There are a few new, yet-to-be-named restaurants that we get to start speculating about. These include the two restaurants at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawai’i, and the new quick-service dining location scheduled to open with the upgraded Paddock Pool at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. All are set to open in 2011.
Aulani Restaurants
According to several articles posted about Disney’s new Aulani Resort and Spa in Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawai’i, the resort will have two restaurants. I haven’t found any indication of where or what these restaurants will be — or even any concept art of restaurants, but I’m eager for information if anyone has it!
Here’s info from this week’s press release:
The resort will also include an 18,000-square-foot spa designed with families in mind. The resort, built adjacent to a crystal blue lagoon and a white-sand beach, is planned to also have two restaurants, a 14,545-square-foot conference center and 48,685 square feet of outdoor venues. Located nearby are the existing Ko Olina Marina and a Ted Robinson-designed, 18-hole Championship Golf course.
Here’s some older info from the Disney Vacation Club site; this is the most I’ve heard about any of the restaurants:
Plans call for an expansive pool and water play area, an 18,000 square-foot spa, a wedding lawn, an 8,000 square-foot convention center, a children’s club and spectacular dining at two restaurants — one of which will provide a stunning view of the ocean.
Here are my guesses for where in the resort we might find the two restaurants. My hope is that the lower right-hand corner is a beautiful beach-side restaurant!
My guesses for where the restaurants in Aulani might end up
Saratoga Springs Quick-Service Dining Location
This comes along with a new pool renovation at Saratoga Springs’ Paddock Pool. The quick-service location will likely be a “burgers and fries” place, but with the addition, guests won’t need to walk across campus to the main Springs area or Artist’s Palette for food. From the artist’s rendering below, it does look like it might be more than just your standard pool bar… .
Paddock Pool Upgrade Concept Art
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what only two restuarunts! Disney hello lets make some more please, I have a feeling that this is going to be popular .
I was surprised there are only two restaurants as well, Emily! I bet they’ll have some sort of quick-service spot, too…here’s hoping.
Hey AJ, love the site. I was poking around the Aulani site today, if you click on the Learn More heading and go to the Meetings picture on the right of the screen it takes you to a separate website that has more information and pictures.
That site has a resort map. The building that you circled in the top right hand corner is the conference centre. But judging from the 3rd picture under resort overview your guess of the table service restaurant being in the bottom right hand corner is spot on.
2 restaurants does seem a little lite for a resort this size, however the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort next door looks like it has some great restaurants and according to the Ko Olina Resort website there is a Paradise Cove Luau not for from the resort.
Now if only Toronto Canada (where I live) was not so far away from Hawaii….
jr — Thank you so much for sharing this! And great point that the Marriott will have some good restaurants, too. I remember reading that there are others within walking distance, but I’d expect Disney to keep as many people “on property” as possible; I’m especially surprised that there isn’t specific mention of a counter service type of restaurant — something faster than table-service. I look forward to more details.
Rumor has it that one of the restaurants planned for Aulani at Kapolei is Buca di Beppo. Buca is one of 83 restaurants owned by Planet Hollywood. Buca is located in the Ward Center in Honolulu. We visited Buca for lunch and had a most enjoyable meal. Loved all the rooms decorated in different themes. It should be a fun addition to the Disney complex.