JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort Spa, Kapolei

Initiall arrival was aweinspiring. We reserved Ocean front room for three people and found one king size bed. The room was very nice, a bit outdated and not kept as clean as a 5-star should be. We had to ask for a roll away, but one night we were convined we needed a separate bedroom for the third guest. They moved us to 5th floor and we got a mountain side view and if we stretched our necks really good we could see the beach. The first room had a fridge which we thought we would have in the new room but there was any empty space where one once resided, my husband called the front desk and asked for a fridge, they politely said sure....but hours went by and no fridge...so my husband had to go get one by himself and carry it down to our room. Sticker shock of the $30 a day parking, Luckily we had a car to go eat, since the restaurants were very high priced and we were told that we would get breakfast with our room but we were told no so when we arrived. The computerized monitor at the bedside was a nightmare as when the other guest would turn on a light or off it would also turn out light on or off. All in all the stay was pleasant and the time of year perfect as not too many people and children. Every one seemed tro possess the "Aloha Spirit" . The only other negative was being able to get tours without having to travel into Honolulu. Bottom line it was much nicer than where I'm at right now. Aloha

there was no refrigerator in the room. bart and wait staff and front desk was rude. the lights in the room wouldn't work. had red fire ants in the room. the food was poor and overpriced. i woudn't stay here again.

amazing trip.. amazing hotel.. everyone was so helpful and nice. we booked a mountainview room and when we arrived we were given a free upgrade to an oceanview. it was nice being on the "private" side of the island.. very calm and quiet. the lagoon was very nice.. not too crowded. i went this trip with my mom and am headed there for my honeymoon next!

The resort was beautiful, the staff is friendly, and the view is breath-taking, but the food was overpriced and undercooked (except for Roy's!! Worth every penny). We had to rent a car just to get away from the hotel and get some decent food. If you are looking for seclusion and aren't as concerned with the tourist attractions, this is the perfect place for you. They do offer some bus tours and rides to other parts of the island, but it comes at a steep price and the timing and availability leave room for improvement. Overall though, I'd absolutely go back and recommend this to honeymooners. Families that have an agenda for site-seeing might be disappointed.

This was a wonderful resort. The sevice, staff and setting were all perfect. The only thing I would say is be prepared to drive to go anywhere since it is a little remote. Perfect for being remote though! And there are miles of perfect beaches to explore as well as a wonderful golf course.

This place is fantastic!!!! Have stayed there 6-7 times,and can't wait to go back. This July as a matter of fact! The action of Honolulu is only 20-30 minutes,but the Ihilani retains the quiet and charm of Hawaii.

The service at the Ihilani was outstanding. We stayed here for 7 days and did not have a single poor experience with any of the staff. Make sure you walk down to the rocks at sunset to see all of the turtles. Our only wish was that there was a bigger pool area. Not much of a pool given the size of the resort. We flew to the Big Island after our 7 days here and stayed at Hilton Waikoloa Village and were very disappointed with the service. The only thing that the Hilton had over the Ihilani was the pool areas (very big with a lot of activities). We would definitely stay at the Ihilani again, but will never return to the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

