That's not sunsreen, that's body wash! - Aulani TR (Oct 8-14, 2016) Updated 4/14

Aww poop! Tooth pain is seriously THE WORST! And I know a thing or two about dental work. My teeth have been nothing but problems since I was a child. Hopefully you've been able to play catch up the last few days.

See my problem is I've been really healthy all my life. No major illnesses and hardly any dental problems. So when something happens, even if its minor, I'm a total baby and absolutely miserable! :laughing:
 
See my problem is I've been really healthy all my life. No major illnesses and hardly any dental problems. So when something happens, even if its minor, I'm a total baby and absolutely miserable! :laughing:

Don't matter who you are, dental work suuuuuuuuckks and you're totally allowed to be miserable! I went in today for my bi-annual actually and sometimes cleanings are just as bad as getting work done, especially if you're sensitive like me :sad2:
 
I had every intention of posting last week. DH was gone for a work conference so I had nights to myself and not much to do. Then my children happened :sick::sick::faint::faint: So i'm going to post what I have right now before anything else bad happens! :rotfl2:


Sunday, October 9, 2016





Why are we up at 6:04am? This shouldn’t be happening on vacation!








But it happened every morning we were there. But it worked out, because then this happened every single morning












We had a few plans for the day, one of them being a character breakfast at Makahiki, which is a buffet.




Should mention, this is where the title of the TR comes in. As MIL was getting ready, she had grabbed one of the toiletries from the bathroom and started putting it on her legs. About halfway through her second leg, she says, “This feels weird.” She didn’t have her reading glasses on so Dan looks at it and says, “That’s not lotion, it’s body wash!” :rotfl: That’s alright, we don’t need to use our brains while on vacation!












Our reservation was for 8:15am and we got there a few minutes early. We checked in at the podium and then got in a fairly long line to take a picture with Mickey (this took about 15 minutes)












The staff at Aulani are amazing at always having water available every where you went – citrus flavored!




















After you get a photo with Mickey, there’s more waiting at this point. We had to wait in the lobby area of the restaurant and ended up there for another 15 minutes. But soon enough, we got a table.




Didn’t take many photos of the buffet, but here’s a few pics of my plate
















(same plate but showed the Li-Hing Pineapple)







We noted on our reservation that we were celebrating Cal’s 4th bday and our 10th wedding anniversary, and they were nice enough to bring some celebration treats for us.












And of course, the characters – note, there were only two during our breakfast, Minnie and Goofy (not counting Mickey in the beginning.) Not sure if this is the norm, but doesn’t seem like a lot of characters :confused3 But it could be they don’t want to get carried away with ‘too much’ Disney at Aulani versus a Disney park? I should also note, that it really didn’t feel like we were on a Disney trip while staying at Aulani. We were not bombarded with the Disney feeling you get when at WDW/DLR. Very subtly incorporated into the music and some décor. It was actually really refreshing!

















Towards the end of our meal, I decided to check Calvin into Aunty’s Beach House - the kids club for children from ages 3-12 that’s included in your trip (except for some of the premium experiences, which cost a fee of around $79)





* Aunty’s Beach House - I signed my 4 year old up ahead of time (90 days before) and was able to sign him up for 2 complimentary activities – Stitch’s Space Goo and Aunty’s Aloha Party. I also signed him up for Surf’s Up with Chip and Dale for $79 and it’s a 3 hour experience with dinner included. HE LOVED THIS PLACE! Every day he’d ask to go Aunty’s! Like I said, he just turned 4 on October 2 and this place was right up his alley. I kept reading that it was probably for older kids (7-10) and it got me a bit nervous hearing that but he always threw a fit when we picked him up. I’d say that’s a good sign LOL! So if you have a younger child, please don’t look too much into those reviews about it being for older kids. There were SO many CM’s inside Aunty’s, I felt completely at ease when being shown around. Which I should note, open house is everyday from 8-9:30am when parents and kids (younger too!) can go and check out the place, but you cannot leave your child at that time, you must stay with them. Drop offs – had only seen once during our trip when they had the big red signs hanging at doors, meaning full capacity. Otherwise, we had no issues dropping him off for free play anyday.. The check in process is wonderful and secure. You need to know the password (one that you make up) and show a Key card to pick up, so no one is able to go in and check out your child. They also make your child wash their hands before entering the club house.





