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Two words: Ko Olina
Ko Olina Resort is on the west side of Oahu, approximately 20 miles from Honolulu International Airport. It is, however, a world away from the hustle & bustle of Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. It is technically part of Kapolei, Oahu’s “Second City.” Both Ko Olina Resort and Kapolei are continuing to be developed, which is a good thing overall. All the services one might need are either within Ko Olina Resort or just a few minutes away by vehicle.
Ko Olina Resort is beautiful! And it is our favorite place on Oahu!
Walkable
One of the things that makes Ko Olina our favorite place on Oahu is that it is so walkable. From our lodging, we could easily walk to a number of beaches, shops, and restaurants.
The historic train track runs right in front of Ko Olina Center & Ko Olina Station.
We walked past this beautiful water feature every day. It’s located on the golf course at the main entrance to Ko Olina Resort.
Monkeypod trees are plentiful around the resort. There’s even a restaurant in Ko Olina named Monkeypod Kitchen!
Here we are on the way to one of the lagoons for a day of fun in the water!
Lagoons (Natural & Man-made)
Speaking of the lagoons…they’re definitely one of the main reasons why Ko Olina is our favorite place on Oahu. Turtles, calm water, & beauty…oh my!
When we mention the lagoons in Ko Olina, we are most definitely talking about the four man-made lagoons that front the resort hotels, including Disney’s Aulani. Ko Olina’s four man-made lagoons are connected by more than a mile-and-a-half of beautifully landscaped pathways that look like this!
But, we’re also talking about the natural (non-man-made) Paradise Cove and Lanikuhonua Lagoon, which are also on our list of the Best Beaches for Kids on Oahu!
Vegetation & Colors
Hawaii is beautiful and colorful and vibrant in so many places, but I just can’t get over the colors and truly unique vegetation that Ko Olina Resort has to offer!
Paradise!
Another shade of green!
This giant banyan tree overlooks the Pacific Ocean just north of the Paradise Cove luau grounds.
Sunsets
The pièce de résistance? Ko Olina’s sunsets.
This is the sunset over Lagoon 1, in front of Disney’s Aulani!
Paradise Cove sunset!
Fabulous sunset standing near the giant banyan tree, just north of Paradise Cove’s luau grounds!
There’s so much we can say about our favorite place on Oahu, but I’ll just leave you with those beautiful sunsets. Until next time, Ko Olina!
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The last time we went to Oahu was for our honeymoon, almost 29 years ago. It was one of the best times of our lives . Newlyweds, with our whole future ahead of us. Oahu was beautiful and a dream . I would love to go back again.
The waterfall and foliage by Ko Olina Resort is so pretty! I wish I were in Oahu now! We had a fun time there with the Go Card and did lots of activities including exploring on mopeds (which I was scared to go fast haha). The whole place would be my favorite *wink*