Today, members of my high school reunion planning committee (myself included) got the chance to tour Disney's Aulani - a resort very close to completion and located in the Ko'olina complex on the west region of the island of Oahu. The place will be opening in a couple of weeks.
Brandi, our bright and cheery tour guide, greeted us under the vaulted, open air ceiling of the main lobby. In a few minutes, she was explaining to us the motifs and narratives presented to us in the murals above. I don't want to go too much into detail (this is a photoblog, after all), but in a nutshell it tells us, through imagery, the story of the Hawaiians of old, how they as a people lived, and what they held dear to their hearts. Anyone locals remember 4th grade Hawaiiana studies? Just like that.
Resorts in the tropics are unique in that they are always designed to be keen to the hot and sunny climate they are in. Aulani is no exception.
As you enter, one is greeted with a grand vista of "The Valley" below, the beach ahead, and the ocean beyond. The Valley consists of a pool built around an artificial volcano with slides and a "river" surrounding it.
Large windows allow enormous amounts of natural light to flood in. Fountains and water are everywhere.
We were told that Aulani leads the way in substainability, using the most energry efficient and eco-friendly elements known to us at this point in time.
Here's a pic of the (almost completed) front desk.
Long hallways take you to either the Ku or Hina wings of the hotel. Hina faces east where most of the time unit shares are. We headed west and up the elevators to check out a couple of the rooms.
A view as you exit the elevator and head to units.
The tapa motiff and symbols are everywhere. It's very easy to overlook something that has significance - the place is rich with design. And Disney magic. Can you spot the hidden Mickeys here?
A king bed awaits in the one bedroom suite. Blankets are adorned with Hawaiian quilt patterns.
All of the carpets here are custom made.
There's custom masonry and carvings on the stairs that head down to the Makahiki bar and dining area.
The bar is full of unique, hand-made scupltures illustrating different Hawaiian words. I was told that words flash up in lights on the bar's surface itself to help you build your Hawaiian language skills.
There's complimentary wi-fi everywhere on the resort grounds, all the way out to the shore. The guy seated here is from the staff on the mainland. He was tasked with sitting in the bar and testing the internet connection. Gruelling work if you ask me.
Here's where the Makahiki breakfast buffets will happen. Character dining, where Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Lilo and Stich visit tables for photo ops will occur on select mornings...
It's cute that they've got a small section of the buffet designated for children. (See left of the photo above) It's much lower in size and served up are smaller portions that are easy for little hands to access.
Next, we headed to the conference and ballroom area of the hotel.
In this 1/3 of the ballroom, there were computers setup for staff training. This is where we would be having our class reunion banquet. Seen one hotel banquet room, seen um all!
On the grounds were many Disney castmembers from the mainland. They were rehearsing their roles this week and on this particular day, Brandi tells us they are testing each other with real life scenerios - real stuff that could happen on the job. Come next week, the execs from the mainland will arrive with their families to put the workers to the test.
Again, water is everywhere. Where there is water, there is life.
Here's part of the pool where you float on tubes through caves. There's a lifeguard on duty about every 20 to 30 yards!
These large illustrations on the side of the hotel are visible form the highway. This one sits about Aunty's Beach House, an activity center for children. I wish we would have been able to go in, but they were filming a commercial at the time of our visit.
The higher end restaurant at the resort fronts the lagoon. I can imagine beautiful views of the sunset come the end of the day. The Ama Ama, as this place is known, is helmed by Chef Patrick Callarec, who I hear has quite the resume. Guess I'll have to test the place out myself when it opens!
Brandi shows us more detail of the pool area.
I don't have a good photo of it, but the resort is full of native plants, trees and flowers - all of which seemed very mature. The stuff looked like it had been growing there for years!
I tried to get at a lower angle for this shot. I'd imagine that if you were sitting in here, the perspective would blend pool and ocean together. Ahh, paradise.
There's a shave ice stand in the middle of the pool, as well as convenience store in the volcano. Workers here are testing the product.
There's a menehune water play structure for the kids off to the left. The rules say you have to be at least 48" tall to play on the thing. I can't wait to shoot my kids with the gourd water cannons.
There's also an adult pool area with a bar that was roped off.
Anyway, that's it. For now. The castmembers we encountered were quite friendly, and there was a very casual feel to our interactions. I don't know about you, but when I'm at a Disney park on the mainland, or even at the Disney Store at Ala Moana, my interactions sometimes seem phony and exaggerated. That wasn't the case here.
On the resort itself? Many will argue the cultural authenticity of the design and the people. I don't see a need to. I think Disney has put forth quite the effort in creating something real, and it will move visitors in only the way Disney can. Aulani will be an island escape designed to entertain, enthrall, and enchant those that enter. And I was all of the above. It's early, but I can already say that it's pure magic.
