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Ko Olina
West Oahu.
10 am to sunset.
Vendor travel fees and parking fees apply.
Ko Olina is a major resort area about 30 miles from Waikiki. While not as large as Waikiki or with as many hotels, the hotels concentrated in that small area make it just as busy.
At the posted speed limit it's about 45 minutes to 1.5+ hour drive to Honolulu depending upon the time of day.
The beach we use is adjacent to the Four Seasons fronting Lanikohonua Estate called "Secret Beach". See here.
Ceremonies are not allowed on any of the lagoons fronting any of the hotels i.e. Aulani, Four Seasons, Marriott Beach Club.
Mornings are best for lighting as the light is front facing and you get more blue water and sky.
Sunset is OK but, the lighting is a harsh sidelight that can be difficult but, it's doable.
Unfortunately, it's become a tough location to use in these last few years for a variety of reasons.
It's always been a long haul for our vendors and poses scheduling difficulties with other ceremonies which are held on the hour as an industry standard.
FYI: Yes, we charge for the travel time but, it never equals the actual income lost but, we do it for our clients.
Parking is restrictive and more so nowdays requiring hotel parking which isn't always available depending upon the hotel.
The beach access has been made more inaccessible and poses a challenge especially for the mobility challenged.
Finally, there's a lot of people out there and darn busy unlike years ago with having only one and then two hotels. We don't like "busy" when performing ceremonies. It's no fun, LOL.
Consequently, we don't recommend Ko Olina as a ceremony location but, if you checked off all the boxes, we'll consider it.
FYI: A day car rental will cost less than having us come out there.
FYI: We do not use any beaches on the West side because of security issues and simple because we use far more scenic beaches and ones that have all the positive parameters we consider for ceremonies.
For a sunset ceremony, vendors have to leave Honolulu by 3:30 and they don't get back to Honolulu until 8 pm or later. That 5-6 hours for a simple ceremony. Read more.
The beach they call "Secret Beach" is anything but, "secret" since they built all those hotels and especially at sunset.
The walk out to the cove is a challenge for children, old folks, and the mobility challenged and we do not suggest it.
As a better and less costly alternative, consider Waimanalo, Magic Island, or Portlock Beach (late Fall and Winter).
Simply plan to spend some time on this side of the island, snorkel, surf, shop, have lunch or dinner in Waikiki, following the ceremony.
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