Disney's Aulani Resort, Ko 'Olina, Oahu, Hawai'i

Here's a first-hand account of the Aulani resort....Calvin and I were delighted to be able to check it out in December. An Aulani vacation starts with the words, "Welcome home" and includes a lei greeting with a cold drink and personal escort from the port cochere to the reception desk along with a tour of the historically- and architecturally-rich lobby. We found it to be Disney magical, squeeky clean, Ohana-friendly, and, of course, tropical. No roller coasters and flying elephants here. The only Disney characters are Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Stitch who only show up at breakfast and special events like the twice-weekly Starlit Hui. Instead of the typical Disneyana, you will find a beautiful Hawaiian-mythology themed resort with gorgeous architecture, infinity edge spas, pools, waterfalls, a double waterslide that starts from the inside of a Disney Imagineers-designed 'volcano' and a lazy river for floating the day away. There is a safe lagoon for keiki (kids) to snorkel in and a pool where they can feed the rays. All that, before you even get to the beautiful beach on the semi-private lagoon where you can snorkel with wild sea turtles (when they feel like showing up - we found them in the next lagoon over) and paddle-board.

For entertainment, the daily "Ewa" paper lists all the activities for kids and adults, including Hawaiian crafts, dance lessons, star gazing, art tours and the Menehune Adventure Tour. Menehune are mythical (or actual but extinct) little people who populate the resort. We heard there were about 350 of them hiding in the foliage, elevators, under bridges, etc. just waiting to be discovered. The little tricksters can dump water on unsuspecting swimmers, and sometimes you might hear them giggle but you won't be able to see them.   The Menehune Adventure Tour is billed for kids, but we recommend that adults go to Auntie's Beach House and request to play even if you aren't accompanying any keiki. You will be loaned a special iPhone to call Auntie for clues and watch videos as she sends you on 'errands' around the resort. Many of the resorts fun secrets are revealed only by Auntie when you accomplish the task. She sometimes allows you to activate a secret control on the iPhone to create your own Menehune-like trick.

The food is excellent. When we made reservations, we were asked about food allergies. Because my food allergies were noted on our resort hotel reservation, the info showed up on our restaurant reservations. The chef at the Makahiki buffet came out to our table, greeted me, and gave me a tour of the entire buffet to point out the ingredients used in all of the menu items. He told me exactly what was safe to eat, and which items I might be allergic to. This level of service from the Disney Cast Members is what makes any Disney resort special. At 'Ama 'Ama, we had an open-air table right by the 'window' to the sunset. Again, the food and service was excellent, outdone only by the awesome view (you can see the view and our food selections below).