Even though I am headed to Negril, Jamaica this week I have a craving to visit Hawaii again.

For several years in a row I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at a conference held on the North Shore of Oahu. The conference was always in October, which may explain the twitches I am starting to get.

Now, I'm just a country boy at heart, raised in a very small town in Louisiana when I wasn't living in Houston. My family was, at best, of moderate means, and Hawaii was a place you saw on TV and in the movies but were never likely to visit.

My review will be of the Turtle Bay resort, but I am going to mention several things about Oahu in general.

Arriving at the Honolulu airport, is impressive. As you circle to land you can see Diamond Head as well as Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial (a must visit for anyone going to Oahu).

We had no problems at the airport on any of the times we went and were on the highway very quickly.

The Turtle Bay Resort is on the very northern most top of Oahu, and is about as far away from Honolulu as it is possible to be. The roads, however, are easy to navigate as the highways makes a big loop around the island.

I won't bore you with the details, but as we drove through the pineapple fields and crested a hill I looked ahead and realized that what I was looking at wasn't sky, but the Pacific Ocean and the fabled North Shore, a surfer's paradise.

I haven't surfed in a long, long, LONG time. Too old and fat now, but one of my sons was twitching at the thought. I can't describe the excitement as we passed by Haleiwa and began passing one famous beach right after another. Cruising around Waimea Bay, then Sunset...I can't describe how it felt. Everyone in the van got twitchy as the road along the North Shore is a narrow two lane one, and I was watching the beaches more than the road.

Eventually we arrived at Turtle Bay, which is really the only resort on the North Shore, and it is located as far to the east as it is possible to be and still be considered on that stretch.

The hotel was owned by Hilton a few years ago but has changed hands since then. As we unloaded the van at the front, we entered an open air lobby where the entire back wall was glass looking out over the Pacific Ocean.

The hotel is very nice. Very pricey, but very nice.

The rooms are decent, nothing outstanding, but very comfortable but the grounds more than make up for this. All of the rooms have a view of either the ocean or the gardens. The pool is huge (and cold) and there is a separate pool with a large water slide for the kids (and some adults).

The bars are fantastic and, even if you don't like girly drinks, Mai Tais are a must. There is also a drink that is a Pina Colada abut they add Macadamia Nut Liqueur to it and call it something else. Excellent, although a little sweet for constant consumption.

The hotel is, of course, on Turtle Bay, so named because of the large numbers of sea turtles that come into the cove and munch on algae. It is exceedingly cool to sit at the edge of the lawn overlooking the drop off to the cove, sipping Mai Tais and watching the sea turtles.

The point where the hotel is located is also a well known surf spot and there were surfers every time we have stayed here. It is fun to watch them jump off of the sharp volcanic rock and drop 6-10 feet to the water rather than paddle out from the beach.

The only draw back to this hotel is that the food isn't that great and is overpriced. It's not bad, just not worth the money.

However, the shrimp trucks at Kahuku (to the east) and the restaurant's in Haleiwa (to the west) are just a short drive. I suggest Pizza Bob's and Haleiwa Joe's in Haleiwa. Be sure and grab some Hawaiian Shaved Ice at Masumoto's (for an interesting twist have them add beans and ice cream, the Hawaiian way to eat this).

Another interesting carry over from the orient are the Bento boxes available from roadside fast food stands. A Bento box is a small cardboard box which contains a lunch. The one I bought had a fried fish fillet, rice, a couple of slices of spam, and a couple of shrimp. Very tasty and cheap.

Overall I would say that Turtle Bay is one of my favorite resorts I have ever visited and everyone in the family loved it as well.

Oh, there are a lot of babes in bikinis there too.