Ko olina and aulani

[cp73]

Iam at ko olina now. Third time here, this time we got a 2 bedroom penthouse. The view is fantastic. Picked it up during flextime. I must say iam concerned what this place is going to be like in a year from now after the aulani opens up. That place is huge. The first lagoon will be very crowded after it opens. I guess in another 10/20 years this place could be like kanapalli beach. I will post pictures after I return.

 

[DeniseM]

I had a travel agent clap her hands in delight and tell me it was going to be just like Waikiki!

 

[BocaBum99]

Ko'Olina is boring. Nothing to do there except swim in a fake lagoon and a pretty good pool. Having Aulani turn it into more of a tourist destination like Waikiki or Ka'anapali with more retail outlets, activities and restaurants would be the best thing that could happen to the area.

 

[sjuhawk_jd]

Ko'Olina is boring. Nothing to do there except swim in a fake lagoon and a pretty good pool. Having Aulani turn it into more of a tourist destination like Waikiki or Ka'anapali with more retail outlets, activities and restaurants would be the best thing that could happen to the area.

I agree with this somewhat (although golf and tennis is there also onsite). Stayed at Ko'Olina this past summer, had a good time, would not trade that with Waikiki experience, but I did miss Kaanapali type touristy stuff there.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Yes, Ko Olina will eventually be more like Kaanapali Beach on Maui. But it will never have the density of Waikiki. With additional resorts, there will be additional restaurants, shops, entertainment, and activities. From my perspective, that's a positive thing.

For the most part, the guests at Aulani will be at their resort or off touring Oahu. Yes, Lagoon 1, where Aulani is located, will be busier. Guests at Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club should not see much additional beach use from Aulani guests at Lagoons 3 and 4.

Eventually, a developer will do something with the parcel immediately north of Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club. Not only will Lagoon 3 become busier, but the buildings (presumably high-rise, given the value of the land) will partially block the view from the Kona and Mona towers.

 

[Fletcher921]

Although there is a limited amount of "things to do" right there - I thoroughly enjoyed our second week there last month...

Great path for nice long walks along the ocean and harbor.

Great bay (man-made or not) to float on a noodle in for hours just chatting with friends not worried about waves knocking us over.

Beautiful sunsets from a few different jacuzzi's.

Easy access to freeway to go to Costco, and a wide variety of restaurants when we didn't feel like BBQing.

Nice golf course in pristine condition.

Don't get me wrong - we do go to Kaanapali each and every year - and love it. I guess I would just have to say that Ko'Olina has a more restful feeling.

 

[larryallen]

For ME, Ko Olina will be perfect with a few more stores and restaurant options right there. I thus look forward to Disney opening. It will be a lifetime before it's like the aforementioned resort areas.

 

[pharmgirl]

the outstanding difference for KoOlina is the incredible mountain scenery on the walkway compared to Kaanapali We also appreciate the LACK of stores, etc on the actual beachfront compared to Kaanapali

 

[Asia2000]

Iam at ko olina now. Third time here, this time we got a 2 bedroom penthouse. The view is fantastic. Picked it up during flextime. I must say iam concerned what this place is going to be like in a year from now after the aulani opens up. That place is huge. The first lagoon will be very crowded after it opens. I guess in another 10/20 years this place could be like kanapalli beach. I will post pictures after I return.

Chris,

Don't hurt yourself over there. Looking forward to your feedback on this top 10 TUG resort. Have a great time.

 

[scpoidog]

Fewer people = more relaxing

I like the fact that Ko Olina has fewer people than Waikiki. At this point the only thing that I think Ko Olina is waves for surfing or body boarding.

The lagoon may be manmade, but it's nice to be able to take a swim w/out worrying if someone is going to steal your stuff.

 

[cp73]

Pictures of Aulani

Had a great time at Ko Olina last week. I will update and write a review within the next week and post it. But I wanted to share a few pictures I took of the Aulani resort and its progress. Its schuled to open in August. After talking with one of the workers that said only one of the towers will be open in August and they didn't know whether the tower was timeshares or the hotel. You will notice in some of the pictures you can see that they are beginning to plant trees for the landscaping. I do think one of the nice benefits of having it their is that the area will have more restaurants to choose from. It will be nice to have more options within walking distance from the Ko Olina.

 

[cp73]

more photos

This is the main entrance.

Look at the tree which was just planted.

Notice the security guard's shirt in Disney attire. Nice young man enjoyed talking with him.

This is the Black Pearl from pirates of the Carribean which is still parked in the marina next to the resort. I was told that it was out filming two weeks ago for the next sequel. They were putting up the fence along the dock so spectators couldn't get close or look at the entire boat.

 

[scpoidog]

Cool pix

This is the main entrance.

Look at the tree which was just planted.

Notice the security guard's shirt in Disney attire. Nice young man enjoyed talking with him.

This is the Black Pearl from pirates of the Carribean which is still parked in the marina next to the resort. I was told that it was out filming two weeks ago for the next sequel. They were putting up the fence along the dock so spectators couldn't get close or look at the entire boat.

Nice picture of the Black Pearl. We saw it in the harbor in Sept, but were never able to get down that close.

The Disney resort is going to be huge. It's amazing how much they've done in the almost two months since we were there. Hopefully the Disney guests won't flow over to the Marriott lagoon. I wonder how the JW guests will like sharing Lagoon 1 with the Disney crowds.

 

[dioxide45]

This is the Black Pearl from pirates of the Carribean which is still parked in the marina next to the resort. I was told that it was out filming two weeks ago for the next sequel. They were putting up the fence along the dock so spectators couldn't get close or look at the entire boat.

The fence would only need to be temporary, as we heard that the Black Pearl was going to be placed at the Aulani as a feature of some type.

Here is a photo that we took from the opposite side of the harbor.

 

[cp73]

Dioxide interesting. I noticed in your photo the fence was up. Maybe they take it down every time the boat goes out?

 

[californiagirl]

Thanks for the great pictures! It opens to DVC members next August. People on the DISboards are reporting getting reservations for next year. I am really excited since we will try to book at 7 months and add a couple of days in Ko Olina to our Maui trip in 2012.

 

[dioxide45]

Dioxide interesting. I noticed in your photo the fence was up. Maybe they take it down every time the boat goes out?

My photo was taken on Wednesday October 13th. So it seems the fence was taken down after my photo.

 

[dioxide45]

This is the Black Pearl from pirates of the Carribean which is still parked in the marina next to the resort. I was told that it was out filming two weeks ago for the next sequel. They were putting up the fence along the dock so spectators couldn't get close or look at the entire boat.

The fence would only need to be temporary, as we heard that the Black Pearl was going to be placed at the Aulani as a feature of some type.

Here is a photo that we took from the opposite side of the harbor.

After seeing On Stranger Tides, if this was the ship used in the film, it isn't the Black Pearl but rather Blackbeard's Ship, Queen Anne's Revenge?