The room was nice, it overlooked the pool and we could listed to music at the poolside bar and watch the beautiful sunsets. The staff was reasonably friendly. Our only complaint would be the lack of dining options and the weird hours kept by the different restaurants. Also service at the restaurants was a bit sketchy. For example, we waited for 20 minutes at the Surfer Bar (the waitress was busy flirting with the bartender) and we finally had to get her attention. She acted annoyed and told us that she wasn't serving food for another hour, even though we were mainly just waiting for drinks. We solved the lack of dining options by driving 20 minutes either way on the highway to the local towns where the food was better and the prices more reasonable. You will need a rental if you plan to stay here due to the remote location. Overall it was a nice place an would recommend if you want to relax and be isolated from the rest of the island.

****** UNDER CONSTRUCTION*****. The main two restaurants are closed leaving dire shortage of places to eat- have to either take a shuttle or walk a few min (out of the main hotel complex) to get decent lunch. Lot of construction noise too. Very windy location; feels 60 degrees even when 80 outside. Pools are frigid even tho they claim its heated. DO NOT go in winter months. Somewhere on the west or south of the island (like the ihilani or kahala) are much better options unless you want to spend entire time in room. It's about 60-90 min from Waikiki depending on the traffic. Beautiful setting on the tip of the north shore. Rooms are outdated but clean. But overall much to be desired!!!!

Lots of good things to say here - spacious rooms, outstanding views, overall good restaurants. Unfortunately, during my stay the property was being renovated so a couple of the restaurants were closed and a wing of the hotel was closed as well. The hotel staff did a great job of making sure you still had a full resort experience. Lots to do - hiking, horseback riding, spa, tours, fitness activities. Good balance between outdoorsy and luxurious (not overtly so, but very nice). If you stay here, I recommend having a car as you are as far from Honolulu as you can get and even the nearest town is too far to walk. Plenty of dining opportunities on site and in nearby towns. Surfer's paradise. Food quality was uniformly excellent, and generally the service was as well. Get used to a bit more relaxed pace and you'll find it quite enjoyable here. Business center on site and a tiny laundromat as well (a HUGE plus in my book!)
The minuses - restaurants all close at 10, so forget about that nightcap. The one bar that is open late, "Surfer, the bar", seemed very clubby and unwelcoming to me, and there were often special events there that seemed to be invitation only. I did not like the vibe at the door, felt like I needed to be part of the "in" crowd to walk in. The other restaurants were much more welcoming. Parking is pretty atrocious, I often spent several minutes combing the lot looking for a space. There was one night where a domestic disturbance next door to my room threatened to become serious, but overall the stay was peaceful. Food is very expensive in Hawaii, and add a resort upcharge to the bill and a modest meal becomes quite expensive, so you might want to look for ways to economize your food bill. You can charge just about everything to your room, so be prepared for sticker shock if you do!
If you are staying on Oahu, and want to get out of the urban sprawl of Honolulu, I can't imagine a better place to stay. Will be great to see what the renovations bring.

Turtle Bay Resort is on the north shore of Oahu. Great location if you want to visit the north shore and not drive back and forth to Waikiki each day. The golf was really good; the course was in great shape. There are plenty of tennis courts if you like to play. The pool area was lovely; very peaceful during the day before people headed down to the little pool/beach bar to enjoy the sunset. Great place to watch the sunset or the surfers! The surf was pretty high when we were there (November '12), but not as high as it can be during the winter. We had dinner at 21 Degrees North (great food but bring a sweater), lunch at Ola (feet in the sand), and a quick breakfast at the Lobby Lounge. I am happy to hear they are planning on undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation, because although the resorts location is fabulous, the room size generous, it was getting a little dated and worn out. Can't wait to visit again!