Turtle Bay Resort

There’s one reason why we’re bringing Turtle Bay Resort to your attention, and that’s the North Shore. Well, two reasons — this Seventies resort is rolling out a massive renovation, keeping the now charmingly retro plan and exterior, while bringing the interiors, as well as the services and amenities, into the 21st century.

The North Shore is the famed surf mecca, and even if you’re not here for the waves, you’ll find it’s as far as you can get, both figuratively and literally, from the tame overdevelopment of Waikiki. Situated as it is on a promontory on the island’s northernmost point, Turtle Bay is reliably surrounded on three sides by crashing waves.

“Epic” is what they’re calling the new rooms, and their restrained, contemporary look is certainly uncommon in Hawaii. The main brief seems to have been to remove everything that smacks of mass tourism — floral bedspreads, shades of beige, that sort of thing. They’re replaced by a crisp white scheme and a style that’s a conscious homage to Hawaiian beach-house tradition.

Aside from that, however, you’re under no illusions that this is a humble beach house (unless you book a beach cottage — but even so, read on). A 400+-room resort requires some serious facilities, and in this case that means two pools, two championship golf courses, and a fully equipped spa and fitness center. Not to mention something like five restaurants, plus Surfer, The Bar, which is exactly what it sounds like — a bar, that is, not a surfer.

It’s a strange position to be in — an enormous resort that’s still somehow able to position itself as something outside the mainstream. Whatever else you can say about it, it’s certainly one of a kind — which, for us, is quite a lot of what matters.

How to get there:
Turtle Bay is about a 55-minute drive from Honolulu International Airport (HNL).