orangetravelcat

Got back a few days ago from spending a week at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. Can't say enough good stuff about the hotel...the most pleasant hotel staff I have ever encountered. The beach was gorgeous, and never had more than 15 people on it at one time. No problem getting chairs and umbrellas. We were celebrating a special occasion and had mentioned it when we made our reservations. The manager sent us a nice bottle of chardonnay, and we were upgraded to a room with a dead-on ocean view. We sat on our lanai every morning and had breakfast out there. We would definitely return!

augustlily

Hi,
This is one of the hotels I am considering for my honeymoon if we decide to do the BI. Was there AC in the guest rooms? If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for your room? Was the resort within reasonable driving distance to other attractions (restaurants, the volcano, etc...)? Is the beach swimmable? Thanks!

orangetravelcat

Yes, the rooms have AC. I booked on the Prince Resort website, which offered an internet special of $180 per nite for a partial ocean view room. As I mentioned, upon check in we were upgraded. The beach was beautiful, and on most days was swimmable; however, the last two days we were there, the waves were huge, and a guy broke his neck. I guess a wave hit him and pounded him into the sand. The day after his rescue, I asked the "beach boy" how he was, and he told me the guy had broken his neck and had been flown to the hospital in Honolulu. Luckily, he was not paralyzed. Anyway, I really like this hotel and would definitely recommend it.

orangetravelcat

Forgot to mention---we spent a day driving around the island; went to Hilo and then to the volcano. It was a long day but a nice drive in our rental convertible. We ate at Roys which was not too far from the hotel, and at Bamboo - about 10-15 minutes away if I recall correctly. Also, Waimea isn't too far and offers some dining choices. And the restaurant at the hotel was excellent. So,you are not very close to things, but we didn't mind driving.

myst

Hapuna is a very nice beach! I stayed on the Hilo side, but spent a day in Waimea and vistied Hapuna for a swim. It was pretty quiet too.

ribar55

A question for 'myst', we are staying in Hilo also next year in March. Have been a little nervous about the weather there, how was it during your stay? Can you recommend places to eat in and near Hilo? I know from reading posts on this site most people do not advise staying on the Hilo side, but several years ago we stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa. Nice place, but nothing around it. We found ourselves driving a lot to see the places we wanted to see, staying in Hilo this time seem to make sense. Did you fly out of Hilo to another island?
Thanks