Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina is a brilliant luxury hotel on Oahu and arguably your best choice on Oahu’s leeward coast. It joins four other Four Seasons hotels which make up the best Four Seasons in Hawaii.
We love the magical Islands of Hawaii, but the resorts there are largely limited to “middle-of-the-road” chain hotels. Certainly, you will not find overwater villas with plunge pools. So it is important to pick the right luxury resort.
You are spoiled for choice when it comes to the magnificent Four Seasons Hotel chain, which is ever-expanding across these Islands. Wonderful options include Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, Four Seasons Lanai, and the Four Seasons Hualalai on the Kona-Kohala Coast of the Big Island, which is also fabulous.
I reviewed the best way to get deals and special offers at Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, Hawaii. The key is to book your stay at any of these hotels via our luxury travel concierge for extra benefits and perks at both of these hotels, including free breakfast, resort credit, and a prioritized room upgrade.
Location
Ko Olina is located on the sunny west side of O‘ahu. Originally conceived in the mid-1980s, the resort has been reaffirmed many times over the years, most recently by the notable success of Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, which debuted in 2011.
The 650-acre (263-hectare) master-planned community also features Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club; several private resort residential communities; Hawai‘i’s only private deep-draft marina; the award-winning Ko Olina Golf Club; four oceanfront white sand lagoons connected by 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) of shoreline pathways; access to a diverse selection of ocean and outdoor activities; and the island’s best weather, all located 17 miles (27 kilometers) from the Honolulu International Airport.
Style & Character
Four Seasons Oahu is a high-rise hotel with around 13 floors. It has 371 rooms and was originally an independent hotel from the mid-1980s that was rebranded as a JW Marriott Ko Olina before being reopened as a Four Seasons in 2016 after a huge renovation.
Because of its age, some design features, such as the atrium lobby with open-air sides, feel from the 1980s although the Four Seasons refurbishment, which included adding an adults-only pool, has been a fabulous improvement.
The resort actually sits within a 10-acre nature preserve called Lanikuhonua (“where heaven meets earth”). The jungle-covered mountains behind the resort that drop down to the turquoise sea in front of the resort certainly make this one of the most picturesque spots in Hawaii.
What Is The Best Four Seasons Hotel In Hawaii?
Four Seasons has four hotels in Hawaii: Four Seasons Hualalai (on Big Island), Four Seasons Lanai, Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, and the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina, which is the newest of the four. They are all gorgeous, and they are all pretty expensive. They all feature in our picks of the best Four Seasons hotels in the world. Four Seasons is a particularly outstanding hotel brand, and Four Seasons hotels are usually the best option in any resort area. My reviews of the Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii can be found below.
Rooms
With 370 rooms and 55 suites, this is the largest Four Seasons hotel in Hawaii. Rooms at Four Seasons Oahu are also large, with a minimum of 640 ft² Our favorite rooms are the Ocean View rooms with unobstructed, panoramic ocean views. The rooms feel modern and beachy, with a wooden-floored entryway and rattan-style tan carpet. The bathrooms are large, and the rooms have a large balcony that houses a sofa, two seats, and a table.
The rooms are nice, and the views from the higher-floor ocean-view rooms are tremendous. They look out over the Koh Olina resort-y beach. One thing to mention at this hotel is that you are aware your room is located in an architecturally older and more dated hotel design.
The Resort View room with mountain views is undoubtedly the best deal as you get to enjoy all the benefits of the resort at the lowest possible price. They offer vistas of the nearby Waianae Range and are wonderful for watching the sunrise over Mount Kaala, but these Lanai can lack sunshine during the day, so don’t bank on sunbathing on the balcony in these rooms.
We think the best room at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina is the Delux Room with an outdoor spa tub. With these rooms (which are on the ground floor), you get a stunning outdoor space with 2 chairs, a table, and two loungers, all surrounding your own private pool. They call it an “oasis complete with a lush garden area,” and the space looks right out upon the ocean.
