Rooms with a View at Oahu’s JW Marriott Ihilani turned Four Seasons Oahu

Update: This resort was significantly renovated and rebranded as a Four Seasons Resort in 2016.  See our review of the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina.

The following review was based on our stay when this resort was a JW Marriott Ihilani.

If you’re like me, having a great ocean view from your Hawaii hotel room is definitely a plus. I enjoy taking every possible opportunity that I can to admire all those ocean shades of turquoise. One Oahu hotel that offers beautiful ocean views (in approximately 85% of their rooms) is the JW Marriott Ihilani in Ko Olina on Oahu’s West Coast. This luxury resort offers some amazing views of the Ko Olina lagoons, Pacific Ocean and Waianae coastline.

Andy and I spent every moment that we could sitting on the spacious lanai during our stay at the Ihilani. Of the three mornings we were there, twice we splurged on room service for breakfast on our lanai. Take a look at the following photo of our room service breakfast and you’ll understand why we liked it so much.

Though we definitely enjoyed our stay, our timing for our visit wasn’t ideal as the resort is undergoing some fairly substantial upgrades. The Ihilani Spa was closed for major renovations, but has now been reopened. Guest rooms are being refurbished with an estimated completion of January 2011.

The room we stayed in hadn’t been refurbished, but we still thought it was quite nice. JW Marriott Ihilani rooms are definitely over-sized with a spacious seating area plus a desk. I liked the foyer-style entry way for added privacy. The marble baths are so luxurious! They’re extra large with a soaking tub, walk-in shower, two separate vanities and a water closet.

I was fortunate to get a property tour and a sneak peek at the new room design so that I could share it with you. I like the new contemporary island design with dark woods and deep shades of blue. The follow photos show a newly refurbished guest room.

Here are a few tips and things to know before you go:

• Sunsets from Ko Olina are fantastic. Make sure you plan to see at least one when you visit.
• We really liked the atmosphere at  Hokule’a Bar. It’s a great place for a sunset drink.

• I enjoyed getting a drink served in a frozen pineapple at the Poolside restaurant.
• The resort hosts an onsite, oceanside luau every Thursday night. It’s called Fia Fia and has an emphasis on the Samoan culture. We thought it was really well done. See my Fia Fia Luau review
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• Rooms have small refrigerators and there’s a Costco and Target nearby to stock up on drinks and snacks.
• The spa renovations included a brand new private spa suite which is the perfect set up for bridal groups and girls’ getaways.
• The resort has just started offering daily shopping shuttle service to Waikiki ($25 round-trip) and Waikele Premium Outlets ($15 round-trip).
• Parking is $29 per day.
• This resort will host the players for the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl.
• See all our photos from our stay at JW Marriott Ihilani.

Have you stayed at the JW Marriott Ihilani? How was your experience?