This Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina Review is part of a Hawaii trip report and site inspection trip, including Delta One LAX-Honolulu, Hawaiian Air First Class, and stays at luxury resorts on Lanai and Maui.
While many Hawaii visitors opt to only visit Maui or the Big Island, there's so much on Oahu to explore, from great hiking and beaches to Pearl Harbor, the North Shore, Iolani Palace (the only royal palace in the U.S.), Doris Duke's Shangri La estate (now an Islamic art museum), the Bishop Museum, and more.
Most Oahu hotels are in Waikiki, but as a local who's from Oahu, I can tell you that most people I know avoided Waikiki and its tourist traps. Instead, we often went to the North Shore, sometimes to the Windward side, and sometimes to Ko Olina, where there are man-made lagoons with calm waters, great for kids and for paddleboarding/SUP.
The resort is not a new build, since it was taken over from the JW Marriott Ihilani in 2015 and renovated to become the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina, which opened in 2016. As part of this process, the Four Seasons added additional resort pools, the Adult Pool and Family Pool, pictured later in this post.
TravelSort Clients enjoy Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits at Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina, plus there is currently (until December 26, 2019 and from January 3-December 26, 2020) a 4th night complimentary offer that combines with these benefits.
- Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom, served through In-Room Dining or in the hotel restaurant (including buffets)
- Spa credit of USD100 once during stay (not applicable to products)
- Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in (excluding signature suites, villas, and private residences)
- Complimentary basic Internet in all guest rooms; complimentary premium Internet in all suites
Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina Location and Check-in
The Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina is located at 92-1001 Olani Street in Kapolei, about a 25-35 minute drive from Honolulu Airport (HNL), depending on traffic. Nearby is the Marina, where I recommend a sunset cruise, and if you've never been, I recommend visiting the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, about a 25-35 minute drive.
It's about a 45 minute drive from Waikiki, so I wouldn't plan on going to Waikiki for dinner unless you're already in the area during the day; there's no need though, really, since you have a great option on property (Noe, which serves Italian cuisine) and nearby, Roy's Kapolei.
We arrived in the early afternoon, and were welcomed with an orchid lei for me and refreshing welcome drinks, along with oshibori moist towels.
Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina Oceanfront Room
All rooms at the Four Seasons Oahu are the same size, a spacious 640 square feet (59 square meters) and only differ in terms of view. Because Ocean View Rooms are on lower floors, 4-5, and can have coconut tree obstruction to the views, I recommend springing for an Oceanfront Room or Suite. We were on the 10th floor, and the highest floor for these rooms is the 17th floor.
Here's the view from our room:
This is from the private lanai, which is furnished with two chairs, a small table, and a lounge chair.
One of our favorite aspects of staying at a Four Seasons is the Four Seasons bed, which is incredibly comfortable, and can even be customized by your choice of three mattress pads. We chose the Signature Plush mattress pad, but those who prefer a firmer mattress can opt for Signature Firm.
At turndown service, the sofa was made into a bed for our son:
Here is our Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina YouTube Video Review:
The Verdict
Even though I'm originally from Oahu, it had been many years since I was in Ko Olina. We had a great stay at the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina, which is a great resort base from which to explore the island, if you don't want to contend with the crowds of Waikiki (which many locals avoid, unless of course they work there).
Because Oahu offers historical and artistic experiences that the other islands don't, for first time Hawaii visitors, I highly recommend combining a stay at Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina with a stay on one of the other islands.
As always we appreciated the incredibly comfortable Four Seasons bed, and lovely welcome, from the refreshing welcome drinks and leis to the cute carp stuffed animal for our son.
Ocean views are beautiful–it's worth springing for an Oceanfront room and requesting a high floor, because Ocean View Rooms are on low floors and can have views obstructed by trees.
I especially like that there are four different pools, such that families with kids have their own pool, there's the large main Serenity Pool, an Adult only pool good for laps, and also the spa pool.
The complimentary kids' club is a superb feature of Four Seasons resorts, and is something that's missing from the Waikiki hotels.
The breakfast buffet was extensive; I especially enjoyed the several fish options, the yogurt with granola, and berry pastry.
The only regret I had was not being able to try Noe, the resort's Italian restaurant, due to its Tuesday and Wednesday closure.
If you've recently stayed at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, what was your experience?
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