COMPLETE - Aulani Trip Report - June 2023 - Pictures & Food Recommendations

[J-Dog]

Looking at their online menu right now, it is listing "ADULTS USD 115, KEIKI USD 40", but tack on more for gratuity and beverages outside of water, juices, soda, and coffee, so cocktails and mocktails were extra.

Thanks very much!

 

[Irondraco]

We tried to get a reservation at La Hiki Kitchen brunch but it was sold out months in advance. Next time we go back to Aulani need to book early! Thanks for the TR

 

[DaisyNY]

Happy to hear you enjoyed La Hiki brunch…we are booked for September!

 

[gregf71]

We tried to get a reservation at La Hiki Kitchen brunch but it was sold out months in advance. Next time we go back to Aulani need to book early! Thanks for the TR

Don't give up. Just like ADRs at WDW, people may cancel closer to the date, so you never know.

Not to mention, many months ahead of time I figured out how early one could make a reservation there, noting it in my planning spreadsheet. But, knowing that things change, I kept checking and one day they opened the window wider and I pounced. The key thing is to be diligent.

 

[gregf71]

Happy to hear you enjoyed La Hiki brunch…we are booked for September!

You are going to love it. Arrive hungry! Oh! One other thing that I forgot to mention...at the ice cream station, they had signage listing two basic ice cream flavors, but I observed that there was also a third option. When I asked, they said it was a fruit sorbet, so non-dairy. I tried it and loved it.

 

[EllieBride]

I want to say that it took me less than 30 minutes to complete the hunt and capture the images. Thankfully, there was a pool party taking place at the time and Mickey Mouse himself, in vacation garb, was there for me to take a shot of; that one was on the Bonus list. Returning to the Pau Hana Room, I scrolled through the pictures on my phone with the CM and they approved them. I was then handed something, don’t remember what, and was told to take it to the nearby DVC model room to claim my prize. A tad confused, I walked over there and met two very nice, very energetic DVC reps, who welcomed me in. Fearing that I was now in for a sales pitch (flashing back to our 2018 Aulani trip), I held up my scavenger hunt proof and they turned to grab my prize. They asked me how many were in my party and I replied 3, but confirmed that it was just me who completed the scavenger hunt. They smiled and said no worries, handing me three small-ish rectangular boxes.

I'm cracking up at how different our experiences were. We had three of us who completed the photo scavenger hunt, but they only gave us one prize, stating it was limited to one per family. My daughter and I both wanted it, but naturally, she came away the winner. And I practically begged for the coasters at the DVC member desk, but that was another NOPE.

Really enjoying your report and photos. It sounds like you did a lot of fun things.

 

[gregf71]

I'm cracking up at how different our experiences were. We had three of us who completed the photo scavenger hunt, but they only gave us one prize, stating it was limited to one per family. My daughter and I both wanted it, but naturally, she came away the winner. And I practically begged for the coasters at the DVC member desk, but that was another NOPE.

Really enjoying your report and photos. It sounds like you did a lot of fun things.

Yeah, it may depend on the CMs on duty, directives from managers, or the surplus of "prizes" that they have available...as in...what they want to get rid of at that time. The little menehune statues are branded DVC, so I bet they had a bunch sitting around for prospective DVC buyers and management wanted to move them. This means that prizes given away at one point may very well be different at another time. I consider ourselves lucky. I would have bought the little menehune statue had I found it in an Aulani shop. It's a perfect decorative souvenir from the resort!

You said that your prize was coasters?

 

[EllieBride]

You said that your prize was coasters?

I had read in other recent trip reports that they were offering coasters at the DVC member desk. I think you had to take the welcome postcard that was left in the villa. We received the Aulani print in our villa, but there wasn't a postcard to turn in, so it seems a bit hit or miss. They did give us a DVC sling bag.

