Videos Travel

Our fifth hotel profile takes you to a tropical island. When you think Hawaii do you think Disney? Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is right on the ocean’s edge on the island of Oahu.

The resort is part of Disney’s Vacation Club (DVC). The DVC works as a timeshare division of the Disney resorts. DVC guests can stay in their own villas but you can still stay at the hotel without buying into the DVC. Currently the resort’s first two phases are open and a third phase will be opening in 2013.

While not a true all-inclusive resort, Aulani has many amenities you won’t find at similarly priced resorts. In an effort to be family-friendly, Aulani has Disney characters visit, Hawaiian stories and legends told around a fire pit, Disney movie nights, pool parties, scavenger hunts, lei making, sand sculpting, and of course learning the hula. Aulani isn’t just for kids. The adults will love the Laniwai Spa and its hydrotherapy garden with mineral baths, 6 different “rain” showers, and whirlpool jet spas.

Aulani has plenty of water to enjoy. There’s a giant beach tucked in a cove for calmer waves. You can rent kayaks, snorkeling equipment, paddleboards, or canoes. There’s also a manmade reef to explore. Don’t forget the pools! Waikolohe Pool is an 8200 square foot pool perfect for swimming and pool parties. There’s also a calmer pool with a pool bar, a wild stream, a lazy river, a water playground, 2 waterslides, and 4 whirlpool spas.

5 Things to Do

• Wine tour
• Glaciers
• Sports
• Andes mountains
• River delta

5 Places to See

Buenos Aires Large and in charge, this is the largest city in Argentina and the second largest in South America. The joy of this city comes from its delicious foods, high brow shopping, and never-ending night life. Mendoza On the other side of the Andes in what should be a desert, Mendoza is plush wine country. You can enjoy wine tours, cooking classes, or even horseback riding.

El Calafate El Calafate is the entrance to the Patagonia region where the glaciers are. You’ll want to take a bus or a boat ride to be able to explore the many differences in Argentina’s climate. Iguazú Falls Located near the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, this UNESCO World Heritage site is at least twice as big as Niagara Falls. You can view the falls from trails, helicopter, or even by boat. With over 275 falls you’ll have plenty to see.

Mar del Plata You can’t go to South America’s coast without seeing a beach. Mar del Plata is a very popular beach city because of its prime location. Make sure to get there early to avoid the crowds!

Zadar While there’s a lot of history in Zadar, I think you’ll really love how the old mixes with the new. Make sure to check out the Sea Organ and Sun Salutation. The sea organ is really a series of pipes that play music as the waves come in and hit them. Right next to it you’ll find the sun salutation, a big solar panel that collects sunlight during the day so it can display beautiful lights at night.

Dubrovnik The entire city of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The best area to explore are the walls of Dubrovnik. You can walk them yourself or see them up high from a cable car. Dubrovnik was one of the filming locations for the current season of Game of Thrones.

Pula Arena Located in a 3000 year old city, the Pula Arena dates to the 1st century and is one of just six major surviving Roman arenas in the world. It once held gladiators and now it’s a tourist attraction and public theatre space.

Museum of Broken Relationships Located in the capital city of Zagreb, the Museum of Broken Relationships is based around “the concept of failed relationships and their ruins.” It might sound rough but it’s fun to see and encourages visitors to share their own failures in artistic form.

Plitvice Lakes National Park The real beauty of the country, you can enjoy 6 interconnected lakes, caverns, caves, waterfalls, and trails at this national park. 1 million annual visitors can’t be wrong.