Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina is my top pick when readers search for a luxury resort in Oahu. It’s one of my most booked Hawaii properties. I like the typical five-star Four Seasons service and location away from the touristy island center.
The resort offers 371 spacious rooms, suites, and deluxe suites, all exquisitely designed to make your stay perfect. It’s not as big as its sister Hawaiian properties, but there’s plenty to do for island hoppers or those staying put on Oahu for longer trips.
The valuable information I’m about to share comes from my recent stay and my clients’ post-stay Four Seasons Oahu reviews we collect to help you decide if it’s the right resort for your trip. Plus, you can enhance your vacation with extra benefits when you book through me, just like they did.
I lived in a Four Seasons, so I know what a good stay should be like!
Book with Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits
I can book you in with Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits that include:
92-1001 Olani St, Kapolei, HI 96707
What I love
Good to Know
The New Four Seasons Oahu Club Lounge: What to Know
If you book Specialty Suites or accommodations with “Club” in their names, you receive access to the new Club Lounge. I’m mentioning it upfront so that you can keep an eye out for rooms and suites that include it when I get into who books what below. Club guests receive:
- Dedicated concierge team
- Daily breakfast
- All-day snacks and non-alcoholic beverages
- Afternoon hors d’oeuvres
- Evening cocktail service with premium spirits
- Indoor-outdoor seating with panoramic ocean views
The lounge is located in the main building and designed to feel like a quiet retreat within the resort. What I like about it is that all registered guests to the Club room or suite have access to it. Some resorts charge extra beyond two people, but this is not the case, and for that I’m grateful!
Is It Worth It?
Club-level access adds meaningful value and convenience. However, I never recommend eating all of your meals inside a hotel club lounge. You’d miss out on experiencing the destination through food and the resort restaurants, which are quite good here. Our clients who book these rooms will still be able to have breakfast at La Hiki (daily breakfast for two there or via room service is a Preferred Partner benefit).
Which Guest Rooms and Suites to Choose and Why
Four Seasons Resort Oahu offers stylish rooms and suites with the very best in comfort, privacy, and in-room amenities. I actually enjoy spending time in my room here because it is 640 square feet on average, which is double the size of an average hotel room. Suites are also large, at 1,000 square feet or more.
General room amenities include:
- full marble bathrooms
- twice-daily housekeeping
- a Nespresso coffee maker
- empty mini fridge
- pre-set mood lighting
- laptop-sized in-room safe
- flat-screen 65″ HD TV
- bedside charging outlets for electronics
- Four Seasons beds (I use the app to customize with pillow, topper, and duvet preferences)
- thick terry bathrobes, hairdryer, scale, lighted make-up, shaving mirror, and deluxe, locally-inspired toiletries in the bathroom
- complimentary bottled water (I use the app to request constant refills)
My General Room Tips
Resort Room
Resort rooms offer a quiet retreat with tropical sunrise views over Mount Kaala, the highest point on the island. These rooms have one king bed with space for one rollaway bed or crib, a private balcony with seating for two. A Club version of this room is available.
Some resort rooms overlook Aulani, which some of our guests prefer not to have. If this sounds like you, I recommend starting at Deluxe Garden.
We have families who don’t mind seeing Aulani, or they know they’re going to be active outside of their room, book it. It’s the least expensive accommodation on the entire resort.
Deluxe Garden Room
Watch the gentle Hawaiian breeze dance through the lush gardens and towering coconut trees just outside your Deluxe Garden Room. We start people here who don’t want the Aulani views.
I’m an enormous proponent of not stretching budgets uncomfortably at Hawaii resorts for ocean views because you want to be able to enjoy the resort dining and activities without worrying about it. If an ocean view isn’t a priority for you, this is a great room. It does not have a Club Lounge option.
Online, this room says there’s no sofa bed (only a rollaway or crib), however, there are sofa beds in these rooms. I book families of four into Deluxe Garden Kings all the time.
Partial Ocean-View Room
Enjoy pretty angled or partial ocean and palm tree views from your private lanai in a Partial Ocean-View Room.
