Oahu Hotels With Lots To Do
Sometimes a vacation calls for never having to leave the hotel or resort. Here are 5 Oahu hotels and resorts that really pack on the activities and have tons to do every day. Some are complimentary, others you’ll have to pay extra for, but all of them make you feel better about that daily resort fee.
Turtle Bay Resort
$$$ - $$$$
Turtle Bay Resort, the only real resort on the North Shore, has an insane amount of stuff to do without ever leaving, but they can also book all kinds of excursions if you want to venture out.
5 pools
7 beaches within walking distance
2 golf courses and an 18-hole putting course
Live music and DJs on weekends
Pickleball and 4 tennis courts
Complimentary snorkel rentals
Cultural activities like ukulele and hula lessons
Surf or SUP with a doggy
Horseback riding
Mountain biking
Hike with Pono, the resort’s dog
Hiking trails
Offsite Excursions like helicopter tours, shark tours, whale watching, dolphin encounters, fishing, and scuba diving
Helicopter tours (that take off from the resort’s helipad)
Beach picnics
Native Hawaiian Wellness Garden where you can forage for herbs to create elixirs
SUP lessons
$$$$
Aulani sits on the Leeward (East) side of the island. It’s a more remote part of Oahu, but Disney has packed so much into this resort that you could absolutely spend your entire trip on the property if you wanted to. (And bonus, no resort fee.)
Disney Characters in Aloha attire walk around the property and will pose for pictures
Disney Character Breakfast (but you can sign up for this even if you’re not staying at the resort)
7-acre waterpark
A man-made reef and private snorkeling lagoon
A protected beach lagoon that stays nice and calm
Aunty’s Beach House is their kids club [temporarily CLOSED] with endless activities and projects
Ka Wa’a Luau is on site
Daily activities like ukulele lessons, beach games, sand castle contests, and canoe racing.
Sunrise Yoga
Fire Pit Storytelling
Menehune Adventure Trail is a high-tech scavenger hunt throughout the resort
Pau Hana Room where you can play games or do arts and crafts
‘Imi Loa Nāa Hōkū (Explore the Stars) where you can use powerful telescopes and learn how ancient voyagers navigated Hawaii
Painting with Light is a night time photo experience
Teen activities include a photo hunt, game nights, sunset-lei making, movie nights, Sunset Mele, and Aloha House Parties.
Laniwai Spa [temporarily CLOSED]
Kula Wai Hydrotherapy Garden
Pulu Bar, where you can create personalized body polish using local ingredients
Painted Sky Teen Spa
Professional Photography Services
Guided Walking tours throughout the property
They can also book all kinds of excursions across Oahu, like visiting teh Dole Plantation or going whale watching, take surf lessons, cooking classes, ziplinging, horseback riding and so on.
$$$ - $$$$
This iconic pink resort sits right on Waikiki Beach. The property is pretty large and beautiful to explore. The building itself is really unique and full of history. Sure, there’s plenty here to keep you busy, but you’re also steps away from incredible Waikiki restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, so….
Abhasa Spa has both indoor treatment rooms and outdoor cabanas in the middle of a tropical garden for massages
Private beach area
Heated oceanfront saltwater pool
Sharing privileges to Sheraton Waikiki’s pool and waterslide next door
A free Royal Hawaiian History Tour full of interesting stories about the resort’s history and architecture
Daily cultural activities like ukulele lessons, hula, ribbon lei making, shell bracelet making, flower lei making and more.
Morning yoga
$$$
The Kahala is in a more remote part of Honolulu. It’s a short drive from Waikiki, but removed from the noise and hubbub. It sits on a stretch of white sand beach, but the big activity here is their own private lagoon filled with dolphins.
Dolphin Quest where you can choose from different experiences. Become a trainer for a day, feed the dolphins, and get to know the resident dolphins
Pool
Spa
Beach access with loungers and towels reserved for guests
Beach gear rentals if you want to try kayaks, snorkeling, or boogie boards
Ongoing events like yoga and fitness classes
Bike rentals
Access to a members only golf course 5 minutes from the hotel
Complimentary photography session (although you’ll pay for any photos you’d like to keep)
$$
This Waikiki boutique hotel is probably too small to never leave, but they do offer plenty of activities to make that $25 resort fee (which by the way, is way cheap for Waikiki) worth it.
Instagrammable pool with “Wish You Were Here” written out in tiles along the bottom.
Olive and Oliver boutique and coffee bar
Complimentary Solé cruiser bikes rentals
Live music every night
Movie nights where they project vintage surf movies (with sound off) over the pool in the evenings
Rotating roster of events and classes like DJs, musicians, chefs, sunset yoga, and flower crown workshops, to name a few. [Note: these have slowed down a bit due to Covid.]