Hawaii Tourist Review--Ko Olina Lagoons

The Lagoons at Ko Olina is our favorite beach to go to to swim and play. The entire thing is man-made, but don't let that bother you. This is an awesome beach, especially for kids. I know a 3-year-old who got knocked down by a big wave her first trip to the beach and has been leary of the ocean since then. But because the rock barriers protect this beach from the open ocean, it's almost like swimming in a pool, and even she will get in the water here. Plus, as I recently learned, there's some decent snorkeling along the rocks toward the back of the lagoon.

Here's what I know about the lagoons: there are 4 (pretty much)identical lagoons in a row. They are all beautiful, but we generally opt for lagoon #4 because it has the most parking. You can plop your beach chair down in the sand near the water, or claim a shady spot in the grassy area surrounding the lagoon. The only problem is the parking. There's not much, so it's best to arrive early (by 9 a.m. or so), especially on a weekend.

This place gets two thumbs up from me. It's all a family could want from a day at the beach (unless, of course, you are looking to surf or boogie board).

Hawaii Tourist Review: Dole Plantation

Aside from the Awesome pineapple flavored soft serve ice cream, I found the Dole Plantation to be somewhat disappointing. The plantation includes a garden, a train tour of a "working pineapple plantation," the largest hedge maze in the world (or so they claim), a cafe and a huge gift shop, all of which are very staged for tourists.

The garden and the train ride provide some basic information about the history of the Dole Plantation and their method of growing pineapples, but it certainly isn't very in-depth. I have to admit, however, that a certain three-year-old was very excited about the train ride.

We didn't try out the hedge maze on our trip, but is probably a good way to pass the time. The cafe serves decent food (and delicious ice cream), and the gift shop, well, what can I say?


If your home decor theme is pineapple, you have found your heaven. :P The gift shop sells more pineapple items than you can image: snacks, blankets, clothes, dishes, decorative items, etc... And of course, they offer fresh-from-the-field pineapples for a hard-to-swallow $6 each.


Overall, the place wasn't bad, just your typical tourist trap. If you only have a limited amount of time to spend in Hawaii, the Dole Plantation probably isn't one of those can't miss sights. But if you've got a hankering for pineapple ice cream, have always wanted pineapple shaped bottle opener, or have a kid who loves trains, you may want to check it out.