Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay | Hawaii Resort Not in Waikiki or Ko Olina

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If you are stationed in Hawaii or go on vacation in Hawaii, you probably want to add the luxurious Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay to your plans.

In 2024, the Turtle Bay resort was sold to the Ritz Carlton brand, making it a Marriott Bonvoy property. My family and I live less than an hour from this beautiful property, so I’ve been itching to get a chance to check it out. You might recognize this property from the 2008 movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

One of the unique features of this hotel is it's located on the North Shore of Oahu. There are very few hotels and resorts on the North Shore of Oahu and only 1 or 2 that are bookable with Marriott points.

Booking the Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay on Points + Free Night Certificate

I recently used our free night certificates from the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card and our Ritz Carlton Card from Chase. Each card currently offers a free night certificate worth up to 85,000 points. However, one of the best features of these Marriott free night certificates is that they can be topped off with up to 15,000 more Bonvoy points.

View of the hotel from the east. The hotel is situated on a peninsula with beautiful ocean views all around.

Unfortunately, the club level upgrade awards that come with the Ritz Carlton Card are not allowed to be used on points or redemption stays, only on cash reservations. This would have been a great hotel to get a club level upgrade. This is another odd restriction that Marriott puts in effect that other chains like Hyatt doesn't.

I used the Marriott flexible date calendar to find dates that were as close to 85,000 as possible.

Screen capture from Marriott.com

We found several options and picked one night at 89,600 points, so we only had to “pay” 4,600 points out of pocket. Interestingly, we earned almost 7,000 points on this stay from elite status, bonuses, and room charges, so paying 4,600 points wasn’t a big deal.

Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay Check In and Lobby

The hotel has a luxurious lobby that will make you feel enthralled as soon as you walk in. It’s an open air lobby like many Hawaii resorts. There are plentiful windows in the lobby making for incredible views as you check in.

Because of my Platinum Elite status, thanks to my Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, we were upgraded to a “partial” ocean view room that felt more like an ocean view room.

Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay Partial Ocean View Room

The lanai view from our partial ocean view room at the Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay

1 king partial ocean view room

My family enjoyed walking around the property, swimming in the pool, watching the nearby surfers, and exploring the food trucks less than 10 minutes down the road.

One of my other favorite attractions nearby is Ted’s Bakery. Their chocolate haupia pie is one of my favorite treats to share with visitors and family.

We were able to check-in early and enjoy the pool while we waited for our room to be ready.

In addition to the amazing location and beauty of the resort, here are some other pros:

The resort has connected rooms available for larger families.
The peninsula setting makes for incredible views all day long
There is a family-friendly bay at the resort and a few other beaches a short walk away, including some child-friendly tide pool areas.
The resort is located near popular North Shore attractions like the Polynesian Cultural Center and many food trucks.
The resort has a beautiful pool and fun waterslides, including an adult-only hot tub and infinity style pool.

Despite all the amazing features of this property, there are some cons to be aware of too:

There was no free breakfast or dining credit at this resort even with my Platinum Elite status.
Food and drinks are expensive, even for Oahu.
Only valet parking is offered
Marriott properties still charge a resort fee on point redemption stays (unlike Hyatt and Hilton properties)