Disney's 21-acre Aulani Resort & Spa, about 30 minutes from Waikiki in Ko Olina, Hawaii on the island of Oahu, opened in late August. ( Paul Hiffmeyer ) The pricey new $800-million resort on Oahu manages to celebrate island magic and culture without the corporate-branded mouse prints becoming too heavy-handed. By Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 23, 2011 Reporting from Ko’ Olina, Hawaii —— On leeward Oahu, it is 85 degrees and the trade winds are blowing. Beyond a towering volcanic outcropping, the Pacific Ocean, at a steady 70 degrees, beckons. Honeymooners sip tropical drinks under a thatched-roof hut as the afternoon sun begins its lazy descent. This is Hawaii. Do you really need Disney? My wife, Nancy, and I and our 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, journeyed last month to Disney's new Hawaii resort to see whether Mickey Mouse & Co. could improve on near perfection. Aulani sets out to replace the clichés of tiki torches, totem poles, bamboo fu...
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