Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

We have been fans of the Lawrence Rockefeller design & aesthetic since we stayed at Dorado Beach (now a Ritz) in the late 90’s. However for years I looked at photos of MKBH and it didn’t grab me as it didn’t seem like a LR property due to the size of the building and the somewhat “brutalist” architecture. We actually chose Westin Hapuna for our 1st trip, more of a wow factor from the photos. Stayed there twice and on 2nd trip I spent quite a bit of time at MKBH and I started to “get it” and told my husband: “next time we are staying there.” Obviously the photos don’t do it justice and you need to immerse yourself into the resort. I now find the architecture & design to be “wow” and the art, the landscaping, the views, the beach…just an absolute Hawaiian dream and now I can say my new favorite resort and we have been to so many in the Caribbean, Mexico & Hawaii. On each one of our BI trips we have had dinner at Manta at sunset on the evening of our first full day and to me the setting is magical. I call the Royal Poinciana trees in front of Manta (unfortunately not much in bloom in Oct but awash with flowers in the summer) “my trees” because I love trees and these may be my favorite anywhere! the view is incredible and fun to watch the Manta Rays from the viewing point. Manta gets my vote for the most romantic setting (from the front tables for two) of any restaurant we have been to in Hawaii and we have also been to Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Lanai. We experienced excellent service at the restaurants, bars, from housekeeping and from the front desk. I ordered a robe for purchase from the front desk and it was in my room in less than 10 minutes, not kidding. Room location: we were upgraded to an oceanview room from golfview which was an amazing stroke of luck especially because right now the golfview rooms overlook where they are parking all the cars on the grass during the renovation so its kind of chaotic and noisy out there. We did end up at the far end overlooking the Manta roof and near the construction which had a bit of noise and petroleum smell some days, but we got an ocean view upgrade so couldn’t complain! I actually disagree with others who have said the construction is not disruptive and there’s not a bad room on the property…right now the construction is making some rooms not very good and even without the construction I wouldn’t want to be on the far end of the tower near Manta due to overlooking the roof, especially not on the 5th floor. Everyone has their own room preference but I don’t find the rooms in the beachfront wing that appealing as there is such a wide expanse of lawn with lots of trees in front of those rooms and the beach is also wide so those rooms are a long way from the water/view. But I can see how some may like being able to walk right out to the beach. I preferred the tower and scoped out room location for the future…I decided 6th or 7th floor on the side of the tower next to the beach wing, in the center, would be best. From the entry door to the room, that side overlooks the interior landscaped courtyard and giant palm tree and does not appear to overlook roofs from the balconies except at the very end. The renovation - The spa will be incredible although it was sad I couldn’t make a pilgrimage to Buddha! Can’t really comment on the rooms as hadn’t stayed previously except to say they made a mistake not doing the tubs/showers in the tower rooms. Ours looked old and grimy and the side of the tub is so high to step into to take a shower it feels like an accident waiting to happen. Would have been so much better with a large new walk in shower. Also the pool had just reopened and it basically looked the same, just new pool deck and moved the hot tub to take better advantage of the view. Prices are increasingly substantially post renovation and I am not sure they are warranted…I checked all the major BI resorts for next October and MKBH lowest level room starts at more than $1,100 and goes up quickly from there so it’s in 4S and Kona Village territory…and KV starting rate was actually cheaper. Mauna Lani and Fairmont Orchid were starting around $700-$800. MK is going to have to up its game to command those rates…for example there is basically no beach service, you get your own towels and do your own set up and I never saw any food/drink service on the beach. Area for improvement for sure. We loved the resort, but we found the cocktail lounge/bar situation really lacking. The resort really needs a lovely stand alone bar with a water view…Manta’s bar is small and inside the restaurant, and the Copper Bar is way in the back of the dining area, where it is hot and stuffy and there’s no view. Even the few sofas and chairs they have are located behind the dining tables so you are sitting watching people eat rather than the view! I also thought Copper Bar restaurant needs some work to make it more atmospheric, plants and some other features as it has all the appeal of an airplane hangar…we canceled our dinner reservation there when we saw what it looked like. MK has so much land to the right of the resort near the Luau space and tennis courts…if I ran the resort I would put an oceanfront cocktail space there, something like the Ha Bar at the Mauna Lani or Luana at the Fairmont. I have made these suggestions because it could be even better than it already is! Obviously we will be back and thanks for reading this very long review!

We thoroughly enjoyed our recent stay at The Mauna Kea. We loved the open air concept and veranda on the 5th floor. The room was well appointed and we loved the new in room filtered water station. We found the room to be very comfortable and had the most beautiful view. Housekeeping staff was efficient, helpful, and always smiling! They made sure all needs were met. The front desk staff were very friendly. The offer of champagne upon arrival is a nice touch! They put us on an upgrade list but unfortunately, that never happened. Completely understandable with the renovations. Concierge was great. They arranged transportation to the airport and later confirmed. The ride was approximately $140 one way. Our driver, Teddy, was very knowledgeable about Hawaii, we really learned a lot from him. I guess Uber and Lyft are not as reliable especially on a Sunday morning. The Manager’s Reception on Wednesday from 5-6:00 PM at Manta is such a great idea and we loved it. Having the opportunity to meet and talk to everyone is very informative. It also gives you an opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions. As a Bonvoy Platinum you are entitled to a Continental breakfast, however, due to the ongoing renovations, you are up upgraded to a full breakfast buffet. This normally costs $50 per person. The breakfast buffet was amazing! Supplies ran low on Saturday morning for some reason, they didn’t have the normal options like pineapple and blueberries. Servers were super nice. We loved the daily smoothie and banana bread as an added touch. We ate at all the restaurants. Manta was outstanding and so was our server. The entertainment was really good. Copper Bar was our evening “go to”. The food was great and we loved the bartenders: Sho, Chance and Keola , such great people! Hau Tree was great for lunch and we found ourselves there almost every day. The fish tacos are so good! We met the nicest people sitting at the bar. A big shout out to Jacque, Jessie, Jake and Layla. Not only are they great bartenders, they are engaging, fun, friendly and efficient. I can’t say enough good things about this incredible staff! We took the Art Tour one day, I highly recommend it. Very informative and interesting. If you have time, feed the Koi around 10:00 AM. It’s fun to watch them follow you from pond to pond knowing they are getting fed. The beach team is amazing. I think Greg should be the mayor. He’s a wonderful human being, remembering everyone and the kindness within him overflows. He’s an inspiration for sure. My hubby took the sailing tour and had the best time, learning about the hotel and the area. Be sure to view the Mantas in the evening. They are wondrous creatures, gentle giants if you will. The MK has a very spiritual vibe. The beauty of the beach will capture your soul. Watching the torches being lit every night is truly special. We have been to this property four times with every intention of returning. Being a lung cancer survivor, the healing energy of this magnificent property is so good for the mind, body and soul. We are looking forward to the upcoming changes, like the pool, which should be open on October 17, spa, Latin restaurant, etc. Thank you, MK, for the most amazing vacation!

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!