 

[mort1331]

Great trip report and pics,,thanks....wondering about your burger,,,,how many adult drinks did you have last time?,,,maybe that is why it was it was so good last time

 

[gregf71]

Great trip report and pics,,thanks....wondering about your burger,,,,how many adult drinks did you have last time?,,,maybe that is why it was it was so good last time

Hah! Fair point! I dug up my DIS trip report from 2018 and in fact I did have a rather powerful Zombie at La Mariana Sailing Club earlier that afternoon. It was mighty indeed and if memory serves I couldn't finish all of it back then and my wife had to drive afterwards. We stopped at the Leonard's Malasada Mobile in Kapolei for some treats and then gas at the nearby Costco before returning to Aulani.

That said, I can tell you this, as I noted in that report the burger back then was marketed as a "Harris Ranch Angus Burger", which is what caught my eye in particular. I don't know if you are familiar with Harris Ranch, but they are a beef company from central California; they actually have a resort and restaurant along the 5 freeway north of Los Angeles county. There is something special about their beef and there was something special about that Off the Hook burger in 2018. Maybe I fed into the hype at the time (already being a fan of Harris Ranch products), maybe it was residuals from the Zombie (but that was hours and several malasadas earlier); I don't know. What I do know is that the current Off the Hook menu called this the "Butcher's Favorite Burger" with no reference to the origin of the beef...and honestly it wasn't that special this time.

 

[lilsonicfan]

This food-heavy trip report is right up my alley, looks like a great trip!!

 

[gregf71]

This food-heavy trip report is right up my alley, looks like a great trip!!

It was! Thanks for following!

 

[nascargirl]

Awesome trip report and pictures. We were there last year and look forward to returning someday.

 

[gregf71]

Day 7: Rough Waters Means No Sailing Canoe and AMA AMA - Part 1

As you may recall, on our Aulani arrival day, I had booked and paid for our family of three to enjoy the Sailing Canoe Experience. I was super excited for this. It was one of the primary things that I really wanted to do during this vacation. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas.

Before I get to that…breakfast! This morning brought my wife and me back to the Olelo Room to get their famous cinnamon buns. We got three, one for each of us and headed back up to the room, but not before also quickly stopping at Ulu to get some fruit to share as well. How were the cinnamon buns? They were good, quite good. Spectacular? Nah, but in my experience there are very few spectacular cinnamon buns in the world, unless they are made fresh in a small, local bakery or café. Would I get these again? Yes, in a heartbeat.

OK, so back in the room and getting ready for our canoe experience, when I get the call on my cell phone. Due to choppy waters beyond the breakers, it wasn’t safe to go out. While I completely understood (safety first), I was admittedly understanding of the decision. At this point, I needed to head down to Makiki Joe’s to process my full refund. Yeah, it was a bummer…next time, right?!

So, what did we do instead? We hit the water! Well, we hit the lazy river, the pools, and the lagoon. This time, however, when we enjoyed the lagoon, our daughter decided to join us. While she and I both borrowed a boogie board from Makiki Joe’s, my wife, as before, went for a free swim. Having remembered my waterproof camera, I made a point of snapping a few more pictures of our various aquatic adventures:











Lunch brought us back to the Wailana Pool Bar and the Ahi Poke Nachos! Yeah, we simply had to get them one more time! Instead of the onion rings, we decided to give the Garlic Shrimp Tacos a try:



The tacos were tasty; they were good. I am glad that we gave them a try, but they weren’t anything special. The onion rings from the other day were a better accompaniment to the nachos, no argument. Have I mentioned how good the Ahi Poke Nachos are?!

Checking the daily schedule, we had one more character that we still needed to meet and obtain their signature on our surfboard…that would be Moana of course! But where would she sign, given that all of the other character signatures filled up the obvious available space on the board?! It was certainly a conundrum…or was it?

I think that I mentioned it before, but we obtained our signature surfboard via an Etsy seller. It was customized with Mickey and Minnie and said “Aulani 2023” on the front; plus, the upper section of it had a beautifully painted waterscape, like calm waves coming up onto the beach. Up to this point, all of the characters (which included Angel…I totally forgot to mention that earlier) had signed in the larger space beneath the water, effectively filling it up. Meeting Moana and handing her the board and marker, it then completely made sense that she would sign ON the water. It was like all of the other characters saved that space just for her. I have to wonder, had we met Moana earlier, would she have still signed on the water or below it like everyone else? I call it fate and a perfect finish to our signature gathering fun!