Once I got him settled and comfortable at Aunty’s, I left and met back up with everyone back at the room. They were going to relax for a bit and the baby was going to take a nap. DH and I thought now would be the best time to go to Costco before his surprise (the spa!) at 1:15pm.





I did take some pictures while at Costco for those that are interested. DH bought some shirts (and a Hawaiian shirt!:faint: ) We also picked up a tri-tip to BBQ for dinner that night, cause when in Hawaii, you BBQ up beef! :rotfl:(our mom's don't like fish:()

































If you are a Sushi/Poke fan, PLEASE grab some while at Costco! Oh my, so delicious and fresh! It is located directly across from the premade fresh items in what they call a ‘coffin freezer’ (had to ask where the Poke was and they used this term!) and they had lots of different types available.








On the way back to the Resort








Signage to get to Aulani – it’s not big and grand like you’d expect and the exit comes up real quick!












I’m not sure if they changed the parking machine since our trip, but we had the WORST luck getting into and out of the resort with our cards! And we weren’t the only ones. Several people had posted before this trip about having issues using the entrance/exit machine. We were stuck at the gate and both of our keys weren’t working to get out. Cars slowly started to line up behind us, I had to run to the lobby and tell someone that we were stuck at the gate and several cars were behind us, and one of the CM’s mentioned that there were issues with the machine. But hopefully Aulani has addressed this issue since then! Luckily for us, coming back in from Costco, they put a CM there. And it just so happened to look exactly like DH’s grandmother!








(sorry for the quality - very old photo, but she's in between my BIL(who i'm standing next to and MIL)









Coming up: THE SPA! :cloud9::cloud9::cloud9:





Also, 25 days till my solo trip!!!
 


But it happened every morning we were there. But it worked out, because then this happened every single morning





Oh HECK to the yes!!
Should mention, this is where the title of the TR comes in. As MIL was getting ready, she had grabbed one of the toiletries from the bathroom and started putting it on her legs. About halfway through her second leg, she says, “This feels weird.” She didn’t have her reading glasses on so Dan looks at it and says, “That’s not lotion, it’s body wash!” :rotfl: That’s alright, we don’t need to use our brains while on vacation!

:lmao: Priceless!!


Just perfect! I really love this shot!

40320046541_04c3d6b58d_c.jpg

WOW!! Ummm, yes, I could get very used to that!

I should also note, that it really didn’t feel like we were on a Disney trip while staying at Aulani. We were not bombarded with the Disney feeling you get when at WDW/DLR. Very subtly incorporated into the music and some décor. It was actually really refreshing!

I was actually wondering about that. I like the idea of Disney quality without the Disney in-your-face stuff.
 
Just started reading along! Beginning to seriously consider a trip to Aulani next summer for my birthday trip and starting to research. :)
 
I hope the boys are feeling better.


Breakfast looks yummy. Love the characters in their beach outfits.

Costco will definitely be on the list. Fun that they have special items there.

I’m very impatiently waiting for the SW flights to come out :laughing:
 


You have such a cute family! I love the photo with Mickey where your baby is checking out Mickey. Love that photo that you included with DH's grandma. Yes, they do look alike!
 
Oh HECK to the yes!!

RIGHT?! Ugh, divine.


:lmao: Priceless!!

Between the lotion scandal, her calling Nemo 'Emo', the shoes....she was on a roll! :rotfl2:



Just perfect! I really love this shot!

Aw thank you :goodvibes



WOW!! Ummm, yes, I could get very used to that!

The food was delish. No complaint there!



I was actually wondering about that. I like the idea of Disney quality without the Disney in-your-face stuff.

Definitely high quality Disney in every way imaginable, that's for sure.

