Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Our sixth stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, and our first following the renovation of the main tower rooms. We stayed in deluxe oceanfront room #710. While there was construction ongoing at both ends of the hotel (the garden wing and the new wellness center), noise and disruption were minimal. According to their promotional email, work on the garden wing should be completed very soon. We were very happy that the updates to the rooms didn't change the rich "old Hawai'i" feel of the hotel. In fact, new dark wood and new artwork seemed to enhance that feeling. A new layout to shelving in the closet made it more useful. New seating in the room is very comfortable, as is new furniture on the lanai. My only significant complaint was a new motion-sensor system that turns on all the bathroom lights at night. It would be very nice if that feature was controllable. All the features and amenities of the room remain the same as before (safe, refrigerator, kettle, coffee, etc), with the addition of a new water dispenser in the bathroom that lets you fill up your water bottle. The water is not chilled, so add ice from the ice bucket if you want it nice and cold. Apart from the parts of the hotel that were still closed off for construction (sadly, Buddha is now closed up in what looks like a giant outhouse) the hotel remains the same as it was. We look forward to our next visit!

"WOW!" is a great way to summarize my stay at the Mauna Kea. But, "wow" doesn't provide for much of a useful review, so I'll go into detail about what made the Mauna Kea so magical. Before arriving, I tried to keep my expectations in check, as I knew the property was undergoing renovations. A couple of friends raved about their pre-renovation stays at the Mauna Kea, and I admit I was a bit skeptical: I couldn't imagine how the Mauna Kea could live up to the glowing reviews. However, I'm utterly delighted that the Mauna Kea ended up exceeding all my expectations. My husband and I stayed at the Mauna Kea for five nights for our honeymoon in the second half of September 2025. We had a warm reception at check-in, with POG (we declined the kind offer of champagne!) and chilled towels. I'm always grateful when the front desk team provides an overview of the hotel's offerings at check-in, and the receptionist (I'm very sorry I didn't get her name) did an excellent job of walking us through the hotel map and explaining the available amenities. She also noted the pool was closed due to the renovations. (We were aware of the closure because of an email the Mauna Kea had sent after we made our reservation, and this was no problem whatsoever for us.) I redeemed Marriott Bonvoy points for our stay, and I applied a nightly upgrade award as a benefit of my platinum status. I booked a golf view room in the main tower but was fortunate to have the nightly upgrade award cleared for an oceanfront room on the eighth floor of the main tower. The room was spectacular: it was newly renovated, immaculate, and well appointed. The panels for the lights were easy to use. I got a huge kick out of the towels fashioned into a manta ray on the bed, and I loved the touches of Mauna Kea orange, including the water tumblers and flip flops that were provided for each of us. I also appreciated the smaller details, such as two luggage racks (so many hotel rooms have just one), a steamer rather than an iron (irons are too fussy for me). In addition to delicious banana bread and shortbread cookies, we received a bottle of sparkling wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries for our honeymoon. The real showstopper was the view from our room: being able to step onto the lanai and enjoy views of the Kauna'oa Beach was a privilege, and we tried to spend as much time as possible on the lanai. During the day, we spotted a turtle swimming near the shore. At night, we could see manta rays swimming near the coast and also enjoy jazz from Manta restaurant. The lanai had a couch, which was comfortable to lie on for stargazing. (So many stars!) Normally, a continental breakfast is a welcome amenity option for those with Marriott Bonvoy platinum status. Because of the renovations, the Mauna Kea provided the option of the full breakfast buffet at Manta restaurant for guests with platinum status and above. We chose the breakfast buffet option as our welcome amenity, and it was one of the best breakfast spreads I've seen at a hotel: tons of variety and excellent quality, with many items rotating daily. Each morning, the staff would provide us with banana bread and a small breakfast smoothie before we enjoyed the buffet. We looked forward to breakfast every day, and the staff did a wonderful job of taking care of us. The beach is a huge draw for the Mauna Kea, and it was incredible. Towels and chairs were plentiful. (At first, my husband and I wondered why we each received two towels, but then we realized one towel was specifically designed to drape on the chair--a nice touch.) Rentals for many water activities (snorkeling, boogie boarding, etc.) were free. During one of our snorkels, we spotted a young turtle near the reef. We kept our distance, but it was captivating to watch the turtle searching for food and occasionally surfacing to take a breath. The Mauna Kea offered multiple activities each day. Sadly, we didn't have enough time to participate in as many as we would have liked, but we did do the koi feeding a couple of times--a fun treat! The renovations had a minimal impact on our stay; in fact, they may have worked in our favor. I'm guessing late September is a less crowded time at the Mauna Kea in general, and the renovations may have made it quieter than usual. We arrived at the Mauna Kea on a Saturday afternoon, and it didn't seem like there was construction work during the weekend. We did notice a bit of construction noise during breakfast on the weekdays, but it didn't bother us at all. The renovations made self-parking a little tricky at times (we prefer self-parking over valet services), but we were always able to get a spot. My husband and I are pretty casual, and I was worried the Mauna Kea would be stuffy and overly formal. My doubts were misplaced: everyone we encountered was helpful and attentive, and no one made us feel out of place. I loved the warm interactions with a few jokes sprinkled in. Now I completely understand why my friends were so enthusiastic about the Mauna Kea. It's one of a kind, and my husband and I had a marvelous time. I keep looking at our photos from our stay to relive the memories. We loved the Mauna Kea (and the Big Island), and we will make every effort to return soon. Mahalo to everyone at the Mauna Kea!

