Turtle Bay Resort (DNU)

Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay Review. Just wrapped a four night stay. Loved the location on the North Shore and the Jamie O’brian surf school. Everything else was meh to bad and not worth the price. The only thing that saved the trip was staying in a bungalow so we had access to the private bungalow pool and staffing. Do not even bother with the main pool, too crowded and some child’s puke was left on the deck for 20 minutes and no one cleaned it up. It was also insanely rowdy (I have three kids, so I have a pretty high threshold for loud pools, noise, etc) Food was blah and expensive. We quickly realized eating on property was not an option. It was probably a blessing as we had some great meals at local places. Main beach was crowded and the hotel did nothing to keep non-hotel patrons off the beach chairs. We booked the Kawela Bay beach experience through the hotel one day and it was 100% worth it. If I would have known earlier, I would have spent the $300 each day and just done that. (On the flip side, you can just walk the mile to this beach from the hotel yourself, but the golf cart ride, chairs, umbrellas, and snacks were great with the kids). The bench outside our room crumbled when my husband sat on it (he is not a small guy, but at 185 lbs, 6’2”, he isn’t huge either). They did nothing to clean it up during our entire stay. Room was not cleaned other than making beds and providing additional towels. I could tell because there were my little bits of hair in the shower daily from the day before and the sand tromped in by my toddler. At one point, I had to leave our dirty towels outside our door so they would take them. We moved from this hotel to Rosewood Kona Village. The difference was night and day. You could say, sure, it was a Rosewood, but the price difference per night between the Ritz bungalow and a room at the Rosewood was not that far off. So unless you have a great desire to be on the north shore of Oahu, which was very fun and cute, skip the Ritz. If you go, book a bungalow, rent a car to eat in town, go to the Kawela Bay beach, and lower your expectations. I mean, it’s Hawaii, we still had a wonderful time, I just felt ripped off.

We stayed at Turtle Bay about two weeks ago and had the best experience! The resort was packed with people, and the pool crowded of course. During our stay we had the pleasure of being served by TWO extraordinary servers and I feel the need to give them recognition in hopes that the Ritz Carlton will do the same. At the pool Puaena (not sure I’m spelling that correctly) was so busy taking and filling drink/food orders, however, she spent time with each guest and was funny and efficient. Her professional and positive attitude was memorable, and we were fortunate enough to have her again at the lobby bar our last night. She made us feel special with her humor and professionalism. We also felt lucky to have Kalena (not sure I’m getting that exactly right either!) as our server in the lobby bar one night. She provided amazing customer service and spent time with us discussing wine and just talking when she had the time. These two servers made our stay better by representing the Ritz Carlton perfectly with a human touch. I would recommend Turtle Bay for the beauty of the property but also for the service we received.

Everything youd expect from a ritz. Beautiful property, excellent food, excellent service, plenty to do. Good for familes or couples. Only nit is that there are few good restaurants close to property, recommend renting a car if staying more than a couple nights

Amazing staff and Alfonso from concierge is amazing.. This property went under a renovation in 203-2024. It was was super busy when we went..but the concierge made all the difference.. Alfonso Arcolas went above and beyond to ensure we got all our activities in from the photo shoot to dining reservations and even taking us on the golf court… Thank you for making our anniversary and stay so special

Turtle bay is truly one of the most picturesque beautiful places I have ever been! We started coming to Turtle bay about 10 years ago and it was love at first sight. The resort has certainly gone through several renovations over the years with a huge one in 2020. It's definitely a splurge to visit now but being that it is part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection we were able to use our points this time (a great way to spend the 5th night free)! We were excited to see what kinds of changes took place as it had become a Ritz-Carlton since our last stay 2 years ago. We've stayed at least 6 times over the years. My husband is a lifetime titanium member and had used a Suite upgrade award which was denied a couple days before arriving. He was a little put off because he could see that they had plenty of suites, and upgraded rooms available to book (even on points) right through their website. He messaged the hotel and they told him we'd get a high floor and a better view. I was happy as long as we had a Lanai. (Definitely book the rooms that have a Lanai- not a balcony) Literally 95% of the rooms in this hotel have an ocean view. The room we ended up getting was on the highest floor and was ocean front. Anyhow when we got to the hotel after a long day of travel from Texas, we were greeted by the lovely Cherae at the check in desk. She was warm and welcoming and made us feel like we were coming home. We asked her about the changes with Ritz and how she felt as an employee and as we were chatting my husband told her "Can I just shoot you straight?" and went on to tell her how it felt to be denied the upgrade even though he could see availability. This was using a certificate he had earned, not just a status upgrade. She told us how bad she felt and said that she wanted to do something to make it up to us. She went above and beyond to make us feel like royalty. She was one of the most genuine people, and made us feel like family. She even gave us a hug when she placed our welcome leis on us. We had access to the club throughout our stay and this absolutely made the trip! We got to enjoy breakfast in a quiet lounge with delicious food, gorgeous views every morning. They had snacks throughout the day and appetizers and dessert in the evening. The people who work in the lounge were among the most hospitable there. They knew our names every time we walked in and greeted us with sincere smiles and visited with us. Even the valet attendant was so friendly and chatty with us when we arrived and departed. The spirit of Aloha is strong at this resort, something you won't find in any other part of the island. It was my birthday during my stay (something my husband had mentioned before we arrived) and our room was graced with a beautiful balloon bouquet. We splurged and had a couples massage on my birthday in a garden room which allowed us to hear the beautiful sound of waves crashing. It was pricey and definitely a splurge but so good! We'll definitely be back (when we've saved up more Bonvoy points to stay 5 nights) and it's great to know that the spirit of Aloha is still strong even with their transition to Marriott brands.