My Husband and I just returned from the Beach Villas. It was one of our best vacations yet. The resort is beautiful. Very clean and well kept. Close to many restaurants. I loved running and walking on the stretch of walkway that meanders through the lagoons and resorts. The pools are very nice with little seating areas placed all around, instead of rows and rows of sunbathers sitting on top of one another. The beach is so peaceful and the water is very inviting. Perfect for kids in the calm surf. The area is also and easy drive to any where you might want to go on the Island. And the girls at the pool bar are very helpful. They made dinner reservations, got direction for us and made suggestions. We will be back!

We rented our apartment at the Ko Olina Beach Villa Resort via a private owner, it was on the 9th Floor of the Ocean Tower and overlook Lagoon 3 to the left side and half of Lagoon 2. The resort is very well maintained, there are two pools - a family type pool and the quiet/lap pool. We obtained our pool/beach towels at reception swapping them regularily for dry ones during the day. There are loads of sun loungers around both pools. There are two BBQs areas and we saw the BBQs being cleaned every morning. We stayed for 7 nights Jan 5-Jan 12 2012. I was expecting the lagoons to be crowded but this was not the case. The lagoons are protected and so perfect for the kids to swim in. We even saw whales breaching from our balconey the first morning. Shops like Safeway/'Super-Target' etc are closeby, and in fact the ABC shop in Ko Olina had reasonable prices and a good range of grocery items. The Outlet Mall is only 10-15mins away at exit 7 on the highway. We also swam with 2 turtles in Lagoon 2, enjoyed the 'free' fish feeding at 0730 at Lagoon 1 courtesy of the Marriot spa hotel. Everything was easy and accessible eg driving to Hanauma Bay, visiting the North Shore, Worlds largerst Maze at the Dole plantation. Water was a bit on the cold side for me but the kids loved it. Sunsets were beautiful on the manicured lawns of the lagoons. The concrete walk from lagoon 1 to lagoon 4 made for a lovely stroll at sunset each day. We cooked in the apartment a lot but there are some restaurants in the nearby Mariotts and the Ko Olina shops where the ABC store was located. Roys at the Golf club was closed due to a fire, expected to open in March 2012. We really had a relaxing and fun holiday and it was sunny every day, perfect!

Last year we stayed at the Marriott Vacation Club property next door which we very much enjoyed. Due to a mix up with our reservations we ended up at Ko Olina Beach Villas by surprise this year. Overall here are the pros and cons of the Beach Villas. We stayed in a 2BR, 2BA unit in the Ocean Tower.

Pros:
• Nicer units with higher end finishes and appliances. Sub Zero, Wolf, etc. Nice flat screen TV’s, Sony sound system, wireless internet that worked great.
• Beautiful wall of sliding glass doors that completely opens to the Lani
• Extremely quiet room. They insulate the walls very well. We never heard any noise from other rooms.
• Relaxed and non crowed feel to the property.
• Friendly and attentive staff
• Positioned directly in front of lagoon 2 which is not directly shared by the Marriott or Disney property which leaves it non crowed and peaceful.

Cons:
• No food service, restaurants on site. You must walk or drive to neighboring properties if you don’t want to cook in your own room. There is a pool bar that serves drinks each day. Expensive, but nice staff and beautiful view of the ocean and pools.
• Not as kid friendly as the Marriott or Disney properties. No activities (other than feeding the fish in the morning) and the pools do not have water slides, waterfalls, etc. which the Marriott has. If you have young children they will walk by the Marriott and Disney properties and ask why you didn’t stay there. If you don’t have young kids this property offers a great escape.
• The fitness center is very limited.

Overall, we (as parents) enjoyed the property but the kids would have preferred to stay at the Marriott Beach Club or Disney property.

As far as Ko Olina goes – this is a very well maintained resort area. Safe, clean with a beautiful west facing view for amazing sunsets. It is any easy drive to Honolulu, North Shore, etc. yet away from the hustle of Waikiki.

Note that the Roy’s restaurant at the golf course is currently closed due to a kitchen fire. They told us it would be closed for at least 3 months.

Maloha!

If you're looking for a quiet spot to soak in the sun then look no further. Only a 20min drive to Waikiki/Honolulu it is great for lying on the beach and doing very little. Great rooms, good service and only 5min from Kapolei its definitely recommended for the relaxed traveller