Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Kahuku / The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay
The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay
Kahuku, Hawaii, United States · Ritz-Carlton · High Luxury
Del Webb opened Kuilima Resort in May 1972 on Oahu's North Shore betting Hawaii would legalize casinos; voters said no, leaving the remote headland without its gambling anchor. The only full-scale resort beside Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline later hosted Forgetting Sarah Marshall and passed through Hyatt and Hilton flags. After pandemic closure and a major renovation, Host Hotels rebranded it The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay on 31 July 2024 across some 850 acres of oceanfront.
- 450 rooms
- Opened 1972
- Neighborhood: Hawaii/Oahu
- Rooms from 740 sq ft (69 m²)
About The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay
- Principal filming location for the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
- Operated as Kuilima Hyatt, then Turtle Bay Hilton, before independent and Benchmark eras and the 2024 Ritz-Carlton flag.
- Roy Yamaguchi's Beach House anchors the property's dining today.
- Entry-level rooms start at 740 sq ft (69 m²).
History
The resort on Oahu's North Shore has a history that begins with one of the more quixotic schemes in the annals of Hawaiian hospitality. Del Webb, the Arizona-based developer who made his name building Sun City retirement communities and constructing Yankee Stadium, arrived in Hawaii in the early 1970s with a plan to build the island's first casino alongside a luxury golf resort on Kuilima Point, a remote headland on the island's northern tip where trade winds sweep in off the open Pacific. The hotel, which opened in May 1972 as Del Webb's Kuilima Resort Hotel and Country Club, was built in anticipation of a ballot initiative that would legalize gambling in Hawaii — an initiative that the state's voters decisively rejected. Webb had staked significant capital on a future that did not arrive.
The absence of casino revenue altered the resort's trajectory permanently. Without that anchor, the property's distance from Honolulu International Airport — more than fifty minutes on a good day — made it a difficult sell against the established resorts of Waikiki and the Kohala Coast. The hotel changed hands with unusual frequency over the following five decades, passing through the management of Del Webb, Hyatt, Hilton, an independent period, Blackstone, and Host Hotels, acquiring in the process a patina of near-misses and reinventions.
What the location never lost was its physical drama. Kuilima Cove sits at the intersection of the North Shore's two most legendary surf breaks — Sunset Beach and the Banzai Pipeline — and the 850-acre property commands an uninterrupted view of the stretch of ocean that produces the largest rideable waves on earth every winter when the North Pacific swells roll in. That setting gave the resort an identity no management change could erase: it was, and remains, the only resort on Oahu's North Shore.
The property accumulated cultural footnotes along the way. In 2008 it served as the principal filming location for the romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, its coves and pool lawns appearing throughout the film. Roy Yamaguchi, one of the founders of Hawaiian regional cuisine, established his Beach House restaurant in Kuilima Cove, anchoring the property's dining credentials to the chef most associated with bringing local ingredients into a fine-dining context.
The most recent chapter began with a $200 million renovation completed in 2021, a transformation that addressed the physical fabric of a fifty-year-old resort while preparing it for a brand it had long been positioned to carry. On July 31, 2024, the property reopened as The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay — a rebrand that brought one of the most storied pieces of real estate on Oahu's North Shore fully into the global luxury tier after more than half a century of trying.
The setting
Located on Kamehameha Highway on Oahu's North Shore in Kahuku, 50+ minutes from Honolulu International Airport, adjacent to world-famous surf breaks Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline.
Restaurants and bars
- Alaia — Restaurant
- Beach House by Roy Yamaguchi — Poolside · Roy Yamaguchi
- Paniolo, A Hawaiian Cowboy Lūʻau — Restaurant
Experiences
- Complimentary experiences for Ocean Bungalow guests — Ocean Bungalow stays include a dedicated host, a private tranquility pool, ocean front beach access and complimentary experiences.
- The Ritz-Carlton Club — Private oceanfront lounge with daily culinary presentations and activities, included with Oceanfront Club rooms and suites.
- Ocean adventures — Unique experiences available on-site, from ocean adventures to wellness programs and cultural tours.
- Cultural tours — Unique experiences available on-site, including cultural tours.
- Programs Built Your Way — Thrilling adventures only found on the North Shore of O'ahu, filling guests' days with ocean views.
Amenities
- 858 acres; 5 miles of coastline; 7 distinct beaches — the most of any resort on Oahu
- Two championship 18-hole golf courses (Arnold Palmer-designed and Tom Fazio-designed)
- 3 outdoor pools + Tranquility Pool (Bungalow guests); children's pool with waterslide
- Equestrian program: sunset horseback riding along the beach (stables on property)
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Tennis
- Water sports
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
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