My wife and I really enjoyed our stay at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. The hotel is beautiful and has its own beachfront that is not crowded. The waves are so calm that you almost feel like you are in a pool. They have a spot at night where you can see the Manta Rays up close which was a treat. The rooms are beautifully decorated. The hotel provided a lot of nice treats and amenities upon checkin. We celebrated my wife's birthday and our anniversary on property. The restaurants on the property are all excellent as we ate at all of them. The hotel has a fantastic GM with Mr. Anderson who took amazing care of us. We would highly encourage anyone visiting the big island to stay at this special hotel and you will not be disappointed!

My sister and I have been going to the Mauna Kea almost yearly since the early 90s, so we've seen this hotel change hands at least several times, and go through a big renovation for an entire year. It was worth the wait. This time? Meh. We chose to go at our favorite time which is early September just after Labor Day. We just couldn't imagine how the rooms could be improved from the last renovation, as they were spectacular then. So the big improvement was that they've shoved in a little couch and table which were totally unnecessary. We even had to move the table out on the lanai to make enough room inside. There was a little bit of woodwork which was barely noticeable and dozens of little blue lights on the wall and next to the beds that were a nightmare. Fortunately I always travel with gaffer's tape to cover up lights, but this was almost funny because there was gaffer's tape everywhere. Why all the blue lights when it's well known that blue light keeps people awake? The pool area was closed but we had a view of the pool from our room and it's exactly the same. They just added a small round hot tub at the beach end. Big deal. And the rest of the hotel is also exactly the same. But the price...hundreds of dollars more per night plus they have added an "occupancy tax" of one hundred plus dollars. So let me get this straight. You pay for a room but you can't stay in it without paying to. Oh. I almost forgot. They are building a huge new gym/massage building next to the Manta restaurant. Did they need to? They had a gym and massage parlor already. Are they competing with other hotel chains? When you are the ONLY hotel on the very best beach on the entire island that's all the competition you need in my opinion. People go there for that long palm lined crescent beach and for the turquoise water, the lovely comfortable rooms, and the delicious food. It didn't need any of these "improvements"... in my opinion, of course. To close, if you can afford it go. It's still thee hotel to stay in and it's on the most beautiful beach imaginable.

We loved our time at Mauna Kea. The grounds are beautiful, the beach is the best on the entire coast imo, the guest rooms are comfortable and tastefully furnished and housekeeping is outstanding. The housekeeping staff was so nice and provided great service. We especially enjoyed dining at Copper Bar. Of all the resorts we have enjoyed on the island, the people who work at Mauna Kea stand out with their warmth and genuine care. Healani at the front desk was just so sweet and we loved Shige at valet. Andrew the shuttle driver was so friendly and offered great ideas. Every staff member you encounter on the grounds is so friendly and genuinely welcoming. We also enjoyed meeting Keith and Brad on the exec team. We had a good talk about how this property really is much more than you would expect from an ordinary Marriott Autograph collection property. Mahalo to all for a perfectly wonderful visit and we cannot wait to return and see the completion of your renovations.