Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

My family just came back from staying at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. We had a fabulous time. It is a very special place. The views are breathtaking, the beach is gorgeous and management and staff do an amazing job making us feel relaxed and at home. Special thanks to Emmy and Greg who were so kind and friendly and made our stay so memorable. We have stayed at the Mauna Kea before and we will be returning. Forget about Disneyland...Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is the happiest place on earth!!

We had the best stay we’ve ever had at a hotel at the Mauna Kea. Emmy was great at check-in with a big smile and was incredibly helpful in making this an incredible stay for our 51st wedding anniversary. Doug and Ledia were just as helpful when Emmy wasn’t there in making our stay incredibly special. everybody else on staff was also wonderful, friendly, and kind. The hotel is finishing up a remodel and it’s terrific. The beach is fabulous and the facilities are in great condition. We can’t say enough good things about the hotel and everybody that we had the opportunity to meet. Housekeeping and maintenance were on top of everything as well and we’re very friendly.

Overall, this was a very nice and relaxing stay. I would definitely stay here again with hopes that a few changes will be made once the construction is completed. THE POSITIVES: THE LOCATION: The beach here is really one of a kind. It is a beautiful setting; the water is stunning, and the bay is sandy – no rocks or coral to deal with. The water is perfect for all ages as it is a shallow bay to start, and one needs to walk a bit to get into deeper water. The staff: Everyone at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel that we interacted with was very nice, helpful, and welcoming. THE ROOM: Our room was an ocean front room in the main tower (the beach front rooms were undergoing renovations). This was a very nice room and the view from the lanai was amazing. Reusable water bottles: They give you a reusable stainless steel water bottle to use while here and to take with you when you leave. There are water filling stations in each of the rooms as well as around the resort. This is a fantastic way to reduce single use plastic bottles and protect the environment. Having the water filling station in the room is very convenient. THE CONSTRUCTION: We were a bit unsure of what to expect booking here during the construction, but it really didn’t impact us at all. We are not “pool” people but if you are, you should wait until the construction is completed as there isn’t a pool during the construction. We were told that the construction will be ongoing until sometime in October 2025. PICKLE BALL COURTS: There are 8 courts that are specific for pickle ball. This is a nice change from trying to play on tennis courts and adjusting the size for pickle ball. It is $25 per person per hour. However, if no one shows up to play the next hour, you may play on. AREAS WHERE THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: THE BEACH SHACK: I am hoping that this will improve after the renovation is completed. We booked the complimentary canoe paddle and was told to check back at 7 am the next morning to see if it was running. An improvement would be to have them call the hotel guest to either confirm or cancel the paddle. I realize that this is weather dependent and won’t go out with high wind but them letting us know via a call would be much better than getting up and heading down to the beach shack to find out it was cancelled. On the positive side, we had no problem getting beach chairs anytime we went down to the beach. I think this was due to the fact that the hotel was not at capacity. THE FOOD: The food here is not what I would expect of a resort of this caliper. The hotel really needs to up its food game. Breakfast was decent. They have all of the things you would expect, an omelet station, fresh fruit, pastries, etc. As a Titanium member for life on Marriott, I was able to get the buffet included. For dinner our first night we ate at the Copper Bar, and I ordered grilled fish on my salad. The fish was raw and when I mentioned it to the server, she said yes it was “pan seared”. This was not ahi, and my expectation was that it would be cooked. She didn’t offer to have it cooked or to get me anything else. Needless to say, I did not eat it. My dinner and the server’s response were disappointing to say the least. The next day, we ate lunch at the Hau Tree (their outdoor bar) and I ordered a beet salad. This was possibly the worst beet salad I have ever had. It had a few pieces of arugula, and the beets were overcooked to the point of being dehydrated. We did not even try Manta Ray for dinner after these two experiences but ate outside of the resort each evening we were here. So, the opportunities exist to really improve the food offerings to align with what one would expect from a resort of this caliper. The beach bar could use some appetizers such as wings, potato skins, fried calamari, hummus and veggies, etc. And the opportunity to improve dining at the Copper Bar, offer fresh grilled fish and a salad these items are not hard to make. I am really hoping that positive changes will be made to your food lineup once the construction is completed. THE DRINKS: The Hau bar drink game was pretty weak. If I wanted a spicy margarita, I had one choice, and it was going with a no name tequila that had been infused with jalapeño and cilantro. I would personally have liked to have had a specific tequila for this drink as well as have had some fresh jalapeños. The lady next to me at the bar ordered a mojito and it didn’t have any mint in it. How is that a mojito? I think it is fine if you just want a beer or low-end wine but that isn’t what I would have expected from this resort.

My family and I loved staying at this resort for 5 nights in mid January on a long multi-hotel trip to Hawaii. Stunning beauty in the landscape, super helpful staff and concierge. A peaceful, rich and rejuvenating space. Booking: I booked very early in ‘24, and called the “legacy reservations desk” at the hotel to confirm connecting rooms for this special family trip. They did accommodate my request at the time, because I called and booked with them directly (one room with Marriott points online, and then paid directly for the other in regular resort view rooms). Diana at the desk was especially helpful with ensuring this part of the trip worked out for us. Stay: Before we arrived, I wondered most about the renovation disruptions, since there aren’t so many reviews about current conditions. When we checked in, we were upgraded to the beach wing, connecting king-double queen rooms. The rooms were the largest resort rooms I’ve ever stayed in, and had quaint balconies, not huge, but we had family dinner for 5 there. These were older, well worn rooms, and you can see it - but that being said, it was far from the main hotel and the direct construction being done on the rooms up there. The floors are tile, so it wasn’t like there was carpet coming up or anything, but nicks in the walls, shower heads were old, and sliding doors weren’t totally smooth and clean but totally functional. Obviously things I’d expect a renovation to fix, and understand them not attending to right now. There was construction occurring behind this wing, but we could not hear or notice it except when we exited and walked the hallway. Once you’re on the beach, pool deck, or at the restaurants, you don’t hear or feel anything. I’m sure this is different for the legacy people who have been visiting this property for many years, but this being our first time, I was able to look past the rough edges of the renovation, and look toward the beach side and not feel it staying in the beach wing. The front desk and concierge made my daughter feel so special, with a plate of cupcakes sent to our room for her birthday, and breakfast at Manta. The concierge Melanie and the team were so helpful communicating about the manta ray swim which was cancelled due to rough water, and then helping suggest and book a whale watching private catamaran with Kohala Blue. There were fun special things to do every day on the resort property besides for the day tours we took on our own - my teens and smaller kid enjoyed feeding the koi and pickleball clinics, seeing the sunrise service. The beachfront was not renting equipment due to rough surf, but jumping in the ocean, and watching the surfers was great. You could also just go shop for your own stuff to bring.

This is a classic hotel that we've stayed at since 1980. It has always been a joy to be there, and it seems like coming home when one arrives. If one has been a previous guest at this great hotel you will appreciates the time there and won't quibble about the very minor inconveniences that one might experience at this time during renovation. It has a great loyal staff that joyfully recognizes you when you return and treats you accordingly. The property is an architectural gem. Those of us who have made it their regular vacation home on the Big Island will return again & again to make sure that no major changes have been made during any renovation. This is my first time back as a recent widower and I realize now more than ever that a part of my husband and I will never leave the Mauna Kea.