Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

We just returned from our Hawaiian vacation and stayed at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection over the 4th of July. We watched fireworks from the huge balcony of our hotel room on the 7th floor- fabulous! The hotel is beautiful. Beautifully designed interior spaces. The beach is gorgeous. We loved snorkling right off the beach and bought a guide to Hawaiian tropical fish because we saw so many varieties. This hotel was a fabulous choice for my husband and me

Our family just spent 10 days at this gorgeous property. There were 5 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 1-7. Everyone had a relaxed, but very fun time. The rooms are spacious, the food is good and the activities were plentiful. This is a very family friendly resort. Also, close by are family friendly restaurants (not fast food) that are delicious and reasonable.

After spending 6 nights in Kauai we headed for our first time on the Big Island. The landscape on the Big Island is a bit (a lot!) different than Kauai, so I was a little nervous at first. Then you get to a little slice of heaven at the Mauna Kea. Check in was awesome. There were two amazing ladies giving out leis and delicious drinks, which was nice after a bit of traveling. The resort is gorgeous. Beach The beach is fantastic - better than anything we found in Kauai. The sand is soft, the water is blue and they have a great bar right up on the sand (so we could have a cocktail and watch the kids play in the sand). They also have these really cool beach 'beds' out in the ocean that you could swim to and lay on. Very cool. Pool The pool is small. If you're looking for waterslides and that kind of thing, you won't find it here. But you will find the MOST COMFORTABLE lounge chairs I have ever been in. I loved sitting on my chair under the umbrella sipping a cold, refreshing cocktail while reading a good book. Other entertainment They have a cool little area with ping pong and other family games. There's even a library, where I left a book and took a new one (that was fabulous). Food & Drink Wednesday they have a manager's reception where all of the managers throughout the resort mingle with the guests. They have free drinks (literally anything you want) and light apps. What a great experience. If you can, try to include a Wednesday in your stay. Rooms Rooms were nice. Beds were comfortable. We updated to a floor level room that overlooked the ocean. We could walk right out on to the grass, which was good for our boys who love to throw around the football. Salon This is one area I was a bit disappointed, but that's just because I felt like I got charged so much for a mani (it ended up being $115!). They charge extra to take off old gel if you have it, so be sure you ask before you go. Food Delicious. Everywhere. Everything from the Sushi at Copper Bar to the PB&J down at the beach bar. We didn't have a bad meal there. We plan on including the Big Island in our next Hawaii trip JUST to stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. You just can't go wrong here.

This is a gorgeous, well maintained property that still radiates the grandeur that Rockefeller intended. Beautiful art, gardens, koi ponds, and sweeping ocean views everywhere! There are hundreds of little areas to stop and have a seat and enjoy the day! The beach is our favorite on the big island, but it is worth noting that it is popular among the public and may get loud- there was a large children's party while we were there. We found the service to be generally accommodating, however it did not match up to the physical place; associates respond positively to requests, but don't anticipate them. We were kind of disappointed with the beach staff who were unapproachable and made us feel like we were interrupting their conversation (amongst each other) when we asked for a towel. The same guy who helped us (and who we tipped) every day still didn't remember us by day 3. I will however give credit to one very impressive waiter named David at the copper bar. His service style was extremely refined and proactive- and he was the only one of the dozen staff members we spoke to who followed up with (the should-be-standard question) "is there anything else I may do to assist you?" If the hotel had more associates like David, it could be the finest destination in all of Hawaii. I recommend that he trains others on attitude and demeanor. We'd also like to thank the front office staff for giving us a beautiful upgraded ocean front room and 4 pm late check out- that was very generous!

We stayed at this hotel for a week and not once did we visit the pool. The beach is the best thing going for this hotel. They have great lounges, cocktails and beach activities. The hotel was recently redone and it has a vintage modern vibe going. I think they did a great job mixing the 70's with current day appeal. The restaurants are all delicious and they have different types to appeal to different budgets. Although their cheapest restaurant is still quite expensive, i feel that this is typical with beach resorts.