Aulani Construction Update

[wdrl]

So from these posts, I gather that there is only 1 refill station by Ulu Café?

Seems like Aulani is quite a large property to only have a refill station by Ulu Café!
Can't understand why they took it out of lobby!:confused

When we were at Kidani a few years ago, Kidani had a refill station in the gift shop. IMO, Aulani should also have a refill station in the gift shop as well.

How close is Ulu Café to the Wainnae Tower? I personally do not make my own coffee. I would rather use my refillable mug and skip the step of making a cup!

Thanks for any info you can provide or a potential "rationale" for not having a refill station in a gift shop! Doesn't make sense to me!

There is a drink refill station at the Lava Shack, which is in the middle of Waikolohe Valley, in addition to the new one at the Ulu Cafe. In September 2012, there was also a refill station at the Rip Swirl Yogurt Bar, which is near the teen area, but I haven't heard whether its still there or not.

Also, when we were at Aulani in 2012, the bartenders at the Wailana Pool Bar refilled my mug for me.

The Ulu Cafa is actually in the Waianae Building. It took over the space that belonged to the 1st Floor Grand Villa (#101). But I think you still have to go outside in order to get to the cafe.

 

[jerseygal]

That makes better sense!
Nice that there are minimum 2 drink refill stations, one at Ulu Café and one at Lava Shack!
Thanks!

 

[amym2]

I don't want to be a downer, but when we were there we used the drink station by the Lava shack since it was the closest to the pool, and many times there were lines with people filling up paper cups from a soda that they must have bought days ago by the looks of the cups. If they don't put a curb on people doing that, the lines will be really long!

Never saw that and never waited in line at the Lava Shack when we were there 3 weeks ago. Maybe opening Ulu Cafe and its refill station changed that?

 

[amym2]

There is a drink refill station at the Lava Shack, which is in the middle of Waikolohe Valley, in addition to the new one at the Ulu Cafe. In September 2012, there was also a refill station at the Rip Swirl Yogurt Bar, which is near the teen area, but I haven't heard whether its still there or not.

Also, when we were at Aulani in 2012, the bartenders at the Wailana Pool Bar refilled my mug for me.

The Ulu Cafa is actually in the Waianae Building. It took over the space that belonged to the 1st Floor Grand Villa (#101). But I think you still have to go outside in order to get to the cafe.

Yes, you do have to go outside to get to Ulu Cafe. This was only an issue for us once because our first resort day it stormed all afternoon (lightning and everything, which is apparently rare in Hawaii). As far as we could tell, there was nowhere to get our mug refilled without having to go outside (to Ulu Cafe, Lava Shack, or the old One Paddle Two Paddle which still had a drink station periodically). We never saw a refill station inside, although we never went to the Rip Swirl so it could have still been there.

 

[amym2]

So from these posts, I gather that there is only 1 refill station by Ulu Café?

Seems like Aulani is quite a large property to only have a refill station by Ulu Café!
Can't understand why they took it out of lobby!:confused

When we were at Kidani a few years ago, Kidani had a refill station in the gift shop. IMO, Aulani should also have a refill station in the gift shop as well.

How close is Ulu Café to the Wainnae Tower? I personally do not make my own coffee. I would rather use my refillable mug and skip the step of making a cup!

Thanks for any info you can provide or a potential "rationale" for not having a refill station in a gift shop! Doesn't make sense to me!

I was the one who mentioned the refill station in the gift shop being closed. While I was paying in the gift shop, one of the cm's was cleaning up water in front of the registers (looked to be from a wet bathing suit). When I commented about the water, she said it was far better than when there was a refill station in the gift shop and people would spill all the time. I'm guessing they just got tired of cleaning up spills and took it out.

The Ulu Cafe is at the ocean end of the Waianae Tower, but to get there you have to exit the tower and enter the Ulu Cafe from outside. DH said the coffee wasn't very good, but he can be a bit of a coffee snob.

 

[lovesthebeach]

Never saw that and never waited in line at the Lava Shack when we were there 3 weeks ago. Maybe opening Ulu Cafe and its refill station changed that?

Maybe.....we were there in late August and the Ulu cafe wasn't opened yet :-(
Just another reason we HAVE to go back