Ko Olina is a master planned gated community on the west side of Oahu. There are 4 lagoons and at this point a few other resorts along side Aulani including 2 by Marriott.

We gave our name to the guard at the gate who verified we were on the ‘list’ and gave us directions to the resort.

Upon pulling up in front of the resort we were greeted by name and Jodie presented with a beautiful Live Lei, I received a Kukui nut necklace, and Moxie received a cute little necklace with a menehune on it, more on that later.

porte-cochère

We were escorted into the lobby and the front desk of the resort and checked in. Our room wasn’t ready but we were ready to explore the grounds.

Front Desk

Lobby Details

Lobby Carving

Disney’s goal was to be respectful of the Hawaiian Culture, and it is reflected throughout the resort with all the native art and culture they embrace. There are still character breakfasts and Disney experiences but, the Hawaiian culture is overwhelming.

Carved Mickey in the lobby

Hidden Mickey on the stool

Hallway that connects the two towers through the lobby

So while waiting for our room we went to explore a little. There is a single store called Kalepa’s Store which includes groceries and and Disney stuffed animals, and clothes and is the Disney Photo Pass outpost. We headed downstairs and came to the first Restaurant called Makahiki which is where they do the Character Breakfast Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, but you have to reserve ahead of time, they book up quickly. We missed our chance. It is a Buffet and has indoor and outdoor seating around a Koi Pond.

Makahiki

Looking back at the lobby over a Koi Pond

Koi Pond again

View of the Lobby and Makahiki from our room

Map of the Resort

Between the two towers are all the water activities, and there are a lot of them. After leaving the Koi Pond we came upon the Lazy River called Waikolohe Stream. There are several entry points and they provide inner tubes to just relax and let the current carry you around, or if you need more to do, they have carved sea life into all the rocks, from bats in the caves to sharks and an octopus.

Look at all the Lazy People in the Lazy River

There are two water slides, called Pu’u Kilo Slides. One is done on a tube that feeds into the Waikolohe Stream and the other does not and feeds directly into the Family Fun Pool called the Waikolohe Pool. The later is completely enclosed and dark and is so much fun. Across from one of the entrances of the lazy pool is the Menehune Bridge which is a Children’s Water Play area. There are water cannons, and two kid’s slides. Moxie loved it.

Behind the Menehune Bridge is the Rainbow Reef, which for a fee you can swim with the fishes. They have viewing windows for the less adventurous as well.

Viewing windows on Rainbow Reef

If you keep walking you will come up on the Makai Preserve which is a Singray Experience.

Stingrays

And past that around the corner you have the Leisure Pool named the Wailana Pool. It is much more subdued and quiet.

There are several hot tubs, the best is the two tiered one, overlooking the beach. Each level has an Infinity edge.

Hot Tub overlooking Beach

Hot Tub from the beach

Under the Volcano that houses the slides there is a quick service called the Lava Shack, with a little merchandise, but mostly sandwiches, and ice cream.

Bathrooms by the Lava Shack

They have food service by the pool or Off the Hook Bar which is connected to ‘Ama’Ama, the restaurant, which in turn is connected to another quick service called One Paddle, Two Paddle. We had drinks at Off the hook several times which were great, and lunch one day at One Paddle, Two Paddle. The Kalua Pork sandwich and the lettuce wraps. They serve the same food at both Off the Hook and One Paddle, Two Paddle but they are a little cheaper at One Paddle, Two Paddle.

Off the Hook

One Paddle, Two Paddle

'Ama'Ama

'Ama'Ama Dining Room

'Ama'Ama from the beach

Sunset View over Lagoon from our table at 'Ama'Ama

We actually got a quiet dinner in at ‘Ama’Ama with Moxie being at Aunty’s Beach House, which I will rave about in a minute. Like Disney does, there is a detailed back story to ‘Ama’Ama and how it is Uncle’s fishing house and was built in different times. There are foot prints in the concrete left by the kids. Its a great restaurant and story.

Next to the entrance of ‘Ama’Ama is Aunty’s Beach house which is the ‘child care’ for the resort. It is included if you are staying at Aulani and is worth so much more. Moxie isn’t one to go off with out us or want to be away. Generally she is with us everywhere. She ended up staying at Aunty’s for over 5 hours Saturday and Sunday, allowing Jodie and I to have two wonderful dinners and some time at the pool. We even went back a couple of times to get her and she waved us off. It is absolutely amazing and the cast members there are great. We ordered her dinner in so she ate there while we were out.

