Here at Aulani now (8/7/21-8/14/21)…a few observations

[evenstar]

What's the crowd level like?

Looks to be like a normal summer weekend crowd level. Checking out today and back to Waikiki, there was no availability to extend our hotel room tonight. Still enjoyable, sunny with a lovely breeze. Would have liked to stay longer, maybe next time.

 

[nickcapp]

• Crowd is typical summer weekend. Still seats to be had this morning. Choice seats go quick and early.
• Wife and I did a Lomi Lomi couplers massage. Mask on indoors at the spa and during the service. Mask off outside. We were allowed to unhook our mask from our wars during the massage. I did not think I would like it and really debated on paying full price. It was still worth it. I forgot about the mask and dosed off several times during the 50 minute massage. Very relaxing. Did not feel slighted.
• Not to diminish other criticisms, but really the only issue for us was the always mentioned pool deck chair crowd. Get there early.
• Makahiki Dinner was Awesome!

 

[Cliffside]

• Crowd is typical summer weekend. Still seats to be had this morning. Choice seats go quick and early.
• Wife and I did a Lomi Lomi couplers massage. Mask on indoors at the spa and during the service. Mask off outside. We were allowed to unhook our mask from our wars during the massage. I did not think I would like it and really debated on paying full price. It was still worth it. I forgot about the mask and dosed off several times during the 50 minute massage. Very relaxing. Did not feel slighted.
• Not to diminish other criticisms, but really the only issue for us was the always mentioned pool deck chair crowd. Get there early.
• Makahiki Dinner was Awesome!

Thanks for the updates…we are scheduled to be there the first week of September and are getting anxious…

we have the same couples massage booked and are concerned about the mask situation..

have you noticed a problem with restaurants since they changed the capacity rules?

just uploaded our vaccine card to the safe travels site..I hope we get to go it is for our 25th wedding anniversary…

if they go back to testing I hope they give us some warning so we can get appointments.

 

[nickcapp]

Thanks for the updates…we are scheduled to be there the first week of September and are getting anxious…

we have the same couples massage booked and are concerned about the mask situation..

have you noticed a problem with restaurants since they changed the capacity rules?

just uploaded our vaccine card to the safe travels site..I hope we get to go it is for our 25th wedding anniversary…

if they go back to testing I hope they give us some warning so we can get appointments.

About the capacity change: we were told by most restaurants we ate at including Makahika, Monkey Pod and some other local joints that they were all pretty much at 50% due to distancing requirement anyway so they didn’t expect much to change. But who knows. We didn’t see any changes from prior restrictions earlier in the week to the new, but they are obviously new.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

If you have had the covid vaccine shots , do you still need to a covid test 72 hours prior to check-in ??

 

[Cliffside]

If you have had the covid vaccine shots , do you still need to a covid test 72 hours prior to check-in ??

Not at this moment…but it could change any time..it seems that’s one of the things being discussed based on the current surge

We are scheduled to go 9/5-9/12 and very anxious about it all…besides testing..I’m concerned they can go into lockdown again if cases continue to climb..don’t want to travel all the way there from the east coast if they are in lockdown

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

Not at this moment…but it could change any time..it seems that’s one of the things being discussed based on the current surge

We are scheduled to go 9/5-9/12 and very anxious about it all…besides testing..I’m concerned they can go into lockdown again if cases continue to climb..don’t want to travel all the way there from the east coast if they are in lockdown

Thanks for letting me know. It is very confusing with all the changes. Hopefully no lock down and your trip goes as planned.

 

[WDWLOVER4EVER]

At Aulani now. Staying in a dedicated two bedroom. We’ve eaten in Mahahiki twice. The corn soup is amazing as was the rib eye. Everything was prepared perfectly, service was excellent. My only complaint is with such a limited menu, you wouldn’t want to repeat too many meals there. Luckily, there are several nice restaurants nearby. We have gone to Longhi’s in the Marriott (less than a mile from Aulani) and had a very nice meal. Food was excellent as was the service. Valet parking is complementary with validation. The menu is much bigger and much more diverse than Mahahiki’s.

 

[Cliffside]

At Aulani now. Staying in a dedicated two bedroom. We’ve eaten in Mahahiki twice. The corn soup is amazing as was the rib eye. Everything was prepared perfectly, service was excellent. My only complaint is with such a limited menu, you wouldn’t want to repeat too many meals there. Luckily, there are several nice restaurants nearby. We have gone to Longhi’s in the Marriott (less than a mile from Aulani) and had a very nice meal. Food was excellent as was the service. Valet parking is complementary with validation. The menu is much bigger and much more diverse than Mahahiki’s.

Thanks for the live update…we are scheduled to be there 9/5-9/12 for our 25th wedding anniversary….getting anxious that they are going to lockdown after watching some of the reporting coming out of Oahu..

Does the resort feel crowded? any other tips?

 

[knhellesky]

If you find yourself in Kapolei...I highly recommend La Tour Cafe. Their sandwiches/paninis are really good and the dessert even better. Their macarons and kouign amann are ...

 

[Drewski77]

Thanks for the live update…we are scheduled to be there 9/5-9/12 for our 25th wedding anniversary….getting anxious that they are going to lockdown after watching some of the reporting coming out of Oahu..

Does the resort feel crowded? any other tips?

We are going 9/11-9/18 and I don’t think a lockdown will happen. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the pre-travel test requirement for all travelers comes back.

 

[Cliffside]

We are going 9/11-9/18 and I don’t think a lockdown will happen. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the pre-travel test requirement for all travelers comes back.

I would be fine if that was reinstated…I actually would probably prefer it …I think I would feel a little safer on the long plane ride from the east coast.

I hope we decide to go…but I literally change my mind every five minutes..

 

[Drewski77]

We are excited to go if things do stay open. We went at the end of February and had a great time.

It truly was an escape from everything going on right now, I think you’d have an amazing time.

 

[twodogs]

You may want to book COVID testing for your pre-trip time, just in case. You can usually book several days in advance. Here in Texas, almost every pharmacy‘s testing books up days in advance right now due to high case loads. Cancel if you get lucky and Hawaii doesn’t reinstitute testing for vaccinated guests.

 

[WDWLOVER4EVER]

Thanks for the live update…we are scheduled to be there 9/5-9/12 for our 25th wedding anniversary….getting anxious that they are going to lockdown after watching some of the reporting coming out of Oahu..

Does the resort feel crowded? any other tips?

We were there celebrating a delayed 50th anniversary. Happy Anniversary! The resort is at approximately 85% occupancy. At times the lobby (which is on the small side) seems crowded. The area by the lazy river and children’s play area can seem crowded but never to the point of not being able to enjoy the area. The main problem is restaurants. Even the food court type can have rather long lines at popular times. The selections are limited and they do run out of things rather frequently. make Dining reservations as soon as possible. With limited seating capacity and some staffing issues, reservations are a must. Since Makahiki is the only sit down restaurant at Aulani, it books very fast. Longhi’s at the Marriott has better availability but reservations need to be made a week or two early unless you want a very early or very late dining time (they‘re open from 4pm to 9). Roy’s is also difficult to get. Some have complained about parking. There is plenty of availability once you get past the first two levels of the garage. No problem with using the other levels since there is an elevator to take you to the main level.

 

[crystal1313]

In regards to restaurants, is uber eats or door dash available in Kapolei area? I know uber and Lyft are limited in hawaii so I’m guessing the same with food delivery?

 

[corgi_monster]

In regards to restaurants, is uber eats or door dash available in Kapolei area? I know uber and Lyft are limited in hawaii so I’m guessing the same with food delivery?

Yes, they are available. We also have grubhub, caviar, and instacart. You can get Foodland poke (local favorite!), alcohol, and prepared food from Costco's deli section via instacart.

 

[crystal1313]

Yes, they are available. We also have grubhub, caviar, and instacart. You can get Foodland poke (local favorite!), alcohol, and prepared food from Costco's deli section via instacart.

Thank you!! Fantastic info.

 

[juju]

Does anyone know if the outdoor therapy area is open at the spa?

 

[nickcapp]

Does anyone know if the outdoor therapy area is open at the spa?

It was. Access was included with the purchase of a spa service. Some of the therapeutic showers were not working, but other than that it was fully open. No masks were required when outside.