10 Best Luxury Hotels & Resorts In Hawaii
Hawaii offers a landscape straight out of Jurassic Park (it was filmed there, after all!), and if you want to get a true feeling of the island and its beaches, watch the box set of LOST, and you will see what you are missing out on. Towering jungle-covered peaks rise from the deep blue Pacific Ocean, and palm-fringed beaches give way to glorious surf and quiet bays. The islands of Hawaii are simply spectacular. The islands belong to the United States of America as the 50th and most recent state to have joined the USA. Luxury resorts here are large, and most sit right on the beach.
Having this garden area means that you can step out onto the easy-access beach straight from your room. You don’t even have to navigate the corridors for your fix of the beach. Once again, the room itself is the same size, but the added outdoor space makes it feel a whole lot larger and provides a magical space to spend the day or while away the evening in private.
If you are looking for more space, the suites are the ones to go for, and they vary in size and in view. There are Junior Suites, One Bedroom Suites, and Prime Oceanfront Suites, which are all great for more space.
Once again, we have a favorite suite at Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, and it is not any of those mentioned above. It is the Pacific Suite.
The Pacific suite has (and I quote!) “… A separate living and sleeping areas, plus a private outdoor lanai with your own spa tub and garden area. With the Pacific Ocean right outside your door, this ground-floor suite offers some of the best indoor/outdoor living accommodations at the Resort.” The indoor-outdoor nature of this room is pictured above.
There is also a “The Residence,” a “Presidential Suite,” and a “Penthouse Suite,” all with marvelous views and bags of space, but they lack the private tub, and outdoor space. The bottom line is that I like to be able to access my room directly from the beach and the beach from my room. I also like to be able to cool off in private, so it will always be the Delux Room with an outdoor tub and the Pacific Suite that win as the best rooms at this Four Seasons for my family.
Service & Facilities
The thing that differentiates the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina from the other Four Seasons resorts on the various Hawaiian islands is the fact that it is designed around a calm artificial lagoon beach. Turquoise in color, this lagoon offers a gorgeous golden sand beach in a circular bay, making it an extremely calm and shallow place to paddle or swim. The comparative safety of this lagoon makes this an ideal Four Seasons to choose from if you have kids.
There are loungers, umbrellas, and beach equipment available, all free of charge, so you can snorkel, swim, or try other water sports without paying any premium.
The Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina has four pools. The Ohana Pool is a circular but uninteresting family pool that is near the beach, pool bar, and a couple of restaurants. Adjacent and right next to the beach is a smallish kids pool with a stepped entry and hot tubs and there is a spa lap pool. The most attractive pool is the adults-only pool, which was recently built and is infinity in design. This is a really beautiful pool area with views across the lawns, which are punctuated with palm trees, and out to the ocean in the distance.
Because all the pools at the Oahu resort, with the exception of the adults-only infinity pool, feel dated, the pools at the Maui Four Seasons win. If you are traveling with a young family, you won’t get to use the adults-only infinity pool, so your pool options aren’t that exciting, and there are no fun slides, etc.
Nestled into the Resort’s lush landscape, Naupaka Spa & Wellness Centre offers guests the opportunity to slip away to a sensual night spa retreat. Surrounded by the swaying palms, warm trade winds, and the sound of waves lapping the shoreline, guests enjoy side-by-side lomi lomi massages followed by a private Polynesian star voyaging experience, showcasing all that the Hawaiian night sky has to offer.
Other unique features include a private deep-draft marina and a mile and a half of seaside paths, making this a great choice if you like to jog or just stroll to wear off the delicious food.
Activities beyond the beach, pools, and fine dining include a magnificent spa, a golf course, tennis courts, and a 24-hour gym. You are also encouraged to embrace Hawaiian culture with local experts teaching classes to learn to play the ukulele and to stargaze, which is how the ancient Polynesian voyagers found Hawaii in the first place.
The complimentary Kids for All Seasons club runs daily activities for children ages five to twelve. It includes activities like crafts, hula lessons, and beach exploration from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm daily. Evening add-ons range from glamping to pizza-movie nights. Regular babysitting is also available. Like many Four Seasons, the Oahu hotel doesn’t charge extra for children aged 17 and under who stay in their parents’ rooms. Most come equipped with memory foam sofa beds, but cribs and additional cots are complimentary for children.
