Aulani

The Magic Kingdom is about to expand its borders. Disney's new Aulani resort and spa is set to open Monday in Ko Olina, a beach-side development about 17 miles from the Honolulu airport. This Disney venture will rely on Hawaii's natural beauty and culture rather than an amusement park as its drawing card. Until mid-September, Travelocity is offering a $250 discount on a trip to the Aulani. The deal: It's not cheap to stay at this 21-acre resort with pools, a private snorkeling lagoon, an aquatic preserve, a hiking trail, character breakfasts and lots of other Disney touches.

New Mexico This year, New Mexicans mark 100 years of statehood. But much of the state's appeal stems from its human history that goes back much further. (In 2010, Santa Fe celebrated 400 years of cityhood.) Explore here: the adobe architecture and art galleries of Santa Fe; the vintage signage along old Route 66; the lingering hippie vibe of Truth or Consequences. Don't forget the Lightning Field, an art installation outside Quemado where (for $150 to $250 a person) you spend a summer night in a wood cabin and wait to see if lightning will strike one of the 400 tall steel poles outside your door.

Disney's plush Aulani resort and spa near Honolulu has been open since August, but grand opening discounts keep on coming. The latest is a fifth night free for limited dates at the pricey resort on 21 oceanfront acres. The deal: Stay four consecutive nights and the fifth night is free. The standard-view room at the resort is the least expensive; it sleeps up to four and has a private porch or balcony. There's much to do at this resort, particularly with kids: a snorkeling area, pools, tubing stream and stingray encounter led by marine biologists.

Walt Disney Co. reported strong fourth-quarter earnings, buoyed by gains at Disney Channel and ESPN and at the Burbank company's theme parks. The entertainment giant reported net income of $1.08 billion for the quarter ending Oct. 1, a jump of 30% compared with a year earlier. Revenue also rose 7% to $10.4 billion. Disney achieved record revenue, net income and earnings per share for fiscal 2011. Net income for the year reached $5.26 billion on revenue of nearly $41 billion.

The restaurants at Disney's new Aulani hotel in Hawaii are expensive and limited, unless you like fine-dining food and prices at every meal. The $800-million Aulani in Ko Olina on leeward-side Oahu had a soft opening in late August with an official grand opening scheduled for Sept. 22. > Aulani: Photos of Disney's new Hawaiian resort I've been staying at the Aulani the last few days with my wife, Nancy, and our 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, where we spent a small fortune on food on top of room rates starting at $399 a night.

Reporting from Ko Olina, Oahu - Water plays a central role in Disney's new Aulani hotel in Hawaii - from the water-park-like pool and the sunset-facing hot tubs to the salt water snorkeling pool and the adult and youth spas. The $800 million Aulani in Ko Olina on the leeward side of Oahu opened in late August with an official grand opening scheduled for Sept. 22. > Aulani: Photos of Disney's new Hawaiian resort I've been staying at the Aulani for the last few days with my wife, Nancy, and our 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, where we spent a great deal of our time in our bathing suits.

Reporting from Ko Olina, Oahu - My 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, has wanted to visit Hawaii since Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" movie came out in 2002. The wacky animated movie about a Hawaiian girl who adopts a pet that turns out to be an alien was filled with surfing, hula dancing and exotic locales. But mostly it was about ohana - the Hawaiian word for "family. " So when we arrived at Disney's new Aulani hotel in Hawaii it seemed like a no-brainer that we'd find Lilo and Stitch here to welcome Hannah to the tropical paradise that filled her dreams and imagination.

For 2011, Disney's Imagineers have turned their creative attention from theme parks to cruise ships and resort hotels. The tech-filled Disney Dream 4,000-passenger cruise ship is to set sail for the Bahamas in January, and the tropical Aulani resort in Hawaii will open in August. The Florida-based Disney Dream applies theme-park whimsy and fun to a cruise ship. The ballyhooed virtual portholes will combine a live video feed of the sea with animated Disney characters, providing interior staterooms with a view.

New Mexico This year, New Mexicans mark 100 years of statehood. But much of the state's appeal stems from its human history that goes back much further. (In 2010, Santa Fe celebrated 400 years of cityhood.) Explore here: the adobe architecture and art galleries of Santa Fe; the vintage signage along old Route 66; the lingering hippie vibe of Truth or Consequences. Don't forget the Lightning Field, an art installation outside Quemado where (for $150 to $250 a person) you spend a summer night in a wood cabin and wait to see if lightning will strike one of the 400 tall steel poles outside your door.

