Aulani Review: Does Disney Magic Equal Aloha?

As published on disneyaulani.com, checked Sep 26, 2026; distances from koolina.com, checked Sep 25, 2026.

Best for

• CouplesGoodAdults-only pool, but built around kids.
• FamiliesGreatFree kids club, five pool areas.
• FriendsGoodVillas split the cost for up to 12.
• SoloSkipFamily programming; you need a car.
• GroupsGreatGrand Villas sleep 12.

Aulani has 351 hotel rooms, 16 of them suites. A Standard Room is 382 square feet, sleeps four, and has a small refrigerator, a coffee maker and a lanai. Skip Standard View if the view matters: Aulani says it can mean the conference center, a parking lot or the garage. Every room gets a free Pack ’n Play.

The other 481 units are Disney Vacation Club villas, which you can book for cash without being a member. Studios have a kitchenette. One-, two- and three-bedroom villas add a full kitchen and a washer and dryer; a two-bedroom sleeps 9, and a three-bedroom Grand Villa sleeps 12.

Five pool areas come with the stay, for registered guests with the daily wristband: Waikolohe Pool with the Volcanic Vertical slide, the Waikolohe Stream lazy river with the Tubestone Curl tube slide, the infinity-edge Ka Maka Grotto, Keiki Cove for kids 5 and under, and Menehune Bridge for guests under 48 inches. Adults get Wailana Pool (18 and up) and two whirlpools at ʻAlohi Point.

Rainbow Reef is the exception. It is Aulani’s own saltwater snorkel pool, not a Ko Olina lagoon, and it costs $30 per adult and $25 per child a day, gear included. Cabanas run $475 to $750 a day.

Laniwai, A Disney Spa, covers 18,000 square feet with 15 treatment rooms and Kula Wai, an outdoor garden of soaking pools and a cold plunge; a treatment includes an hour there. Treatments are for guests 18 and up (14 to 17 with an adult), with a 20% service charge. The 24-hour gym is free for guests 14 and up.

Aulani’s beach sits on one of Ko Olina’s four man-made lagoons. It is public, as every beach in Hawaiʻi is, and Ko Olina keeps free public lots open sunrise to sunset. There are no lifeguards on the lagoons; our guide to checking whether it’s safe to swim on Oahu covers what to look for. Makiki Joe’s lends guests boogie boards, chairs and umbrellas free, and rents snorkel sets for $30 a day, with a day of Rainbow Reef included.

Aunty’s Beach House, the kids club, takes potty-trained children from 4 to 12, 8 AM to 2 PM, and visits are included in the stay; its three-hour Premium Experiences cost extra. Pre-register 2 to 90 days before arrival. Disney characters appear at meet-and-greets, pool parties and the Makahiki breakfast. Free Hawaiian programming runs all week: fire pit storytelling, art tours and a short ʻukulele class.

Dining is cashless. ʻAMAʻAMA serves an oceanfront four-course dinner Wednesday to Sunday, Makahiki runs the character breakfast daily, and Ulu Cafe covers poke bowls and pizza until 9 PM. Off the Hook and The ʻŌlelo Room are the bars. There is no room service. KA WAʻA, the luau, runs from $200 per adult plus tax, drinks included; our guide to Oahu luaus compares it with Kaula Lūʻau down the road.

Ko Olina Station, a walk away, has Island Country Market (groceries, wine and beer, 6 AM to 11 PM), Monkeypod Kitchen and Eggs ’n Things, and Ko Olina Marina runs snorkel and sunset boats. The National Park Service says the drive to Pearl Harbor is shorter coming from the west side than the drive from Waikiki; see getting to Pearl Harbor. Plan on a car: Aulani has rental counters on site, and our guide to renting a car on Oahu covers the rest.

• Line up at 8 AM for Rainbow Reef, or rent the snorkel set. Makiki Joe’s $30 set includes a day of Rainbow Reef, a life vest and a mask.
• Mark the booking windows. The luau and spa open 180 days out; the kids club and restaurants 45 days out, at midnight Hawaiʻi time in the Aulani app.
• Price the airport run. Hele Hele’s shared airport shuttle is $25 per person each way.
• Visiting, not staying? There is no day pass, but the lagoon beach is public, and a $100 dinner at ʻAMAʻAMA includes four hours of parking.
• Buy groceries after check-in. Aulani won’t store groceries or deliver them before your room is ready.