With love, Disneylin: Hawaii 2016

Man, I am so glad I jotted down what we did daily so that it's easy for me to recollect those memories.

Friday - January 22, 2016 (Continued)

Our flight from Kauai to Oahu was like 30 minutes! Wouldn't it be great if all flights were only 30 minutes long?! After we landed we went to Alamo to pick up our car. This time we had an Infiniti. It was about an hour drive to get to Aulani from the airport. When we arrived, we were greeted with some lovely leis. The check in experience was a breeze! The lobby of the resort is so beautiful.

We booked an island gardens view studio villa on the 16th floor. Even though we didn't have an ocean view, the view was quite lovely. I originally wanted to book just a standard view to save some of our Disney Vacation Club points, but they were all booked up. We were going to just book just a standard room, but then I found out the standard rooms don't have kitchenettes... Microwaves are very important to me, LOL!

After we got settled into our room, we explored our resort. We ate dinner at Ama' Ama'. Next time we eat there, we're going to book it at the perfect time so we can see the sunset.

Saturday - January 23, 2016

We got to sleep in. When we got up, we ate a yummy breakfast at Ulu Cafe. I had malasadas for the first time! I also enjoyed a salmon flatbread.

I had looked forward to this day for a long time because it was spa day! The Laniwai Spa at Aulani is such a heavenly experience. It was the BEST spa experience I've ever had in my life. We got to the spa early and enjoyed the amenities before our treatments. They had multiple baths with water temperatures ranging from icy cold to very hot, different shower experiences (similar to what they have at the day spas on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy), and saunas (the saunas are not co-ed). They served different flavored waters and light healthy snacks. Sean booked us the "Ohi'a Lehua Love Story for Two." We enjoyed a tropical exfoliation and a lomilomi massage. It was 80 minutes of pure bliss! After our treatments were done we decided to lounge around and enjoy the amenities a while longer.

After the spa we relaxed in our room for a while before dinner. We ate at the Makahiki buffet. I was kind of bummed there were no characters, especially since the dinner buffet was $45 per person. At least the food was pretty good. After dinner we shopped at the resort gift shops and then went back to our room to relax for the rest of the evening.

Malasadas at the Ulu Cafe

Salmon Flatbreat at Ulu Cafe

Makahiki Buffet

Sunday - January 24, 2016

My 29th birthday! And where did I want to start my day off? At church. "May I never forget, on my best day, that I need God as desperately as I did on my worst day." We drove in to Honolulu and attended mass at Saint Augustine by the Sea. It is a beautiful church and I loved the music! After mass we decided to eat breakfast at Burger King since it was next door.

After we were done with breakfast we went to the Dole Plantation. We did the maze first... In 2012 it took us 54 minutes. This time it took us 33 minutes! Weeew! We ate lunch there and I treated myself to a nice big Dole whip. We rode on the Pineapple Express and walked around the garden.

After Dole Plantation we went to Waimea Valley. It has many little gardens and was very lush and green! We walked to the waterfall, took some pictures, and then headed out. They filmed a lot of movies there like The Hunger Games and George of the Jungle.

After Waimea Valley we went SHOPPING! First we went to the Premium Outlet Mall. I didn't really find anything I wanted. I did get some yummy lumpia! Nom nom nom. The Premium Outlet Mall on Oahu isn't like the Las Vegas, Orlando, or Carlsbad locations... It's a lot smaller. I was so curious to go to a K-Mart since the one we had in Anchorage closed it's doors many years ago. I am happy to report that Alaska isn't missing anything! I was also curious to see what a TJ Maxx was like... It's just like Burlingtons. That pretty much wrapped up our day!