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Kapolei Hawaii June 2018

One of my favorite holiday traditions is writing and sending out Christmas cards to our family and friends. I pick a favorite photo and memory from the year to preserve and use on our Christmas card. This year, I chose a photo from our family vacation to Hawaii in June where John and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and had a vow renewal on the beach. I’ve used TinyPrints every year for their premium quality luxe paper, amazing picture quality, and beautiful designs.  Check out their new luxe holiday cards here.

A gift from me to you as a thank you for reading and visiting my blog: Enjoy 40% your order using code: MDLT-EJWM-K3C8-UNSX42 (while supplies last)!

 

xo,

Jilli

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Photo by Disney Aulani, by @lottiedoesdisney

It’s already been one month since we’ve returned from another amazing week in Hawaii, staying exclusively at the Disney Aulani for our family vacation, and the kids are already asking to go back.  As we save up and plan for our next trip, I love that we have all these fun memories from this vacation that the kids can remember and talk about from photos taken and stories told.

From our first visit to Aulani last spring of 2017, we fell in love with the resort and immediately knew we would return the following year to celebrate our 10thwedding anniversary.  The week was nothing short of amazing. From the service to the food, drinks, hospitality, and activities, we could have easily spent an entire week here and still not get to do/experience everything.  The weather was a perfect 85 degrees all week – a nice break from the 105+ degree summer weather in Texas!  My only complaint is that there’s never enough time in the day to enjoy all that this resort has to offer.

At the time of this trip, Jonah at 8-years-old and Baron at 2-years-old, both kids could experience a variety of attractions at the resort.  I feel that their age is ideal for the attractions that the resort offers such as separate age-appropriate pools and water features in the water park and activities at Auntie’s Beach House, while the resort also offers family attractions such as the luau, character dining, character events, and other family activities that the entire family could participate in and enjoy together.

Some of our favorite memories during our week in paradise:

Check-In

From the moment you arrive to the front doors of the Aulani, you immediately experience a unique check-in process unlike any other Disney resort offers.  After a long flight from Dallas-Fort Worth, we especially appreciated Aulani’s warm welcome with their traditional lei-greeting, fresh cold citrus infused water, and being ushered by the friendly staff.  The 10-year anniversary pins the staff gave us were a nice surprise and delight!

Cute souvenirs at check-in and love these 10 year anniversary pins the staff made us!

 

The Olelo Room & Lounge

After checking in to our room, unpacking and freshening up, our first night was spent unwinding at the Olelo Room enjoying pupus, drinks and live music on the patio.

Outfit details: Floral Top: Who What Wear for Target | Pants: Mossimo | Sandals:  similar here

John’s Shirt: sold out,  similar here

Jonah and Baron’s Outfits: Shirts Toddler here

 

 

The food at The Olelo Room features island favorite pupus (appetizers) such as poke, sliders, wings, etc. There’s also a simple kids menu to accommodate smaller appetites.

Chicken & Waffles for the kids, poke and Korean fried chicken wings for John and me!

 

Nothing more refreshing than Sangria on the patio and the soothing sounds of live Hawaiian music playing

Beach Day

One of the days was devoted to an entire beach day.  According to Jonah and Baron, the beach was their favorite thing to do while at Aulani. John and I enjoyed watching the boys play from our Beachside Casabella lounger and enjoyed drink service.  Our Hawaii family also joined us at the beach for a beach picnic and brought all the local grinds – fresh poke, manapua, noodles, short ribs, garlic chicken, mango from auntie’s tree, and malasadas from Leonards!  Jonah and Baron really enjoyed playing and bonding with their cousins too.

Outfit details: Swimsuit:  Becca Swim  | Hat:  Brixton

 

The Beachside Casabellas were a great amenity to have for the day. It was our base camp for our beach day where I could lounge while keeping an on the boys playing on the beach right from my casabella.

 

Boys at the newly remodeled Menehue Bridge

Makahiki Character Breakfast

The character breakfast at Aulani is one of our favorite dining events at the resort. It features a delicious breakfast, photos with Mickey, and interactive entrainment for kids.

Outfit details: Dress: Who What Wear Ruffle Hem Maxi | Mules:  Universal Thread

John’s Shirt: his own

Jonah and Baron’s Outfits: Shirts | Junk Food Boys’

 

 

The breakfast fare at Makahiki features an extensive selection of traditional breakfast favorites such as bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, eggs Benedict, a custom omelet station, pastries, fresh fruit, and of course, Disney’s signature Mickey Waffles, along with Asian and Hawaiian dishes such as congee, fried rice, Loco Moco and Portuguese Sausage. You’ll definitely need to come here hungry as there is more food than you can handle!

When in Hawaii: Loco Moco and Portuguese Sausage!

 

 

A Crowd Favorite: Mickey Waffles

 

We love how the characters make their way around to each and every table to visit with families, interact with the kids and pose for photo opps. It’s a great incentive to get your kids to finish their meal before Goofy arrives!

 

A special thanks to the staff at the Makahiki Restaurant for the special anniversary surprise. What a delight for the staff to remember our special day and another reason we let the kids indulge in as many sweet treats on this trip.