Here, you get the option of a king bed with a sofa bed or crib OR two double beds with a rollaway bed or crib. A Club version of this room is available.
Despite the generous two double bed arrangement that suggests sleeping five people, this room’s maximum occupancy is still four people. This is also where the connecting room sets start.
Oceanfront Room (My Recent Room — Top Pick)
My oceanfront room view
Really big interior with sofa bed.
The bathroom is huge.
Lots of storage everywhere.
Oceanfront Rooms offer unobstructed, panoramic ocean views with a private lanai. Guests can choose bed options that include a king bed with a sofa bed or crib and two double beds with a rollaway bed or crib. The maximum occupancy for these rooms is also four people.
I stayed in this room and spent a lot of time on the balcony. It’s fantastic. However, my room overlooked the bay and Aulani’s beach. There are Oceanfront rooms that face away from Aulani. If this is important to you, request the view you prefer.
I actually didn’t mind seeing Aulani’s beach area in the distance. To me, it didn’t feel any different from seeing any other resort’s beach area. A Club version of this room is available. A lot of couples tend to book this room, but we do have families book it as well.
Prime Corner Oceanfront Room
Prime Corner Oceanfront Rooms are upper-floor corner rooms with two private balconies that offer fantastic views of the surrounding area.
The extra-wide sliding-glass doors open, allowing gentle breezes to enter the room and surrounding you with the sounds of ocean waves. The room has one king bed and space for a rollaway or crib, and it has a full marble bathroom. Truth be told, we don’t have many people book this one. There’s no real reason why, but I think they tend to go with Oceanfront or the cool hot tub room below.
Club Deluxe Room With Outdoor Spa
These Club Deluxe rooms provide guests with a ground-floor oceanfront room with a private outdoor spa tub, a pretty garden oasis, and easy beach access.
This room has one king bed and space for a rollaway or crib. It also has an outdoor dining set for two, lounge chairs, and a refrigerated bar. It is popular with couples.
Resort Junior Suite
Guests love relaxing in the customized Four Seasons bed while watching the giant flat-screen television after spending a long day splashing around the Pacific Ocean.
The Resort Junior Suite truly feels like an oasis with a private balcony with outdoor seating for two, oversized marble bathrooms, and spacious accommodations.
This suite has one king bed or two double beds, and guests can choose one rollaway bed, crib, or sofa bed as an extra bed.
Very Popular with Families
There’s a sofa bed
Families use this space for babies in cribs.
Oceanfront Junior Suite
See the fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean, the white-sandy beaches, and the resort pools from the privacy of your balcony in the Oceanfront Junior Suite.
This room offers a choice of one king bed or two double beds, a sofa bed or crib, and an oversized, spa-like bathroom. Guests also enjoy an outdoor dining set for two, lounge chairs, and extra-wide sliding glass doors. A Club version of this junior suite is available.
Resort One-Bedroom Suite
The Resort One-Bedroom Suite feels like an oasis, especially the spa-like marble bathroom with a separate shower and tub. This peaceful room offers views of the surrounding area, including the Waianae Range. Rooms have one king bed and the option of one rollaway bed, crib, or sofa bed in addition to a large private balcony.
Ocean-View One-Bedroom Suite
Sounds of the ocean help lull you to sleep in your customized Four Seasons bed in the Ocean-View One-Bedroom Suite after a long day exploring Hawaii.
These rooms have one king bed, one rollaway bed, one crib, or one sofa bed, with a full marble bathroom and a powder room. Unique features of this room include a separate bedroom and living room and two private balconies. A Club version of this room is available.
Oceanfront Suite
Many guests love the Oceanfront Suite, which offers plenty of space to relax with the family for game or movie nights. Plus, the private balcony offers couples a romantic place to dine with beautiful sunset views.
The suite can be configured into one, two, or three bedrooms. This room comes with one king bed and the choice of one rollaway bed, one crib, or one sofa bed, as well as two or three full bathrooms. A Club version of this room is available.
Prime Ocean-Front Suite
Large groups traveling to Hawaii looking for easy access to the ocean will love staying in a Prime Ocean-Front Suite. Guests can choose between a one-, two-, or three-bedroom configuration, offering plenty of space for everyone to sleep and enjoy the breathtaking ocean views from the private balconies.
