Oahu Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club - what not to miss-- favorite things

MomDD, as you know, we stayed at the Ko Olina in May. The property itself is gorgeous -- beautiful grounds, lovely pools, nice service, fabulous fitness center, etc. It's just that it's far from anything, including restaurants so you have to drive everywhere -- no biggie for a SoCal girl!!

After Diamond Head, we parked at the eastern edge of Waikiki and walked on the main drag to the other end, then walked back on the beach.

One day we climbed Diamond Head (a steep 30-45 minute walk). It was fun to do once, but not very exciting.

One day we kayaked out of Kailua -- that was a little expensive, but we loved it. We went on the 4-hour tour with http://www.kailuasailboards.com/

We spent a half-day in Haleiwa, just poking around. Ate at Haleiwa Eats, a funky Thai place on the main road. Had the best shave ice at Aoki's, also on the main drag.

The beach bar (and restaurant) at the Ko Olina is adequate -- we ate there one night. Not great food, but a pleasant place.

There's golf in the Ko Olina resort (which is more than just the timeshare property - it includes some luxury condos, the JW Marriott, private homes, etc.)

I'll post more if I think of anything else.

I was really hoping you would weigh in!

What room did you have at the Ko Olina?

Dh and I like to Kayak - not that we do much but it is an activity we enjoy on vacations.

Loved Haleiwa when we were there last time..hard to wrap my mind around but it has been almost 7 years I think...

Keep it coming if you think of anything.

Did you spend time just sitting on a beach any place? We spent most of our time at Waimea Bay last time.

adding...when I asked what room - I did not mean the "room number" but more the room type.

I'm actually happy to tell you the room number, but I don't have it with me. We were in a full 1 BDR (despite trading an efficiency!) -- 1 BDR plus LR/DR and Kitchen. It was great. The balcony looked over the pool -- I'll send you a picture. The higher-up rooms have views of course (we did not, except of the lovely grounds).

thanks sf! I believe unfortunately we have the efficiency but I will take it... It is still Hawaii

Did you do the exchange on-line? I started to and it showed only efficiencies. Then I called (actually for another reason) and I was offered the 1 bedroom. So you should call and ask for an upgrade!

Meanwhile, I sent you a link to my Hawaii photos.

ohh.... I did do it online - I will call and see what I can work out...

Lots of info:

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/first-trip-to-hi.cfm

Drinks and music at the Barefoot Bar and Grill.

Walk to the top of Diamond Head.

Snorkel at Hanauma Bay.

Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona, USS Missouri, and USS Bowfin.

Punchbowl Cemetary...walk around the memorial and also walk to the very top, reading the plaques along the way, then for amazing views from the very top.

Dole Planation is cheezy, but a whip is great on a hot day and it is a nice quick stop on a pretty drive.

Attend a luau.

mms - is there any luau that you or anyone else recommends? I know that often they are not all created equal

Dusty - thank you!

Sf - I called Interval as recommended as you recommended - and sure enough they put us in the in a one bedroom! Much more room for us! Yippeeee!!!! thanks for the suggestion!

We stayed at Ko Olina in OCt 2006. I am expecting company any minute, will get you some info. We were there during the big earthquake!
Deb

Oh cool Debit - email me or post

Dawn--We stayed at the military resort so did the luau there. It was good, but that wouldn't be an option for you. Hopefully others will chime in with some help

I've never been to a luau, and never intend to go to one , but Pearl Harbor is a must if you haven't been.

Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) has the best Polynesian entertainment in Hawaii. In Laie, about an hour from Ko'Olina.

Paradise Cove, Germaine's & Fia Fia are in the vicinity of where you will be staying.

"We stayed at the military resort so did the luau there. It was good, but that wouldn't be an option for you."

The general public can go to Hale Koa Luau. But the public cannot make advanced reservations. Only military, dependents, DoD, etc. can make advanced reservations. Anyone else has to wait until the day before the luau to see if there are seats available.

SF - haha - we enjoyed it in Maui - Old Lahaina Lu'au - was pretty nice actually. I did not really enjoy the one at the Maui Marriott (years ago).

Dusty - thank you! We actually did not go to the PCC when we were in Oahu last time. Not sure why - but that sounds like a plan.

momdd, my husband and I are thinking about staying there in May 2010 (the trip with the tickets I got roundtrip from Atlanta to Honolulu for $234 plus tax). Because they will be painting the outside of that resort, we can get a room for $207 per night.

