Attractiveness of Hawaii's Ko Olina Is Increasing

Attractiveness of Hawaii's Ko Olina Is Increasing

Sophisticated travelers who frequent Hawaii have long realized that the real action in Oahu is not in Waikiki or Honolulu but rather to the west, in the Ko Olina region. Decades in the making, Ko Olina is typically considered Hawaii's most luxurious resort destination. In fact, it was historically 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. This article discusses some of the important tourism related trends that may be of interest to Oahu vacationers.

Despite the economic problems touching most of the mainland, the Ko Olina Oahu area is seeing a healthy upswing in new 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.

Situated on the Kapolei Parkway and the upcoming North-South access road, access for tourists will be convenient. 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.

The greater area benefited by the new shopping facilities is home to an extensive variety of upscale condos, many priced in the seven figures. For instance, the brand new Ko Olina Beach Villas front the ocean and beach lagoons. 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 KoOlina area for almost twenty years. He has commented on a variety of occasions on Hawaiian travel topics.