Three days of stress preceded our magical week in Oahu. To get on a plane to Hawaii we had to have a lot of medical documentation, which we understood and were on board with. But unfortunately, the days before we left were also VBS at our church, so we had less time to work with and more exposure to people than we'd had in a year. Passing a COVID test and getting the results within the perfect 72 hour window gave us a few sleepless nights and some digestive distress, but alas, with mere hours before we boarded, the results came in and our Hawaii Safe Travels code was able to be scanned for this priceless entry bracelet! I can't even describe the relief!
A smooth five hours later and we were landing in the paradise of Honolulu!
Chris and Karen reeeeeeally spoiled us all by booking each family a villa at the nicest place we've ever stayed-- the Aulani in the ritzy Ko'Olina. We were awed every day by warm customer service, beautiful design and architecture, no shortage of fun things to do right on the property, and amazing attention to detail. Having a villa with 2 full bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 balconies, a living room and full kitchen was bliss too!
Koi ponds and waterfalls and rainbow flowers wowed us every step we took on the winding paths around the 4 pools, 5 hot tubs, 2 waterslides, and 1 lazy river.
Almost every night we'd walk out to Sunset Point on the edge of our lagoon and enjoy views of our resort and the sun melting into the ocean right beside it.
Delia's favorite thing about the Aulani was Menehune Hunting! Hidden around the resort, inside and out, are 300 of these little Polynesian builder statues. They have a fun story about being mischievous. At first they were hard to find, but once we got the hang of it, Delia started spotting them EVERYWHERE. She didn't find all 300, but probably close!
Some friends have asked just how "Disney" the Aulani is and I reply that it was definitely more Hawaiian than Disney. The Disney stuff was subtle, but fun-- like characters wandering around the lazy river to wave hello or the storytelling, ukulele playing cast member who would serenade and tell us stories every night in the pools. What we felt was most "Disney" was the quality of service and authentic experience.
Every day we'd get a new colored bracelet to get us into all the pools. Delia actually still wears this rainbow on her arm! It was fun to spot other Aulani guests at the airport on the way home.
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