Turtle Bay Resort, North Shore, O ‘ahu | a travelhappy review
Last weekend we did a "staycation" on the North Shore of O'ahu, at the Turtle Bay Resort. Our friends were getting married at nearby Sunset Ranch, so it was the perfect opportunity to check out the hotel and relax.
Check-in time is at 3pm, but the hotel operator informed me that rooms start becoming available around noon if you arrive earlier. Baby J and I arrived shortly after 3pm on a Thursday, and there was only one other person in line to check in. The front desk clerk was friendly and efficient, and explained that if we wanted to forgo housekeeping until the third day, we could get one free breakfast buffet with one paid adult. They also had a "kids eat free" promotion going on.
We paid a special kama'aina (Hawai'i resident) rate of $247 per night, plus taxes. Turtle Bay also charges a "resort fee" of $40 per night for an effective rate of $287/night plus taxes. The Turtle Bay resort fee covers self-parking in an open lot and wi-fi (which really should be standard and free at any reputable hotel in 2017). Valet costs $20 more per day.
The hotel is situated on a point, so all rooms seem to have an ocean view of some kind. There are beautiful ocean views on both sides of the hallway leading to the rooms.
Like the rest of the hotel, our room was pleasantly decorated in hues of blue and brown. We had a standard king room that was big enough for our travel crib. The hotel also has standard cribs available from housekeeping upon request.
Our room (302) had a balcony that looked out onto the pool deck and ocean.
The balcony doors are wooden faux-shutter sliding doors (closed here for better lighting for the photo). I prefer blackout curtains, as there was no way to block out the light on the middle two sliding doors (the false shutters are stuck in an open position), making daytime naps a little more difficult.
The room had a nice-sized dresser, a standard flatscreen tv, and a small table that could be used as a desk. Puzzlingly, the table had no outlets nearby, so my husband had to move his laptop to the bed area in order to do work, as there are outlets on each of the bedside table lamps.
The room came with a Keurig machine and tea, and a mini refrigerator (a must for family vacations).
Turtle Bay has chosen to offer reusable water bottles for purchase ($5) instead of providing bottled water. While this is a more "eco-friendly" option, it would have been nicer if they had just included one of the bottles in the $40 resort charge. Most of the hotels we've stayed in recently include bottled water for free or include daily water in the resort charge. I wasn't about to pay $5 for a water bottle that would end up as more clutter in my kitchen, so I ended up just purchasing large bottles of water from the sundries store downstairs.
The step-in shower was nice and big. It came with a retractable clothesline, which is great for drying off swimsuits after going to the beach or pool. My only complaint about the shower was that the glass enclosure was a little too small, letting water splash out and allowing heat to escape during a shower.
I really liked that the room had two sinks: one inside the toilet/shower area and one outside by the closet/Keurig setup.
I've become a germaphobe since giving birth, so I am not a big fan of the towels-above-the-toilet setup. Every time a toilet is flushed, microscopic particles of toilet water are released into the air. The best way to minimize this is to close the toilet seat before flushing. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting that it wasn't a soft-close toilet like I have at home, so there was a loud clatter every time I would close the toilet lid.
Shampoos and soaps were branded with the name of the spa downstairs. Towels could use replacing, as they were a bit thin, and there are few things worse than a sad, worn towel.
Overall:
3.5/5 stars
Rooms are pleasant and clean, but don't expect luxury. If you're looking for more lavish accommodations and have a larger party, the hotel's Ocean Villas next door to the resort offer a more luxurious and private option.