Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a 2008 romantic comedy filmed mostly in Hawaii. The film starred Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Russell Brand.
While the film opened and closed in Los Angeles, the majority of the film took place on the North Shore of Oahu. The entire production spent a number of weeks filming at the Turtle Bay Resort and around the North Shore.
Turtle Bay Resort
The front entrance of the hotel features a valet parking drop-off and a waiting area with some couches. A few scenes take place here, including Peter’s arrival at the hotel and his chat with Aldus Snow near the end.
The real front desk of the hotel is located to the left of the lobby, but a fake desk was constructed to the right. This gave a beautiful backdrop of the beach and ocean.
The Kapua Suite that Peter stayed in is not a real suite at the hotel. It was constructed for the movie. The Beach Bungalows, however, are real rooms and directly face the ocean. They are just a short walk from the main building and located near the golf courses.
After checking in, Peter slowly follows Sarah and Aldus across a bridge. This bridge leads from the main hotel to the Beach Bungalows. The bridge has been replaced since filming but it’s in the same spot.
Behind the hotel, at the end of the peninsula is a large lawn area. This was used for several scenes including the luau and the wedding that Peter crashed.
While the hotel’s pool was never shown, there is a clip in a montage where Peter jumps over a waterfall into a small pool surrounded by rocks. This is right next to the main pool area.
North Shore
Some scenes in Forgetting Sarah Marshall were filmed elsewhere on the North Shore. One was the cliff jumping scene. This was filmed at Laie Point, about 15 minutes away from the hotel. This is where Peter and Rachel jump down from the rocks into the ocean. Be careful if you want to reenact the scene. If the currents are strong, it can be very unsafe.
The surfing scenes were filmed along the shoreline of Hale’iwa, which is the main town along the North Shore. The surf is generally calmer here than other areas. Bigger surf needed for films like Blue Crush are generally filmed at Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline.
For the beach scenes before surfing, they weren’t filmed in Hale’iwa as they would have been in the middle of town. They went out to Mokule’ia Beach, further to the west, to film these scenes. The area is very quiet and there are minimal disruptions for filming. This is one of the reasons this same beach was selected for filming Lost.
If you want to get the real Forgetting Sarah Marshall feel, make sure you book a stay at the Turtle Bay Resort. The Beach Bungalows are ideal, but if they are out of your budget, any room at the resort will give you the chance to explore the grounds.
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