We've stayed next-door at the JW Marriott a few years ago and we really liked it. And my daughter and her new husband just got back yesterday from staying at the JW. They walked over to the Beach Club and said it looked incredible.

So I'm anxious to hear your trip report. Have fun planning!

dusty--True, I was just think from our time there since it was sold out ahead of time. But it was over spring break.

Samsaf - I will share Glad your dd said it looked good

As for hikes, we enjoyed the one to Manoa Falls. Here's a link with some pics & the locale:
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF-8&q=Manoa+falss&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&view=text&latlng=66801

we were at Ko Olina last year and it is fabulous altho were not at the beach club. Did not like their Luau, food was horrid. Dont miss the swap meet at the stadium...its just great. Love the place so you cant go wrong. Looking for tkts now from east coast and they are so expensive.

Olesouthernbelle - thank you! That is exactly what I am looking for.

itsmif - glad to hear that you enjoyed it - and we will pass on the Luau. I am going to look into the PCC - I do not want to over schedule - as that is the beauty of this trip... NO schedule for the most part but want all our options. We will do the Kayaking that was recommended as we both really enjoy that (esp. dh) -

Oh I meant to comment on the swap meet - we did do that the other time we were in Oahu - great place to get some goodies for the kids

We just returned from Ko Olina on 7/27/2009. The resort was very enjoyable. However the restaurants are limited and pricey. There was a 24 hour grocery store (Safeway) and a few restaurants (Outback and local eateries) within 3 miles of Ko Olina.

My wife and I ate at Roy's one night. It was good and set us back $125+.

We did do the Fia Fia Luau and Tuesday night and it was great! This is not to be confused with the luau at Paradise Cove. Fia Fia was at the Marriott Beach Club - there were about 100 people there and plenty of food and entertainment. This is highly recommended especially if you have kids.

We stayed in the new building that had the 3 tiered pool with waterfalls and a slide. The kids loved it.

For sight seeing, it is best to have a rental car. The resort is near Barbers Point and is about 45 minutes from anywhere. It will take about an hour to get to the north shore or to the windward side of the island. Study a AAA map closely before you journey there. The signs are limited and the locals refer to the roads by name and not by numbers.

Golf - if you sit through the Marriott Beach Club ownership sales briefing, one of the compensation choices is free golf at Ko Olina. Otherwise you will pay $150+ per round. There was a course on the windward side that advertised for a cheap round but this may be a far trek and the course would be crowded resulting in a 6 hour round. I didn't golf this time and we banked the 20,000 Marriott points instead.

Try the Makani Catamaran from Waikiki. We used the Go Oahu card for that (google go oahu) and that and other things were prepaid and saved us about 50%.

Finally, for shipping stuff back, Ko Olina has a post office where you can get those USPS boxes "if it fits, it ships" for $13.95 each. I filled three of them.

Have fun everyone.

Thanks Walkup!

So you got 20,000 marriott points for the timeshare presentation? That is pretty good. Worth more than 150.00...

Dh and I talked last night - we are going to pass on the PCC - we have both been to luau and would rather spend our $$ else where

We want to kayak...

Thank for you for the information about the grocery store. We will eat breakfast in and perhaps a dinner or two.

For a local spin on Honolulu food offerings and things to do, our very own MelissaHi's blog has great advice and listings. MelissaH's food recs are fantastic.

http://urbanmixplate.honadvblogs.com/

Drive to the North Shore. See Bonzai Pipeline; it is lovely out that way. Eat at the shrimp trucks. But - see the turtles!

I so wanted to see turtles on the beach. It took three passes over the course of the morning- but on the last pass it paid off!

http://www.turtles.org/laniakea.htm

I have some pics of us with them ; will post them.

Deb

http://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/DropBox

Deb

Thanks Iamq - that is awesome.

Deb - we stayed on the north shore when we went in a rented house - because of the time of the year we were there there were no turtles.. I did swim with the turtles on the north shore in Kauai. It was AMAZING. I felt like I was in Finding Nemo

Off to see your photos!

Looking at Melissa's blog made me remember a question...why do they put real beans at the bottom of shaved ice? We had shaved ice from Matsumoto's a few times and one time dh went with the beans at the bottom...and was not a fan. Just curious where that tradition came from?

I don't recall them having done that at Aoki's. Maybe he ordered "black bean shave ice"?

Thanks iamq!! Love yah!!

MomDDTravel, azuki beans are common in desserts in Asia, and Hawaii has a large Asian population. I am also not a fan of azuki beans in my shave ice, though. I prefer it plain or with ice cream.