Aunty's Beach House

When you enter Aunty’s House you first come to the Lobby where you sign in and out. When initially registering your child is given a Mickey Band that they will keep the length of stay, which has GPS and will track them when at Aunty’s. They collect your room number, contact number and any allergies etc., as they will give them snacks every 2 hours. Everyone else has to check in and out and when passing from the lobby into the house you must wash your hands.

Aunty's Lobby

There are two sides, aunty’s and uncle’s. Aunty’s is for kids under 6 and Uncle’s is for over 6.

Aunty's Side

Aunty’s side has every dress you could imagine, and I think Moxie wore them all. They also have pirate outfits for the boys so they are included. One of the cool touches is the fireplace which lights up occasionally and the fire turns into different things like stitch, or a canoe or something else.

Dress Up

They have Microsoft Surface tables where the kids can play games.

Microsoft Surface Tables

My Little Mermaid

Game Room on Uncle's Side

Craft Garage on Uncle's Side

Moxie in the front row learning the Hula

Moxie and Chip

Aulani has currently opened the first phase, there are 2 more to come but the buildings are done, they just haven’t furnished 2 phases worth of rooms. The resort is not only a Disney Vacation Club Resort but also a traditional resort with rooms they rent by the night. We used DVC points so we were in one of the Deluxe Studio rooms. So, while Moxie was having fun at Aunty’s we finally got the text that our room was ready.

Room 1154

Hidden Mickeys on the door Carving

Deluxe Studio

Hidden Mickeys on the quilt

Art work in the bathroom with a Hidden Mickey and the state fish

The Lagoon is shared with one of the Marriott resorts. It has a break water and is really protected from big surf, so it’s a nice place to play. On Sunday we played in the sand and rented a Paddle board to practice what we learned earlier in the trip. Right on the beach Disney has Makiki Joe’s Beach Rentals where you can rent kayaks, Stand up paddle boards and a whole host of other beach activities. While out paddling i saw another Sea Turtle, so the lagoon is protected but sea live can still get in. I saw others snorkeling as well.

Makiki Joe's Beach Rentals

From the Beach

Disney reinvented an old legend for Aulani about the menehune which is a mischievous little person similar to a pixie or troll. They have an interactive game where you try to find them through out the grounds. They are also the ones who left behind menehune bridge, the kids play area.

Here are the ones I found.

I would highly recommend the resort for anyone visiting Hawaii, it was beyond our expectations. Our next DVC trip will be in January to Animal Kingdom Lodge which I expect to be as magical.

Other Pictures of our adventure:

Indiginous Hawaiian Flowers

Stitch

Sunset from our Lanai

My Girls

On Thursday I got to go Surfing for the first time in my life. It was so much fun. It was done through a Groupon just like our Standup Paddling lesson with the guys at Hawaiian Surf Adventures. They take you in a boat out to Maunalua Bay off of Hawaii Kai and you paddle over to the break and Matt our guide picks the waves and pushes you into one and then you have to try to stand up. It took me 3 times but I finally stood up and after I got the hang of it I was up a lot.

Maunalua Bay

On Friday I had to take Jodie’s Folks to the airport for their trip home and on the way back Moxie and I stopped at Hanks Haute Dogs for gourmet Hot Dogs that were incredible. I saw the place on Diners Dives and Drive In’s and just had to try it out. On Friday’s the special is the Lobster Dog which was just decadent and buttery. The description is “Lobster sausage seared in butter then dressed with garlic aioli, relish and pickled takuan radish.” Their fries are great too and on the weekends they have Duck Fat Fries but we missed out on them. On Saturday I got to take Jodie back and we shared the Duck and Fois Gras sausage and the Fat Boy which is their standard hot dog wrapped in bacon and deep fried. Everything we had there was great.

Hank's

Hank's Menu

The Hot Dog box

Lobster Sausage

Fries

So, you may ask where was Jodie on Friday. I inadvertently drugged her. I went to get one of her pills for the day and gave her one of my Ambien, so she was out of commission for most of the day. Luckily she has forgiven me but it was touch and go.

I made it up to her with the best dinner of the trip at The Beachhouse at the Moana. We shared an incredible Mahi Mahi with a wild mushroom risotto, in a spinach Beurre blanc. We were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset for our last night on Waikiki. The next day was our trip to Disney’s Aulani Resort on the other side of the island.

