Daily 7 AM Hawaiian Chant Played At High Volume At Pool

[Paul Stupin]

Having a great time right now at Aulani! We have an ocean view studio with a great view of the pool area as well, on the tenth floor above the lobby with a balcony that doesn’t slant. It’s great.

One feature that surprised us is that every day at 7 AM sharp, a female voice is played at high volume throughout the pool area, doing a traditional Hawaiian chant. We’re up early because of the time difference, so for us it’s special and a unique way to start the day. That said, it’s quite loud, clearly audible through the closed balcony door, and even though it only lasts a few minutes, it does strike me as loud enough to wake up almost everyone in the hotel. Just something to be aware of if your room faces the pool. Am surprised no one on the boards has ever mentioned it.

 

[Iceman93]

I would mention it to the front desk. When they reopened the resort they may have inadvertently turned up the volume, and without guests letting them know the CMs may not even be aware.

 

[DL1WDW2]

What does a balcony that doesn’t slant mean?
7am and then housekeeping knock on door to remove trash?

 

[mickeee]

The chant happens 3 times a day...dawn, noon and dusk. You just don’t notice it at noon or dusk since there is a lot of noise around.

I don’t think I would say that it can be heard thru closed balcony doors. If you keep your balcony doors open you will surely hear it.

We don’t mind it and we actually enjoy it and look forward to waking up to it!

 

[Paul Stupin]

What does a balcony that doesn’t slant mean?
7am and then housekeeping knock on door to remove trash?

Poor description on my part! The balcony doesn’t slant, but on the hotel wings facing each other the sliding glass doors and suites are angled for a better view of the ocean. Since our wing is directly facing the ocean, there is no angle to the studio.

 

[Paul Stupin]

The chant happens 3 times a day...dawn, noon and dusk. You just don’t notice it at noon or dusk since there is a lot of noise around.

I don’t think I would say that it can be heard thru closed balcony doors. If you keep your balcony doors open you will surely hear it.

We don’t mind it and we actually enjoy it and look forward to waking up to it!

We don’t mind it either. It’s uniquely Hawaiian. But, at least for our studio, it can definitely be heard through the closed balcony door. It only lasts for a minute or two.

 

[DRussell83]

Oh my gosh we were so surprised too at how loud it was at 7am! We had an ocean view studio as well and were usually already up but I did say to my husband “why haven’t I read about this on the boards and what the heck is it?!”

 

[cgattis]

We were there 5 nights (4 years ago) and never heard it once, and we had a 5th floor pool view room. And I totally forgot everything I’d read on the boards LOL and didn’t make a point to listen for it! If anyone has audio, I’d love to hear it!

 

[Lilsia]

We had a room facing the pool and it never bothered us. I barely heard it in our room. Maybe if you are close to the speakers it is loud.

 

[adamak]

Been there couple of times. With balcony door locked, I could barely hear it. But I enjoyed sitting out there and listen to the chant.

 

[BlueRibbon]

Wow! We were there for 5 nights back in November with pool side rooms and didn't hear anything!

 

[OKW Lover]

Can't say I ever heard it in 5 visits to Aulani.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Can't say I ever heard it in 5 visits to Aulani.

It must depend upon the location of the room. If you’re not facing the pool area it’s probably not an issue.

 

[OKW Lover]

It must depend upon the location of the room. If you’re not facing the pool area it’s probably not an issue.

Probably true. We were in a GV so we faced the water.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We faced the pool on one trip, and never heard it.

 

[Paul Stupin]

This morning, the volume was substantially decreased...didn’t hear it!

 

[Paul Stupin]

More random thoughts!

1. Went to Hanauma Bay this morning, past Diamond head on the south side. What a great beach!

2. Last night, had dinner at Longhi’s, an Italian restaurant down the beach at the Marriott. Pricey, as is everything, but delicious.

3. Alot of restaurants, as well as Waimea Valley, won’t let you in unless you fill out a form with name, address, and email for contact tracing. It’s really no big deal but it royally angered some guy at the restaurant last night.

4. The pre made Greek Salads at the grab and go Ulu Cafe are substantial enough to be a great snack in the afternoon.

5. Lots of available chairs at the pool, and the beach is super peaceful right now.

6. Housekeeping comes in every day and does a quick tidy up. I had the option to choose it while checking in online and we appreciate it.

7. We were going to hike Diamond Head this morning, but it’s only open Thurs-Sun. Up close, the topography is dusty and brown rather than the lush green vegetation you see on the windward side Of Oahu. I know the view must be amazing up top, but the actual hike seemed like it might be kind of ugly and monotonous. And wearing a mask all the way up doesn’t sound particularly fun either. I don't think we’ll return later on this week.

8. Makahiki closed tonight...we’re going to just bop down to Off The Hook....

 

[OKW Lover]

2. Last night, had dinner at Longhi’s, an Italian restaurant down the beach at the Marriott. Pricey, as is everything, but delicious.

Good to know. We've eaten at the one in the Ali Moana mall and it was OK. Have been wondering about the location at the Marriott.

 

[cgattis]

7. We were going to hike Diamond Head this morning, but it’s only open Thurs-Sun. Up close, the topography is dusty and brown rather than the lush green vegetation you see on the windward side Of Oahu. I know the view must be amazing up top, but the actual hike seemed like it might be kind of ugly and monotonous. And wearing a mask all the way up doesn’t sound particularly fun either. I don't think we’ll return later on this week.

You’re correct—there’s not much to see along the way. You’re really climbing just for the view. Cant say as I blame you for not wanting to do it in a mask; I probably wouldn’t either. Maybe try driving up to the Tantalus lookout. Several DIS’ers highly recommended the view from there (we didn’t try it) as an alternative. Enjoy the rest of your trip—and thanks for the daily tidbits!!

 

[dreamit]

When we were at Aulani in March, we stumbled across this area and happened to hear a kind-of-bizarre/kind-of-fascinating story/fairytale coming out of the speakers. You could only hear it if you were right near the speaker and it didn’t seem like it was being played across the entirety of the outdoors (but I could be wrong). My photos show it was 8:15 pm. It was darker out than it appears in the photo. I was so curious that we sat and waited to hear it a few days later. We did, but it was a different story that day. I have part of it recorded but it’s poor quality. It’s about Hina traveling across the path of the rainbow to get past the clouds, returning, her husband scolding her for being away and not available to bring him water, her husband twisting her ankle as she began to travel a lunar rainbow to get to the moon to “rest her weary head”, and later being referred to as the woman of the moon.
Edited to add: I just thought to Google and found information online about this legend—“The Woman in the Moon”.