Just started reading along! Beginning to seriously consider a trip to Aulani next summer for my birthday trip and starting to research. :)

No more considering. It's a must, I tell ya!

I hope the boys are feeling better.


Breakfast looks yummy. Love the characters in their beach outfits.

Costco will definitely be on the list. Fun that they have special items there.

I’m very impatiently waiting for the SW flights to come out :laughing:

Pam....Seriously. Two days after I posted this, I got the stomach flu. We seriously can not catch a break around here. 2018 has not been kind to us :faint:

Don't they look so cute all decked out like that!

It was fun to see some of the stuff that we couldn't get back at home, like the Poke!

:lmao:I know, what's going on with the flights?! They should be out soon, hopefully.
 
You have such a cute family! I love the photo with Mickey where your baby is checking out Mickey. Love that photo that you included with DH's grandma. Yes, they do look alike!

Haha he LOVES Mickey! Even to this day, he gets excited to see him on TV. Even the 'old school' Mickey cartoons - he loves them!

We pulled up to the gate, and I was like oh my gosh that's your grandma!! :lmao::goodvibes
 
I've been a terribly absent DISer, but I found you and cannot wait to live vicariously through your trip to Aulani! Oh, how we miss that place...it's amazing!
 
Girl, same here! I've been trying to find everyone's TR's cause somehow everything became unsubbed on my threads (not sure what happened there!) and have been going one by one, replying. So no worries whatsoever :goodvibes
 
Oh no! I’m sorry you’re now not well. I hope everybody is back to feeling good soon! I have high hopes for 2018 :)
 
Oh no! I’m sorry you’re now not well. I hope everybody is back to feeling good soon! I have high hopes for 2018 :)

Dan got the stomach flu last night.

I seriously just can't help but laugh with everything going on :sad2::laughing: My friend swears we live on an indian burial ground. Someone here is always sick.
 
Your boys are SO adorable!!

The breakfast sounds really nice, but it does seem a little strange to have so few characters at a character meal. Minnie & Goofy look so cute in their beach gear!

Hopefully we can make it to Aulani while DS is still young enough to enjoy Aunty's. We were listening to a podcast about it and he was really interested in what he was hearing, so I hope he will get to experience it one day.
 
Sunday, October 9, 2016

Aulani's Lanawai Spa


*If you’re not at all interested in the spa (but please, you really should be!) you might want to skip this update cause I’ve dedicated this entire post to the spa alone.*




Once we got back to our room, it was time for DH’s surprise! He had no idea what we were doing or where we were going. He guessed surf lessons, visiting North Shore. He still didn’t even know once we passed the sign outside the building to it! But once we got to our location, he was shocked and excited! I told him we were getting a couples massage and that we’d be able to use the spa amenities before and after our treatment. He had no idea what that meant but he was excited about his massage!





I checked us in and we were told to sit in the waiting area for us to be called back






Note: They recommend you checking in an hour before your service so that you can make use of the sauna, showers, and hot tubs and be fully in that relaxation state of mind. And just something I thought I’d share – I booked this on our second day because I’m the kind of person that sometimes tans and/or burns in the sun and I did NOT want a massage if I had a sunburn. That sounds awful to be rubbed with a burn! So perhaps reserve your treatment at the very beginning of your trip.


We were then called back and given an introduction of the spa



Very cool waterfall wall



They have you pick a stone at random (I ended up with ‘Strength’ and Dan got ‘Balance’). With that stone, you’re supposed to focus on that word throughout your day at the spa. You then gently toss it into this pool – that is essentially the hub for the spa so you don’t get lost. Which at one point I came out of a room and did this

giphy5.gif




Dan asked if anyone had thrown their rock and hit the teardrop diamond and she said they did have to replace it once, so try not to hit it :rotfl2:

We were then split up at this point – a guy showing DH the men’s changing room and our guide showing me the ladies room. She pointed out the showers, the bathrooms and the locker room to put your things in. She then took me outside to show me the scrub station, where she made me a body scrub to either use in the showers there, or to take home





