Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club Reviews & Ratings

We lived in Hawaii for many years in the ‘80s and ‘90s and have been multiple-week Marriott Ko Olina owners since 2005. Our children, nieces and nephews live on the islands – and Marriott Ko Olina has always been #1 choice for our Oahu stays. We stay a few weeks in the spring and a few weeks in the summer.

One of the things we love about Marriott Ko Olina is how close the resort is to everything and yet how wonderfully far away. There’s nothing you can’t get to in about 30 minutes, give or take, from the North Shore and its wonderful shops and quieter beaches, to Waikiki and its hustle and bustle. On the North Shore, be sure to eat at the shrimp trucks or have a shave ice and spend some time watching the surfers.

As Ko Olina is on the West Side, the resort and nearby Kapolei have much better weather than other parts of the island. We stay and enjoy bright, sunshine and relaxing days year round, even when other parts of the island are getting a lot of rain.

The units have full kitchens and we save a ton of money by cooking most of our own meals. Kapolei, which is 5 minutes away, is where we do much of our shopping and dining while on Oahu. We love shopping at Costco for its low prices but also shop at Safeway, Foodland and other stores.

As Marriott Ko Olina now has rental cars on site, we stopped renting cars for our entire stay and now only rent on a day or two we want to go out shopping or travel around the rest of the island. Transportation from the airport to the resort is fairly priced, so we use that to get to and from the resort.

We like the beach, the pools, the rental cabanas, and the BBQ area. One of our favorite activities is a daily walk along the waterfront. The boardwalk goes 1.7 miles from the marina past the resorts and lagoons to its end by JW Marriott. Lots of places along the walk to quietly enjoy the beautiful sunsets.

Of course, you don’t need to even leave the room to see the sunsets. The ocean view rooms have wonderful views - and the ocean can be seen from the lanais, bedroom windows and living room windows. Often we spend the mornings on the lanai, enjoying the beautiful view while we eat breakfast, read the newspaper and drink our coffee.

Even though we enjoy visiting Maui sometimes, we prefer Oahu and the Kapolei area. There simply are more choices and more options.

During the spring whale watching season, we have several times seen migrating whales from our balcony—no expensive boat ride required, only patience. On our last visit, we saw several pods pass through, with whales breaching. With whales, it’s timing as much as anything and they do pass by the west shores of Oahu.

We also like the resort because the staff is always friendly and helpful. If there’s ever a problem, it is solved quickly.

Very relaxing. Recommended.

My wife & I, along with our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren stayed in a 3-bedroom unit at Marriott Ko Olina in 2007. This was the most memorable and close to perfect vacation we have ever had. Since that time we generally traveled to Maui or Cancun for a restful time on the beach. We decided (just my wife & myself) to revisit Ko Olina this January (2015). At first we were a bit apprehensive about what to expect, since often times memories can lead to unrealistic expectations. I am pleased to announce that the Marriott Ko Olina is still as wonderful as we remembered. The facilities have been well maintained, the Ko Olina representatives (from check-in to check-out) were so friendly & always asked how we were enjoying our stay. They all seemed to wear a smile, but why not…they live in Hawaii. Mahalo to all of you for making us feel like Ohana. While in Hawaii, and afterward, I found myself thanking our Creator for allowing us to enjoy His beautiful creation. More than once, my wife & I commented to each other that regardless of where we looked, it was beautiful…a glimpse of heaven. And on top of everything else, we were happy to see that the Chief was back with the Fia Fia. Thanks to all of you, and especially the Hawaiian people, for making this vacation another wonderful time to remember and reflect on.

Just one (non-critical) suggestion: Please consider cleaning the beach a few times a week. You take a few sweeps back and forth in the sand, but some days we found the beach to be littered with non-natural materials. Where we stay in Cancun, all of the workers (including room service & beyond) take a few minutes in the morning to simply make sure the beach is clean. Due to the basic size of the Marriott Ko Olina, you would not need all of the workers, but just having a few to clean the lagoon beaches would be a nice touch. I’m not trying to be critical, but more so helpful in trying to maintain the natural look of the island. (This is the only reason I gave the cleanliness a 4 instead of a 5 star.)

