TURTLE BAY RESORT || Our Time On The North Shore Of Hawaii

March 26, 2024

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TURTLE BAY RESORT || Our Time On The North Shore Of Hawaii

We arrived home Saturday evening after spending 7 wonderful days on the North Shore of Oahu. We’ve been to the North Shore of the island before, back in 2022, when we rented a house with my entire family. Yet this time we opted to stay at Turtle Bay Resort. We had never stayed there before, and it far exceeded our expectations.

Hawaii has always held a special place in my heart, and I have such wonderful memories there with my OG family, and have felt so grateful to have created so many new memories there with TJ and the girls as well… and this trip was no exception.

The North Shore of Oahu is truly a special place. You feel as if you’re in a beautiful countryside, while at the same time being surrounded by the natural beauty of the ocean. The feel is laid back and the pace is slow (as it is in most of Hawaii), and after several days, it’s easy to fall into the same rhythm and routine.

If you’ve ever considered a trip to the North Shore of Oahu, I’m going to break down what we did, what you need to know about staying on this side of the island, and a few other good details that I hope will make your decision (or trip planning) a bit easier.

STAY

As I mentioned before, we stayed at a beautiful property previously, but it’s not longer available for rent. My friend has a home that they rent out in the same area, and you can check it out here.

This time around we stayed at Turtle Bay Resort, which underwent (and is still in the process of) a major glow up over the past several years… and let me tell you, it shows. From the moment you walk into the beautiful open air lobby, you feel relaxed. Every single member of the hotel team, that we came into contact with, was friendly and more then willing to help.

Turtle Bay Resort has 3 on site restaurants, a grab n’ go coffee spot (which has quick breakfast and lunch… along with coffee, tea, and all sorts of other libations…), a marketplace (think small ABC market, if you’re familiar with Hawaii, you know), 3 boutiques (which have some of the best resort items I’ve ever seen at a hotel….), a beach club, and The Beach House restaurant, which is by the beach. We enjoyed all of our dinners, and all but 2 of our breakfasts, on the property. The food is actually very good (I’m always wary of hotel food), they have a wonderful drink menu (at all spots), and the daily brunch is worth it (although, it does add up).

As far as rooms go, we did book a suite, but it’s not a “traditional suite” in the sense that you can close a door and have two distinct rooms. It is a larger room in that it has a King size bed, as well as a sectional couch with a pullout, but it’s not two separate rooms. In hindsight, the next time we would either book the regular two Queen room and just hang out on the small balcony after the girls go down, or just book two adjoining bedrooms. The hotel does have Ocean Bungalows, as well as villas, all worth exploring for larger room options. TBH, we were in our room only to shower and get ready for the day, and the girls were so active during the day, that they were able to fall asleep with a dim light on, and us in the same room (they also went to bed a bit later than usual).

Other than that, here’s the deal. Where Turtle Bay sits on the North Shore, you’re a ways out from downtown Haleiwa, which has the majority of the “nicer” restaurants on The North Shore. So unless you rent a car (which, IMO, is an absolute must when you’re on the North Shore because there are no Ubers or Lyfts… or taxis…), you’ll be stuck on the property all day, for every meal. Which, isn’t bad since there is plenty to do. BUT if you want to explore the food trucks, see the sites, go off property for some activities, you will 100% need a car.

All that to say, Turtle Bay offers so many activities… Lei Making (which we did and loved), guided nature walks, hiking trails (we did several of them), horseback riding at their stables, a beautiful luau (which we didn’t do, but I wish we had), surf + SUP lessons, snorkeling, a pool (with two water slides), cute bikes you can rent (kiddo bikes as well), Segway Tours, a Spa, stargazing, and a slew of other activities that I am missing (these were just the memorable ones for us). Full list here.

We rented a car once we got to the property through a site called Turo (it’s what we use for all car rentals) and left for a couple of lunches and breakfasts. The spots we recommend visiting I’ve listed below:

Surf n’ Salsa (such a cute spot, great for Mexican… and delicious watermelon juice)
Seven Brothers (an easy 5 minute drive from the hotel, they have great seafood options, as well as burgers and fries… and then visit their little market for some amazing cookies and banana bread)

Kahuku Beer Garden (you can pick up lunch from any of the food trucks that surround the area and then take it to the beer garden and enjoy a cold one, or two… family friendly as well)

Kula Shave Ice (this is a spot right off the main highway… girls really enjoyed it)

Sunrise Shack (there are two locations, we went to the one off the highway, but the Shark’s Cove spot has a more robust selection)

Foodland Market (worth hitting up for snacks and drinks since everything is pretty pricey at the hotel)

Makuna Banana Bread (the best we’ve found on the island… get the loaf with chocolate chips)
Farm to Barn (a great brunch spot- highly recommend going on the weekend when they have live music)

Haleiwa Bowls (these are better than sunrise shack, IMO, but much further away)

Raised By The Waves (a good vegan spot… with breakfast and lunch)

ACTIVITIES

We’re fans of just hanging at the beach and pool all day, since the girls love it so much and it really allows you to just unwind and get into that “no agenda” vibe the islands offer, but we did a few notable activities on this trip.

Horseback Riding and Pony Experience: This was on our list the moment we booked the hotel. Turtle Bay has stables right by the ocean and you can book several different rides. We opted for a morning trail ride, which took us right along the ocean and to see various coves, and it was such a wonderful experience. Camille wasn’t quite old enough for the trails, so she did the 30 minute Pony Experience where she was able to brush the pony, feed the pony, and then go on a ride. Fun was had by all.

Lei Making: If you want to do this, book it right when you arrive, as it fills up quickly. It was about a 45 minute experience, that we did right after brunch, and the girls (TJ included) really enjoyed it (they made the flower crowns in our family photos).

Snorkeling: The cove by the hotel is nice and calm, perfect for snorkeling.

Hiking: We walked most mornings along the various, marked, trails around the hotel. They’re easy enough for the entire family to enjoy and bay in length.

Our Daily Itinerary was requested so quickly sharing that below, starting with our first full day.

SUNDAY:
Brunch
Hike
Beach all day, snorkeling, sand castles, etc…
Dinner + Drinks At Lobby Bar- great spot to watch the sunset

MONDAY:
Brunch at Hotel
Hike
Lunch at Surf n’ Salsa
Shave Ice
Beach
Dinner + Drinks at hotel restaurant

TUESDAY:
Breakfast at Sunrise Shack
Horseback Riding
Lunch- Seven Brothers + Beer Garden
Beach
Dinner + Drinks at hotel

WEDNESDAY:
Brunch
Beach
Lunch- Seven Brothers + Beer Garden
Pool (we stay out at the pool until 4:30)
Dinner + Drinks at Hotel

THURSDAY:
Brunch
Beach
Lunch- picked up poke bowls from hotel grab n’ go spot
Pool
Drinks + Dinner at Hotel

FRIDAY:
Brunch
Lei Making
Pool all day
Dinner and Drinks at Hotel

SATRUDAY:
Breakfast- Farm To Barn
Quick Hike
Headed to airport

Sharing a bunch of photos of our time, as well as linking everything we wore, below!

I hope it all helps if you’re considering a trip to visit Turtle Bay Resort (or just the North Shore in general).