Our View at the Beachhouse

Waikiki Morning

Doves clammoring for food

Charlie the body boarding Dog

Duke's Statue

Waikiki Surfboard Storage

Rainbow over Waikiki

Hoards of surfers waiting for a wave

Hula Girl

Plumeria

To Be Continued…

There are several waterfalls on Oahu but Waimea Valley is the most accessible and probably most expensive as well. It used to be associated with the Audubon Society but is no longer. The walk costs $15 per person and goes through some beautifully landscaped trails.

Playing in the Sprinkler

The path to the falls

The Falls

Incredible canopy trees

Watching the peacock chicks

The falls are great and are guarded by some great life guards that give you instructions before you jump in the pool. They also provide life jackets and floats if you are so inclined. You can swim all the way to the falls and sit under it which Jodie and I did.

Next stop was for some Pie at Ted’s bakery right across from famous Sunset Beach and then back to Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck in Haleiwa and finally to Wahiawa and the Dole Pineapple plantation. One of only two places you can get authentic Dole Whips. The other place…Disney Theme parks.

Koi Pond

Growing Pineapple

Sunrise over Koko Head taken from our room

Monday night was my birthday and Moxie got to sleep over with her grandparents so Jodie and I could have a nice dinner and the next morning we went stand up paddle boarding over in Hawaii Kai. We got a groupon and did it through Hawaiian Surf Adventures. It was so much fun and we had a wonderful day for it with low surf and no wind.

To be continued…

From scratch.

Day 1-September 2nd
We flew American Airlines on a direct 9 hour flight to Honolulu. Moxie, our four old, stayed awake the entire time was so much fun to travel with. She actually was the entire trip which was just wonderful. We got in around 3pm local time which is 6 hours behind home in Woodstock, IL. Jodie’s parents met us at the airport and after some major arranging we were able to fit all our luggage in the rental car and head to the hotel.

Hawaii is far from a cheap destination but there are many things that can be done to make it cheaper. The first is to shop and shop and shop around for car rentals. Usually car rentals in Honolulu are around $50 a day even for a midsize. I kept looking and finally found an Alamo full size rental for less than $20 a day. The final tally for the rental was $206.79.

The other thing you need to consider is parking. We stayed at the Waikiki Marriott and self parking is $35 a day for self park or $42 for valet, instead we parked directly behind the hotel at the Waikiki Banyon for $60 for 7 days. Right there we saved $185.

Once we got checked into the hotel and got settled we went for a walk and to a great dinner at Gyu Kaku which is a Japanese BBQ restaurant that are all over Japan. There are several here in the states, we have one in Chicago and there are outposts in California and New York too.

Waikiki Marriott

View of Diamond Head from our Room on 33rd Floor

With the time difference Day 2 started really early for me. I was up around 3am and went for a run up and around Diamond head. There was something about the location that made me feel I could run all day long. First morning I went 4 miles.

It was Saturday and the first day of the Ala Moana Farmers Market. Ala Moana is the premier mall in Honolulu. We went and has the most incredible fresh Pineapples and apple banana’s.

Fresh Pineapple

Hawaiian Dancers at the Farmers Market

Coconuts

This guy is amazing. He is a vendor at several different farmers markets on the island, as we saw him the next day in Haliewa on the North Shore. He backs his pickup to his stall unloads hundreds of coconuts, I’m sure he gets for free, and spends the day using a machete, opening them up and sticking a straw in it for $5 a shot. Freshest Coconut Water in the world. After you finish the coconut water, he will open it the rest of the way so you can enjoy the coconut flesh. I want to be like him when I grow up.

Next we went over to Queen Kapi’olani park for a Japanese Festival they were having. Moxie got to play on some jumpy houses, we saw some incredible bonsai trees and take in the culture.

Festival

BONSAI!!

We ended the day at Dukes on the beach for dinner. There is a great song by Jimmy Buffett called Dukes on Sunday that is set there.

On the way back to the Marriott, we meandered through the International market place and someone took our picture in front of this huge Banyan. Aside from Moxie playing shy it’s a pretty good picture.

To be continued…

Workout 4
5:57 am
Distance 3.30mi
Time 30:22
Splits
Mile 1 9:17
Mile 2 9:12
Mile 3 9:17