Worst vacation experience imaginable. We were at Marriott’s Ko Olina Vacation Club from 9/14-9/21. We rented our timeshare vacation from an owner from RedWeek.com Unbeknownst to us, Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club was aware that the Arashi Japanese Boy Band would have a Premier Concert right in the middle of all Five Resorts including Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club Resort on Ko Olina’s property. There was no notification by Marriot Ko Olina Beach Club to any guest or owner prior to check-in, although Marriott was aware of this nightmare 45 days in advance. At least 45 days. Ko Olina, according to the Resort Manager, Bill Quieseng, "facilitated" this concert. The giant stage was placed in the middle of all Ko Olina Buildings, approximately 100 yards from our balcony. We arrived at night and had no idea what awaited us for the next Six days of our stay.

We were awoken on Monday at 8:00 a.m. to the sound of music and sound checks amplified through our closed slider. The same obnoxious song played over and over on a loop. We were treated to the same creepy looping every morning and intermittently for Six days. Six days instead of Seven because WE LEFT the resort 24 hours EARLY.

This was not the worst of what we were subjected to. Every guest on this “Marriott Resort" property was assaulted with the most intense noise pollution you could be subjected to, short of intentional psychological torture. The effect was the same. Every day for Six days, 12 hours per day, every inch of the property was consumed with incessant amplified sound checks that lasted for hours at full concert venue volume. Sounds like da da, bom bom bom, yah yah yah, etc., constantly. When the sound checks ended, intermittently, because they were every day, we were soon to be bombarded by strobe lights repeatedly streaming the balcony, slider and walls of our Marriott Resort room. What we thought was quite enough only gained momentum when the Japanese Stage Manager having to check thousands of strobe lights and video, repeatedly and methodically gave direction over the same PA system amplified at the same full volume as the sound checks. Constant direction being repetitively given to someone in Japanese at full amplified volume. He had a mind crushing habit of going, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, for about three seconds after every sentence.

Again, this assault was inescapable anywhere from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. In your room, beach, restaurants, even underwater. Literally underwater while snorkeling. Every person on this so-called "Marriott Resort” was infuriated. I've Never seen so many miserable people on vacation. The distress and visible frustration on every guest and owner face was something that will never be easily forgotten and easily describable by any of our photos or videos taken in the midst of constant suffering.

The staff was completely unresponsive. Some were polite and apologized, although ALL of them denied any Marriott involvement. The party line was, “We have no control over this, had nothing to do with it, and you'll just have to deal with it." This is on Ko Olina property, mind you.

On the 4th day, 9/17, the Resort Manager, Bill Quieseng sent a letter to each room describing how things would get worse on the days of the actual concert. Two days, Friday and Saturday, 15 to 20 thousand people being bussed in each day. Firetrucks, Police Cars, Taxis, Shuttles and 110 Buses were chartered to cram the two lanes in or out of the main intersection to the Marriott Resort. Any guest or owner staying at the Marriott Resort could not use shuttle service to and from restaurants and cars could barely move in or out of the Marriott Resort area. The letter stated that Ko Olina "facilitated" this monstrosity, and that they were "appreciative" of our "understanding". No apology. Ever. From anyone in charge. No compensation or solution to the horrific conditions people were subjected to was ever offered. In terms of hotel management and customer relations the Marriot Ko Olina Beach Club gets an F-, ...repeat the class. You all failed miserably.

I eventually contacted KITV4 ABC News, submitted video from all over the property, and did an on-camera interview in our room. 4 other guests stopped the News Crew …….praying for the opportunity that someone might listen to their common distress…….and were interviewed on camera as well. It aired the night of the first concert. Although my name and image were broadcast across Oahu that night from my balcony at Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club, and I left a voicemail for Resort Manager, Bill Quieseng, I never heard a word. Nothing. This is an insult on top of the abuse we suffered. An absolute outrage.

