Turtle Bay Hawaii

[lsyama]

Has anyone been to or considered the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu?

I''m considering this location for our ceremony and reception, but I haven''t been able to find any real-life experiences by searching on the Internet.
And I haven''t asked on the Hawaii forum at The Knot yet....

Thanks!!

 

[littlelysser]

I was there like 10 years ago.

Family vacation.

Honestly, we hated it. Our room was nasty, the food was gross. It was cloudy. I''ve heard it has been renovated since then, but it was not a nice place.

We checked out three days early and went to the Hilton Waikaloa (sp?) Village. It was much nicer. But I don''t really like Oahu.

I must ask, are you wedded to Oahu? There are some really amazing places on the other islands. Just a thought.

 

[littlelysser]

also, check out tripadvisor.com

great reviews there.

 

[marvel]

I don''t know anything about the resort, but that area is really, really windy. Here''s a like to the climate http://www.hawaiianvacation.com/regions/Turtle-Bay-Hawaii.html

 

[lsyama]

Hi littlelysser - Thanks for the feedback!
I''m surprised to hear Turtle Bay was so bad 10 years ago; I guess I should check it out before seriously considering it.
My mom prefers Oahu since it would be easiest for the family (most live in Oahu).
(Ugh, I had no idea my mom would be such a force to reckon with.)
If family wasn''t a consideration, I''d choose someplace in the Sierras or a National Park.
I had been considering an outer island as a compromise, but I''m sure I''d still hear complaints.

marvel - Thanks for pointing out the windiness. Are you from the area?
I''m from Kaneohe, but rarely went to the North Shore... which is why Turtle Bay seems at least a little closer to a "destination wedding" than other Oahu locations.

 

[littlelysser]

Isyama - I am SOOOO jealous you live in Hawaii. SOOOO jealous! I''m lucky enough that I''ve been there five times and it is my favorite place on earth.

And I do think it has been renovated since we were there. So maybe it has improved markedly? I don''t know...

But yeah, I''m JEALOUS as heck!

 

[Skippy123]

Lsyama, wow how exciting!!! I have a friend who stayed there a couple of years ago and she thought it was nice. You should take a trip up there since you live there. Wow, that is wonderful you live there; I love the aloha spirit of the people. I went out there for a quick job I needed to get done and worked with 2 people from there and when my coworker and I left they gave us boxes of chocolate! Everyone is so nice out there

 

[sred2]

I LOVE Turtle Bay Resort!!! ... I've never been there for a wedding but I can imagine it would be beautiful!!

My mom's whole side of the family is from Oahu (Manoa Valley.. my mom moved away after college at UH in the 70's/I'm half Japanese

) but we go back almost every year and visit and I was just there in June (2007) and my boyfriend and I stopped there and had lunch. The food was great and the weather was perfect. Oh we also walked through the lobby and banquet halls and they were really, really nice!

I also just talked with my Brother-in-law's brother and his wife about Turtle Bay Resort as last year they went there for vacation for their 2 year wedding anniversary and they had nothing but good things to say about it.


Oh, and I prefer Oahu to the other islands, maybe because I've had more than just the tourist experience since I've been there roughly 18 times... my first time when I was 6 months old!!

 

[lsyama]

litlelysser - I actually live in SoCal now! I think I got claustrophobic.

I checked out tripadvisor and noticed while there were many rave reviews, there were also several absolutely horrible reviews too. Not sure what to think, but for the price, I would just expect it to be great...

Skippy - Heehee, whenever I visit home, my mom and grandma load me up with goodies to share with my friends and coworkers... always lots of boxes of chocolates!
I''ll be back in Oahu over Christmas break, so we''ll probably plan to stop by. My mom''s been acting as my wedding coordinator - she''s already volunteered to check out several locations and do some "taste testing" of cookies that we might use as favors.

sred - Thanks for giving two thumbs up to Oahu! Often when I meet someone from the mainland whose been to Hawaii, they tell me how much they loved Kauai or the Big Island but didn''t like Oahu! And then they ask which island I''m from and I embarrassedly admit I''m from their least favorite island...

I think it helps to know locals though.
And thanks for letting me know about the positive Turtle Bay experiences.

...and this is really a shot in the dark, but have you been to Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe? (That''s another location I''m considering - much more casual.)

 

[Kissmark]

Hi I think you got great feedbacks alreadyb but if you want more, theknot has a hawaii board, maybe you can try to ask there as well.

 

[lsyama]

Thanks kissmark! From what everyone says, I''m kind of scared of posting on The Knot

, although I hear local boards are better.
I think I''ll keep my eye on it for a while before deciding if I''ll post.

 

[Kissmark]

Date: 10/3/2007 9:49:03 AM
Author: lsyama
Thanks kissmark! From what everyone says, I''m kind of scared of posting on The Knot

, although I hear local boards are better.
I think I''ll keep my eye on it for a while before deciding if I''ll post.

Actually I agree w/ you about theknot, so the hawaii board is the only place that i post. they ladies there are really nice and helpful. if you consider hawaii, they might be albe to suggest some places other than turtle bay. you can totall lurk for awhile before you post. good luck and let us know where you decide!