TROPICAL
Turtle Bay Resort
Family fun on Oahu’s North Shore By Leslie A. Westbrook
L
ynnette, a librarian, and her just-retired husband, Mario, traveled from Melbourne, Australia, to celebrate Mario’s 60th birthday in Hawaii. We met in the elevator on our first day at Turtle Bay Resort in Kuhiku and she was pleased to know there were laundry facilities on the third floor. The couple booked five nights at the Oahu resort located on the world-famous North Shore of Oahu, and they brought “the kids” along— their two young adult children, Rebecca and Michael. This is not unusual: As I explored the grounds upon arrival, a nursing mother sat by the resort’s casual pool overlooking a favorite local surf spot and a pod of youngsters happily played in the sand at another one of Turtle Bay’s many kid-friendly areas. In fact, the resort closed its child care center for lack of interest: Everyone wants to hang out together and indulge in the multitude of activities offered. From a gentle protected beach for swimming to horse stables and trail rides along the sea to two 18-hole championship golf courses and 12 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, there is something for everyone. There’s
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hula, surf and stand-up paddle boarding with a dog, tennis and even ukulele lessons. All ages will find plenty to do (or not do) at this super family-friendly retreat that also appeals to couples. The property encompasses nearly 1,300 acres on the island of Oahu’s North Shore—providing plenty of room for one and all to spread out and enjoy. Mario and his son planned to play golf together the next day (on his American time birthday); the night before the family splurged on dinner at the most upscale of the resort’s restaurants that include Pa‘akai (North Shore farm- and sea-to-table cuisine); Lei’s Lei’s at the golf course (we heard rave reviews from other guests) and Roy’s Beach House for lunch/dinner. The Lobby Lounge has pastries, fruit in the a.m.; cocktails at night with an ocean view. There’s even a nightclub with live music on site that’s popular with locals simply called Surfer, The Bar. With a lovely view of the sea, from our fifthfloor hotel room in one of the 410 ocean view guest rooms, my sweetie Phil and I planned a full day ahead of our short two-night stay: He went off to explore hiking trails and practice gi qong; I decided to check out the hula class. We agreed to meet up for ukulele lessons at 8:45 a.m. From there we were off and running! Joining our a small group for free ukulele lessons was a couple from Minnesota celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, a young permaculture farming family from New Zealand: 9-year-old daughter, Lacey, and her mum, Lynore Oakley, engaged in the class, while dad looked after their curly redheaded youngest family member, 4-year-old River. A mom from Berkeley with Erica, the Colombian nanny to her to daughters, strummed along as well, while the two daughters were elsewhere with their other mom. Another family with adorable 7-year-old, culturesharing cousins Emily, from Long Island, and Ina, who lives in North Korea, was meeting in Hawaii for a
family vacation with the Korean grandparents. Ina was a natural and as it turns out, has a ukulele at home. The ukulele, originally brought to the Hawaiian Islands from Portugal, our teacher Alii Pukahi told us, means “jumping” and “flea” because the immigrant Portuguese played the instrument so fast that their hands resembled jumping fleas. In less than an hour, we all learned to strum and sing along two songs: “You Are My Sunshine” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Turtle Bay is also a fine place for romance. I came with my ocean-loving partner and we discovered plenty of quiet places to stroll and enjoy the mesmerizing aqua-colored waves with repeating sets of hypnotic, foamy, white waves breaking. We enjoyed a casual lunch at The Point poolside bar with great, albeit windy, Pacific views—tasty kalua pork tacos for me, Ahi salad for him. Our friendly local bartender offered up great off-property island tips, including the huli huli chicken, shaved ice and mochi balls in the historic town of Haleiwa (we stopped at Ray’s on our way back to the airport for chicken to go). The resort also gets a lot of repeat business, like the “Star Trek” TV producer who was visiting for the umpteenth time with his wife. He ordered something at the bar called a “Monkey’s Lunch,” a blended drink with bananas, Kahlua and Bailey’s Irish Cream that probably rings in at about a million calories. “I drank 10 in a row once,” he bragged, but then lamented, “that was a long time ago and I gained 15 pounds!” I doubt it contained more calories than the Lava Flow my local friend, Lori, insisted I
