Ko Olina - Here We Come

So we booked the townhome at the Fairway Villas in Ko Olina resort. Just couldn't beat the $199/night price tag and the 3BRs + 2.5 BAs. It is a 10- to 15-minute walk to Lagoon #4 (the one near the Marriott I believe) and the landlord recommended taking the 2-minute drive instead.

Was very hard to give up a place on the beach or with an ocean view but from the extensive looking I did, the cost for such in multiple locations was about $100 more a night. We'll take the long walk or the short drive and be happy to be so close to so many things - several nice restaurants, a great golf course, 4 safe and swimmable lagoons, a marina for booking dolphin- and whale-watching trips and the Paradise Cove luau. Plus close to Honolulu and the North Shore.

Yea!! The many hours of research on where to stay are over and we can move to rental car and scoping out all the funs things we could do while we are there.

Ko Olina Resort

So the 3BR, 2BA is available!! But having final decision paralysis and still browsing. But it is definitely Ko Olina.

Yelp Reviews of Ko Olina Lagoons:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/koolina-resort-and-marina-honolulu

Frommer's Beach reviews:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/oahu/0009020389.html

Where To Stay #6

OK, so last post about Pokai should have been a Where to Stay post.

But stumbled on Ko Olina resort. West shore so less rain (good for winter) but potentially heavier winter surf (not good). I had read about Ko Olina before but had said unthinkingly "no, that's not the beach." But the man-made lagoons are beautiful with sandy beaches and gentle surf plus you get all the resort amenities and it is halfway between Honolulu and North Shore.

Check out this ground floor 3BR, 2BA townhome for $199/night!! The pictures of the kids in the lagoon are great. I think this might fit the bill. Sent email and keeping my fingers crossed.

http://www.vrbo.com/91907

And here are some reviews of the Ko'Olina beach and resort from Yelp:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/koolina-resort-and-marina-honolulu

Where To Stay #5

OK so have been looking and looking and looking...and maybe this place will fit the bill? About to email now.

Basically 3BR, 2BA, steps to Waimanalo Beach (which would be so close to Lanikai & Kailua as well as Honolulu).

http://www.sunrisebeachhome.com

Where To Stay #4

Have 3 possible rentals in Kaialua or Lanikai. Gorgeous beaches with relatively calm surf and nice area with convenient access to Honolulu and North Shore. But all 3 rentals are $300+/night and wanting to see if I can find an equally appealing location for slightly less...

So considering a number of other eastside locations

There are a couple that are more north, specifically

• Punaluu Beach Park
• Kualoa Beach Park (closest city is Kaaawa)

Then there is Kaneohe which is a deep bay just north or Kailua and Lanika. There is also Waimanalo Beach south from Kailua & Lanika.

Stay tuned.

Eliminating Ewa Beach

On south side of Oahu near entrance to Pearl Harbor and nice enough looking beaches but consistently rated poorly. Eliminating Ewa Beach as a possible place to stay.

Activities - Kualoa Ranch

They give one- and two-hour horseback tours and ATV tours. Beautiful area and the filming site for many movie & TV show film sites such as Jurassic Park, Windtalkers, You, Me & Dupree, 50 First Dates and Lost.

Their website is here with more information.

Activities - Tropical Farms

Many references and reviews for the Ali'i Tour at Tropical Farms Macadamia Nut Outlet. The farm is located on the northwest side of Oahu near Kualoa Ranch. Their website doesn't give info about the tour but here is an extensive blog post with pictures.

A description of the tour:

• Your Hawaiian experience begins when you board our "Adventure Bus" and travel through lush gardens of tropical flowers, exotic palms, and a variety of fruit and nut plants. Arriving at the hut of Chief Sielu Avea, you are greeted with song and merriment, and the old melodies of Polynesia played on natural instruments. The Chief will teach you the many ways that fruits and nuts grown here were used as food, medicine, tools, and shelter for the ancient Hawaiians.
• A magical discovery boat ride across the ancient fish pond, past Secret Island, where you will see how Hawaiians of all generations have protected, replenished and harvested fish from the 800 year old aquaculture pond that still flourishes today.
• Learn how the coconut palm, the "Tree of Life", was used in every part of Polynesian culture. See Chief Sielu's magnificent displays of fire. "E komo mai" (COME) let Chief Sielu and his friends show you the time of your life with Music, Fire, Song and Dance.
• Also see areas where movies and television series were filmed.

Some reviews of the tour:

• Based on the reviews from tripadvisor, I made sure my family took this tour. Not only did they have lots of fun, but everyone ranked it as one of their favorite excursions from our entire time there. The price was higher than the website stated ($20 per person), but it's still absolutely worth it. Lots of little surprises along the way - you start out in the bus and tour the farms briefly. Sit in a small outdoor theatre for a show on coconut husking, fire dance and how to make fire. Followed by a canoe ride with pictures, and then a tour of the farm tasting fresh, yummy fruit right off the tree. The humor is enjoyable too :)
• We live on island and this is the first place we tell all our family & friends to visit. We have been coming here every year since they first opened up and it just gets better and better. I love the mix of learning Chief Sielu gives everytime. Humor is beyond fixable when he puts you into stiches from laughing so hard. Great for all ages. By far the BEST tour I have been on out of the islands my family and I have visited!
• This is a MUST! If the Samoan Chief is in, be sure to take the Ali'i tour. Not only are he and his companions riotously entertaining, the cultural experience of the tropical orchard tour is fascinating. During the captivating show the Chief brought out hand-woven headbands with tropical flowers for all of the children. The tour groups are relatively small, so the interaction with the performers and guides if personal and spontaneous. The hour-long show and tour was totally worth the $15 per person (cash only). We found the best time to show up is at 10:45 a.m. for the 11:00 tour. Don't expect the tour to begin promptly at 11:00. Remember, you're in Hawaii! If your schedule is flexible, I recommend calling in advance to be sure the "Chief" will be there for your tour. Interacting with him is a delight.

Activites - Water Park

One fun thing to do might be the Wet N Wild water park. The website is here. Cost is $41.99 for adults, $31.99 for kids. They have a huge outdoor wave pool, water playground with huge tipping bucket (sound familiar??), as well as:

• Tornado - on a 4-person clover float - "catapulted from 50 feet in the air through a 130 foot tunnel before plummeting into the eye of the storm....spin around the Tornado’s funnel"
• Island Racer - go down long slides with mutiple lanes on mats
• Raging River - one big round float that multiple people can be on, "best family white water rafting experience....take a family raft winding down over 600 feet of the Raging River’s canyon walls, around sharp turns, and over steep drops"
• Shaka - go down a steep, broad slide on two person, high-sided floats - "Drop 5 ½ stories in a near-vertical drop to experience a near “zero gravity” sensation"
• Keiki Cove - interactive children's water playground
• Surfslider - 3 body slides with nice twists and turns
• Waianae Coasters - 4 tube slides - "Grab your tube and experience the rush of four different slides that takes you 4 ½ stories down a cliff. Choose from enclosed or open rides"

Driving Directions - Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawaii is located in just off the H-1 Highway. The site is on the mountain or Mauka side of the H-1 on Farrington Hwy, approximately 20 minutes from Honolulu Airport. Take exit 1 (Campbell Industrial Park, Barbers Point Harbor) off the H-1 and follow the signs.