We chose the Ihilani because we wanted a place near civilization, but not smack in the middle of the chaos and noise of Waikiki. We like to go to Hawaii to relax, so the beach scene? Not our thing.

We chose the Ihilani over the Kahala because it had better rooms for the price, though I think we may try the Kahala next time.

First off, the room was absolutely divine. Perhaps just a smidge on the small side for the price, but otherwise--in perfect condition, well-maintained, tastefully decorated, etc.

We were fortunate to get a deluxe room on the 17th (highest) floor, with an absolutely gorgeous view of the lagoon. We didn't have sunrise or sunset views, which was a pity, but it was lovely anyway. It was also lovely to close just the screen door every night and have the sound of the waves sing us to sleep. It was also nice to have padded furniture, including a lounge chair, on our lanai.

We ate most of our meals at the Naupaka Terrace, their cafe. Although cafe is really a misnomer for it, as this was some of the best food I've ever had. I mean EVER. Even some of the fanciest tablecloth restaurants around couldn't rival them for sheer food quality. I was seriously impressed. I'm not a food snob (one of our meals that week came from Burger King and another from Denny's, so there) but I do know when someone knows what they're doing with the basics. And that chef KNEW. Wow. We didn't ever get to Azul, their higher-end place, but I suspect we may have had to have been carted out of there on stretchers if we did, after going catatonic from food heaven.

Also very cool is their little man-made lagoon (one of four at the Ko Olina resort.) It's perfectly designed so there are next to no waves, and only a few small sea critters floating around. Some folks even had their toddlers there, showing them the cute little blue crabs that live on the rocks near the breakwater.

Now, for the downsides (and there are some, sadly.)

First of all, the location is definitely a little odd. The resort is on the dry, desert-like leeward side of the island, which means it's a chunk of artificially created oasis in the middle of scrub. It's also just down the beach from a major chemical processing plant and port. Kind of cool if you like watching frieghters being guided in by tugboats, but kind of ugly if you'd rather not see chemical mixing tanks on your otherwise-beautiful horizon.

Also, the resort--primarily centered around the Ko Olina golf course, along with the Ihilani and the Marriott timeshare just down the road--does tend to cater to a certain kind of...hmm... upscale, conservative sort of crowd. The hubster and I are financially comfortable, but we're also somewhat on the crunchy liberal and low-BS side too, and at times, I kind of felt a bit out of place in my Target shoes among the Chanel bags and designer polo shirts. We aren't trashy slobs or anything, just perhaps a little less gated-community sorts than most of those frequenting the place. We would never, for instance, have behaved like the entitled wench who berated (loudly) the restaurant's host for not seating her whiny brood with a water view. (Clearly, they were the only customers that mattered in the place!)

I suppose the best way to explain this issue is to point out that the hotel has a small network of ponds/lagoons on property, with a collection of fish and a few small sharks and stingrays. Not necessarily unusual for resorts like this, but in this one, it really looked like the poor creatures just weren't at all happy in their artificial environment. The stingrays, for instance, had had their barbs amputated, and one of them looked like the stump was infected and irritated. Poor guy. Overall, it seemed like they weren't being taken care of in an animal conservation sort of sense, they were just there in a Let's Dominate Wildlife! sort of way. A small issue, to be sure, given the overall quality of the place, but it did kind of gnaw at the back of my mind.

If one can overlook these sorts of issues (and I mostly could) it's a terrific place. Great customer service, great rooms and a great location if you're not into the nutty city life thing. Do definitely rent a car, though, because you'll probably want to go into Kapolei if you want to grab snacks or do other sorts of shopping or off-property meals.

Also, one last note: I highly recommend doing the wildlife-watching boat tours offered by Wildside Eco-Adventures, which is just down the road about 20 minutes or so from the resort. What an absolute blast, and the staff were so respectful of the animals. It was the highlight of our trip.

In June 2008, I stayed with my family for a week. This was my second go around at Ko Olina. The first time was at the Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club. I don’t want to bore you with details of my travel experience, but I have elite status with all major hotel chains. I travel a great deal, and I’m only writing this review, because if I was going to bring my family to the Ihilani, I would want to know these details. I wouldn’t be so critical of a hotel in general, except this one advertises itself as a high-end resort/hotel. First the positive: JW Marriott is on a great location. It has fantastic semi-private lagoons. In general, it’s a modern hotel with good common areas including a nice pool. (Nothing fancy but the pool is clean and does the job) It has nice fish ponds and a separate pond for sting rays and sharks. It also has good restaurants. Rooms were above-average sized and well appointed (bit out-dated) with all the basic necessities of a 4 star hotel. (If you think this is a 5-star, you’re out of your mind) Fitness center missed a couple of specialized equipment, but had everything I needed. It has a separate lap pool for the swimmers.

I own timeshare with Marriott and typically stay at the hotel portion between 40-60 nights per year. I have trouble believing a Marriott category 7 hotel can be operated in this fashion.

