Turtle Bay Resort

The North Shore of Oahu is a must visit. And, there is really only one primo hotel in the whole area, the Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay. Its location is spectacular, can't ask for better. It has built out the whole family resort experiences: golf, horses, surfing, hiking, biking, a beach! But it is a 5 star wannabe built on the concrete bones of an aging 4 star resort. For example, we also stayed at the Halekulani in Waikiki and the 4 Seasons at Ko Olina near Honolulu. Now, those are luxe 5 star! Turtle Bay did redo its entire lobby area, and some will consider it spectacular, and some will consider it huge and coldly airport-like. Turtle Bay charges 5 star rates and it can get them. The rooms are still a bit cement rectanglish and the furniture in our ocean view room needed upgrading. Some items, like the waste baskets, you wouldn't pay a dollar for at a garage sale. The baseboards were battered, and the wall paint betrayed dirty hand prints when the light was a certain way. Our pillow cases were worn, the sheets looked old. The view is great. The dining is okay, but not going to be wow, though the pool bar food was first rate. And the biggest problem, which may or may not effect all seasons and visits, is that the north shore is damn windy and when it is windy, it is suboptimal. So go and enjoy, but if you are a seasoned 5 star traveler, lower your expectations.

We stayed for nearly a week at this property in April and left disappointed, particularly given the expectations associated with the Ritz-Carlton brand. To start with the positives, the location itself is undeniably beautiful, the most visually impressive beach resort location I have ever seen. In addition, the common areas offer plenty of comfortable seating with views of the beach, lush hills, and mountains. The golf course was also a plus. The food there was good, and the staff, including the servers, pro shop employees, starters, and managers, were consistently friendly, welcoming, and professional. Ironically, a beer and a cheeseburger in the clubhouse ended up being the best service experience of our stay here. My understanding is that this is completely separately managed, so perhaps this accounts for the differing experiences between the golf course and the hotel proper. Unfortunately, the hospitality and operational execution throughout the main resort were far below what should reasonably be expected at a property with rack rates starting at well over $1,000 per night. Dining across the resort was disappointing overall. Menus were very limited and repetitive between venues, which became even more noticeable because there are very few nearby alternatives without a car. Service often felt disengaged or indifferent. One evening, I approached the lobby bar around 10:20 p.m. and was told they were already closed despite the posted closing time being 10:30. When I politely pointed this out, the response of “we’re closed” became noticeably more curt. On another evening at the same bar, the lighting was dimmed extremely low around 10:15 p.m. in what appeared to be an attempt to encourage guests to leave early. When people remained seated, the lights were later turned very bright. It created a strangely unwelcoming atmosphere for a luxury resort, especially given the lack of alternative evening options nearby. Dinner service at the main restaurant was another low point. Courses arrived out of sequence, soup was served barely warm, entrées arrived before appetizers were finished, and our waiter disappeared for long stretches. Eventually, we gave up, left much of the meal unfinished, paid, and left. For a dinner costing several hundred dollars, the experience was surprisingly poor. There were also billing and operational issues that significantly damaged confidence in the property. At checkout, multiple parking charges appeared on the bill despite us not having a car at any point during the stay. Rather than apologizing or proactively helping resolve the issue, the response from the front desk was dismissive, and we ultimately had to review the charges line by line ourselves to ensure they were removed. Even more concerning, weeks after checkout, an additional charge of close to seven hundred dollars appeared on my credit card without notice, explanation, or an updated itemized bill being sent. At the time of writing this review, there has still been no clear explanation provided. The spa treatments themselves were excellent, but even there, parts of the facility showed visible wear inconsistent with a luxury resort, including worn furniture and damaged surfaces. Guest rooms also showed signs of deferred maintenance and lacked some of the attention to detail one would expect at this price point. What stood out most throughout the stay was the disconnect between the beauty of the property and the quality of the hospitality being delivered. While there were a small handful of genuinely warm and professional employees, much of the staff across the resort appeared disengaged, indifferent, or at times openly annoyed by guests. Based on conversations overheard from other guests during the stay, as well as the number of reviews online describing similar experiences, these issues do not appear isolated. Ultimately, while the property itself has tremendous potential and a beautiful setting, the service, food, operational execution, and billing issues fell far short of what should reasonably be expected from a Ritz-Carlton property at this price point.

This is an amazing hotel/resort on Kauai’s fabled North/West shore. We stayed here years ago (before a massive remodel) and it looks fantastic. We came back yesterday for lunch and drinks. It was as upscale and beautiful as ever. Our lunch server/bartender, Anya, was delightful. The shrimp was incredible as was the burger and salads. The outside pool bar (Sunset) was awesome. Lots of shops inside to buy local. You are on a fairly remote party of the island so come and just stay at the resort or go to close by local beaches, although the one here is great! Overall, just amazing. VictorB

We were here for special occasions and as soon as we arrived they acknowledged that. We received a complimentary bottle of fizz in our room such a lovely touch Having read previous reviews the only negative point but I feel it is more an observation is that the adult pool area is near the childrens pool so quite noisy. Also the resort is expensive ++ However this is is insignificant as the staff the resort and everything about the place is in our opinion amazing

I am so sad that I made decision to stay here . Truly, Hotel’s lobby is very nice. Open concept with beautiful bar and very specious , however it DOES not look of feel like Ritz Carlton. It truly feels like Westin hotel in Florida close to Orlando,FL. My biggest issue was staff and their lack of basic hospitality. Only doormen and front desk were very polite ,nice and attentive . They were the only ones that even acknowledged me during the stay . Pool staff are so disengaged and seem bothered to assist . Forget about setting up your pool chairs Adult pool is right next to children slide!!! OMG - why is even called adult pool ? So disturbing . There was some security involvement as outside non registered guest was identified and asked to leave. However it was not handled quietly - the entire pool heard conversation between guest in question and security officers. Security did their job , but they acted so stern and police like that was disturbing. I was so uncomfortable along few others and we left the area and chose not to return. Great logo gift shop. Lots of RC merchandise Rooms are basic . I