean – with a waterfall – kids’ splash pad areas and baby pools, and hot tubs, including an adult-only one.

Inside the mountain that rises in the center of the resort, there are two waterslides integrated so seamlessly that you can’t even tell they’re there until you get to the stairs. On the mountain itself and the rock features built around the lazy river, there are hidden animal carvings; instead of hidden Mickeys, look closely to spot whales, octopi and schools of fish.

Don’t worry. You will still see Mickey, and plenty of other Disney characters. They hang out in public spaces, all in resort wear, to do casual meet-and-greets. Walking from your room to the pool, or from the beach to a restaurant, you’ll likely see Moana or Stitch saying hello and greeting guests, or Donald Duck in a Hawaiian shirt.

Mickey and Minnie both make appearances throughout. In the morning, Chef Minnie hosts a character breakfast. In the afternoon, surfer Mickey and Minnie bop around and say hello. At night, the pair make an appearance at Aulani’s luau, which is more fun than any luau I’ve ever been to before. In addition to the hula-dancing mice, there are also theatrical Disney touches in the show and demonstrations on playing ukulele, mashing poi and other Hawaiian traditions.

Aside from character meals, Aulani also has several excellent dining options. Ama Ama is a locally sourced fine dining restaurant with stunning sunset views. The Olelo Room has craft cocktails and excellent sushi made with incredibly fresh ahi and albacore, which come with a little pat of Mickey-shaped wasabi and chopsticks emblazoned with a tiny mouse. All around the Olelo Room (“olelo” means “say” in Hawaiian), are carvings of objects with the Hawaiian words for them underneath. Some are practical (pua’a is a pig, kalaka is a truck), and some are a little more Disney (kalipa aniani is glass slipper, kalela is castle).

I loved the garlic shrimp tacos at Off the Hook, the poolside restaurant, so much that I ordered them for lunch almost every day with a mai tai, sometimes in a hollowed-out pineapple. The resort also has quick-service options for quintessentially Hawaiian snacks like spam musubi and shave ice, both Mickey-shaped, of course. In Hawaii, the rule is still true: Everything tastes better when it’s shaped like Mickey Mouse.

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Have you ever been to Aulani? Tell us about your experience in the comments