Room: As soon as I entered the room, it hit me: A strange and unforgettable odor. It’s a cross between fresh paint and cat urine, more the latter. We aired the room overnight to no avail. They granted us a room change, but the new room had the same problem albeit to a lesser extent. I later discovered it was in the air conditioning. Both rooms were extremely dirty. Dirt/dust everywhere, hairs (not ours) on the bathroom floors and entrance, and food particles in plain sight. Both rooms were the same. Some areas of the rooms look like they haven’t been clean in years. Bugs!!! I stayed a week in Kauai before coming here, but didn’t have any insect problems while staying at an outdoor resort. JW is an enclosed hotel, and we were on a high floor. We had silverfish, mosquitos, gnats of varing size and flies. The problem got so bad, I went to the local Wal-Mart for an insect candle. Our fourth night, we discovered a huge trail of sugar ants from the balcony to the opposite end of the room. We found ants in the bedding and other furniture. When ants are found on the 14th floor, you have to suspect the problem is not localized.

Parking: They charged me $30.37 per night. I know what you’re thinking...you could always do without a car or not stay there. True...However, when I made my reservation, my confirmation email showed a parking fee of $19/night. In a matter of two months, they raised $10. Second, this hotel is in a rather remote location, you really can’t do without a car when you’re with your family. Since they’re the only game in town, you have to pay the extortion. I’ll gladly pay a parking fee which is a result of supply and demand. This is something very different. JW has a relatively large parking structure with lots of empty slots.

For the money, stay at the Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club. One last thing, my gold status didn’t mean anything at this hotel. I couldn’t even get a late checkout.

Pros – Beautiful rooms, wonderful view from our floor (11). Service for everything was great, except that everything came with a price and a tip. The shark, fish and ray pool was nice and they even had an interactive session for $30. Beach access was great to the private calm lagoon. Plenty of chairs and was never very busy. Cabana rentals were available for $35/day, but we just opted for an umbrella and chairs. The restaurants served great food, but the prices were a bit high. The prime rib was AMAZING!! Room service was VERY fast, but again kind of pricey. Complimentary snorkel/fin, kayak and hammock boat rental for 1 hour a day was nice.

Cons - Everything costs extra. You'd think for spending over $500/night you'd get to park your car or access the internet for free. Parking is $30/day for both self parking and valet. Internet is an additional $13/day. $100/day extra for an ocean view room. Tips are somewhat expected for everything. We took advantage of the complimentary hammock boat rental and when I signed the form for the rental the staff made sure they pointed out the “gratuity” line on the form for their help in renting the equipment. Noise from the pool late at night might be a bit much for some, but eliminating it was as simple as closing your sliding doors. The spa is very expensive and didn’t seem worth it. Tennis is available, but again for another price. The pool is small, but I don’t think anyone booked the hotel for the pool. The bar at the pool is a nice touch, but drinks are SOOO expensive. An 8 oz pina colada (or any of their other mixed drinks) is $12.50, plus once again the bar/wait staff expects to be tipped.

Overall – I don’t think we’d stay here again, despite the good service and good food. The price, tip expectations and nickle and diming that takes place was way too much for us.

I'll get to the point. It was my honeymoon. I called several months in advance to find out if they could guarantee me a deluxe ocean view room overlooking the pool. I wanted that view because I've stayed at the Ihilani twice before, and found out that rooms that face north west get exposed to a spot next to the hotel that often has parties during the day and sometimes late at night, playing loud music. I called the hotel directly and they said they could guarantee the deluxe ocean view I wanted if made in advance.

So when I had my dates ready I called reservations and specifically told them the view I wanted. I told them it was my honeymoon and that I knew that there was loud music on the north west side of the hotel. They said they could do it and got even more specific by asking what floor I wanted. I told them the 7th would be fine. I called the hotel directly again about a week later to verify the reservation (though in fairness I don't recall if I again mentioned the specific view I wanted). This was done 3-4 months in advance of my trip. For $417 a night I wanted the same spectacular view I had had in the past. I could step onto the balcony and see the 4 lagoons south of the hotel, and the room was private. Nobody could see into my room from another balcony so I could lay on the bed in my underwear with the windows open getting that awesome ocean breeze.

When I got to my room, and realized it was not overlooking the pool, but instead faced north west, I called the front desk. They told me there were no deluxe ocean view rooms available overlooking the pool with a king bed....only twin beds. Plus, when I told them about my reservation they said there was nothing in the notes of my reservation indicating the view I wanted. So then I called the same number that was on the email from my reservation, and had them look up my reservation. They said there was no mention of my request overlooking pool, and then said that if I had requested the reservation specialist to 'put my request in the notes' then they would have. I said how am I supposed to know that I have to specifically tell them to put my request in the notes. The woman just said that some reservation specialists will just do it on their own, but some won't unless you ask them to. LAME!!!

So for two nights I heard drumming and singing, one until 10pm. And during the day their was a party. Plus the guy next door came out on his balcony and turned around and looked right into our room where my wife and I were laying.

The food at the hotel was excellent. The room was very nice except for the location. The phone system didn't work correctly, so even after I retrieved a phone message, it kept blinking that I had a message. I called the front desk twice and they deleted the message, but it kept blinking so I just left it. The mini fridge was empty and barely cool which made me feel like they were trying to do things on the cheap. The other times I stayed there, it was stocked with drinks and candy bars, etc.

The pool was great. The staff well trained and friendly, especially the concierges.

bottom line: when I go to paradise and pay $417 + 30 (room tax) + 20 (G.E. tax) + 19 (parking tax) = $486 a day, I expect more. I'll try another place next time.