This suite’s special features include separate living and sleeping areas, two full marble bathrooms, a refrigerated bar, and intimate balcony seating. A Club version of this room is available.
Specialty Suites — All Come With Club Lounge Access
Pacific Suite – Four Seasons / Christian Horan
Penthouse Suite – Four Seasons / Christian Horan
Presdiential Suite – Four Seasons / Christian Horan
For those who want the most space and luxury, choose one of the specialty suites. I’ve been inside several of them and—wow.
- Pacific Suite: Authentic Hawaiian culture influenced the style and design of the Pacific Suite, where guests can relax among banana-leaf wall coverings or sit out on their private outdoor lanai and plunge pool. The suite has a separate bedroom and living area, one king and one rollaway bed, crib or sofa bed, and two full marble bathrooms. A two-bedroom configuration is available. (average of 1400 square feet)
- The Residence: The Residence is a massive three-bedroom suite perfect for a family or group of friends. This suite has a pantry, dining room, living area, and oversized lanai. Each bedroom has a private balcony with views of either the ocean or mountains. (4070 square feet)
- Penthouse Suite: The Penthouse Suite is a two-bedroom suite on the 17th floor, offering expansive views from the spacious private terrace. The suite has two king beds, one rollaway or crib per bedroom, two full marble bathrooms, and one powder room. Unique features of the suite include an extra-large living room, formal dining room, service kitchen, and a fully stocked private bar. (3200 square feet)
- Presidential Suite: The Presidential Suite is nestled on the fourth floor, offering guests two-bedroom suite accommodations with ocean views and one-of-a-kind style. Guests also enjoy a private multimedia room and individually designed rooms. (3840 square feet)
Accessible Rooms
The Four Seasons Oahu Hotel has several accessible rooms, offering specialized features, such as a wheelchair-accessible entry door and lanai, lowered peepholes, easily operable closet door hands, ADA-compliant transfer or roll-in showers, and lowered closet rod and shelf. Accessible rooms include:
- Deluxe Room with Outdoor Spa Tub Accessible Room
- Oceanfront Accessible Room
- Partial Ocean-View Accessible Room
- Ocean-View One-Bedroom Accessible Suite
- Resort One-Bedroom Accessible Suite
- Oceanfront Junior Accessible Suite
Connecting Rooms for Families and Friends
Four Seasons Oahu has a lot of connecting room sets. They are outerconnecting. What does this mean?
As you can see in the photo that I took below, there is a set of exterior doors that closes off the two rooms. This is outer connecting. I love this set-up because you can leave both room front doors open and close the exterior set.
This means you don’t have to worry about the kids having a separate exterior door leading into the hall. If your bedroom door is open, you will see/hear better if someone tries to enter or exit.
We can have connecting rooms and connecting room/suite configurations guaranteed by the hotel.
The Excellent Dining at Four Seasons Oahu
Several Four Seasons Oahu restaurants offer guests a variety of dining options, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, beverages, and snacks.
Mina’s Fish House (I Love It So Much)
They “toss” Michael’s tuna tartare tableside. It’s outstanding.
King crab endive Caesar salad- A staff favorite – malasadas with caramel sauce and strawberry guava gel
Mina’s Fish House has a menu created by James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Mina, offering a line-to-table dining experience. Mina’s Beach Club extends this restaurant, allowing guests to enjoy beverages and signature appetizers while dipping their toes in the sand around resort-style fire pits.
Even when our clients stay at Aulani, I tell them to break from Disney to eat here. It’s so good. I could reorder and reorder these three dishes but regretted not having time to order more off the menu.
La Hiki
Our Preferred Partner clients get daily breakfast for two here, including the buffet!
La Hiki is an open-air restaurant in the heart of the resort, adjacent to the Serenity Pool. Menu items were inspired by the island’s diverse collection of local farms. The restaurant serves breakfast, a kids’ breakfast, brunch, and lunch. I had some excellent poke for lunch, but the highlight is the massive breakfast buffet.