The Friday of the concert was about to prepare us for “things are about to get worse” show. The Marriott Resort was basically locked down for 12 hours. 110 buses. Roads closed. We were trapped. If we left the Marriott Resort, we could not get back in and staying on resort was just shy of giving us a nervous breakdown. At one point we hiked to a lagoon and tried to remove ourselves only to be told on the way back we would have to walk out to the front intersection and go around the entire five resort buildings to get back to our room. You see at this time they were bringing in the Fireworks to prepare us for the Shelling Effect we were about to endure. And if we didn’t think we might be in the middle of a war zone yet, they added plenty of helicopters to the spectrum. One poor retiree told us he was feeling Post Traumatic Stress from the Vietnam War because he could not tell the difference.

For all of you considering this place, you can guess my advice. We have stayed at Marriott time shares on Maui and Kauai and had pleasant experiences. Those properties are nicer and the staff is much more friendly.

My sister is an owner of Two timeshares and is trying to get us to buy. This will Never happen now, just on principle alone. Don’t waste your time on the 90 Minutes Sales Pitch, because this scenario could definitely happen to YOU, as it did many who bought-in thinking they would retire, relax and read a book by the Pool. Many were psychologically tortured day in and day out. If you think we are being dramatic, check out the interview by Channel 2 News with Eric Takahata of the Hawaiian Tourism Authority, “We have some surprises for everyone next year as well.”

http://khon2.com/2014/09/15/major-japanese-pop-group-to-hold-special-shows-at-ko-olina/

Don’t buy-in, you will be sabotaged as we were.

The island of oahu is not nearly as pretty as Kauai. The traffic is bad, the beaches are not nearly as nice as Kauai, there is a lot of homelessness, and zombie drug addicts lurking in all the more urban areas (Honolulu, Waikiki.) We were told by everyone not to leave anything in your cars here. Ever. Even the docent at the Pearl Harbor Monument told us the parking lot isn't safe.

If you don't want to waste thousands of your hard earned dollars you saved for years, like we did, take your business to Kauai. The responsible parties and “knowing parties” to this catastrophic failure put the interests of the rich and powerful over the most basic consideration of THOUSANDS of their customers. We felt especially bad for the retired elderly people that just needed some rest and rejuvenation. Many with health concerns spent hours being tortured, in disbelief and utter frustration making it impossible to relax.

The management as well as Marriott Resorts has demonstrated an outrageous and unacceptable lack of judgement and incompetence that should never be patronized by guests who will spend many thousands of dollars here. John and Therese Cloughen

Our family had the best time of our lives! So much fun and activities right there at the resort, but also close to many other local attractions. Friendly staff to provide that real feeling of aloha. We will be back many times over! Mahalo, Ko Olina.

Just returned and we cannot say enough about how relaxing and wonderful our stay was. We loved the staff, our room and the beds. We did not eat much at the hotel, Costco and Safeway are 7 mins away. It was the first time my husband did not complain about the bed! Hope you have as much fun as we did.

Just got back yesterday and am already trying to find another week to go back! It was the best family vacation to date. My family of six will definitely be back!!!

Currently in our second stay here, now in the Moana Tower, last year in the Naia Tower, both with ocean view rooms. We absolutely love it here. We've been to Hawaii more than a dozen times in the past 10 years, and have always visited Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai, sort of avoiding the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. Ko Olina is the answer to this - it is on the West Side, which means better weather, and it's a lot quieter. If you want to see the rest of the island, or Waikiki, you'll realistically need a rental car, but we're probably going to mostly stay here. We liked the beach, the pools, the rental cabanas, the BBQ area, and convenient location of stores and shopping (Foodland, Costco, a great health food store). We'll easily return here in the future, as this place has completely changed our outlook on Oahu as a relaxing vacation destination.

This is a lovely resort in an area that is a bit inconvenient to the rest of the island. There is enough to do to stay on the resort and do nothing else, but be prepared to spend extra bucks. Most everything is expensive everywhere in Ko Olina area. The beach would have been nice, however there is no way to get out of the sun for children or people who need to be careful about how much sun to get. No umbrellas on the beach, like at the Disney resort. You can rent cabanas, but they discourage you from moving them around to avoid the sun. The units are very nice, but lanai is a bit on the narrow side for more than 2 adults.

