Overhead View of the JW Marriott

Last year, when I attended the Disney Aulani preview event, I stayed at the JW Marriott Ililani on the island of Oahu.  While I wasn’t there specifically to review the JW Marriott, I did spend quite a bit of time there walking the grounds, enjoying the pool, and snapping photos.  I thought it was a beautiful resort, and especially loved my luxurious suite, which had loads of space and some great amenities.  I really didn’t want to leave.

So, I was surprised to hear that the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa was recently renovated.  It was already really nice, so I can only imagine that it must be truly gorgeous now.  All 387 guest rooms including the luxury suites were renovated last fall, and the Ihilani spa was also upgraded.

Located on the oceanfront and private 640-acre Ko Olina Resort on the western shore of the island of Oahu, the JW Marriott Ihilani offers two pools, children’s and teen programs, tennis courts, and a championship golf course, and four restaurants.  Renovated rooms offer marble bathrooms, gorgeous views, balconies, and dual vanities.

JW Marriott Ihilani
92-1001 Olani Street
Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawaii 96707
(808) 679-0079

Photo credit: JW Marriott Ililani

President Obama produced his birth certificate to prove he was born in Hawaii. You can do the same, but only to get a 15% discount at participating Aqua Hotels in Hawaii.

Birth certificate promo, Aqua Waikiki Wave

From now until August 4, 2011 (President Obama’s birthday), any guest who presents their birth certificate (long form or otherwise) at check-in at any Aqua managed property in Waikiki, Maui, Kauai and Molokai will get 15% off.

Not just that, but you can also squeeze the same discount out of them if you have your pet’s registration. But this four-legged birther discount is available only at the Aqua Waikiki Wave, Aqua Waikiki Pearl or Aqua Hotel Molokai.

Elizabeth Churchill, Aqua’s VP of sales and marketing, explains that “Whether American, Honduran, Icelandic… we celebrate and invite people of all nationalities to visit Hawaii and stay in one of our hotels. As an added bonus, if you can find your birth certificate (long form or otherwise), you’ll get an even better rate.”

The company runs a dozen hotels in Waikiki alone, so anyone planning for a Honolulu vacation will have a lot of choice. Some of the hotels are pretty decent and affordable too. For example, the Aqua Waikiki Wave is located within a block of Waikiki Beach and within walking distance of the Hawaii Convention Center.

The hotel offers 247 large guest rooms and 39 suites with spacious private lanais and ocean views. It has a white marble lobby with an art gallery and art by Charles W. Bartlett.

Guests can enjoy everything from free wifi to restaurants (a sports bar, a tiki bar and a Cantonese restaurant) and a fitness center. There’s also an AquaSpa for those who need a massage.

They even have a partnership with a local grocery store, and if you want – your selected choice of groceries will be placed in your suite before you arrive. Children under 17 can stay free with their parents, and the hotel will provide cribs or rollaway beds (extra charges may apply).

If you can produce your birth certificate at check-in, you can get rates starting from $66. A 1-bedroom partial ocean view suite with 2 balconies and 3 Queen Beds or 1 King Bed will cost you $148 (with the birth certificate).

Photos – Aqua Waikiki Wave

More info: 2299 Kuhio Ave Honolulu HI 96815; (808) 922-1262; www.aquawaikikiwave.com/

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Choosing between Hawaii and Disney for a summer vacation has always been difficult. Not so anymore, because Mickey Mouse is now a kama’aina (local) with an address in Hawaii – Disney Aulani in Ko Olina.

The crew just wrapped up the final structural touches a couple of days ago and the resort and hotel is now all set to open on August 29, 2011. To celebrate the completion of the work, the crew and Disney team members got together on the beach and made up shapes like Mickey’s silhouette.

Disney Aulani, Hawaii

Between now and the opening date is the “time to add the magic” with Disney team members doing the theming and landscaping and putting in the magical touches guests expect to find at a Disney resort.

The 21 acre resort adjacent to a crystal blue lagoon and a white-sand beach has a hotel with 359 guest rooms including 16 suites housed in two 15-story towers offering views of the ocean, mountains and the grounds.

Towers of the Disney Aulani in Ko Olina, Hawaii

The resort also has 481 two-bedroom equivalent Disney Vacation Club villas. The Disney and Hawaii themed hotel rooms have Mickeys hidden within the pineapple-patterned Hawaiian quilts. Turn on the living room floor lamp and a silhouette of Minnie Mouse can be seen surfing a wave on the lampshade.

The Hawaiian touch can be seen in things like the wall mirror framed with what looks like interlocking carved wooden fishhooks. The pillows have retro Hawaiian floral print fabrics known as bark cloth.

The carpets in the corridor are influenced by Hawaiian makaloa mats, and the corridor wall art features everything from poi pounders to fish traps to sea urchins. More Mickeys can be found hidden in the patterned surfaces of the wall coverings.

Guests have access to 4 restaurants and 2 lounges, an 18,000 sq ft spa with 15 treatment rooms, 4 whirlpool spas, a Kids club, conference center and a storytelling fire pit.

That’s apart from the 10 ‘recreation facilities’ which include the beach and a beach house, the Rainbow Reef which is a snorkel lagoon, an adventure trail, and a bucket-load of pools.

Photos courtesy Disney Destinations

More info: www.disneyaulani.com

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The Ala Moana Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii is offering 40 rooms for $40 each for 40 days as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations.

Ala Moana Hotel

The 40/40/40 promotion starts April 22, will run for 40 days, with 40 rooms available for boooking at $40 per night. The details:-

- $40 per night for a Kona Tower room 
- Minimum 3 nights, maximum 5 nights 
- Rate is per room, per night, single or two persons sharing
- No refunds for changes or cancellations 
- Bookable online only. No phone reservations.
- Valid April 22 to May 31, 2010

For more information, visit www.alamoanahotel.com/40.

The Ala Moana Hotel is one of Outrigger’s more famous Honolulu hotels, and you can hop out of the hotel and scoot right into the Ala Moana Shopping Center next door, or the Hawaii Convention Center across the street.

The hotel has two towers – the Waikiki and Kona Towers. But only Kona Tower rooms are available under the 40/40/40 promo.

In this tower, the guest-rooms feature queen beds (no double beds, and max 2 persons allowed), along with microwaves, coffee-makers and refrigirators, and also flat-screen television and complimentary high-speed internet access.

Common-use facilities and amenities include coin operated laundry, fitness center, hair salon and a gift store, a swimming pool and sundeck.

Photo courtesy Outrigger

Info: 410 Atkinson Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96814; (800) 367-6025; website

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