My wife and I stayed 7 nights at Ihilani. We stayed on Marriott Rewards points. The resort was hosting an LPGA Tournament, meaning 2 things: the guests were rarely seen—because they were watching golf, and the resort was stem to stern crawling with butch women. The week prior, they hosted the NFL Pro Bowl. It seems they like hosting big events, so as a guest, check to see who you will be sharing the hotel with. “Facility/Location”-The location of the resort is both positive and negative. We were looking for a remote resort, given the occasion for our stay. If you are looking for easy access to shopping, night life, Waikiki, or convenience stores, don’t stay at Ihilani. Unless you rent a car (which we did), you are trapped. The pool is small for a resort this size and the water was freezing. The lagoons were probably our favorite amenity. They are clean/inviting. We spent most of our time on Lagoon 2. We pretty much had the whole lagoon to ourselves, so I advise spending time at Lagoons 2/3 to avoid large crowds. We stayed in a Deluxe Ocean View room. The accommodations were the best part. Our room was spacious, with a great balcony and awesome views of the ocean. The bathroom was also spacious with a 2-person shower, double marble sink, and large bath tub. The bed was comfortable. No ice machines, if you want ice, you have to call room service. “Service”-What I found odd was how unpredictable the service was. Some staff members were trained in how to treat guests, and others acted like it was a motel. The wait staffs at the restaurants were the bottom of the ladder. They seemed to care less about providing great service. There were some exceptions, but for the most part, poor. The housekeeping staff was above average, but got rude with me on one occasion when I asked her to please come back later to clean the room. Some staff went out of their way; others didn’t want to be bothered. “Food”-The food varied in quality. The breakfast buffet was really tasty. Had our room not come with breakfast included, I might have had second thoughts about eating there each day ($26/person). If you are looking for something quick and cheap for breakfast, the coffee bar is great. They have tasty complimentary coffee for guests, and a wallet friendly menu consisting of pastries, fruit, and espresso drinks. Azul was our favorite restaurant. A little pricey, but the service was good and the food/presentation was exceptional. The other restaurants are poor. Room Service was exceptional. The menu had a great variety, was priced fairly, and the staff was awesome. The tuna fish sandwich was the best—a great/cheap lunchtime meal. I do not recommend the Lanai Dining option. It is unbelievably pricey!!! It was $275/person for the 5-course menu, which looked terrible. Instead, I recommend ordering a room service meal, and having the water set it up on the Lanai—same experience, more value. “Value”-Ihilani nickel and dimes guests. IMO, guests are already paying a lot of money to stay there, so a lot should be complimentary. However, they realize that they have the guests trapped, so they take advantage of that. Internet is $13/day, food/drinks for the sundry are a rip off, and most meals/drinks are unbelievable. I recommend doing this: We rented a car, and stopped by the grocery store. We picked up basic snacks like nuts, crackers, sodas, bottled waters, cheese, juice, etc. There was a little space in the mini-bar to keep necessary items cold. We also picked up a bottle of vodka, a bottle of rum, and about 5 bottles of wine. We also packed thermoses in which to mix drinks to take with us to the beach, which, despite their sign of “No Alcoholic Beverages Allowed at the Beach”, saved us considerable cash. Doing this will really enhance your enjoyment of the hotel, because like I said earlier, you really have no options for these basic foods/drinks, unless you want to really open your pocket book.

If busy Waikiki isn't your thing and you want a resort with excellent service, this is your spot. It lacks the vibe and energy of Waikiki and certainly the restaurant choices, but makes up for it with a peaceful setting and superb service. Rooms are big but not huge. Baths are excellent, but towels rather below standard for such a resort. Beds comfy. Lanais large and views, especially to the west-northwest, excellent. Pool is small, cold, and hopelessly unsuited to such a luxe resort. You can use the one at the Spa. The lagoon provides a calm water place to swim in the ocean. Nets help keep out jellyfish and other unwanted visitors, so it's safe. there are 4 lagoons on the property which is shared with the Marriott Beach Club timeshares. 18 hole golf course and the Spa complete the usual activities. very easy access to the North Shore. Azul, the signature restaurant, serves and excellent champagne brunch on Sunday and good dinners that are well presented. The Terrace does the usual buffet breakfast with some very unusual offerings. There is also a Japanese restaurant, they even offer shabu shabu, and a bar with live music available. Room service is expensive. Service is awesome and friendly. The whole hotel and its grounds are immaculate. A very fine choice looking for some peace, quiet and upscale style on Oahu.

This is a beautiful resort on the peaceful side of Oahu. The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated. The area is really quiet. There is only one other hotel: The Marriott Vacation Club at Ko'Olina. Our room had an enormous door out to the deck with screen doors and sliding shutters allowing us to fall asleep listening the ocean...and the ocean breeze was fantastic. We didn't use the AC once! The balcony had a nice setup with a table, two chairs and a lounge chair. The bathroom was large with a two sinks, a separate soaking tub, a stand-up shower and a closed off toilet area. The beds are very comfortable For recreation, the hotel has a pool, a Jacuzzi and a lagoon directly in front of it that is perfect for snorkeling. (Bring your own-expensive to rent). There are actually several lagoons in Ko'Olina along the walking path leading to the Marriott Ko'Olina Vacation Club. All are available for snorkeling. (Don’t forget a to get a towel at the hotel before you visit the other lagoons) There are also Kayaks and water bikes for rent in front of both resorts. The only real drawback was the lack of restaurant choices. There are two restaurants and a pool side bar and grill. The food is really expensive in the restaurants and the bar & grill doesn’t have a lot of variety. I would suggest renting a car because most of the restaurants and all of the tourist locations in Oahu are about thirty minutes to an hour away.