Hilton Turtle Bay - Oahu's best place to laze and play!
Written: Nov 28 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Isolated; beautiful oceanfront location; championship golf course; step aerobic classes; spa; lots of other fun activities
Cons: Isolated; few dining options
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| caurieanne's Full Review: Turtle Bay Resort |
The island of Oahu is probably best known for Honolulu – Hawaii’s most bustling and exciting city. However, if you drive an hour north out of the big city and follow Oahu’s coastline past quaint villages and lush Dole pineapple fields, you will find a hidden treasure: the Hilton Turtle Bay.
The Hilton Turtle Bay is located on the tip of Kuilima Point on Oahu’s North Shore. This area is well known for its big waves that draw bevies of surfers each day, but if you are in search of true lodging luxury, this resort overlooking the banks of the Pacific is definitely for you!
My fiancé and I stayed at the Turtle Bay last October when we were in Hawaii for the American Dental Association’s National Convention. It was our first trip to Hawaii and the convention itself was held in Honolulu. We liked the hustle, bustle, shopping, and sights of Honolulu, but we were anxious to leave after five days and head to the North Shore.
The North Shore is the complete antithesis of downtown Honolulu—it is quiet, remote, and inhabited mostly by pineapples and surfers. We enjoyed our hour drive from busy Honolulu to beautiful Kuilima Point and felt like we were in heaven when we pulled into the Hilton Turtle Bay.
Our time spent at this resort was truly wonderful. The staff was very friendly, the unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean was breath taking, the rooms were large and plush, and the hotel offered many great things to do. For example, there is a 27-acre championship golf course called The Links at Kuilima. My fiancé felt very spoiled playing there and was impressed that the sand traps (which he got to know real well :)) were made with imported sand from Australia. While he played golf, I had my first massage ever at the hotel’s spa, which was unbelievable. Just when I thought my vacation couldn’t get any more relaxing, the massage swept me away.
Other things we did while at the hotel were: play tennis; snorkel (snorkel gear is available to rent at the hotel’s beach); work out in the health club; watch the surfers from our balcony; swim in the pools; and take pictures of the beautiful parrots in the lobby. One thing I thought was a great bonus at the Turtle Bay was that they offered step aerobic classes every morning!!! As any step addict like myself knows, being able to do step while on vacation (especially in your hotel) is a rarity. Be sure to ask the front desk for times and location because it is not advertised well.
There is also a gorgeous open-air chapel on the grounds of the hotel and we voyeuristically watched a few weddings from our balcony. It seems like a popular place to get married and honeymoon, but there was a big mix of vacationers there, including families.
While I would enthusiastically recommend the Turtle Bay to anyone visiting the North Shore who wants luxury, you should understand before hand that it is very isolated compared to any hotel you might stay at in Honolulu. It is actually the only hotel on the North Shore and the closest restaurants are about 20 minutes away. The concierge made some very good recommendations and helped with directions. For the most part, though, you will probably feel too lazy to leave the hotel, and end up eating there most of the time. The hotel food was nothing special and I wish there had been more restaurants at the hotel to choose from.
One last note, the Hilton Turtle Bay will be undergoing major renovations from November 20, 2000 to July 31, 2001. Although it will be open, you may want to ask about possible noise, etc. (perhaps you can get a discounted rate?) I’m not sure why they are renovating, in my opinion it is already gorgeous and the only thing it could use are some more dining options.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
caurieanne
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Location: Upstate New York
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
I am a native upstate New Yorker and freelance writer who currently lives in Rochester.
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