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Still in diapers, on a strict two-naps-a-day schedule, and unable to grow more than an inch of hair on my head, I first visited Hawaii as a toddler. My parents dressed me up in a floral bikini top and a grass hula skirt for the occasion. (Yes, I have photographic proof.) Looking back, maybe this is where my love of dressing for a theme started? In any case, Hawaii had me hooked.
I’ve returned more than a dozen times over the last three decades, staying at a range of resorts, hotels, condos, and Airbnbs across Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. Each place has had pros and cons, so I haven’t been loyal to any one property—until now. After three nights at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, you’ll be hard-pressed to get me to stay anywhere else. As Parker Posey’s character on The White Lotus says, “I just don’t think, at this age, I’m meant to live an uncomfortable life.” Keep scrolling for my honest review of the resort’s grounds, accommodations, activities, and dining.
1. The Property
Here are some fun facts by the number. Located a thirty-minute drive from the Honolulu airport, the resort boasts six restaurants and bars, four pools, two gift shops, four pickleball courts, a 35,000-square-foot spa, and one wedding chapel, to name but a few things you’ll see around the grounds. While these stats are certainly impressive on paper, the resort really stays with you because of all the non-tangible elements: the calmness of the water in the lagoon, the sound of the ocean from your bed, and the greenness of the impeccably manicured landscaping.
As you can see from my video in the lower right-hand corner, the beach is incredibly calm because it’s protected by rock barriers that form a peaceful little lagoon directly in front of the hotel. This is something I’ve learned to never take for granted in Hawaii. Just because a hotel is beachfront doesn’t mean it will be good for swimming! At one hotel in Kauai, for instance, I couldn’t swim for two minutes without keeping an eye on the next set of rough waves rolling in, lest they pummel me and take my bikini top with them.
Of the four pools, one is adults-only (pictured top right) and is outfitted with its own swim-up bar. Be sure to try the mai tai! Another pool is conveniently located in the spa and wellness center, so you can take a refreshing dip after your massage and sauna sesh. The remaining two pools are popular with families of all ages.
2. The Accommodations
As an introvert, I love nothing more than a good balcony to enjoy a pretty view from the comfort of my own hotel room. You mean I can soak in the sunset without being enlisted to take pictures of a couple on their honeymoon? Sounds good to me! (Congrats, though.) Speaking of the sunset, my room at the Four Seasons Oahu had such a good view, I felt like the sky was putting on a color show exclusively for me.
My room had another key detail I love: a separate bathtub and shower. I liked washing off my sandy feet, salty hair, and chlorine-filled swimsuit in the shower and keeping the bathtub pristine for my nightly relaxation ritual. (After which I enveloped myself in an impossibly plush Four Seasons robe, naturally.) The heavenly custom toiletries combined scents of citrus and pikake (a flower in the jasmine family).
3. The Activities
Listen, I don’t blame you if you go to Oahu and do nothing but lie on the beach all day. (In which case, I highly recommend reading The Wedding People as I did.) If you want to keep a bit busier than that, however, there are plenty of options at this resort. First, my dad and I were lucky enough to go on the celestial canoe experience. Before taking off from shore in our double-hull canoe, our guide (pictured top left) lit a torch and blew into a conch shell (pū in Hawaiian) to mark the beginning of the adventure. While paddling us through the lagoon and the ocean beyond it, he explained how ancient Hawaiians used the stars to navigate. For both my dad and me, it was the best experience of the whole stay because it combined a fun water activity with a dose of culture.
Instead of a yoga class or tennis lessons, both of which are offered, I decided to do something less sweaty and more my speed: a sound bath (top right). Held in the hotel’s chapel and led by Pi’iali’i Lawson, who comes from a long line of Native Hawaiian healers, the relaxing experience made my stress disappear faster than my shave ice melted. You can join the weekly class on Thursdays or book a private session.
Another highlight of my agenda: the Seven Rituals Facial (bottom right). The seven different tools and techniques combined to give me the best-looking skin I’ve had in years. The facial uses CO₂ oxygen exfoliation, a hot/cold wand, a hydradermabrasion aqua peel, radio frequency, electro-ion microcurrent, ultrasound therapy, and oxygen infusion to reduce inflammation, brighten dullness, enhance product absorption, and more.
4. The Food and Drinks
Yes, I tried every single one of the resort’s many restaurants and bars. It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it. I feasted on char-broiled shrimp at Mina’s Fish House (pictured bottom right), devoured the pastry-filled breakfast buffet at La Hiki, gorged on rigatoni bolognese next to the koi pond at Noe, and saved room for mochi ice cream (top right) at Mānalo Lounge. My dad said the A5 Wagyu at Mānalo Lounge was the best he’s ever had. I’m not a big beef person myself, so I didn’t independently verify his claims, but I think you can trust him.
Naturally, I also had a drink (or two) to wash it all down with. The hotel’s speakeasy-style rooftop bar, Five One Six (top left), boasts amazing sunset views, while the on-site coffee bar near the lobby makes a mean matcha latte. Oh, and I also thoroughly enjoyed the fact that there’s food and drink service directly on the beach.
