Four Seasons Oahu - the Perfect Family Escape
- Anne Marie Brown
- Jul 12, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 13, 2019
For many luxury travelers, Four Seasons is a pinnacle standard of excellence. A licensing brand, Four Seasons does not own their properties, but rather manages and extends their brand through operating agreements with individual owners. It's a brilliant model, and they have been able to maintain a standard of excellence across their properties that I find admirable.
Ko'olina
The Resort Group, owned by Jeff Stone, built out the Ko Olina development - which means "Place of Joy" - across 642 acres on the west side of Oahu along the Waianae mountain range. Once a retreat for Hawaiian royalty, today, Ko Olina features a unique coastline of more than two miles of white-sand beaches, four swimming lagoons, and a classic Hawaiian ambience. It's likely most famous for the Disney Aolani property, which sits adjacent to the Four Seasons.
The Four Seasons took over operating this particular property in 2016. Having grown up on Oahu, I have to say that I rarely ever traveled out to the west side of the island, and I was hesitant to venture out that way. I was very pleasantly surprised by the Ko Olina development, and the Four Seasons in particular.
Four Seasons Preferred Partner
While Four Seasons doesn’t have a formal loyalty program, they do have the "Preferred Partner" program - which is the closest thing to be able to access elite-level benefits at Four Seasons properties.
The Four Seasons Preferred Partner program is an exclusive, invitation-only network of high-end travel consultants from around the world. I am a Four Season Preferred Partner.
Booking your hotel stays through this program is a simple way to maximize value at no additional cost, as the rates are the same as the best available rate.
Four Seasons Preferred Partner rates may include amenities like daily breakfast, room upgrades if available, property credits, and more. While most Four Seasons properties are bookable through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) as well as Virtuoso, booking through the Four Seasons Preferred Partner program prioritizes the room upgrade, which is often considered the most important benefit offered by a preferred partner program.
Four Seasons Oahu
For years, I've sent travelers to the Four Seasons properties on the outer islands. I was very happy when they took over operations on Lanai, and their Wailea and Hualalai propertes are traveler favorites. Many of my clients have skipped Oahu in years past, or stayed at the Halekulani in Waikiki. Of course, I would steer who I could towards the Outrigger Reef as well.
I was thrilled when my friends stayed at the Four Seasons Oahu earlier this year and came back with rave reviews. It's wonderful to have a place on Oahu to send my clients that will truly be a resort-level property worthy of a multi-day stay on my home island.
The Four Seasons Oahu is about a 15-20 minute drive from Waikiki, so feels separated from some of the hustle and bustle of Kalakaua Ave. This can be a drawback for some, but can come as a relief to many.
The lagoon out front is perfect for kiddos - there are no waves and it's a gentle, sandy entry without rocks or reef. Malia loved sitting on the water's edge with us, splashing her little heart out as each small wave rolled over her toes.
One of the best parts of man-made lagoons? They don't count as public beaches and so are not beholden to the "no alcohol service" law that the rest of the beaches in Hawaii are. The beach service was speedy and the food was delicious. Even though it was high season, there were plenty of shady umbrellas and beach chairs right along the water.
There are four pools at the property. One secret one is hidden in the spa - hit that up for a close-to-private pool experience as no one else seems to know it is there. There are two family pools - the circular one next to the pool bar and a newly-constructed rectagular one that sports a sandy-bottom end for little ones to get used to the sand before hitting the beach.
The adult pool is a gorgeous infinity pool bumping music and quieter waters. We stared longingly at it as our infant splashed in the family pool with us.
If you've never stayed in a Four Seasons, it's hard to describe the level of service you encounter - but I think it's best represented by their surprise and delights. There was a swim-up tiki bar one day that was parked at the edge of the infinity pool, frozen oreo cake pops were served like magic at the family pool, and just as I was overheating on the beach, coconut smoothies arrived on a gleaming tray.
Additionally, Four Seasons does not nickel and dime you, as so many resorts are apt to do today. There is no resort fee at the Four Seasons Oahu and the kids' club is FREE for ages 5 and up. Sure, the food and drink are expensive - we had a 32 dollar flaming cocktail for two at Mina's Fish House one night - but I was surprised at how reasonable our bill came out at the end because I'm so used to those other hidden fees at other hotels, that I couldn't believe our bill was exactly the amount I expected.
Another great benefit of the property is the fact that you can rent an Enterprise vehicle right on property, and if you do so, you can park for free at the hotel (saving $45 a night in parking).
The Spa was simply stunning - with a zen garden (favorite spot of instagram influencer photo shoots), pool, hot tubs, and kambucha on arrival, it's one of the largest spas on Oahu. The rooftop has tennis courts and a full soccer field, where they set up Glamping camp outs during high seasons for kiddos, complete with star gazing. Parents' night out, anyone?
The App - I love that hotels are finally catching on to the fact that millennials hate talking on the phone. We downloaded the Four Seasons app and used it to text requests to the concierge. Late checkout at 3pm because our daughter was napping and we had a redeye flight? No problem - no need to call on the phone and try not to wake her up. Babysitter for a day? I texted the request from the beach. Car brought around front? It was there when we walked down. I really loved this feature.
Bottom Line
If you are interested in booking a Four Seasons property, there's simply no reason not to do it through a Preferred Partner agent, such as myself. You can reach me at AnneMarie@tafaritravel.com
Here is a video of the property:
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