Ahhhhh there you go Melissa Dh was not a fan and that man loves to eat! Love your blog!!

There is a really neat (rainforest type) drive you might want to do. I can't think of the name of it, but someone here will be able to tell you. The road goes up (way up) from the north (?) end of Punchbowl Cemetary. Some fantastic viewing points! I go to Oahu almost yearly, for a week in September. This drive was recommended to me by a fellow fodorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another lovely drive is to go up thru the mountain pass to Kailua, on the east shore. The road goes past Pali lookout, which is worth a stop. I think it is route 61. Kailua is a great beach, by the way. You might want to go there and spend a day with your beach chairs.

Definitely do a shrimp truck on the north shore! Yummy! Since you will have a car, do the drive around the island.

I know you will enjoy your trip. I have not stayed at Ko Olina, but I have been there to have a look. Lovely!

<<<Another lovely drive is to go up thru the mountain pass to Kailua, on the east shore. The road goes past Pali lookout, which is worth a stop. I think it is route 61. Kailua is a great beach, by the way. You might want to go there and spend a day with your beach chairs.>>>

Ditto. This is the way we drove from Ko Olina to Kailua for the kayak trip. It starts out not so nice and then it turns to spectacular!

Simpson thank you! We are going to do the Kayaking that SF recommended...

Is in 11-1 yet???

We will celebrate our 13 year wedding anniversary while there - (it is in early Oct but we cannot get away then) - so looking for a special place to do so. Been a HARD 2 years in so many ways and dh and I are SO looking forward to just he & I being away for 6 nights. Hard to imagine!

Melissa has a blog????

WHO KNEW?

Gaaaaah! hahaha

Kal, don't you ever forget that we are here to provide a service.

I think Carol (simpson) is referring to the drive up Tantalus. It is a nice drive- very rainforesty and great views of Honolulu and the ocean.
The lagoons at Ko Olina are very relaxing, especially if you are there on a weekday and with good weather. You may end up just lounging out there the whole time!

If not, and you want to do a mini GTG, let us know. Honolulu Fodorites are pretty friendly and like to eat, so we might be able to round up a few people!

Luckily, the Kapolei area near Ko Olina is becoming quite a normal town. Target, Safeway, restaurants, etc, so you won't have to go too far to reach civiilization from the resort.

You can rent kayaks in Kailua, and it's a great place to be on the ocean.

lcuy - I would love to do a gtg on one of the days that dh golfs Seriously!

You're on! Let us know when your schedule is firmed up!

Iamq- the temple in our neighborhood has it's Bon Dance this weekend. I'll be thinking of you and Marteen. Might even wear my hachimaki from the Bon dance that we all went to in your and Marteens honor!

Four Star service, billaaaaay.

I have to hold back from licking the monitor with some of the pix on Mel's blogticles.

MomDD
Lucy is right. The Honolulu fodorites are a really friendly group, indeed! Can't wait to see them once again in mid September!

Lucy... thanks for the name of that drive. Yes, it is Tantalus. And you were the person who had recommended it to us. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Carol

I will Lcuy!!! It is the first week in November for the record - closer I will nail down a few options. Awesome!

Good times on Oahu with Lu, Mels and mari808.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bill.quarre/BonDanceFun?feat=email#

Lcuy, with any luck, we'll be back on Oahu next summer for the Prince Lot Hula Festival and bon dancing! woohoo.

Those are awesome photos!! I love the ones with you with the head stuff on!

Those Honolulu fodorites sure do know how to show a couple yokels from the mainland a good time!

Yokels...yeah right - I imagine you could hang with the best

Great memories! I had forgotten that it rained that night...

91 days...but who is counting

OK, here's what's scary - it's only 91 days til November?? (I don't know where this summer has gone LOL)

We atayed at the Ko Olina several years ago. Since many people have weighed in on the most popular attractions (Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor,etc.), I will just mention a couple of other things we really enjoyed. We took a hike to a private waterfall followed by a five mile downhill bike ride (offered by Bike Hawaii).http://www.hawaiiactivities.com/us/hawaii/oahu/sg/1140/ag/6242/. Both were a lot of fun We loved our drives around the island, especially the trip to the North shore to see the turtles and Bonzai Pipeline. On one we stopped at the Dole Plantation; as others have said it was touristy, but where else will you ever be able to get a pineapple chili dog? We also took a day trip to Kauai to take a helicopter tour of the island. Expensive, but well worth it. We also took the train ride on Oahu, which was not terribly exciting, but fun. You won't run out of things to do!

bumper - thank you! The bike ride sounds great as do your other suggestions. We will pas on teh Dole Plantation as we went there on our last trip to Oahu.

