Turtle Bay Resort. Our friends were getting married at nearby Sunset Ranch, so it was the perfect opportunity to check out the hotel and relax.
Check-in time is at 3pm, but the hotel operator informed me that rooms start becoming available around noon if you arrive earlier. Baby J and I arrived shortly after 3pm on a Thursday, and there was only one other person in line to check in. The front desk clerk was friendly and efficient, and explained that if we wanted to forgo housekeeping until the third day, we could get one free breakfast buffet with one paid adult. They also had a “kids eat free” promotion going on.
Our room (302) had a balcony that looked out onto the pool deck and ocean.
The balcony doors are wooden faux-shutter sliding doors (closed here for better lighting for the photo). I prefer blackout curtains, as there was no way to block out the light on the middle two sliding doors (the false shutters are stuck in an open position), making daytime naps a little more difficult.
The room came with a Keurig machine and tea, and a mini refrigerator (a must for family vacations).
Turtle Bay has chosen to offer reusable water bottles for purchase ($5) instead of providing bottled water. While this is a more “eco-friendly” option, it would have been nicer if they had just included one of the bottles in the $40 resort charge. Most of the hotels we’ve stayed in recently include bottled water for free or include daily water in the resort charge. I wasn’t about to pay $5 for a water bottle that would end up as more clutter in my kitchen, so I ended up just purchasing large bottles of water from the sundries store downstairs.
I really liked that the room had two sinks: one inside the toilet/shower area and one outside by the closet/Keurig setup.
I’ve become a germaphobe since giving birth, so I am not a big fan of the towels-above-the-toilet setup. Every time a toilet is flushed, microscopic particles of toilet water are released into the air. The best way to minimize this is to close the toilet seat before flushing. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting that it wasn’t a soft-close toilet like I have at home, so there was a loud clatter every time I would close the toilet lid.
Rooms are pleasant and clean, but don’t expect luxury. If you’re looking for more lavish accommodations and have a larger party, the hotel’s Ocean Villas next door to the resort offer a more luxurious and private option.