Food & Drink
The Resort’s five restaurants and lounges offer a dining experience to satisfy every craving – ocean fresh seafood, premium cuts of beef, coastal Italian, and a plethora of craft cocktails and poolside pupus to indulge all appetites and lifestyles.
Mina’s Fish House is home to James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Mina, and he brings line-to-table to vibrant life with his take on the traditional Hawaiian fish house, where friends and family gather for sustainably caught, whole fish and expertly paired wines recommended by the world’s first fish sommeliers. Try the Hawaiian-style opakapaka and broiled Kona kampachi. This restaurant is right on the beach so it is a wonderful place to spend the evening. You can eat romantically under the stars at night here whilst also being able to escape the heat at lunchtime in the undercover bit.
La Hiki Steak restaurant is Inspired by the Hawaiian phrase mai ka la hiki a ka la kau – “from sunrise to sunset,” La Hiki Steak is a premium west Oahu steak experience where more than 60 percent of produce is sourced locally, and dishes showcase the bounty of the island. Curing, smoking, and preserving are hallmarks of a Bahamian-born chef. Try Lechon kewali (house bacon), Chef’s Charcuterie Board, and Butcher’s Block with A5 Australian wagyu.
Noe Italian is a chic, intimate, and casually glamorous, authentic eatery that is perfect for a starlit meal for couples, friends, and families thanks to Noe’s Capri-meets-Oahu ambiance and coastal Italian menu filled with local seafood and house-made pasta, plus an unrivaled selection of Italian wines – many never before available in Hawaii.
Hokulea Café and The Bar at Hokulea offers an early start with gourmet coffees and freshly squeezed juices from 5:30 am, a selection of craft beers and wines in the afternoon, and Ko Hana rum cocktails at the Bar, an intimate, world-class watering hole with an evening torch lighting ceremony and hula to welcome the night in two locations on the main floor.
Finally, Waterman Bar & Grill is a surf-style, casual poolside eatery that pays homage to Hawaii’s legendary watermen with its vintage vibe and menu filled with the flavors of the North Shore. Try Waterman’s Apprentice, an addictive mocktail made with liliko’i nectar, Oahu pineapple, coconut water, and cinnamon soda.
Conclusion
Four Seasons Oahu is usually the cheapest Four Seasons hotel in Hawaii. It offers a calmer beach and a glorious adults-only pool, but the other more dated pools and the high-rise nature of the Oahu hotel means that even though this is an incredible hotel, the Lanai, Maui, and Hualalai Four Seasons have the edge over this one.
Have a read of our reviews of the Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii below. I consider some of them to be the best Four Seasons hotels in the world.
Four Seasons Hotels In Hawaii
Review: Four Seasons Lanai, Hawaii
We have reviewed the best Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii, but if you are looking for true escapism on the Hawaiian Islands, look no further than the Four Seasons Lanai. Overlooking Hulopoe Bay, this relaxing retreat offers the emptiest hotel beach on the Hawaiian islands. Four Seasons Lanai is the most remote Four Seasons hotel on the Hawaiian Islands. I reviewed the best way to get deals and special offers at Four Seasons Lanai.
Review: Four Seasons Hualalai, Hawaii
We have reviewed the best Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii, which includes the stunning Four Seasons Hualalai on Big Island, Hawaii. It may not be one of the cheapest Four Seasons hotels in the world, but it is one of the best! Four Seasons Hualalai is located on Big Island, Hawaii, the one with the big and active Kilauea volcano, which means that the whole resort is built on the dramatic black rock and that you can take a trip to the live volcano if you like. It's worth bearing in mind that this island is pretty big, so the drive to see the volcano is lengthy if worthwhile.
Review: Four Seasons Maui
We have reviewed the best Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii, which includes the stunning Four Seasons Maui in the most exclusive resort on Maui, Wailea. Four Seasons Maui is the most resort-based Four Seasons hotel on the Hawaiian Islands, in the exclusive resort area of Wailea. I reviewed the best way to get deals and special offers at Four Seasons Maui. The key is to book your next Four Seasons stay via our luxury travel concierge, as we can give you free loyalty-style benefits, room upgrades, and perks while matching the rates on the Four Seasons Maui website.
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