Ritz-Carlton O'ahu Turtle Bay Review

Quick trip report on the Turtle Bay Resort, which recently joined the portfolio as The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu this past summer. My stay is from Sep 2024. For anyone thinking about a more typical “Hawaii” experience without leaving O’ahu, I can’t recommend this property enough.

Full disclosure, I am a STARS travel advisor but I paid for the stay with cash and was on a regular STARS rate for my 4-night stay.

Upgrade: No elite status, upgraded from the low floor base resort room to Ocean View Lanai

Welcome amenity: Received a nice bottle of prosecco, a brownie cake and a loaf of really good banana bread

Property / rooms: The property is stunning, especially the lobby and common spaces. The resort was recently renovated during covid but reno was done before the transition to a Ritz. The rooms do feel a little underwhelming because of this reason and I think this was the weakest part of my stay (although the bungalows are incredible). Our room faced the resort pool and had a large balcony but we didn’t find it loud at all. The pool area is great too, my only complaint is that the adults only pool is on the smaller side and loungers can fill up by mid/late morning.

Breakfast: You have the option to do either a la carte or buffet at the Alaia restaurant. We had a daily $110 breakfast credit to spend for 2 people as part of our booking perks. Definitely order a la carte, food items were much better than the buffet, and get the crab benedict. There are also off property options close by like Ted’s Bakery or The Sunrise Shack.

Location / Transportation: You’re in the North Shore so definitely recommend driving here if you can. Lots to eat and do in the area, such as shrimp trucks, shaved ice, hiking, waterfalls, etc. Parking is $40 / day but can be offset by resort credit received from your STARS booking as well.

Activities: There are so many things to do on the property since it’s huge, you don’t have to leave the resort if you don’t want to either. Pickleball, horseriding, golf, hiking and biking trails, etc. Lots of the activities are also complimentary, there’s a board by the elevators letting you know what’s going on everyday.

Definitely one of the better Marriott properties I’ve stayed at, although prices have gone up since the Ritz transition and maybe you can find a similar or better experience on another island at this price point. There are also some STARS promotions for this property right now (% off on longer stays or additional $350 resort credit) that can make this better value though.