Sweet treat from the staff at Makahiki! Mahalo!

Ka Wa’A Luau

Outfit details: Dress:  Mimi Chica

John’s Shirt: Junk Food Mens  similar here

Jonah and Baron’s Outfits: Shirts: On Jonah  Junk Food Boys and on Baron  Junk Food Toddler

A new experience for the boys on this trip was attending their first luau, Aulani’s Ka Wa’A Luau. It’s a fantastic family friendly event and should be experienced at least once whether or not you are a guest staying at the Aulani. The kids loved the pre-show activities with Kakao tattoos, poi pounding, ukulele lessons, lei bracelet making, and paper stamping.  We enjoyed the VIP experience.  VIP ticket holders get a better luau experience overall: separate entrance, no lines, better seating closer to the stage, early entrance to enjoy the pre-show cultural and interactive activities, and an open bar for the adults – need I say more?

Lei bracelet making

 

Baron’s temporary tattoo

The setting of the Ka Wa’A Luau takes place on the beautifully landscaped Halawai Lawn at Aulani. The setting is just gorgeous and the vibe is luxuriously relaxing.  Guests staying in rooms that face the lawn actually get a view of the show.

We had the best seats directly in front if the main stage.

 

Yummy Lechon!

 

The Kids’ Dessert Station

 

Toward the end of the show, the performers invite all the kids to come toward the front of the stage for a special kids dance performance.

The actual show was a deep storyline that was equally entertaining as it was educational.  They told a great story that celebrated Hawaiian culture with lots of hula, fire, songs, and music. The story they told was so beautiful and the narration was very touching.

 

Vow Renewal Breakfast @ Ama Ama

As shared in my previous vow renewal post, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the Ama Ama Restaurant after our vow renewal ceremony. Ama Ama is another dining option at Aulani, and is the more formal of the three sit-down restaurants at the resort. The Ama Ama has stunning views with tables facing the ocean.  We had a beautiful table set up on the patio overlooking the ocean and next to the fountain. Our view from our table was truly like a postcard.  The cuisine at Ama Ama is also topnotch. Each main entree dish is carefully crafted and prepared with the highest quality and attention.

 

Special thanks to the Ama Ama staff for hosting our party and surprising us with some special tropical treats for our celebration. They make a mean tropical acai bowl that is always a favorite. The kids loved sharing the Mickey celebration dessert. 

 

We also had cake! This was mostly enjoyed by Baron because he absolutely loves chocolate. 

Looking back at our week at Aulani, we had such a memorable time, and it reminded me that no matter how busy we get with work, school and life, we all need to take the time to travel, rest our bodies and minds, and to celebrate every day.  I will treasure this trip forever!

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While on our family vacation and anniversary trip to Hawaii, John and I renewed our vows after 10 years of marriage. It was a beautiful early morning sunrise overlooking Ko Olina Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean for our ceremony with our two children as our witnesses. Even after 10 years married, I still felt nervous and even teared up as we recited our vows. I think I’m just more emotional as I’ve gotten older. Well that, and I’m just a hopeless romantic!

We had a simple family ceremony and including our kids was just as important these past ten years as it was for my hubby and I for our family growth. It was a celebration of everything we have been though as a family during this first decade together, and a kicking off of the next chapter. After the ceremony, we walked over for family photos on the beach and a special breakfast at Ama Ama Restaurant. It was truly a fun and magical morning.

Outfit Details:

My Dress: Wayf 

Flowers: Dale Flowers

On Jonah and Baron:  Top and Pants: H&M

On John: Shirt Ben Sherman and Slacks Louis Raphael

Flowers

Can we talk about these gorgeous flowers?! I knew I wanted fresh flowers for our vow renewal and I chose the very same flowers we had at our wedding and on my bouquet 10 years ago, luscious pink peonies. Dale did an amazing job adding simple and modern touches of eucalyptus stems and a monstera leaf as the backdrop to give the classic flowers a tropical touch. The flowers lasted all week and I got to enjoy them in a vase for the rest of our trip!

Simple coordinating eucalyptus leaf boutonnières on the boys

 

Thank you Floyd for capturing our special day with these special photos. We are truly grateful.

 

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

Aloha!

Our family recently returned from our first trip to the Disney Aulani Resort in Ko’olina and wow~ what a memorable vacation! It was the perfect 3 days spent at a Disney resort in a tropical setting with the beach at our fingertips and just a touch of Disney magic sprinkled throughout. The resort was the perfect blend of family friendly and luxury accommodations. Our family often talks about our memories from this trip that we are eager to experience again.

Arrival

Upon arriving to the resort, we were greeted with fresh flower leis and given refreshing cold water, which after traveling for 5+ hours is much appreciated.  The lobby is grand and adorned with Hawaiian artistry displayed throughout the resort. Every piece of art is part of a larger Hawaiian story, as told by Hawaiian artists.

Check-in is not until 4pm, but if you arrive early, you can explore the resort grounds and even enjoy the water features or the beach. You’ll also be given access to a lounge to store your bags and change in beach/water gear while you wait for your room to become available. This was a major plus especially traveling with two children, one that needed a diaper change.