With a little time before needing to get ready for dinner, we hit the shops one more time. Having lost out on the Sailing Canoe Experience and “saving” all that money, my family convinced me (and it honestly didn’t take that much effort) to buy a nice Aulani branded Nike long sleeve pullover that I had been eyeing in Hale Manu. I know, fuzzy logic, you save money, so now you can spend money, right? Too bad I bought it in the early stages of summer…I still haven’t been able to wear it. I am very much looking forward to the cooler fall months in San Diego!

Next up…Day 7: Rough Waters Means No Sailing Canoe and AMA AMA - Part 2 (I figured I'd save our AMA AMA dinner and pictures for their own post)

 

[Annabell]

Love to read your trip report. Thanks for sharing.

 

[gregf71]

Love to read your trip report. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much!!!

 

[gregf71]

Day 7: Rough Waters Means No Sailing Canoe and AMA AMA - Part 2.1

Dinner time! And we wanted to go out with a bang! Our dinner reservation this evening was at 5pm. Yeah, I know (which I was told by a fellow DIS poster) that’s too early for the sunset in late-ish June, but we didn’t actually want to watch the sunset while at AMA AMA. We much preferred watching it out by the beach, particularly off to one side. Sure, the view from AMA AMA is spectacular, but honestly we weren’t there for the view alone.

Arriving at AMA AMA, we were initially greeted by a four-legged friend, who drew our attention with their melodious “meows”. Watch out, Mickey and Minnie!



Walking in through the main entrance, you are immediately entranced by the straight ahead view.



After a short wait, we were escorted to our table, which sat along the front edge of the dining room. The view was magical indeed.



First things first…a round of drinks (two adult beverages and one mocktail of course). The problem is, I forgot to take a picture of the AMA AMA drinks menu (and I cannot find it online), so I cannot remember what these were…except for delicious and photogenic!







As I am sure you already know, the dinner at AMA AMA is 4-course prix-fixe, with a starter, an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert; wine pairing is also an option, but we did not choose to add that on. Enjoying our view and our drinks, we took our sweet time perusing the menu and making our selections. The servers were super nice and patient, very willing to offer recommendations and answer questions about everything in the menus.

After our orders were placed, our server brought us each an amuse bouche; basically a small pre-starter taster which was their take on a caprese…mozzarella cheese, a sun-dried tomato, and drops of balsamic vinegar. Small but mighty in flavor!



For our daughter’s first three courses, she selected the Waipoli greens salad as a starter (sorry, no picture of it), the pork belly, and the duck:





I too ordered the pork belly and the duck; some words about them. The menu lists “scanlan” sauce (no idea what that is), onion, Kiawe honey (which is amazing), and Okinawa sweet potato as ingredients in the dish. However they were fused together to put this starter together, I have no clue, but it WORKED!!! My daughter and I agreed that these port bellies were the best that we’ve ever had. Sweet, savory, and full of flavor in every delectable bite! And the sweet potato…as in the purple smear that you see in the image above. Oh my! It was so good; smooth and creamy texture, with a touch of sweetness and a rather unique flavor in and of itself. I know I was at AMA AMA, a signature dining experience, but I’ll admit it…I dragged my finger along my plate to get every last bit of the potato. Even better, my daughter let me have her potato too as it wasn’t quite to her liking! I mean, she thought it was tasty, but when she saw how much I was enjoying mine, she kindly offered hers to me.

And what about that duck?! Oh my gosh! OH…MY…GOSH! The perfectly cooked piece of duck breast came with “Huli Huli” smoked tomato jam, an amazing slice of grilled pineapple, and an outstanding mustard seed demi-glace sauce. Our server recommended highly that for each bite we take a piece of the duck and pineapple, a bit of the tomato jam, and then a dip in the demi-glace. I swear I heard angels singing each time that I took a bite. This entree was exquisite.

