The Ko Olina Beach Villas Resort (Where to Stay on Oahu!)

Ever since I first stepped foot at the resort where we stayed on Oahu, I’ve been really excited to tell you all about it.  And since so many of you know that we are huge Disney lovers, many of you have assumed that we stayed at Aulani, but we didn’t.  And although I have a lot of good things to tell you about Aulani as well, I’m really glad we chose the place we did.  Truth be told, I had a reservation at Aulani way back when I first started planning, but after some further searching, we found the Ko Olina Beach Villas Resort, and it was perfect for us.  Let me be clear from the beginning that this is not a sponsored post, nor do we even know the owner of the condo where we stayed, but I’m writing to you as a friend to friends about my humble opinion! Situated on a gorgeous lagoon on the west (leeward) side of Oahu, the Ko Olina Resort area is a gorgeous place that is home to the Four Seasons, Disney’s Aulani, the Marriott, and the Beach Villas, where we stayed.  The Beach Villas Resort currently has one whole lagoon to itself, which feels like a private oasis far from the busyness of the city.  However, we were able to get to the farthest points of interest across the island in about an hour, and the drive to the airport, Waikiki, and other highlights is around 30 minutes.  Here is a little aerial view like we were able to see from our helicopter tour…

It’s not always easy to find comfortable accommodations at a reasonable rate for a family of 6, but this condo was everything we could have asked for with plenty of room, a high-end full kitchen, and a view like this from the lanai…

We stayed in Unit 208 in the Beach Tower, which is the closest to the ocean, and I highly recommend this specific unit.  From the beginning, it was clear that this condo owner is very detail-oriented, with instructions and labels on everything to make the stay stress-free.  The kitchen is fully stocked with all the pots, pans, and utensils you would need, and even laundry detergent was provided for the washer and dryer.  Both bathrooms and bedrooms were very spacious, and the sofa bed provides the extra space to sleep 6.  Beach chairs, boogie boards, floats, and snorkeling equipment was also provided, so we had everything we needed for the beach! And speaking of the beach, it was so amazing.  The whole time we were there, there might have been 10 families max at the busiest times at our lagoon.  And the waters were crystal clear.

And the sunset views from this beach are absolutely amazing!

(This one was taken from our condo lanai!)…

And the fabulous views continue all around the resort pool and grounds…

We loved the lagoon pool, but there is also a lap pool available…

The lobby is beautiful as well, and the resort offers different activities here on weekends for a small fee.

The girls and I signed up for a hula lesson and we all loved it!

So, in case you haven’t gotten the message, we loved it here!  And as for our thoughts on Aulani, being the Disney fanatics we are, we definitely wanted to visit there.  So, we had made some reservations for dinners there before we even arrived, knowing it wasn’t far away.  But, we were very surprised to find out that it was a literally a 5-minute walk down the path from our resort to Aulani.

Once you round the little corner to the next lagoon, this is what you see…

It’s definitely a beautiful resort!

We did the character buffet at Makahiki one night and it was exactly what we love of Disney– delicious and fun!

We went back a few times for shopping, lunch, and Dole Whips!  These are the perfect afternoon snack to walk over for on a beach day!

This is a beautiful shot I took early one morning of the pools.  But here’s something to keep in mind– every other time we were there, at all hours of the day, these chairs and the pools were packed with people.

And if you look closely at their lagoon, you’ll notice the difference between this one and the one at our resort… tons of people!

That’s all I will say about Aulani, because I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble if you have your heart set on this, but I just wanted to give our perspective for those researching options.  And of course, here’s one guy you won’t find at any other resort!

Soo– as a final note, let me mention this about the Ko Olina Beach Villas Resort.  If you notice this aerial view once more, you’ll see that there are empty lots on each side of this resort.

The good news is, this provides so much more privacy and fewer crowds.  The bad news is– it’s not going to stay this way.  We were told that there are plans in the works for an Atlantis resort in the near future on the lot between ours and Aulani.  (Insert sad face emoji here!)  So, my suggestion is to research and contact the condo owners regarding details about possible construction going on before you book!  It could mean an extra discount for you!  Click HERE for the link to the exact unit where we stayed to get all the details.  We loved it!  And I think you will too!  As always, feel free to ask questions and I’ll try to answer!  Thanks again for coming along with me as I’ve re-capped our entire trip!  Aloha, friends!