I have meeting in Honolulu in July and thought about going over to the JW Marriott in Kapolei for a couple of days afterwards. Thoughts?
The Lagoon’s are beautiful and its quiet and peaceful. Its sort of isolated away from restaurants, etc, but its a good area for family. Your about 20 minutes from the North Shore which is a great area and about 20 minutes or so from Honolulu.
The Ihilani (operated by JW Marriot) is at the Ko Olina Resort on the West Coast of Oahu. It is directly adjacent to Disney’s new Aulani Resort. The Waianae Coast is the sun coast of Oahu and tends to have a bit less rain than the windward coast. Sunsets are good and there is a popular Luau but the Luau is quite touristy; mediocre food and watered down tropical drinks in plastic cups. There is a nice golf course at Ko Olina if you’re into that. As mentioned by Mike, there are three peaceful lagoons you can beach at but don’t expect any waves for surfing or bodyboarding. You’d have to drive up the coast for that. The Waianae Coast is very “local” and if you choose to surf there be prepared for “local attitude”. The resort has a number of restaurants at each of the hotels including a Roy’s at the Golf Course. Ko Olina is good if you just want to chill in peaceful solitude or if you’re with your family and want to take advantage of Disney’s Aulani. Otherwise it’s a bit remote. The Ihilani is a nice hotel but if you’re with family you may prefer the Aulani. Let me know if you have specific questions.
Aloha