At that time, DH and his guide had met us outside also and they showed us the two soaking pools, both kept at different temperatures. They showed us the 6 rain showers, each with their own unique pressures, the large Jacuzzi tub and the Cold Water plunging pool, where they recommended we plunge into the cold (I mean disgustingly COLD!) pool then jump right into the spa. I guess the contrast in hot and cold helps promote your circulatory system, or something? I don’t know, but I stood at the ledge of the plunging pool and it was a quick nope from me! They also showed us the reflexology path which was rather nice. After our tour around the garden we were led back into our respective changing rooms (where Dan told me he’d see me in 30 minutes, he was going to do the saunas :lmao:) He made himself right at home in front of our guides! I should also mention, they asked if we would like to order cocktails, wine, beer, or food to be delivered to us and we definitely wanted some wine so we placed our order with them and they said they would come and find us and not worry about us trying to locate them. What service!

They give you a very plush robe and extremely comfortable slipper sandals to wear around the spa and outside in their Hydrotherapy Garden. I did get a few shots making sure I was alone so no one thought I was a perv :laughing:



Locker Room




Vanity Counter where they had everything you could think of on the counters that were free to use as you please including, Make up remover, Facial Sunscreen, Facial moisturizer, cotton pads, and hair dryers.








There was one song I kept hearing every time I was in the bathrooms/changing rooms and it was positively relaxing so I shazam’ed it really quick on my phone to purchase it and in case you want to hear what the spa sounded like it was called, “The Wind Beckons” by Kavin Hoo. Youtube it now! I dare you not to be relaxed.


The Showers



During your ‘stay’, they offer small nibbles and refreshing waters




I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious the Wai Ono was (the peachy color on the right) I asked about how they made it and I guess it was a mix that they made?




I decided to look for a recipe online when I got home and these products popped up, so I can’t help but wonder if they mixed the Peach Green Tea extract with the Pomegranate & Acai Berry extract together. I don’t know if I want to spend $60 on water for myself :rotfl: As tasty as it was though, I might one day. Or I could just save that $60 towards my next Aulani Spa visit :scratchin I Guess I researched while I was still at Aulani cause this was on my phone



Pineapple Water, Mini Zucchini-Carrot cupcakes and jelly beans



After I changed out of my clothes and into my swimsuit (and since Dan had already made his plans haha!) I decided to check out the Saunas myself – they had a dry one and wet one? Or is it called a steam room? I liked the dry sauna but my favorite was the steam room! Oh my gosh, they infused some Eucalyptus into the steam and it was invigorating and it made my insides feel good :lmao: I stayed in for about 15 minutes and decided to head out to the gardens. I tried both pools and one was slightly warmer than the other by not much, it felt like. At least to me. So I posted up in the one that was slightly warmer (the one closest to us in the pic)



When lo and behold, our wine showed up :love:



Dan was still inside and didn’t show up for another 10 minutes but when he did show up he said he LOVED the steam room. His body is always sore and he felt like it helped loosen him up for his massage. We sat in the soaking pool for a few more minutes and he wanted to go explore the gardens but while we were in the pool a

CM came up to us and asked us if we would like a freshly chocolate covered pineapple. Uh, yes please!




You guys. This was heaven on earth. Just everything put together. The wine, the sounds, the delicacy, the warm relaxing water.

This was the view looking towards the co-ed relaxation room where they have the refreshments along with plenty of loungers



I had to force myself out at one point to take a look around the rest of the garden but we found the cold water plunging pool



and we definitely found the Jacuzzi tub! (Video to follow) We didn’t stay in but 5 minutes until a CM came looking for us and told us we had about 10 minutes until our treatment to get ready.


There is a ‘waiting’ room just outside of each locker room and that is where you sit/lay and wait for your massage therapist to come and get you. Mine came within minutes and we met up with Dan just outside in the main hallway, where we were both walked to a separate hallway just off the main hallway to our room.


I didn’t take pictures of the room itself, but it was nice and dark and they had us each choose a scent to use for our treatment. I loved my scent so much that I bought a small bottle there and have continued purchasing them from Amazon ever since! I use it on my hands every night and it instantly takes me back to Aulani!





