How to Celebrate Your Birthday at Disney Aulani Resort

Any day spent at Disney’s Aulani Resort is a good one. But a birthday at Aulani? That’s paradise, indeed. Here’s how to celebrate your birthday at Disney’s Aulani Resort on Oahu in Hawaii.

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Morning at Aulani

If your internal clock hasn’t adjusted to island time and you wake at the crack of dawn, take advantage with a sunrise stroll along the sandy shores of the resort-front Ko’Olina Beach. Or kick start your day with a workout at the Mikimiki Fitness Center to prepare for some birthday over-indulgences.

Birthday Breakfast

If you’re traveling with children (and even if you’re not), celebrate with a character breakfast at Makahiki restaurant. Mickey, Minnie, and others are “on vacation” at Aulani, too. They will be happy to pose with the birthday gal or guy. You’ll see other familiar Disney characters too, like Lilo’s friend, Stitch. Unique to Aulani is a visit from Aunty, a Hawaiian woman who roams the restaurant singing and playing the ukulele. She names all of the Hawaiian islands and leads children diners in a happy parade.

Looking for a more mellow breakfast? Choose room service instead and eat your breakfast on your balcony while taking in a gorgeous view of the resort’s Waikohole Stream lazy river and the ocean in the distance. Eat like the locals by ordering the Traditional Loco Moco Breakfast with its sunny side-up fried egg, white rice, and hamburger patty topped with gravy. Or, indulge in a Chocolate Milk-dipped Haupia Bread French Toast stuffed with banana and peanut butter.

Relax Poolside

For some watery fun, head down to the zero-entry Waikohole family pool and take a few trips down the resort’s two waterslides. It’s impossible not to scream or smile (or both) when zipping down the Pu’u Kilo Slides. One is an entirely enclosed tube slide. The other spins inner-tube riders about until they splash into a pool below.

Relax in a lounge chair while the kids go wild for the Menehune Bridge children’s play area. They’ll enjoy its rope bridges, spraying water, and kiddie-sized slides. For some grownup time, head over to Wailana Pool, a quiet spot for a beach read.

Celebrate with Water Sports

You could also rent snorkel gear or stand-up paddle boards for some ocean-time fun. Children will especially enjoy the Rainbow Reef enclosed snorkel area stocked with plenty of tropical fish. However, grown-ups will probably prefer seeing the real thing in the ocean. Swim near the large rocks that surround the circular bay to see the most sea life.

Island Lunch

For your birthday lunch, grab some casual fare like fish tacos served with taro chips or french fries at Off the Hook or One Paddle, Two Paddle poolside restaurants. Enjoy your meal while listening to the sounds of the wind whispering through Aulani’s abundant palm trees and Hawaiian leafy landscape.

Book a Service at Laniwai Spa

A birthday is a perfect excuse to indulge in a spa treatment at Laniwai Spa. While you wait for your service to start, enjoy complimentary nutritious snacks like fruit, tea flights, and healthy cupcakes made with carrots, zucchini, and nuts.

Lucia Rodriguez, the Aulani Spa Director, recommends the Kilikili treatment. It includes an exfoliation followed by a lomilomi (traditional Hawaiian massage) under gentle streaming jets of water. I chose the Skin Yoga facial to celebrate my birthday at Aulani Resort. This anti-aging facial helped ease my worries about turning another year older.

Plan to spend an hour before or after your treatment enjoying the Kula Wai. It’s a unique 5,000-square-foot outdoor hydrotherapy garden filled with Hawaiian flowers and plants plus a whirlpool spa, a cold plunge pool, and two herbal soaking tubs. A circular feature with six different types of rain showers is heavenly. 

Watch a Show at Disney’s Aulani Resort

If your birthday happens to fall on a Monday or Thursday, be sure to attend the Starlit Hui. This luau-esque show for the whole family features live music and hula dancing, plus a Disney character finale. This show is free to all hotel guests!

Savor an Upscale Dinner

Make dinner reservations at the fanciest Aulani restaurant, ‘Ama’Ama. Then drop of the kids at the on-site childcare facility, Aunty’s Beach House. It caters to children aged 3-12 and is typically open until 9 or 11 pm.

The menu at ‘Ama’Ama focuses on contemporary island cooking. Executive Chef Patrick Callarec says the most popular menu item is the sustainable fish of the day, prepared with fresh local market vegetables. Guests celebrating a birthday at Aulani will be presented with a mini chocolate cake with a candle. But, hey, it’s your birthday so order a pineapple tarte tatin with caramel cream too.

After dinner, get a mai tai or glass of wine at the Olelo Room, a bar where everything in site is labeled with its Hawaiian name. Top off your evening with a soak in the oceanview bi-level infinity hot tub.

Aulani’s Birthday Treats

If you’ve got a thoughtful family like mine, you may be surprised by a Disney birthday treat delivered to your room. Birthday amenities available for purchase include sweet snacks, full-sized birthday cakes, floral gifts (like a birthday lei), or a souvenir purchased from the gift shop and wrapped in cellophane with a gold ribbon.

Truly, a birthday at Aulani Resort is one you will never forget. At least it was for me!

How would you celebrate a birthday at Disney Aulani Resort in Hawaii? Share in the comments below!

A note from The Travel Mama: A big mahalo to Disney for inviting me to the grand opening of the Aulani Resort!

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