Our room was available within the hour and just as welcoming and comfortable as we expected. The mickey folded towels and welcome gifts for the kids were a nice touch.

 

With two occasions we were celebrating – 1st Visit and hubby’s and my 9th wedding anniversary, the staff at the Aulani gave us these cute keepsake souvenir buttons.

The Beach and Pool Areas

The main draw of this resort is the beach and pool areas and which makes Aulani is an obvious choice for families traveling with children. The beach at Ko’Olina Lagoon is perfectly positioned on the shores and offers easy access to the water. Guests can enjoy boogie-boarding (complimentary boards with your stay), or rent snorkels, paddleboards or other equipment to enjoy an ocean adventure. The beach is also furnished with loungers and umbrella shades for protection from the sun. Again, depending on the time of year you go, loungers may be occupied or plenty available. We were fortunate with our timing that the resort was not too crowded and we were able to use several beach loungers throughout our stay.

There are several pools throughout the resort, some of which are adult only pools we didn’t get to check out because we had our kids the entire time. Our little one (19 months at the time) loved the Keki Cove, a water playground designed for kids ages 5 and under. The Keiki Cove is conveniently adjacent to the Ka Maka Landing, the family pool area where our 7-year-old and daddy swam. Some of the Disney characters are scheduled to come out to the different pools for a fun high-energy pool party. Kids love it. My 19-month old would not give up looking for Goofy. When he finally found him, he froze with amazement and I was able to snag this pic.

Dining

There are several dining options at the Aulani – a few casual spots and a couple of nicer sit down restaurants for reservations. We loved character breakfast at Ama Ama. There is a desert stand serving yummy dole whip and of course, Mickey Shave Ice. Our our first day, we ordered food and drinks to be delivered beachside to our loungers. After a long travel day, this seemed to be the best and most enjoyable option.

The Grounds

The resort grounds are beautifully kept inside and out with tropical landscape features all around, making it very family friendly. The lazy river was beautifully integrated onto the landscape winding through the tropical foliage where it looked natural and never felt like a typical loud water park. We especially loved walking to the beach after dinner, watching the sunset, and listing to the live reggae band while the kids played on the sand. It became our nightly ritual after dinner.

A few photos from our Family Portrait Session we reserved with a Disney Photopass Photographer:

Dress: Tiare Hawaii | Sandals: DV | Flower Clip: from the resort

John’s Outfit: Top: Mossimo | Shorts: own Volcom | Flip Flops: Ugg

Jonah and Baron’s Outfit’s: Tops: Zara Kids (similar here) | Shorts: HM Kids (similar here) | Sandals: Keene and Surprize by Stride Rite

 

Travel tips and favorite things at Aulani:

  • Pick up the daily ‘Iwa. It’s a printed newsletter with the week’s events and activities to help you plan your stay. It can be found at the front desk of the lobby.
  • Book a reservation for the character breakfast (Ama Ama). This is your one opportunity to get fun live character time during a delicious, casual and interactive breakfast. Breakfast is served buffet style with something for everyone from fresh tropical fruit and island dishes to classic American style breakfast, not to mention everyone’s favorite, Mickey pancakes!
  • Auntie’s Beach House – Our 7-year-old loved it. Children are safely check-in and grouped in age-appropriate activity rooms with supervised childcare. While the kids play, parents can enjoy some relaxing alone time. Aunty’s Beach House features complimentary programs such as Hawaiian arts and crafts, games, a Disney movie room, enclosed back yard and play structure and peace of mind for parents
  • Enjoy the lazy river. The Waikolohe stream offers a lazy river and two rushing rapid experiences. Float down the river and relax, or hold on tight as you go on a twisting and turning tube adventure.
  • Experience the Rainbow Reef. This is where my 7-year-old gained the confidence and learned to snorkel. Rainbow reef is great for beginners or those simply wanting to experience the beauty and wildlife down below.
  • Consider renting a cabana. Depending on the time of year you visit, you may or may not have the need to book a cabana. We visited in May and the resort was not crowded at all, just how we like it. We didn’t need to book a cabana and had many seating options along the beach. If we visited during a busier time, I definitely see the value in renting a cabana for the day.
  • We reserved time with one of the Aulani PhotoPass Photographers because we wanted special photos to remember our trip. The resort photographers are great with kids and families, and there are a couple of different time slot options depending on your needs and budget. With an active 19-month-old we knew a 20-minute session would suffice, and it did. Our photographer captured some great family shots and shots of just the kids in various areas of the resort. We loved being able to view and keep all our photos from our trip.
  • I would love the try Aulani’s luau next time! The luau takes place on the resort lawn on select days of the week. I think it would be a fun experience for the kids and you have the luxury of going back to your room if little ones get fussy and don’t make it for the entire duration of the luau program.

Overall, the service at Aulani was outstanding throughout our stay. We always felt welcomed at every encounter with a cast member. This was such a memorable trip for our family, especially the boys’ first experience staying at a Disney resort that I will cherish. There is so much to see and do at the Aulani that you may not be able to do it all. We’re already planning our next trip back. What are some of your favorite attractions at Aulani?