Ko Olina

I recently rented a car at HNL to drive over to Ko Olina, since I have always been curious about visiting the last corner of Oahu which I have never visited. As a Disney fan, I have always wanted to visit Aulani. My curiosity was further deepened after Disney held the premiere for Moana 2 at the Lanikūhonua Cultural Institute at Ko Olina. Unfortunately, it looks like everyone else had the same idea. Ko Olina was completely jammed with tourists that weekend. After over an hour and half of sitting in heavy traffic congestion, I finally found a spot at the very expensive pay lot ($22 per day, no hourly parking) at Lagoon 4. Then I walked over to Lagoon 4 in time to see the sunset and was not impressed. By that time, I was so frustrated with the situation that I was not in the mood to spend two hours to walk all the way to Lagoon 1 and back. I got back in the car and went to see Kapolei, which was also disappointing. I guess Ko Olina might be worth it if you are staying at one of its overpriced resorts. As a day trip, it is a waste of time and money until the surge of Moana 2 fans is under control.

Beautiful area on the west side of Oahu. Lush & tropical complete with white sand beaches, a lagoon and a golf course. There are great bars and eateries, along with nice shops. Highly recommend!!

I didnt even see the parking sign. Maybe a warning for the first offense would be appropriate. Why is there an additional fee within 24 hours of paying? Really makes me not want to return.

Sunset walks while on the west side or staying at one of the Ko'Olina resorts is must. Some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world. The variety of landscapes in your sunset shots are many. The Waianae Range gives you dramatic mountains. On the shoreline, you can choose from smooth white sand, jagged black lava rocks with reflective pools or a combination of both.Highly recommended

Parking fee at the Ko'Olina market place is a rip off! Yes, I am one of them who doesn't like the new crap going on here. Is it free for the residents of Ko'Olina? Without much proof, I think it is. There are bunch of signs every where, something like one sign for every 4 cars so you can not say did see the sign. If you are dining or stopping by at the ABC or Crazy shirt, you must pay for the parking. Yes, it is not that expensive but the idea of paying for it when it was free just chaps my hide.There is a parking attendant constantly patrolling the area and if you think you can get away, you better watch out! Thanks to the others who parked their vehicles here to use the beach across. Now, you are making our resort life style even more irritating.There are no discounts or free parking for coming to the businesses at this shopping center.By the way, their web site is awesome but it features photos of other beautiful landmark of other Hawaiian islands like Iao Needle from Maui, definitely not a photo of Ko Olina.

Besides the recently added pay for parking in the shopping area this is a great place. There are several resorts, a luau, shopping, ice cream, coffee, restaurants, golfing, and multiple lagoons to go swimming, tan, or just take photos. There is a walking path connecting the lagoons so you can just go for a leisure stroll and enjoy the view at each location. The view is worth the hassle for parking as is the food.There is very limited parking by the parking and restaurant area, but plenty for golfing/Roy's Ko Olina restaurant. There is also parking at each resort and for the lagoons. You will be paying for parking. When entering Ko Olina you will pass a sign that shows if the lagoon parking is full or not.

Back again, I just can't stay away, and why would I want to?! This is my reprieve from all things. There's people everywhere yet it's like I'm here by myself. I'm at Lagoon one and per usual it's clean, never cigarette butts anywhere absolutely grosses me out!) or trash. The sounds of nature and children laughing are my music. Practically no weight parking this time, that's always welcome!

During my visit to Hawaii I stayed at Aulani which is a resort owned by Disney that is located within the Ko Olina community. I spent a good amount of time exploring the resort area so I figured that warranted it's own review - so here we go!Ko Olina is located on the southwest shores of Oahu, and contains a number of different lodgings, homes, and amenities. In addition to Aulani, the area is also home to a few more resorts such as the Four Seasons and a Marriott, as well as residences, shops, restaurants, beaches, and golf courses. Ko Olina is also home to Paradise Cove which hosts events such as luaus. I took the time to explore the grounds during my stay, and really enjoyed simply walking around and absorbing the aesthetics. There are a lot of walking paths and several lagoons with beaches. I was also impressed with the variety of shops and restaurants present - it's super convenient to get light groceries, sundries, or a souvenir. One of the drawbacks that I found with Ko Olina is that it's a little far from Honolulu. You can totally make a vacation out of staying within Ko Olina's grounds, but if you're looking to explore the island then it can be a bit of a drive to get to the main tourist sites - it really depends on the type of vacation you're looking for. Overall, Ko Olina was beautiful - it's definitely a picturesque place to spend time while in Hawaii with a lot of amenities to take advantage of. I would definitely consider staying at one of the resorts here again if I ever return to Oahu.

Absolutely stunning place to visit. The locals are very friendly.in Ko-Olina and you definitely have so many must haves while you're there and visit quite a few areas please. And keep it clean so that we can all have something beautiful to go back to.

Just did a drive by. Beautiful well kept landscaping, but too many speed bumps. Good for safety, but it took a long time to drive through and back out.great for maybe a relaxing staycation! Seems safe and less crowded than Waikiki & close enough to Ka Makana Ali'i if you want to shop & dine.