Turtle Bay Resort - Hawaii

[mefordis]

We just booked two rooms at the Turtle Bay Resort, ocean view. It was between that and Aulani, and TBR seems to be more for us. Anyone stay there who can give me feedback? Going in July.

Thx!

 

[mjkacmom]

This is probably not going to be very helpful, but we stayed there 3 nights 30 years ago and loved it (I was going to say 20 until I did the math).

 

[RamblingMad]

I stayed here for a week.. I had a great time. It was my first trip to Hawaii. The north shore is beautiful. Explore the towns near by and the beaches. One had a lots of sea turtles. You'll also notice locations from the TV show LOST.

The downside to staying here is the drive from the airport. After a long flight, you're now going to spend about an hour in your vehicle driving here.

You're also going during the on-season. I generally like to go to Hawaii in Q4.

 

[ronandannette]

Rent a car and be sure to venture off to see the rest of the island. We didn't stay at Turtle Bay but DH golfed there - it's one of the best, if not maybe the best, course on Oahu. Enjoy!

 

[mefordis]

Rent a car and be sure to venture off to see the rest of the island. We didn't stay at Turtle Bay but DH golfed there - it's one of the best, if not maybe the best, course on Oahu. Enjoy!

Thank you! We are renting a mini van (that was cheaper than an suv). We plan to do 3 nights at Turtle Bay then down to Waikiki for 5 nights at Surfside Moana Resort.

 

[RamblingMad]

Thank you! We are renting a mini van (that was cheaper than an suv). We plan to do 3 nights at Turtle Bay then down to Waikiki for 5 nights at Surfside Moana Resort.

I'd skip Waikiki. Very stressful. It's like being back in university and visiting a school known for partying. Very loud and obnoxious folks here. We went down to try some restaurants, and I couldn't wait to get back to Turtle Bay because it was super stressful.

 

[ronandannette]

Thank you! We are renting a mini van (that was cheaper than an suv). We plan to do 3 nights at Turtle Bay then down to Waikiki for 5 nights at Surfside Moana Resort.

We absolutely LOVED Honolulu. We're city people and love the bustle; it vibed very much like our hometown here, only with a beach.

 

[mefordis]

I'd skip Waikiki. Very stressful. It's like being back in university and visiting a school known for partying. Very loud and obnoxious folks here. We went down to try some restaurants, and I couldn't wait to get back to Turtle Bay because it was super stressful.

Where would you recommend instead of Waikiki? We have 5 nights planned there, after our 3 nights at Turtle Bay. I thought about Aulani, but it seems like a theme resort, themed Hawaii, IN Hawaii. We were going to do some excursions from Waikiki. I don't want to fly to another island. We only have 8 nights and as it is it's a very pricey trip.

Thanks for any input!

 

[fly girl]

Heading there next month. I will give you the low down upon our return.

The are just finishing a major renovation. Looks beautiful. I am hoping the restaurants will be fully operational. I know one was still take out only. However, I know the food trucks in the North Shore are calling my name too!

 

[RamblingMad]

Where would you recommend instead of Waikiki? We have 5 nights planned there, after our 3 nights at Turtle Bay. I thought about Aulani, but it seems like a theme resort, themed Hawaii, IN Hawaii. We were going to do some excursions from Waikiki. I don't want to fly to another island. We only have 8 nights and as it is it's a very pricey trip.

Thanks for any input!

I would look for a place by Sea Life Park. That part of the island isn't as crazy, but it gets you closer to your excursions.

 

[JLemaire7]

I would either rent a house on the North Shore for the entire trip or go to Four Seasons Oahu. We just got back from a week's stay at the FS and it was fabulous. We had thought about Turtle Bay but the price between the FS and Turtle Bay was the same and I had heard that Turtle Bay still wasn't up and fully operational (this could have changed by now it was just the situation I was aware of in the fall when making our reservations)...limited housekeeping, restaurants, pool service etc... This is all important to us and so the choice was easy. We are big resort people and spend most of our time at the resort relaxing. We did go to the North Shore for a day to watch the surfers and hike Waimea Valley (highly recommend that).

