And Away… Turtle Bay Resort Oahu Family Travel

Our trip to Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu.

Turtle Bay Resort Oahu Family Travel: Review

I tend to research EVERYTHING when planning a trip, looking for hotels, resorts and reviews especially geared towards kids and family travel. Turtle Bay Resort was absolutely perfect for families and we loved our time there.

We flew into Honolulu airport and rented a car, the drive from Honolulu to the North Shore is about an hour. We arrived at night and and it was dark so we weren’t able to see the ocean and mountains as we drove up but waking up the next morning was was one of the best moments of my life. It was so unbelievably beautiful!

I wrote some more of our Oahu, Hawaii trip here…

Turtle Bay Resort Oahu Family Travel: The Resort

The resort was beautiful and had just gone through a major renovation. Every space felt fresh and calming. The lobby had beautiful little nooks to sit in and over look the ocean and the sound of ocean waves surrounds you. It may look a little familiar, Turtle Bay Resort has been used as a filming location in more than 150 movies and tv shows!

The resort had everything we needed and although we made daily excursions around the island, we could have happily stayed here the entire time. We spent most of our time in the children’s pool, they have two waterslides and Hugo must have ridden them approx. 1 million times. The shoreline is made up of sandy beaches and they have a private ocean swimming area surrounded by rocks.

The staff was top notch and so warm and wonderful with children. The lobby had a treasure chest for kids and we had to stop every day. There were daily activities at the resort as well as surfing school and golf. One day we met the group sales manager by the pool, he was meeting his wife and baby for lunch. We chatted for a good while and when we returned to our room later, he had sent up a hand written note with birthday cupcake and cookies for Hugo.

Our room had a large balcony overlooking the point and we would sit and watch the surfers for hours. It was mesmerizing and relaxing to watch them and hear the crazy loud ocean waves. The rooms had large closets, a clothing steamer (glory!) and were very luxurious. Each person receives a refillable water bottle and filtered water stations are throughout the resort. I love when hotels offer this!

The spa was under renovation during our visit but I was able to book the last massage slot. They had done some clever rearranging and the treatment rooms were on the first floor of guest rooms. It was a little goofy, but the staff was very professional and helpful and it was a great massage! All renovations are now finished and the new spa looks beautiful.

Turtle Bay Resort Oahu Family Travel: The Food

The food was all fresh and delicious. The property has several restaurants, a coffee shop, a mini grocery story and room service available. In the mornings we alternated between the hotel breakfast buffet and ordering gluten free pancakes up to our room.

Gluten free items were easy to find here! We ate tons of fresh fruit, papaya for me! I also loved that the restaurants and menus included traditional Hawaiian foods, we loved trying them all.

Booking through Hopper:

In the spirit of full-disclosure, there was a flaw in our booking reservation. I originally reserved an Ocean Bungalow with club access on the Hopper app. You know I love Hopper and use it almost exclusively for hotel bookings. When we arrived at the hotel, we found out that Hopper hadn’t been authorized to sell that room.

The hotel staff were amazing and held a bungalow for us, but before we could check in, Hopper had to agree to pay the difference. I had booked what I thought was an incredible deal several months before and Hopper was not about to shell out for the premium room. We stayed the first night in a regular room at the resort and I duked it out with Hopper for 24 hours. In the end, Hopper refunded us over half of the cost of our reservation because of the mix up, the Hotel moved us to a gorgeous ocean balcony room at the resort (no bungalow) and we enjoyed the rest of our vacation. I remain a loyal Hopper fan, but will call ahead the next time I book a premium room.