This Marriott is one of the best. We were here in January 2014 and we loved the location. We loved being near the North shore beaches. We ate at the shrimp trucks, watched the professional surfers at the Banzai Pipe. We actually swam with a large turtle in the lagoon at Ko Olina our last day at the resort. This resort is a 10!

WE HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE KO OLINA FOR 8 YEARS AND ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. THE OUTDOOR BARBEQUES ARE A GREAT COOKING OPTION AND THE LAGOONS AND OCEAN VIEWS ARE BEAUTIFUL. WE NEVER RUN OUT OF THINGS TO DO HERE.

SMBOGY-11/23/13

I have stayed here twice. The place is great!

We just returned from our 2nd visit and had a wonderful time! We started visiting Hawaii 18 years ago, and after visiting Waikiki numerous times we never thought we'd visit Oahu again until on a whim we stayed at Ko Olina. We now enjoy Oahu again. This resort is very relaxing for our family (2 adults, 3 kids - 8yo, 6yo, 2yo). The lush landscaping make it pleasant to just sit on the lanai, and the kids love the pools and lagoons. You need a car to stay here, but once you're here you don't really need to leave unless you want to do some sightseeing. (Dole Pineapple Plantation maze, North shore pipeline, shrimp trucks, shave ice, Pearl Harbor, etc). Our first morning (since we were awake at 4:30am) was spent at Pearl Harbor. Always try to make the most of your first morning since you're usually trying to adjust to the time difference. Next time we'll probably try to catch the sunrise on the other side of the island at Lanikai Beach. Our unit was very comfortable, and we cooked the majority of our meals. (Safeway is where we shopped...if you get a Safeway card you will save a ton of money. We also bought a bunch of frozen family size meals like lasagna, enchiladas, etc which made it easy for us to cook a meal while letting our kids play AND letting them eat something they liked while saving us money). Our kids - especially our toddler - absolutely loved hanging out on the lanai - and it was safe enough to let them. Our pool view room had a wonderful view - and the ocean could be seen from both the lanai AND our bedroom and living room windows. The ukulele lessons were fantastic - not some silly attempt for tourists. I learned more in one lesson there than in 5 private guitar lessons at home. (Thank you Melvin). The kids enjoyed the activities/crafts for children offered throughout the week. (Poi ball class, beach in a box, ti leaf bracelets, hula class - thank you Tiana). Most of our family had the opportunity to make a flower lei which was a fun family activity. We really appreciated the fact that the activities were FREE. A highlight on our last day was the "Make you own sundae + bingo" event. Just make sure you make reservations for activities right away - those with limited space book up quickly! Several of the staff members made a point to remember our names during our visit which really made it more personal. My only recommendation to the resort would be to set aside an area for owners/visitors to leave their beach toys for others (in a way that wouldn't make them legally responsible). Disney Aulani (down the beach) and Wyndham Waikiki Beachwalk (downtown Waikiki) both do this and it's much appreciated. The Fia Fia Luau on Tuesdays is really pricey and really long, but it's worth doing once (unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket - then definately go again!). We felt it was better than any other luau on Oahu, and since it was in the middle of the resort we appreciated the convenience. Tables are assigned based on when you purchase your tickets - you can call weeks/months in advance of you stay to make your reservations. The "Welcome" on Monday afternoon/evening includes hula, coconut tree climbing, and fire starting - we really enjoyed it. Even though we love the island of Maui (especially during whale watching season) we have come to love Marriott Ko Olina and will continue to visit Oahu (this resort of course) for the beauty of the resort and the friendliness of the staff. It really meets the vacation needs of our family.

This is the most amazing place. Super friendly staff, very clean "everywhere", the views are breathtaking. It is worth every cent you pay, you will not be disappointed with choosing this timeshare/hotel. Child and teen friendly activities, weight room with plenty of space and every kind of machine you need, amazing pools, and the beach (semi-private) so not crowded, and only a 100 yards away. Seth at "Chucks" is amazingly friendly and very helpful. I can't say enough about this place.

