I visited the Marriott Ko'Olina property this summer. This is a nice place for little kids. It's also a nice place if you're with friends or other family members. But as a single family without little kids, it's not as desirable as it once was for us.
The good:
Excellent pools, big, warm, open all night and the morning lap lane is a bonus for swimmers.
Employees are extremely helpful.
The gas firepits are very cool.
Surprisingly, the jacuzzi's were available at night (not busy).
The DVD vending machines had some excellent titles.
The waves on the beach are fun for kids.
The waves are also a teachable moment for kids to understand about undertows.
The bad:
Crowded in summer, just accept it.
The lagoon has lost its appeal. My kids are a little older and capable to snorkel. The lagoon is so cloudy due to the sand that was dumped in the lagoon that it's challenging to see any fish. The kids lost interest in snorkeling very quickly.
The ugly:
$40 per day for parking at the hotel. Wow! What a scam. From what I could see, the garage was never full (no surprise). I used Uber to say "screw you" to Marriott and their abusive parking tax. I ubered to/from the airport to the hotel, to Costco (3 times). I saved a lot of money by "Just saying NO!" to Marriott's parking fee scam.
The 2nd scam is the "store" at the hotel. Wow! 200% mark up (or more) on most items.
It's a business. I get it. They need to be profitable. But the level of greed at this place is excessive. My kids have made it clear they do not want to go back again because of the cloudy beach
If you rent a car at the hotel, your only choice is Enterprise and you will pay more than $100 plus gas. You do get the car for the entire day.
The good:
Excellent pools, big, warm, open all night and the morning lap lane is a bonus for swimmers.
Employees are extremely helpful.
The gas firepits are very cool.
Surprisingly, the jacuzzi's were available at night (not busy).
The DVD vending machines had some excellent titles.
The waves on the beach are fun for kids.
The waves are also a teachable moment for kids to understand about undertows.
The bad:
Crowded in summer, just accept it.
The lagoon has lost its appeal. My kids are a little older and capable to snorkel. The lagoon is so cloudy due to the sand that was dumped in the lagoon that it's challenging to see any fish. The kids lost interest in snorkeling very quickly.
The ugly:
$40 per day for parking at the hotel. Wow! What a scam. From what I could see, the garage was never full (no surprise). I used Uber to say "screw you" to Marriott and their abusive parking tax. I ubered to/from the airport to the hotel, to Costco (3 times). I saved a lot of money by "Just saying NO!" to Marriott's parking fee scam.
The 2nd scam is the "store" at the hotel. Wow! 200% mark up (or more) on most items.
It's a business. I get it. They need to be profitable. But the level of greed at this place is excessive. My kids have made it clear they do not want to go back again because of the cloudy beach
If you rent a car at the hotel, your only choice is Enterprise and you will pay more than $100 plus gas. You do get the car for the entire day.