News Staff Admin posted on November 07, 2011 23:41
Los Angeles Times: Disney's Aulani is a Hawaiian fantasyland
By Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Reporting from Ko’ Olina, Hawaii — — On leeward Oahu, it is 85 degrees and the trade winds are blowing. Beyond a towering volcanic outcropping, the Pacific Ocean, at a steady 70 degrees, beckons. Honeymooners sip tropical drinks under a thatched-roof hut as the afternoon sun begins its lazy descent.
This is Hawaii. Do you really need Disney?
My wife, Nancy, and I and our 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, journeyed last month to Disney's new Hawaii resort to see whether Mickey Mouse & Co. could improve on near perfection. Aulani sets out to replace the clichés of tiki torches, totem poles, bamboo furniture and tacky luaus with a resort that celebrates Hawaii's history, legends and cultures with just a sprinkling of Disney's trademark pixie dust.
Disney's 21-acre Aulani Resort & Spa, about 30 minutes from Waikiki in Ko Olina, Hawaii on the island of Oahu, opened in late August. (Paul Hiffmeyer)
Read on for full article: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/23/travel/la-tr-aulani-20111023