I love Four Seasons breakfast buffets, and this one has a nice selection of Asian dishes, local fruit, made-to-order omelets, and more than you could ever eat.
Noe
Noe is a fine-dining Southern Italian-inspired restaurant led by Michelin-starred Japanese-Italian Chef Ryo Takatsuka. The menu uses traditional Southern Italian ingredients and age-old recipes featuring local seafood, homemade pasta, and top-quality meats. Menus include dinner, dessert, and a kids’ menu.
Waterman Bar and Lounge
The Waterman Bar and Lounge is the perfect reflection of vintage Hawaii’s surf culture. It offers an impressive collection of Hawaii’s craft beers, hand-crafted cocktails, wines, and curated spirits. In addition, a menu with casual bites is available for those wanting a snack while visiting with friends and family or sitting by the pool.
Hokulea
Hokulea is an open-air coffee bar offering the perfect place for guests to start their day. Menu items include locally crafted, artisanal coffee, sandwiches, fresh pastries, and baked goods. It’s grab-and-go which is so necessary at Hawaii hotels. I picked up a delicious spam musubi.
Dr. Mai Tai’s
Take a break and swim up to Dr. Mai Tai’s, a water’s edge bar house in a minivan on the side of the resort’s famous adult infinity pool. The “on-call” cocktail doctor knows which drink to prescribe you while you are enjoying time in the Hawaiian sun.
In-Room Dining
In-room dining is available 24 hours a day and offers guests the opportunity to have breakfast in bed, dinner while watching movies with the family, or a romantic meal on the private patio.
Fun Hotel Amenities
Guests staying at the Four Seasons Hotel Oahu can access many on-site amenities, including sparkling pools, a private beach, a spa, and resort activities.
Swimming Pools
The resort has two family pools tiering down to the private beach. Adults can relax and enjoy the adults-only quiet beach and pool area overlooking the ocean (not Aulani). There is also an outdoor lap pool in the Naupaka Spa and Wellness Complex.
You don’t need to worry about bringing sunscreen, as they have that at the pool as well as food and beverage service. Cabana rentals are also available at every pool.
Beach Area
Chairs and umbrellas are available for resort guests. They also provide food and drink service to your chair. During my stay it was an even split of people at the pool and the beach so neither really felt too crowded and it was Labor Day weekend.
Spa & Salon
The Naupaka Spa & Wellness Complex has 17 treatment rooms with three Muliwai healing hales, offering various healing and signature treatments. Spa treatments are available for children and teens.
In addition, the spa complex has a health club and fitness center, with personal trainers and men’s and women’s facilities, such as steam rooms, sauna, whirlpool, changing rooms, and relaxation areas.
I enjoyed a much-needed 50-minute massage here. To use the lounging facilities, I recommend getting there at least an hour in advance.
Golf & Tennis
Put some added swing into your stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Oahu by playing golf at the stunning Ko Olina Golf Club or playing a game of tennis on Naupaka Spa & Wellness Complexes’ 6th-floor tennis courts. There’s pickleball now, too!
Water-Sports
Enjoy various water sports and beach facilities during your stay, including scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, canoeing, paddleboarding, and yachting.
Many families I work with choose this hotel because there are no waves in the lagoon, making it very young kid friendly.
Kids for All Seasons & Babysitting Services
Guests can take advantage of the babysitting services or the Kids For All Seasons club, which caters to children ages 5 to 12.
Guests ages 12 and up can also enjoy time away from their parents by visiting the Young Adult Centre, which offers many activities for preteens and teens.
My daughter has been to a lot of Kids for All Seasons in her time but this one is particularly impressive. It’s big and feels new, and is well-supervised. There are multiple rooms to enjoy and I saw multiple age groups all having a good time. I believe it’s the largest kids’ club of the Hawaii properties.
The Shops Full of Jewelry, Clothes & Essentials You Didn’t Know You Needed
The bottom line is that it’s better to get things off the resort that you may have forgotten to pack. I did accidentally buy a $40 razor (it just never occurred to me that it would be that expensive when it’s like $15 at home, but alas, Hawaii luxury hotel).