We've stayed at this resort 3 times and LOVE it. It is very family friendly and is located on the most beautiful beach on Oahu. You won't regret staying here.

Absolutely beautiful brand new resort. Staff said the unit we stayed in 31601 was only open for one month. View was of the pool/garden and was beautiful. We stayed in 1 of 3 buildings. Food was good but pricey. This is one of I think 4 resorts along this beach walk and after walking into the JW MARRIOT, Disney resort, and this one, I believe this is the nicest with the the others being congested and more expensive. This is at least a half hour from "town" and is definately away from the the attractions of Oahu. We did visit Pearl Harbor which was awesome, hiked Diamond Head, and walked Waikiki for a bit and my family was thankful for this resort as it was comparatively quiet and away from the crowds. The ABC store worked for us for a few groceries, but Safeway and Costco are not far away. We did prefer the island of MAUI to OAHU as we like the more laid back environment for vacation but our few days here were very nice. We rented from a MVC owner who had exchanged for this through Interval.

Ocean view is amazing. 30 min drive from Honolulu and traffic is stop and go getting into the city. Room is spacious but sheets are super noisy.??? Strange, I know. Great spot if you want to get away from the city.

We had a 2 bedroom overlooking the pool and garden. We loved it. We would recommend this resort to everyone. The only minus was the food. We cooked in our room most days. Otherwise this was everything and more we wanted in a resort. There is a very upscale ABC store within walking distance with a deli and fresh produce, also next door to the abc store is a ice cream parlor and two restaurants. 2 miles down the highway is fast-food and grocery stores. The resort was very clean, quiet and beautiful. The birds come in a night to roost in the trees and leave, in pairs, early in the morning. We love to watch. There is a wonderful walking path that takes you along all the lagoons. There is no reason to ever leave during your stay. I will come back

This resort is absolutely magnificent!!! The grounds are lush and beautiful. The units are impeccably clean and beautifully decorated. The views, the lagoons, the restaurants, the service!!! Oh, I could go on and on. The only downside is also an upside: the location. If you are planning on doing a lot of sightseeing, plan on spending some time in the Oahu traffic. BUT, being at a resort off the beaten path is what makes this location so breathtaking! So quiet and serene as opposed to the crowds and confusion of Waikiki. This is definitely my favorite resort so far!!!

Just got back from our first trip to Hawaii. Having stayed at other Marriott resorts we knew that on our first Hawaii trip we wanted Marriott. We were, as usual, not disappointed. The resort is beautiful! Lots of pool space (including a "reflecting pool" for adults and an adult jacuzzi). Chuck's Restaurant (onsite) was excellent.

Only down side is that if you don't have a car it would be tough to get to Honolulu, Waikiki, the North Shore, etc. There is a new high speed rail being proposed to run from Kapolei to Honolulu so hopefully Marriott and Disney will provide shuttles to the rail at that time.

Dec 02, 2010 Just returned from Ko Olina Hawaii! The location of the property is "Awesome" The Marriott Ko Olina employees were extremely helpful in giving driving instructions or to recommend a good restaurant in the vicinity of the resort. I can only recommend this resort but for my wife and i , It was the "Best" vacation we have been on! The resort has several pools for adults and children! Take the time to enjoy this Ko Olina Resort! I can't wait to return to this gem of a resort!!

We rented a members week at the Ko Olina Beach Club in July 2010 and had the most fantastic time. The resort was the nicest timeshare we have ever seen, much more in keeping with a five star resort than just a typical timeshare.

The rooms were spotless, the service was terrific. We were surprised by the amount of restaurants on the property. Other timeshares we have used have not had so many choices available. The food was good at Kohlohes and the view from the patio was remarkable. We enjoyed the Fia Fia Show very much. In fact we liked it better than the Luau we went to in Maui a few years ago.

Having a car was essential if you want to go off property. The traffic in Oahu was terrible though and made it difficult to enjoy day trips. There are grocery stores and big box stores close by making it easy to eat in your room.

The property is ideal for families with the countless pools and safe lagoons to swim in.