The massage? The best we’ve EVER had. Ever. EVER! And we both agreed afterwards, that both our techs used techniques we’ve never had before! It was beyond phenomenal and worth every single penny that we paid. Even if the other amenities weren’t included, this still would have been worth the price to us. And speaking of price, the prices are a bit steep. $320 for couples massage (not including tip but we were able to use our DVC discount towards this, so it ended up being less than that.


But guess what? After our massages, we could stay as LONG AS WE WANTED IN THE HYDROTHERAPY GARDENS!

:faint:

Don’t tell us twice!


We stayed for nearly 2 more hours afterwards, utilizing everything they had to offer! The rain showers (watch out for the crotch shower, BTW!:eek::laughing:), the Jacuzzi, the reflexology path, back into the steam room, back into the soaking pools and doing it all over again.

Here's some of the goodies from the shop that I ended up buying





And my complimentary bath salts to take home




I 100% recommend visiting at least once during your Aulani vacation. You will not regret it!

 
Your boys are SO adorable!!

The breakfast sounds really nice, but it does seem a little strange to have so few characters at a character meal. Minnie & Goofy look so cute in their beach gear!

Hopefully we can make it to Aulani while DS is still young enough to enjoy Aunty's. We were listening to a podcast about it and he was really interested in what he was hearing, so I hope he will get to experience it one day.


Exactly, I thought the same regarding the characters. But perhaps their trying to keep it a bit mellow?

It is the BEST! Calvin loved it so much, he talks about it often. Remember it goes up to age 12! Lots of older kids where playing the game consoles and they seemed to be loving having their game entertainment lol!
 
But it happened every morning we were there. But it worked out, because then this happened every single morning



That looks like complete and utter perfection and the perfect way to start your morning.

As MIL was getting ready, she had grabbed one of the toiletries from the bathroom and started putting it on her legs. About halfway through her second leg, she says, “This feels weird.” She didn’t have her reading glasses on so Dan looks at it and says, “That’s not lotion, it’s body wash!” :rotfl: That’s alright, we don’t need to use our brains while on vacation!
:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: Though as someone who doesn't wear reading glasses, I've totally done this myself! :P

What a great family photo!

We noted on our reservation that we were celebrating Cal’s 4th bday and our 10th wedding anniversary, and they were nice enough to bring some celebration treats for us.
Yum! Happy belated birthday and anniversary! Our anniversarys must be close. We hit 10 years on September 10th.

And of course, the characters – note, there were only two during our breakfast, Minnie and Goofy (not counting Mickey in the beginning.) Not sure if this is the norm, but doesn’t seem like a lot of characters :confused3
That definitely doesn't seem like a lot of characters, but the food all looks awesome. Glad to see they had some typical disney stuff mixed with Hawaiian specialties.

Towards the end of our meal, I decided to check Calvin into Aunty’s Beach House - the kids club for children from ages 3-12 that’s included in your trip (except for some of the premium experiences, which cost a fee of around $79)
Included????? That is amazing! I'm not sure we'd ever check Casey out :P

If you are a Sushi/Poke fan, PLEASE grab some while at Costco! Oh my, so delicious and fresh! It is located directly across from the premade fresh items in what they call a ‘coffin freezer’ (had to ask where the Poke was and they used this term!) and they had lots of different types available.


Why oh why can't my Costco coffin have this in it???? I think the same ravioli lasagna and turkey rolls has been in our coffin for about 10 years now.

Note: They recommend you checking in an hour before your service so that you can make use of the sauna, showers, and hot tubs and be fully in that relaxation state of mind. And just something I thought I’d share – I booked this on our second day because I’m the kind of person that sometimes tans and/or burns in the sun and I did NOT want a massage if I had a sunburn. That sounds awful to be rubbed with a burn! So perhaps reserve your treatment at the very beginning of your trip.
Sounds brilliant to me!

