Turtle Bay Resort (DNU)

Gorgeous hotel in a gorgeous location. My room (ocean view king room) was beautiful and spacious and up-to-date. Large bathroom area with stand-up shower and toilet in a room with a door and an "anteroom" dressing area with large closet and sink. It wasn't super crowded this time of year (though the weather wasn't great either, so...). My only complaint is expense-related, which is probably odd when one is staying at a Ritz-Carlton. But it was frustrating that many resort activities were not included in the resort fee. Room coffee maker (Lavazza) is not great - six pushes of the button to get a half-full mug of lukewarm coffee, so I had to purchase coffee from the coffee shop each day. I had a rental car which was nice for seeing things in the area (North Shore surfers!) and getting groceries. Kawela Bay is gorgeous, especially early in the morning. Every employee was wonderful, helpful, and friendly.

Gorgeous views from the rooms and lobby area which is adequately designed to be a common space/hang out area. Various dining options, with ok food. Staff is overall very friendly. Exercise classes are great and the activities are well thought out, especially for kids. Horseback riding is a plus. Pool gets a little crowded.

I heard someone at the pool refer to this hotel as a “4 Star Ritz” and that feels about right. The grounds are beautiful, but it is probably too big for a typical Ritz Carlton level of service. The concierge hours are limited, no turn down service, limited room service, insufficient space at the pool/beach (saw one person reserve 12 pool chairs for themselves at 7AM like this was a cheap Caribbean all-inclusive). The activities are ok, but many have to be paid for and there are VERY minimal options for offsite dining and almost no indoor activities to speak of - the rainy day set-up for kids was a few boardgames and a Wii thrown in a conference room. Staff was great, room was cleaned daily and most needs accommodated. The on-site surf school was terrific, highly recommend! Overall, ok stay but not RC standard and prices felt high relative to the offering (albeit at peak time and compared to other luxury options).

What an amazing hotel! Such a stunning property!All rooms have an amazing view as the hotel is situated right on the point, surrounded by ocean on both sides. Every room has a great view, backed by the calming and gentle roar of the North Shore waves. The Ritz has a front row seat to one of nature’s most majestic sites! Loved the bars, restaurants, shopping and all staff from every aspect did a stellar job pampering us! Our 10 yr old grandsons loved the private surfing lessons and Surf with a Pup! This hotel is definitely worth the beautiful drive and they do a marvelous job of capturing the spirit of the Hawaiian and North Shore culture.

The only 5 star elements of this property are the lobby and the grounds. This is no more than a basic Marriott. The rooms are gritty - especially the bathrooms. There is no turndown service- and used towels are left in the room (for days..). The service is incredibly spotty. We had an excellent waiter in the lobby bar- but it took 2 hours to get our meal at Alaina, which included a server dumping a water glass that had rice fall into it into the bushes, then setting it back on the table and refilling it. The shining elements of the property are the lobby area, shops and coffee bar which are great spaces to gather and the incredible walking trails that surround the property. The tennis/ pickleball courts are also wonderful with top quality rental gear. Having stayed at dozens of Ritz Carlton properties around the world- this hotel has some of the worst rooms ever experienced (on par with the rooms at the Ritz Philadelphia:().