I chose the JW Marriot Ihilani Resort on recommendation from a close friend and she was right on the mark. The resort is beautiful and serene. Our room had a gorgeous ocean view and we could see the stingray and tropical fish ponds looking directly down from our lanai. All resort staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The lagoon at the resort had amazing snorkeling so if you go make sure to make use of the free snorkel equipment provided by the resort. We swam with turtles in the lagoon daily and saw every type of fish imaginable (even more than we saw in Hanauma Bay and WAY less crowded). I recommend getting a rental car because the resort is just far enough away that you will have way better access to the rest of the island with a car. You will have to pay a daily parking fee at the resort so keep that in mind. There are grocery stores and restaurants 5 minutes away or you can drive to Honolulu in under 30 min (depending on traffic). The rooms are very comfy, the only thing is, if you want a mini-fridge, in room coffee maker, robes or any amenities like that you do have to have them sent up. The resort no longer provides them automatically in your room although they are still free of charge.

This vacation was the first for my family. We chose Ko Olina Beach Villa Resort because of the price and facility, even though we never visited it before. So, there was apprehension going into this blindly. We trusted what others had said about the facility and area. After the vacation, we were very satisfied with the accomidations and location. The resort is very close to a clean and well maintained man-made lagoon. Eventually the first Disney Hawaii resort will open and this "privacy" may become less private really fast. Until that happens, you should have plenty of sand space and relaxation time on the beach. If you are mixing a golf vacation with your trip, I would suggest not going to the golf course adjacent to the resort...it's too expensive. My wife and I are intermediate to advanced golfers and we both concluded it was not worth the price. Do your research; you'll find many above par courses less than a 15 minute drive from the resort. There is a Costco, Target and Safeway within a 5 minute drive from the resort and plenty of restaurants. This resort does not have a restaurant or food service so, if you want to walk, you will need to visit the Marriott Resort next door. If you have a car, we found good to great restaurants within a 5 minute drive. Our room was more of a condo so, we prepared 50% of our meals in the condo. One thing to note is room service is not 24hrs. Not a big deal but we ran into a problem with one of the toilets and we had to wait until morning.

Great vaca! All you need is there at the resort...except for food. The restaurants there are fantastic, but be prepared to pay. There is a to go place, One Paddle, Two Paddle, which for a resort offers good food for fair price. The car rental is a bit pricey, but again, all you need is there at the resort. Aunty's (daycare) is very impressive. No wonder kids don't want to leave. This resort is ideal for toddlers and up. Extremely friendly staff. Keep the lei on and you'll get the extra attn. Housecleaning was a lil short on the service. Had to call them for service.Still 5 stars!