Sf - I know! I was checking our seats on seat guru and could not believe when the delta site said "91 days to check in!" That would be 90 today I believe...but like I said, "who is counting?"

Well - things have shifted slightly and I need to find somethings to plan that are not directly out in the sun - I will wear sunscreen & protection but am wondering if there are any suggestions as to what to do that is not right outside?

Thanks in advance,
Dawn

Well, lucky for you there is shade in the pool area! Snag yourself a chaise and a tree, and you'll be golden!

SF - that is good to know. I think I will pack an umbrella to bring to the beach as well - a pain I know but worth it I hope!

Hi -
We were just there a few days ago. There is pretty good snorkeling in the lagoons in the Ko Olina resort area. We had the best sightings in #2 (to the right of the Mariott vaca club). Have fun.

Greetings again! About 28 days but who is counting?

I spoke with dh and he is going to golf on Tuesday, November 3 - so I wanted to see if anyone in Oahu was up for a lunch gtg? I will start a thread. I think Lcuy is away right now...

Only about 20 days to go! I made our reservations for Alan Wong's for our special anniversary dinner and am getting excited - so is dh!

MomDDT, Alan Wong's food is SO GOOD! Last time on Oahu, we ate both his food and Roy's, and I told DH that if I could only choose one, I'd go with Alan! I will be very anxious to read your trip report when you come back (YES! You must!), as I'm thinking of renting at Ko 'Olina next time, for part of our trip. And of course, you're not counting ...

I enjoyed the Doris Duke Shangri-La house tour if you still need an activity for when your husband is golfing. The tour leaves from the Honolulu Academy of Arts, which is very nice. They have a pretty outdoor restaurant (closed when I went, though) and a lovely gift shop.

http://www.honoluluacademy.org/cmshaa/academy/index.aspx?id=437

Hope you have a wonderful time! I'm leaving the Big Island tomorrow and I'm sad.

We are going in just over a week. I started getting "cold" feet because I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma after booking this and was a little frantic today thinking I should still change this around - but really cannot make it happen for the price we paid here (timeshare, miles for air travel) -

I have this planned so far:
Sunday: arrival
Monday: spa day for dh and I
Tuesday: golf for dh - gtg for myself
Wed: kayaking - dinner at Alan Wongs
Thursday: open
Friday: open
Sat: flight home

I really do not want to "book" anything else - just hoping that I can manage to stay out of the sun...

You will be fine if you: relax, refresh, and ENJOY!

Deb

Are you going to kayak with Kailua Sailboards? It was such a beatiful day - we had spectacular weather, calm seas, gorgeous beaches, loved everything about it! (We did the 4-hour tour with lunch)

Oh, even the drive from Ko Olina to Kailua is stunning, once you get onto the H3.

SF - Yes! I booked it already upon your suggest.

Mom, wait till you see the bikinied bodies on the tour guides (our's was Sheila)! You may never want to put on a bathing suit again!

I am sure dh will appreciate that

<<<I am sure dh will appreciate that >>>

Mine did! (There's a picture of her in the pix I sent you)

Really excited here! The Marriott called to confirm our week and to ask for any requests! Yes!

MomDD... ALOHA!!!

Have a rainbow lined, ginger scented, surf sprayed, sunset colored, hula enhanced, ukelele softened lovely time on O'ahu.

I'll top the all time fav why I love O'ahu thread in your honor... aloha honey!

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/why-i-love-oahu-too.cfm

awwhhhhhh thank you SO much... going to check out that thread!!

Okay... 2 more "sleeps" as I use to tell my kids when they were little......

VERY excited...

Sunscreen packed - instructions typed up for Mom & Stepdad to care for dd... oh boy - I feel the warm wind calling our name!

Just wanted to wish you a wonderful Aloha to you and your husband & kids for a much need vacation..
Have a great time and report back..
Mahalo

Have a fabulous trip!

MomDD, have a really GREAT trip! Be thinking of you ...

Have a great trip!!!!!!!

kona

Thanks everyone Very excited... Ksucat we are going sans kiddos All the better for this trip.

Dawn, have a WONDERFUL trip! Take notes for me, because we hope to be there in May of next year. And take lots of pictures, please!

{{{{{Samsaf}}}} I am counting on you being there