Turtle Bay Resort (DNU)

We arrived at the resort just after sunset. From the moment we arrived, the service was over-the-top friendly and warm. We were checked in quickly and shown to our room which overlooked the pools and ocean. The view was spectacular! In fact, I don't think there's a room in this hotel without a view from what I could tell. You either face the property's beach on one side, or the pools and ocean on the other side of the resort. Either view is fantastic, but I noticed the rooms facing the front of the resort and pools had much larger balconies with comfortable lounging furniture. While the balconies were smaller on the other side of the hotel, the views would still be incredible. I don't think you could go wrong with either selection. The Room: The room was large, but not excessively so. We didn't have any sort of upgraded or premium room as far as I know. There was a comfortable bed, large TV with the ability to link your personal streaming services (Prime, Netflix, YouTube) and a small table for two. They also included an espresso machine that we used daily. It made terrific coffee. The bathroom area layout appears to be have been retrofitted to a previous design but it still functioned well. You walked into a large closet area that had a sink/vanity and plenty of storage space for your things. There were some nice touches like a professional (and very expensive) hair dryer available for use while you stay. They also had not only an iron and ironing board for your clothes, but a very good quality garment steamer to get the wrinkles out of your aloha shirts. The bath products were of good quality and robes/slippers were provided for two. The shower was a bit of a miss for me personally. It was large and nicely tiled but was otherwise just an ordinary shower with a standard showerhead. I would have really liked to see a shower wand and/or a rainfall showerhead. The shower also had the modern style half-glass partition that meant water frequently splashed all over outside of the shower and on to the floor. Not a massive deal, but for a 5 star property, I found it underwhelming and something that could easily be upgraded with little expense or difficulty. It seemed like an odd choice that they didn't put much thought into. There wasn't even a raised ledge for shaving legs or anything. Maybe they could add small teak benches to help with this aspect? The Resort: The resort was spectacularly beautiful and very well maintained. You could walk around the grounds for hours and still not have explored it entirely. The pools never felt over-crowded, even at peak times and the pool staff was incredibly friendly and helpful (Shout out to McKenna! She was awesome!). Included with the resort fee were towels, beach chairs/umbrellas if you want to visit the beach-side of the property and other activities like spin classes and yoga. You could also get bicycles, play tennis or pickle ball. It was truly a destination property and you could spend your entire trip on-site and never feel the need to leave. There were also horse stables at the far side of the property, about 1/2 mile walk from the main hotel. We did not go horseback riding (fee activity) but we did walk over and meet the horses. It was a really great experience; all of the employees were incredibly kind and they allowed us to approach and pet several of the horses. It would be a real treat if you have kids traveling with you. Food: There were restaurants on site and the food was generally very good. Be prepared to pay resort prices but there are great options if you're hungry. The Roy Yamaguchi restaurant was great and their prices were actually slightly lower than what you could order poolside. If you want to get lunch, I'd recommend visiting Roy's on the beach side of the resort. Additionally there was an on-site coffee shop and convenience/gift shop. In the giftshop were grab-and-go food options that were actually pretty good and priced well. You could get a very high quality fresh sushi roll for around $10 from there as well as other snack and food items. It's a great option if you want something quick and inexpensive while you're on property. Nearby: There's not a lot close by, but if you make a left out of the resort on Kamehameha Highway, you will run into a village of food trucks and a few small restaurants that are great to grab lunch at if you feel like leaving the property. "Da Bald Guy" and "Seven Brothers" were both exceptional quality and value. I would definitely recommend checking them out if you leave the property. If you head out to the right on Kamehameha Highway, you can visit places like Ted's Bakery and there's a Foodland grocery store not too far away. They are famous for having great quality Poké at a reasonable price. If you continue down Kamehameha Highway, you will run into Haliewa which has some great restaurants and shops. The famous Matsumoto Shave Ice is located there, just beware you will be waiting in line when you go. Final thoughts: With the exception of being a little let down by the room's shower, this resort was truly great. My wife and I have been to many places around the world and this one stands out as an exceptional experience. The price is high, but so is the experience. If you are looking for a honeymoon destination or a place to spend a milestone wedding anniversary, this is absolutely a place you should consider. My only real disappointment is that I didn't see even one turtle! Isn't this place turtle bay!? 🐢🐢🐢

We booked a 3-night, 4-day stay at The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay expecting the exceptional service, attention to detail, and memorable experience that comes with the Ritz-Carlton name. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of those expectations. When we booked our stay, the photos shown with our reservation clearly featured a room with a bathtub. When we arrived, our room did not have one. I brought this to the attention of management, only to be told that not all rooms have bathtubs. I understand that not every room may have a bathtub, but when the booking photos prominently show one, this is misleading and should be clearly disclosed during the reservation process. Then, on the day of our arrival, we discovered that our room had no hot water and had to take a cold shower. We contacted management and were told that maintenance would come to investigate. We then spent approximately an hour and a half waiting for maintenance to arrive. When maintenance finally came, they agreed there was a problem and explained that they needed to open the valve and replace a part. We waited another 30 minutes, only to still have no warm water. We ultimately had to pack up all of our belongings and move to another room. I completely understand that unexpected maintenance issues can happen. What I find most disappointing is how the situation was handled afterward. We paid a premium price for a 3-night stay expecting a special and relaxing experience. Instead, a significant portion of our arrival was spent dealing with room issues, waiting for maintenance, and ultimately packing and moving to another room. After all of this, the only response we received was an apology. There was no discount, compensation, or meaningful gesture to acknowledge the considerable inconvenience and disruption to our stay. For a hotel charging Ritz-Carlton prices, I expected much more. Mistakes and maintenance problems can happen at any property, but what truly defines a luxury hotel is how it takes care of its guests when things go wrong. Unfortunately, we did not feel valued or taken care of. This was supposed to be a magical Hawaiian experience and a special stay, but instead, we left feeling frustrated and disappointed. The lack of meaningful guest recovery was, in my opinion, particularly unprofessional and completely inconsistent with the level of service I expected from the Ritz-Carlton brand. I sincerely hope management reviews how this situation was handled and considers how to better support and compensate guests when their stay is significantly disrupted. We paid for a luxury experience, and unfortunately, that is not what we received.

It was nice but definitely not worth the money. At $2000/night I expect a large room with all the amenities. This was a 4 star at best and not even close to the Weston I spent 4 wonderful nights on the Big Island. The room was small, clean, and just ok. The property was great but again not worth the price.

Had a great family visit to this Ritz. Service at every level was outstanding and it’s a beautiful property. I’ll specifically mention Patrick at the adult pool. Wow, you won’t find a happier person and that comes through in his service. We ate at Roys and Alaia and both were good. We also visited the spa which was nice, but there are no water features, but still a positive experience and service. My only con is: I purchased a cabana at the adult pool. The cabana was nice but for the price it comes with nothing except a minimum spend. Even a platter of food would have made me feel better about this experience. Overall we had a great time.

This hotel is beautiful. The interior is breathtaking with its open views. Great pool selections for kids vs adults, nice room, lovelier bathroom and good restaurants. The people who work here are super nice and it is a high level of customer service with anything you need. Our only surprise was that charge to use beach chairs and snorkels. We thought that would be included for the premium price of the resort, but certainly didn’t ruin our time. Highly recommend if you want to level up your experience!