Each week, North Shore tells the story of the happenings at the fictitious Grand Waimea resort. Recurring characters in North Shore are the general manager, played by handsome Kristoffer Polaha, and his ex-girlfriend and co-worker, the comely Brooke Burns.
Find Out More About The Series North Shore
According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, it took $850,000 to build the Grand Waimea Resort façade and lobby for North Shore. It includes waterfalls, two ponds with fountains, and a fish tank behind the reception area that holds exotic koi.
The Real North Shore
Turtle Bay Resort (check rates now), where part of the series is filmed, is the only major hotel on the North Shore. It's an 880-acre property located away from the action on Waikiki (which is located on the south shore of Oahu). Prior to the show, the North Shore's claim to fame was its appeal to surfers. The world-famous Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach are only four 4 miles away from the resort. Polynesian Cultural Center, another major attraction on Oahu's North Shore, is six miles away.
A spectacular setting for land and water sports, Turtle Bay Resort has nearly five miles of beachfront and is the only resort on Oahu with 36 holes of championship golf. A $60-million renovation in 2003 added a new spa. There are also two lushly landscaped oceanside pools, riding stables with ocean and trail riding, a full-service tennis center by Peter Burwash International, a surf school by Hans Hedemann, and 12 miles of oceanfront hiking trails. And if you need to check email between riding the waves, the resort provides wireless Internet access.
Scenes from North Shore, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, are also filmed at JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort & Spa (check rates now) on the western shore of Honolulu. In addition to its 18-hole golf course, the resort is home to seven scenic lagoons connected by shoreline pathways. It also contains a 270-slip marina, Paradise Cove luau and Hawaiian cultural center, and Ko Olina Wedding Chapel.
There is No Grand Waimea Resort, But...
While it looks real and enticing on North Shore, the resort doesn't exist. Really. However, there are many, many others worth consideration if you are planning a visit to the islands of Hawaii. To learn more, read on:
