Allure of Oahu’s Ko Olina is Increasing
Allure of Oahu’s Ko Olina is Increasing
Sophisticated travelers who frequently visit Hawaii have long known that the real action in Oahu is not in Waikiki or Honolulu but rather to the west, in the Ko Olina area. Decades in the making, Ko Olina is generally considered Hawaii’s most luxurious resort destination. In fact, it was formerly known as the playground of Hawaiian royalty.
Recent developments in Summer of 2008 are going to make this area even more appealing for travel enthusiasts. Oahu vacationers may be interested in some of the new tourism related trends that are mentioned in this article.
Despite the mainland’s economic malaise, Ko Olina is still seeing a strong upswing in new development and activity. For instance, the State of Hawaii has announced an agreement to bring Oahu’s largest shopping center west of the famed Pearl Ridge community. The shopping development is being located between Ewa and Kapolei.
Known as Ka Makana Ali’i, the shopping center will have approximately one and a half million square feet of commercial square footage. Also, the plans will allow up to 300 more hotel rooms and up to one hundred thousand feet of office space.
Located on the Kapolei Parkway and the planned North-South access road, tourists will appreciate the close proximity. Moreover, the extra jobs in the area will be a boon to the Island’s economy generally. Some tourist officials believe the new center will help bring several thousand jobs for Hawaii.
Also, several smaller shopping centers are also planned for the community including the Laulani Village in Ewa and Kapolei Commons in West Kapolei. Ko Olina visitors already benefit from the good proximity of quite a few well known retail establishments.
Home to an extensive selection of upscale condos, the larger area will be benefited by the new shopping facilities. For example, the newly constructed Ko Olina Beach Villas directly front the lagoons and open ocean. Other resort properties include the Mariott Ihilani and the Marriott Timeshare complexes, both of which are beach front properties.
These properties enjoy a temperate year round climate as well as a range of amenities such as championship golf, spas, and lap-pool type lagoons. The tranquil lagoons make the destination particularly appealing to families with small children. The adults typically wade into the rough of the open ocean while the kids remain in the safer lagoon waters.
Also benefiting from the shopping expansion will be the Ko Olina Beach Villas property mentioned earlier. Residents will likely prefer to shop at Ka Makana rather than driving all the way back to Waikiki.
Andy Denis has been visiting the Ko Olina area for over 20 years. He has opined extensively on travel topics pertaining to the Ko Olina Beach Villas.
www.bali-ho.net This mediterranean villa is on a sandy beachfront in Waialua, near Haleiwa, on the north shore of Oahu. Bali-Ho has travertine throughout, central zoned air conditioning, en suite bathrooms and entertainments centers, an upstairs expansive surround deck, upstairs lanai with hammock, lit spa overlooking beach kayaks, surfing, turtles on beach, 2 protective reefs with excellent snorkeling, large park next to home, tropical garden with another hammock and Balinese lit fountain, 4 car off street parking, lit spa in lanai overlooking beach and spectacular sunsets www.vrbo.com Call Veronica at 808 371-4850 for further details or to make a booking
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