Walt Disney Co. reported strong fourth-quarter earnings, buoyed by gains at Disney Channel and ESPN and at the Burbank company's theme parks. The entertainment giant reported net income of $1.08 billion for the quarter ending Oct. 1, a jump of 30% compared with a year earlier. Revenue also rose 7% to $10.4 billion. Disney achieved record revenue, net income and earnings per share for fiscal 2011. Net income for the year reached $5.26 billion on revenue of nearly $41 billion.

The Best Way to Aulani From LAX, United, Delta, American, Continental and Hawaiian offer nonstop service to Honolulu, and United offers connecting service (change of plane). Restricted round-trip fares begin at $478. Disney Aulani Resort & Spa, 92-1185 Aliinui Drive, Ko' Olina, Kapolei, HI 96707; (714) 520-7001, resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort . Doubles from $399, suites from $1,038.

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.

Disney's plush Aulani resort and spa near Honolulu has been open since August, but grand opening discounts keep on coming. The latest is a fifth night free for limited dates at the pricey resort on 21 oceanfront acres. The deal: Stay four consecutive nights and the fifth night is free. The standard-view room at the resort is the least expensive; it sleeps up to four and has a private porch or balcony. There's much to do at this resort, particularly with kids: a snorkeling area, pools, tubing stream and stingray encounter led by marine biologists.

Reporting from Ko Olina, Oahu - My 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, has wanted to visit Hawaii since Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" movie came out in 2002. The wacky animated movie about a Hawaiian girl who adopts a pet that turns out to be an alien was filled with surfing, hula dancing and exotic locales. But mostly it was about ohana - the Hawaiian word for "family. " So when we arrived at Disney's new Aulani hotel in Hawaii it seemed like a no-brainer that we'd find Lilo and Stitch here to welcome Hannah to the tropical paradise that filled her dreams and imagination.

The restaurants at Disney's new Aulani hotel in Hawaii are expensive and limited, unless you like fine-dining food and prices at every meal. The $800-million Aulani in Ko Olina on leeward-side Oahu had a soft opening in late August with an official grand opening scheduled for Sept. 22. > Aulani: Photos of Disney's new Hawaiian resort I've been staying at the Aulani the last few days with my wife, Nancy, and our 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, where we spent a small fortune on food on top of room rates starting at $399 a night.

Reporting from Ko Olina, Oahu - Water plays a central role in Disney's new Aulani hotel in Hawaii - from the water-park-like pool and the sunset-facing hot tubs to the salt water snorkeling pool and the adult and youth spas. The $800 million Aulani in Ko Olina on the leeward side of Oahu opened in late August with an official grand opening scheduled for Sept. 22. > Aulani: Photos of Disney's new Hawaiian resort I've been staying at the Aulani for the last few days with my wife, Nancy, and our 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, where we spent a great deal of our time in our bathing suits.

The Best Way to Aulani From LAX, United, Delta, American, Continental and Hawaiian offer nonstop service to Honolulu, and United offers connecting service (change of plane). Restricted round-trip fares begin at $478. Disney Aulani Resort & Spa, 92-1185 Aliinui Drive, Ko' Olina, Kapolei, HI 96707; (714) 520-7001, resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort . Doubles from $399, suites from $1,038.

No need to fret for the state of Hawaii tourism anymore. Visitor numbers to the Aloha State dropped dramatically during the recession, and the state's tourism industry suffered another blow when an earthquake and tsunami in Japan last year stifled the flow of big-spending Japanese vacationers to the islands. But tourism in Hawaii is rebounding fast, with the state welcoming nearly 7.3 million visitors in 2011. Although that is still short of the state's record year in 2006, officials expect continued growth this year.

Reporting from Ko Olina, Hawaii - The new Aulani hotel on Oahu sets out to replace the clichés of tiki torches, totem poles, bamboo furniture and tacky luaus with a resort that celebrates Hawaii's history, traditions and cultures sprinkled with just a small dose of Disney's trademark pixie dust. Although this premise seems more than just a bit ironic for a company that has built its brand on fairytale fantasy, Disney manages to pull it off with style, grace and beauty, resulting in a modern Hawaiian resort that delivers on its promise and its considerable marquee name.

The Magic Kingdom is about to expand its borders. Disney's new Aulani resort and spa is set to open Monday in Ko Olina, a beach-side development about 17 miles from the Honolulu airport. This Disney venture will rely on Hawaii's natural beauty and culture rather than an amusement park as its drawing card. Until mid-September, Travelocity is offering a $250 discount on a trip to the Aulani. The deal: It's not cheap to stay at this 21-acre resort with pools, a private snorkeling lagoon, an aquatic preserve, a hiking trail, character breakfasts and lots of other Disney touches.