At that time, DH and his guide had met us outside also and they showed us the two soaking pools, both kept at different temperatures. They showed us the 6 rain showers, each with their own unique pressures,
6 rain showers!!!!!!! I do not like a massage - weird I know I don't like to be touched - but i wonder if they just let you buy a pass to experience everything else because it looks and sounds amazing and exactly what my soul could use right about now.



You guys. This was heaven on earth. Just everything put together. The wine, the sounds, the delicacy, the warm relaxing water.
Heaven on earth sounds like an understatement! Please transport me there now.

The massage? The best we’ve EVER had. Ever. EVER! And we both agreed afterwards, that both our techs used techniques we’ve never had before! It was beyond phenomenal and worth every single penny that we paid. Even if the other amenities weren’t included, this still would have been worth the price to us. And speaking of price, the prices are a bit steep. $320 for couples massage (not including tip but we were able to use our DVC discount towards this, so it ended up being less than that.
For all that you got $320 for 2 people actually sounds like a pretty good deal to me. You're a great wife. Amazing gift!

We stayed for nearly 2 more hours afterwards, utilizing everything they had to offer! The rain showers (watch out for the crotch shower, BTW!:eek::laughing:),
Only 2 hours, why not 2 days :P Not sure I have words for the crotch shower o_O
 
That spa looks amazing! So glad you had a relaxing time!

Oh my goodness, it was everything and more!

That looks like complete and utter perfection and the perfect way to start your morning.

That is seriously how life should be every morning. Not hectic and frantic! And most importantly, no yelling at kids to get their darn shoes on!

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: Though as someone who doesn't wear reading glasses, I've totally done this myself! :P

:rotfl2:

What a great family photo!

Thank you:goodvibes

Yum! Happy belated birthday and anniversary! Our anniversarys must be close. We hit 10 years on September 10th.

Our anniversary is July 21, 2006. It's hooooot in July, pretty much anywhere so celebrating is kind of low key. But we decided since it was our 10 year anniversary, we should splurge a bit and wait a few more months till the weather was cooler (we also had those few extra months to save too!:faint:) Geez, can't believe our 12 year is coming up so quickly. Time is flying!

That definitely doesn't seem like a lot of characters, but the food all looks awesome. Glad to see they had some typical disney stuff mixed with Hawaiian specialties.

That's what I was most looking forward to, were the Hawaiian/Japanese dishes!

Included????? That is amazing! I'm not sure we'd ever check Casey out :P

Casey would absolutely love it! It is like 5 times bigger than the kids clubs at WDW, PLUS a backyard area to play outside!

Why oh why can't my Costco coffin have this in it???? I think the same ravioli lasagna and turkey rolls has been in our coffin for about 10 years now.

Right?! Ugh, so disappointed in our Costco's.

6 rain showers!!!!!!! I do not like a massage - weird I know I don't like to be touched - but i wonder if they just let you buy a pass to experience everything else because it looks and sounds amazing and exactly what my soul could use right about now.

This. When I was researching for this trip at the end of 2015/beginning 2016, they were offering a day pass at the time, to use those amenities, I think for $60? My mom is not a massage person either, but we begged her to try it (her first and she was 66 at the time!) and she enjoyed it very much!

Heaven on earth sounds like an understatement! Please transport me there now.

Ugh yes me too. I'm so done with January and February. I'm praying that March will be the best, considering my trip is in a few weeks! :earseek:

For all that you got $320 for 2 people actually sounds like a pretty good deal to me. You're a great wife. Amazing gift!

I think it was close to $400, even after discount plus tip? So I guess not terrible for two people! He was so so grateful that I did that, he loves massages and it had been a while since he had one. Actually, I think his last massage was on our Disney cruise in 2011 so he was due!

Only 2 hours, why not 2 days :P Not sure I have words for the crotch shower o_O

In total we were there for 4 hours, 1 hour before, 1 hour massage and 2 after, but we had to pretty much drag ourselves away because I had to BBQ our dinner that night! Spoiler alert: we visited the spa again though :rotfl::lmao:
 

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