The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows

Hawaii's Big Island boasts at least a dozen marquee hotels. The Mauna Lani is for the experienced traveler who knows what he wants. It is elegant in the Japanese style. It's not a "never leave the grounds" resort. That said, I could imagine a four day stay where I might never get out of the Waikoloa main gate.

This was our first time to Hawaii and The Mauna Lani set the bar high! While there are plenty of other guests including families around, the atmosphere is calm and relaxing! The customer service is always 100 perfect whether looking for a restaurant or an emergency dentist! Canoe restaurant has all out door seating! Definitely have an outdoor massage at their spa!! Yes rooms are a little out dated but who spends time in them in Hawaii?! Perhaps the best part is that you do not need to fight for chairs at the pool or on the beach - there is enough for everyone! The cabanas on the beach are part of the resort fee and super comfortable! We will be back!

We stayed here for 2 weeks last month. Pros: -The hotel staff is very friendly and helpful. -Our room was cleaned every morning while we were at breakfast. -The rooms are very comfortable and quiet. Never heard any noise from our neighbors. - Love how you can walk out into the ocean water for hundreds of feet in front of the beach and swim with sea turtles. - Free Melona popsicles by the pool every afternoon! -The whole hotel has a very peaceful and serene quality to it. - Mattress was very comfortable. - Even the mattress on the roll away bed for our son was comfortable. - We were there to relax and the Mauna Lani made it easy. - Love the free bikes to explore the Mauna Lani resort area. Cons: - No place for dinner except the upscale Cane House or the Honu bar. A more family friendly dinner option at the resort would be great. Why not open the breakfast spot or the pool grill for dinner? - Relocate the hotel gift shop closer to the lobby? - Make sure to get to the pool early if you want a shady lounge. More shade options would be great. Overall, I highly recommend the Mauna Lani.

We stayed an the Mauna Lani for one night in July 2017. Service. The service was very good. The valet and porters took care of what they need to. We appreciated the concierge arranging for a helicopter tour. We also enjoyed the use of a beach cabana included in the resort fee. I needed to leave a package for someone to pick up, and the front desk handled it without a hitch. Lastly, we had good bar service while on the grounds. Setting. The view -- the ocean and sunset -- is a highlight. Also, the building's architecture allows for a great airflow. The down side is that the facility sits in a lava flow. It is pretty bleak driving in and not much to venture into beyond the immediate grounds. It is a bit of a trek if you want to get into Kona, but that may also be a plus. Rooms. The rooms were clean and very functional. There is a nice view from three sides of the building. The downside is that the rooms are a bit dated. The shower over tub might be better replaced with a walk-in shower. There is definitely room for it in the bath area. The rooms and common areas showed the hotel's age. Overall, I would actually recommend the hotel to folks. The "average" rating is simply because you may otherwise be surprised to find the somewhat dated decor and features.

Just stayed 5 night here with our children. Very tired looking place inside, needs some serious renovating in the rooms and around the resort. There was a mix up with our accommodation checking in which was frustrating. We booked two queen beds for our 2 small children and my husband and I but was told that I didn't book that at all, that I had actually booked 1 king size bed for the 4 of us to sleep in......I replied "Why on earth would I do that?" The four other hotels we stayed at previously on this vacation got it spot on but this was a bit of a nightmare from the get go. The manager kindly stepped in a got us a room for the night but we still had to move rooms for the other 4 nights...... On the plus side...The resort was kept very clean and the majority of the staff were really lovely. There were turtles everywhere which the kids adored! The lady who organised all our daily activities was outstanding with her local knowledge and advice.