What does everyone think of the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu? Is it nice? Does it rain a lot there? Planning Sept/2000 honeymoon for 8 nights and considering staying there since it is out of the way a little bit. Is it worth seeing 2 islands during that stay or do you pretty much waste a day switching islands? All opinions are welcome..Thanks..

Phil - We just came home from Oahu, didn't stay at Turtle Bay tho but we do go there every trip just for the horseback riding. We stayed there years ago, was nice then, but it is an older hotel. I understand the rooms have been updated tho. Beautiful location. Not much to do out that way though so you may want to rent a car to get around. Visit the near-by little town of Haliewa - I think I spelled that wrong! If you only have 8 days, I'd say just visit one island. There is more to Oahu for a real Hawaiian experience than just Waikiki and Honolulu so don't be dismayed by the "big city" touristy atmosphere.

Phil: The Turtle Bay is definitely fraying around the edges, but it is in a spectacular location. Rain is not an issue, as that portion of the North shore plain does not trap moisture, but it can be windy. For a more upscale, out-of-Waikiki Oahu experience, I'd recommend the Ihilani: http://www.ihilani.com/ Or, if you want to stay closer to town, try the Kahala Mandarin, rent a car, and get to the North Shore.

Cheryl: Nice to hear that visitors to Oahu (our lovely island home) occasionally roam beyond Waikiki. Even so, for a large resort area, Waikiki compares favorably to Nice and the Cote D'Azur. Now, there's some crowded tourist destinations!

I like to refer visitors to the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Center site at http://www.gohawaii.com/hokeo/
as a basic starting point for Hawaii info. And as to your last question, Phil, it is quite doable, and highly recommended, to visit two islands in eight days. As to which two, that depends on you. We enjoy all our outer island trips, as each island has its own beauty. Inter-island flights are 30-45 minutes at most. There is a commute to the airport (20 min. from Waikiki), a one hour check in, and then the commute to your next hotel destination. With eight days, it is an excellent idea to visit two islands. I'm sure you'll get many more opinions here, i.e., Maui's best, Kauai's best, etc., etc.... Have fun deciding, and do surf the web when considering resorts. All the major hotels are on-line now. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and best wishes.

-k

Hi Phil, I'd suggest one island and make it Maui or Kauai. We've been to Hawaii 8 times and tried Oahu twice. About 6 years ago we stayed at the Turtle Bay resort and we were disappointed. It is a bit worn around the edges but some of the sights on the North Shore are spectacular. Although September is a bit early for the BIG waves (Banzai Pipeline ) is just down the road.

Aloha

Phil, one other thing, the north shores of all the islands are the windward side and all are unique in their own way.