I agree with others that Waikiki is very busy. We were there one night for dinner and it was ok because we had a reservation, knew where to park etc.. My husband's comment was "this reminds me of Las Vegas."

Honestly its Hawaii so whatever choice you make will be great. I also agree that 8 days is too short of a time for island hopping. I wouldn't island hop unless I had a minimum of 10 days.

 

[China Expat]

Stayed there years ago. LOved it!!

 

[mefordis]

I would either rent a house on the North Shore for the entire trip or go to Four Seasons Oahu. We just got back from a week's stay at the FS and it was fabulous. We had thought about Turtle Bay but the price between the FS and Turtle Bay was the same and I had heard that Turtle Bay still wasn't up and fully operational (this could have changed by now it was just the situation I was aware of in the fall when making our reservations)...limited housekeeping, restaurants, pool service etc... This is all important to us and so the choice was easy. We are big resort people and spend most of our time at the resort relaxing. We did go to the North Shore for a day to watch the surfers and hike Waimea Valley (highly recommend that).

I agree with others that Waikiki is very busy. We were there one night for dinner and it was ok because we had a reservation, knew where to park etc.. My husband's comment was "this reminds me of Las Vegas."

Honestly its Hawaii so whatever choice you make will be great. I also agree that 8 days is too short of a time for island hopping. I wouldn't island hop unless I had a minimum of 10 days.

I wonder if things will be fully operational by July, when we are there. If not we'll definitely switch.

 

[elphaba91]

It may be better with a car, but we weren’t big fans. Yes, it looks beautiful, but we found the beaches weren’t as nice as other areas, restaurants were pricey and most things cost extra.

I would recommend going for a walk with Pono, the resident dog, and ask them to show you the Keiki Pool. Also head into Haleiwa - a very cool little town with lots of great shops and an iconic shaved ice store. Oh, and make sure you pack water shoes with a sturdy sole - it is very rocky!

As far as Waikiki goes, I didn’t like it much on my first trip, but did on my second when I knew to expect the hustle and bustle.

 

[Kennywood]

We were going to stay there but then Covid hit, so those plans were cancelled. But the rates we got were VERY reasonable.

Now that Covid is winding down and Hawaii is opening back up again, we looked at getting rooms there. WOW! The prices quadrupled! I know they did some renovations on the resort during Covid (smart time to do them). It seems like they're trying to recoup the cost of renovations and the loss of two years worth of reservations.

If we go, we'll stay in the Honolulu area and perhaps visit the North Shore for a day.

 

[fly girl]

I wonder if things will be fully operational by July, when we are there. If not we'll definitely switch.

From what I have read since we will be there next month it is fully operational. Restaurants still at limited capacity but that could change with current covid restrictions ending by the end of March.

 

[Pooh2]

Where would you recommend instead of Waikiki? We have 5 nights planned there, after our 3 nights at Turtle Bay. I thought about Aulani, but it seems like a theme resort, themed Hawaii, IN Hawaii. We were going to do some excursions from Waikiki. I don't want to fly to another island. We only have 8 nights and as it is it's a very pricey trip.

Thanks for any input!

I would recommend Aulani for part of the stay.
We celebrated our 35th anniversary there, just the two of us, had an ocean view studio room.
We rented a car for 9 days and spent most mornings touring the island beaches and of course Pearl Harbor, then back to Aulani and floating in the coves in front of Aulani and the neighboring resorts for the afternoons.
The resort is beautiful and the disney flare is there but not tacky or obnoxious.
We used the quieter pools a few times but preferred swimming in the cove since the water so so warm.
We went precovid so cannot speak to what things are like there now.
We are not city people so we enjoyed the area of Aulani and did not stop in Waikiki on our morning drives.