Day Six- Busy Doing Nothing

Read about Day Five here.

Rainbows in Hawaii, does life get any better?

We started off our day with early morning coffee and breakfast in the room.  Since food in Hawaii is so expensive, we saved money by having some breakfast items in the room.  It worked well, especially since I never buy PopTarts at home.  When we have them on vacation they are a real luxury.  

After we ate, I took the kids down to Aunty's Beach House.  Rob and I had an anniversary dinner planned at 'Ama 'Ama, and I wanted to register the kids for dinner in the Kids Club.  Unlike on the cruise ships, the meals at Aunty's aren't included.  I think it was about $12 per kid.  There are also a limited number of spots available, so getting there right at opening is important.  

After registering the kids for dinner, there was Family Time in the club.  That meant you couldn't drop them off, but families were welcome to play in the club together.  I loved it!  The kids showed me all the things they had been doing.

I loved this Menehune.

The kids showing me the outdoor playground.

During the family time, there was a hula class, which were really excited about.  I knew there would be a special guest, but it was a total surprise to the kids.

I'm sure Ryan is raising his hand to tell the teacher he already knows how to hula.

It's Stitch!!!!!

So much fun.

After the Family Time, the kids wanted to stay at Aunty's, so I let them.  Rob and I had more pool time until lunch, when I dragged the kids kicking from the club and forced them to hang out with us.  I'm not exaggerating to say that they would be happy to stay in the club the whole time.  

One attraction we were all excited to try was snorkeling at Rainbow Reef.  The kids love to snorkel, and I thought doing it at the resort would be nice because we didn't have to go anywhere and there was very little risk of being stung by sea urchins, which was my fear after going to Hanaumu Bay the last time Rob and I were in Hawaii.  

I believe we paid $19.95 each to snorkel at Rainbow Reef, and it was a... mixed experience.  The kids did fine and enjoyed seeing the fish, but the tank is FREEZING.  We were in the water for about 10 minutes.  Also, I had purchased a waterproof case for my phone so I could use it in the water on this trip.  The case worked great at keeping the water out, but I didn't realize I wasn't pushing the button hard enough while underwater (change in pressure, ya know) so none of my photos took.  Boo! 

Ready to go!

$80 poorer, we left Rainbow Reef and went swimming in the pool.  Well, Anne swam and Ryan pouted in a chair.  The poor kid only has 3% body fat and it was just too cold for him to swim.  

My little fish!

Poolside smoothies, another vacation luxury.

There are a few feral cats around the resort. This little one came to check me out.

Before we dropped the kids off for their evening at Aunty's, we stopped by the Community Hall to make leis.  The Community Hall was a neat room, they do lots of classes there, some free, some for a charge.  Lei making was complimentary.  They also have DVDs to borrow, as well as board games.  And the cast members who work here are so friendly and welcoming.  

Not surprisingly, Anne was really good at this activity.

My Pineapple Princess

Ryan would NOT smile for the camera, so here he is, practicing his hula dance.

Leis made, we dropped the kids off and headed for our dinner at 'Ama 'Ama.  If you are ever lucky enough to go to Aulani, you must eat here! When you make your reservation, find out when the sun sets that day, and try to make your reservation so you can see it.  It is breathtaking. 

Can't beat that view.

Rob got the day boat scallops with the macadamia nut butter sauce. Delish.

Catch of the day with the Mac-nut butter sauce. That sauce was so good.

The best truffle Mac and cheese. Most places go too heavy on the truffle, but this was just right.

They knew we were celebrating our anniversary, so we got this cute little cake and two cups of matcha. I had never tried matcha before and it may be my new favorite thing.

After a good meal, I always order a cup of decaf coffee. 'Ama 'Ama serves theirs with three adorable little house made chocolates.

Enjoying my coffee and the sunset.

I started to feel guilty about the kids being in the club and not with us (why do I always feel like that? they for sure were not missing me!).  So we sprung them and went to the beach to finish watching the sun go down.  That's a full day!

Keep reading here!