Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

I’ve been wanting to stay at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel for years, but every time we looked into it, it was either sold out or out of our budget. We finally had the perfect opportunity when our brother and sister came to visit, and we decided to spend a night on the beautiful Kohala Coast after finding a great rate. The hotel has been under construction for quite some time and is now in its final stages of renovation. As we approached the property, the ocean was sparkling on the horizon beyond the lush green golf course, but then we were unexpectedly met with a large parking lot and what initially looked like a dated building rather than an elegant resort. I can imagine this will improve greatly over the next few years as the landscaping and foliage mature to soften that first impression. Thankfully, once we arrived at the entrance and stepped into the iconic lobby with its vintage blue tile, sweeping views of Kaunaʻoa Bay, and were handed POG mimosas by the sweetest check-in host, the parking lot view was quickly forgiven. We booked deluxe golf-view rooms, and the hotel thoughtfully placed our rooms next door to each other, which we really appreciated. The renovated rooms are exceptional — honestly some of the nicest we’ve stayed in on the Kohala Coast. Compared to neighboring luxury resorts in a similar price range, these rooms felt far more spacious and thoughtfully designed. Ours felt almost like a small apartment, with two lanais, a walk-in closet, a foyer, and a gorgeous oversized bathroom. The overall hotel aesthetic blends vintage Hawai‘i charm with chic modern design beautifully. The adults-only pool area was one of our favorite spots, with comfortable loungers, attentive food and drink service, and an infinity pool overlooking the ocean. The brand-new spa and fitness center are also incredibly impressive and reminded me of upscale wellness resorts in Costa Rica. We had dinner at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Manta, and loved not having to leave the property for a special evening out. After dinner, we walked to the manta viewing deck and saw giant manta rays - I mean really?! Amazing. And then there’s the beach. Kaunaʻoa Bay is absolutely stunning, with crystal-clear water, gentle waves, soft sand, and excellent snorkeling. We spent the rest of our stay relaxing on the beach loungers until checkout and were genuinely sad to leave so soon. We’ve been slowly making our way through the resorts along the Kohala Coast, and Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has definitely earned a spot near the top of our list.

We had a great family session with Cynthia! From the very beginning, she made us feel completely at ease, which is no small feat when you’re wrangling a toddler. She was incredibly patient, flexible, and genuinely warm, taking the time to connect with everyone including our little one instead of rushing through the session. What really stood out was their ability to capture natural, candid moments. Nothing felt forced or overly posed, and somehow she managed to bring out everyone’s personality—especially our toddler’s. The final photos were absolutely beautiful—bright, emotional, and full of life. You can tell there’s a real talent not just for photography, but for working with families. These are the kinds of images we’ll treasure for years. Highly recommend to any family, especially those with young children. It was truly a stress-free and enjoyable experience from start to finish.

We had a fantastic time at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. We have been there many times before and we were excited to see all of the renovations which were finally completed. Mauna Kea did an amazing job of renovating the hotel while keeping it's old historical charm. The many changes blended in seamlessly into the classic Mauna Kea style. We felt the staff was invigorated and were even more focused on making our experience the best possible. The beach remains one of the best on the island. The dining experience was great starting with a breakfast buffet and ending with a delicious dinner. We had an ocean facing room and watched the sunset very night. The rooms were spacious and had all of the amenities you would need.

This has to be one of the most overpriced hotels I have seen in quite some time. When you walk in, it looks like you're at a hotel in Thailand with gold statues and an abundance of outdated non-Hawaiian themed decor. While the beach is nice, the lounge chair situation is horrible. One day, we were fortunate enough to find two empty lounge chairs so we put our items down only to be confronted by a resort employee saying he was saving these for another family. I asked if I was correct in that the rules for the beach loungers are first come first served. He said yes that's correct but he was reserving these for someone else. I told him but you just said there were no reservations allowed. His only defense was he had just found these two chairs and was just going back to tell the family. Totally confrontational and ridiculous as we ended up sitting nearby and no one came to those chairs for 3 hours!!!! The beach restaurant was a joke. Had a 45 min wait at 11:30 am (whatever) but it took us over 90 minutes to order and just get our food! Who wants to dedicate that much time for a burger and fries lunch in the middle of the day? At the more formal Copper Bar for dinner, we saw multiple cockroaches on the floor of what is considered an upscale restaurant. While I recognize this is Hawaii and an outdoor restaurant, there is no way this is ok for a restaurant. Bottom line, stay at the Westin down the coast. They don't try to be as swanky as this place so you get better value. This place just seemed soooo dated (except for the gym which is superb). I wouldn't pay more than $300/night to stay here. It has to be the most overpriced hotel I have seen in a long time. You come here for luxury and there is very very little (if any) of that. Even the valet service was horrible. Valet began driving away with my car before I realized he hadn't even given me a claim ticket. Just not good service, overpriced and not where you should be spending your money.

While the valet and restaurant staff are absolutely outstanding, the rooms remain very overpriced for what they are even with some updating. However, it is all about supply and demand this time of year, people will gladly pay double almost triple normal prices to get out of the cold and into the warm, parking will be valet only, and that is so overcrowded cars are parked all over the lawn. While you will be told the grounds are for guests and members only you’ll find out it is very overcrowded due to the guests of the members and the guests of the Residence. Be prepared for lines and rude guests who think they are the only ones at the hotel. The nice thing is if you forget something, they have enough variety in their on-site stores that you don’t have to drive 30+ miles back to town to get something. One of the best things at the hotel is the seaside staff do not allow towels to hold chairs if they see towels and no personal belongings, they remove the towels. This does allow for those who want to enjoy a chair & an umbrella to be able to and I do give three cheers for this! Had a rather odd exchange with the on-site jeweler as I walked up and said hello still standing outside, sounded to me as if he said something to the effect of don’t waste his time. I’m a bit hard of hearing but that don’t waste -My time- was very clear and you can be sure I will not waste his time. The few jewelers that remain downtown are very happy to have your business and with the storm damage it means a lot to do business with them.