{"id":1693,"date":"2013-10-06T20:09:39","date_gmt":"2013-10-07T03:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/?p=1693"},"modified":"2013-10-13T18:48:26","modified_gmt":"2013-10-14T01:48:26","slug":"hawaiis-ko-olina-resort-offers-custom-stays-for-newlyweds-golfers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/library\/1693\/hawaiis-ko-olina-resort-offers-custom-stays-for-newlyweds-golfers","title":{"rendered":"Hawaii’s Ko Olina Resort Offers Custom Stays for Newlyweds, Golfers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ihilani<\/a>

Ihilani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina will customize the room with guest’s favorites before they arrive.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Time travel? Some hotels and resorts are now trying to ensure you feel good about your visit\u2026before you arrive!<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to create a positive image in our guest\u2019s minds so they\u2019re talking about us fondly before they even pack to come here,\u201d says Brian Soma, the director of sales and marketing for J.W. Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa, in the Ko Olina resort area outside Honolulu. For instance, the website for the 387-room, full-service, beachfront, luxury property includes a click-on for \u201cIhilani Marketplace,\u201d at which guests can direct the hotel to customize their guest suite to be ready upon arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a convenience so our vacationers can begin the fun immediately or our busy corporate guests can get right down to business and then maximize their relaxation time.<\/p>\n\"DSCF4117\"\n

If they like diet soda, for instance, we can have it waiting for them in their in-room refrigerator. They can pre-order a certain type of wine. There are plenty of choices on the \u2018Ihilani Marketplace,\u2019\u201d says Soma. And don\u2019t expect the typical, gauging of the overpriced mini-bar of some resorts at Ihilani, according to Soma, who says, despite Ihilani being an upscale resort, six-packs of diet soda can be ordered for as little as $6.00; and bottles of wine as low as $15.00. And once on-property, don\u2019t miss the $6 Mai Tai\u2019s during \u201chappy hour\u201d from 9-midnight overlooking the pool. In terms of value, pre-arrange \u201cSpeediShuttle,\u201d which can get you from Honolulu Airport to Ko Olina for only $15. \u201cA speedy check-in process upon arrival is vital, too,\u201d adds Soma. \u201cGuests walk in with their luggage on wheels and are ready to roll to their rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DSCF4184\"<\/a>With a beach showcasing blazing ocean sunsets, Ko Olina hosts 6,000 weddings a year, according to Tim Deegan, Ko Olina\u2019s director of marketing, and newlyweds have the gorgeous keepsake photos to prove it. The Ihilani online marketplace recognizes that by offering romantic gifts for newlyweds and honeymooners. \u201cYou can even pre-order a surprise of rose petals on the bed to spell out \u2018I Love You,\u2019\u201d says Soma. You can also reserve, or send the gift of a round at the adjacent Ko Olina Golf Club, which hosts an LPGA tournament; a traditional Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage and Thalasso sea water treatment in the spa; or a meal in one of five restaurants, including Azul, the dazzlingly delicious Italian, open-air restaurant perched above Ihilani\u2019s grotto filled with Hammerhead and Galapagos sharks and Spotted Eagle Rays, which you can hand-feed in the water daily with the supervision of a marine biologist daily. (They won\u2019t get the gnocchi and Chianti you had, though.) You can also book a thrilling snorkel cruise from the resort\u2019s marina at OceanJoyCruises.com<\/a>, which guarantees you\u2019ll see dolphins.<\/p>\n

Ihilani, next door to Disney\u2019s Aulani Resort and the Marriott Vacation Club (in addition to other lodging<\/p>\n\"DSCF4094\"\n

options) has hosted President Barack Obama and world leaders during the APEC Summit, and the NFL\u2019s best players call the elegant Ihilani home for a week during the annual Pro Bowl in January. See www.KoOlina.com<\/a> or www.ihilani.com<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

Michigan-based travel writer Michael Patrick Shiels may be contacted at Inviteyourself@aol.com<\/a> or via www.TravelTattler.com<\/a>. His weekday morning radio show airs on 92.1 FM in Lansing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t