But no worries if you forgot your bathing suit, cover-up, or other items; the very well-curated shops will have you covered.
The Gardens and Koi
I really enjoyed walking around the gardens and the koi pond on the way to breakfast and the pool.
About Ko’Olina & Island Activities
Ko’Olina offers many opportunities for visitors to refresh, relax, and restore their energies. Activities in the area include everything from swimming to surfing and hiking to strolling along the beach.
As mentioned several times already, Four Seasons Oahu shares a lagoon with Disney Aulani. Though the Disney resort amenities are only for hotel guests, visitors from other hotels can enjoy Aulani’s restaurants, shopping, the Laniwai Spa (it’s outstanding — read my review), and an evening luau.
But as I said earlier, Aulani isn’t for everyone. I have stayed there and it is a very busy resort where kids outnumber adults (at least during my stay). Many Four Seasons guests book the cheapest possible room at Aulani for a night to get what amounts to two-day access to all of the amenities. But then they retreat to Four Seasons for respite.
Pearl Harbor Tips
Ko Olina Center, an open-air shopping and dining complex, is behind the resort. I’ve eaten at the Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman there and it’s generally a nice place to walk around if you want to take a break from the resort.
TIP: There’s an ABC Store in the center which will be cheaper for drink and snacks to store in your room’s empty minifridge.
Getting There
Drive time: The resort is located about 35 minutes from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). The ride, to me, feels shorter. You can arrange a car service through the hotel or take Uber. I find Uber to work well on Oahu.
Helicopter transfer: For a more luxe experience, you can helicopter from the airport because the resort has a helipad. The ride takes about 10 minutes and you’d arrange it through the concierge.
HNL airport lounge: You used to be able to chill in the Ko’Olina lounge with Marriott and Aulani guests, but Four Seasons doesn’t participate anymore. So if you’re flying Hawaiian Airlines, you can take advantage of their Apt. 1929 lounge and premium arrival/departure service (fees apply).
Did you know Four Seasons Lanai includes flights to and from HNL on Lanai Air with your room? This is why we have people pair Four Seasons Oahu and Four Seasons Lanai on the same trip.
PS LAX: If you book a Complete Suites package at Four Seasons Oahu, you get access to the ultra-luxe PS LAX experience, which includes being driven to your plane and is valued at over $3000. You also pretty much bypass every line in the airport.
Reserve With Preferred Partner Benefits Through Me
This is how I book my own stays. It’s easy to request a Four Seasons Preferred Partner rate at Four Seasons Oahu that includes:
- Daily full breakfast for two people per bedroom
- A hotel credit per stay (varies based on whether booking a room, suite, or residence)
- Upgrade of one category, subject to availability at check-in
- Preferred check-in/out times, subject to availability
- Seasonal exclusive promotions only accessible to Preferred Partner agencies—you will need to ask us below for the full details
The Bottom Line
It is not the largest Hawaii resort which I think is why they really packed a lot into the overall experience. You would think that being adjacent to Aulani would be a drawback for some Four Seasons guests, but I didn’t really notice it or care.
This is probably also because my room didn’t look at the buildings. I only really saw people on the beach and in the water. You can’t really see the super busy Aulani pool areas. I didn’t really run into Aulani guests while lounging on the beach though you will see them.
I did have an issue with some clients whose stay overlapped several days of filming of American Idol at Aulani. Four Seasons wasn’t given more than a few days’ heads-up, maybe due to the famous people and logistics (this seems unbelievable, but I’ve heard it from many people on the inside). One family loved it because you could watch, but the sound checks were bothersome to a different client. This is actually the only complaint I’ve received about this hotel, and it wasn’t even Four Seasons-specific.
Most people who choose the resort want to enjoy Oahu but don’t want to stay in the more touristy Waikiki area. They might be Four Seasons loyalists. The average stay we book is about 4-5 nights, but we have had people stay ten. Whatever you do, just be sure to always book your Four Seasons as a Preferred Partner guest.
More FS in Hawaii: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Review and Four Seasons Hualalai Review
Katie Dillon
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