Back-tracking a bit, the starter that I requested was the venison tartare, served with black garlic and truffle, cured egg yolk, greens, and sourdough. Admittedly, this was a bit of a reach for me culinary-wise, but I simply had to try it…and I am so glad that I did! I’ve enjoyed steak tartare twice before in French restaurants, but never with a more “gamey” meat. It was delicious! Not gamey at all; rich in flavor, but not too strong. The texture was smooth and creamy. I am glad that I tried it and would get it again if the opportunity presented itself.



Up next…Day 7: Rough Waters Means No Sailing Canoe and AMA AMA - Part 2.2…(too much meal for one post!)

 

[MsChristy12]

OK! Shopping all done, it was nearing time for dinner. Thankfully, our restaurant of choice this evening, which we had a reservation at (very important) was a short 5 minute walk away. It came HIGHLY recommended by some close friends of ours who vacation on Oahu frequently. It’s also a place that when I mentioned it to my Aulani hair stylist at Laniwai Spa the other day, he referred to it as the place that the local chefs go. Friends, I give you Side Street Inn.

To say that the name is fitting is an understatement. This location (there are two of them) on Hopaka Street, is literally down a side street off of the main Piikoi Street. In fact, we walked right by Hopaka accidentally and had to backtrack a bit in order to find the place.

When we entered, we were greeted warmly and asked immediately if we had a reservation. We did, for 5 pm. Yes, a little early for most folks for dinner, but it’s what we wanted. Looking around the restaurant, most of the tables were open, so I figured that them asking about a reservation meant that other parties would soon be expected, but that never really materialized while we were there. The fact is that as we enjoyed our visit and meal, others did come in, but when asked if they had a reservation those that responded No were either offered a seat at the bar or told that there was a wait. The only thing that we could think of was that since it was earlier in the evening, they weren’t fully staffed yet, so they wanted to minimize the number of customers until later. Who knows?

As I was researching Side Street Inn, I concluded that there were 3 things that we should try here: the Pan-Fried Pork Chops, the Signature Garlic Chicken, and their Signature Fried Rice. Listing these items to our server, she immediately looked up from her writing pad and asked if we were local or had a refrigerator in our hotel room. I mean, we did have a fridge in our Aulani hotel room, but it was the standard small one; we were not staying in a DVC room after all. Answering No to her question, she smirked and said that given their portion sizes and that it was just the 3 of us, we should only order 2 items. Taking her word for it, we nixed the chicken and went with the chops and the rice.

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Dear readers…um…well…these two dishes were some of the best food that I have had. These were not just any pork chops and fried rice. They were elevated to another level. The chops were crispy and flavorful on the outside, yet succulent and juicy on the inside. They came with what I thought was some sort of extravagant tropical ketchup for dipping, but when I asked our server, she said that it was simply bottled ketchup. So, seasoned fried pork chops dipped in ketchup, eh? Yes! It worked! And that fried rice! Oh my, that fried rice! Char-siu, Portuguese sausage, bacon, peas, carrots, and green onions made for a wonderful menagerie of flavor. Did we eat it all? Not on your life! Even with just 2 items, we left with a ton of leftovers…which made a pretty excellent late evening snack that night…but we still never ended up finishing all of it before we left Aulani days later.

OMG I'm already drooling adding this to my list!! We are big foodies and love trying everything form food trucks, hidden gems, to popular tourists places and fine dining. This is perfect! Thank you for posting this!

 

[gregf71]

OMG I'm already drooling adding this to my list!! We are big foodies and love trying everything form food trucks, hidden gems, to popular tourists places and fine dining. This is perfect! Thank you for posting this!

You are VERY welcome!

 

[MsChristy12]

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With a little time before needing to get ready for dinner, we hit the shops one more time. Having lost out on the Sailing Canoe Experience and “saving” all that money, my family convinced me (and it honestly didn’t take that much effort) to buy a nice Aulani branded Nike long sleeve pullover that I had been eyeing in Hale Manu. I know, fuzzy logic, you save money, so now you can spend money, right? Too bad I bought it in the early stages of summer…I still haven’t been able to wear it. I am very much looking forward to the cooler fall months in San Diego!

This is the cutest souvenir and such a great idea! I LOVE IT! **going on Etsy now to find it! and browse similar items!**