We were planning on staying at the Orchid at Mauna Lani but found out there is construction going on next door to it. Has anyone been there since construction started? How bad is it?

We're going at the end of November. Any suggestions? We want to stay on the Kohala coast, have a nice, quiet beach and excellent accomodations and service. We were thinking either the Hapuna or the Mauna Kea. The Mauna Lani is on the other side of the construction so that's not an alternative. Thanks for any help.

I stayed at the Four Season and loved it. It is more private than the hotels you list, meaning that the accommodations are casita type rooms, no long hallways with rooms on either side. Each room had either a patio or deck. Rooms on ground floor have private outdoor showers.

I can't speak for the Mauna Lani, but we just returned from a stay at the Mauna Kea on the Big Island. A friend had her wedding there, and described it accurately: "The rooms are average, the beach is spectacular." It was very quiet, very spaced out, very peaceful - and the beach was wide, gorgeous, not too crowded. The service was very country club in nature - i.e. they were very personable and attentive. For example, I'm guessing that the staff was briefed on all the wedding guests - the Mauna Kea attendant at the airport greeted us and knew we were there for the wedding - and also knew my parents were due in a few hours and that they would need a shuttle, etc. They greeted us by name repeatedly throughout our stay.

Even more impressive, the bride and groom left a critical bag on the sidewalk in LA (it was never checked in). The staff at the Mauna Kea said, "We've never lost a bag yet - we will find this one!" They astonished everyone by pulling strings with friends at the airlines and eventually located the bag in New Zealand and had it delivered to the bride - who was incredibly thankful. By the way, they told the bride they would handle everything, so she didn't have to worry about it. Anyway, if that doesn't speak to great service, what will?

On the "con" side, I would say the Mauna Kea was definitely family-friendly - which was great for our big group, but we probably would have done the Mauna Lani if it had just been a romantic getaway for the two of us. (That is where the bride, a Hawaii native, and the groom spent their first night together after the reception.)

The Hapuna Prince was very modern, and cold in my opinion - seemed to cater much more to a Japanese clientele. I thought the Mauna Kea, although modern, was much warmer and more inviting. Hope that helps!

BTW, everything is so spread out on the Kohala coast, I'm guessing the construction by the Mauna Lani can't be too too close by - someone else may be able to comment on that...

We spent our honeymoon a thousand years ago at the Mauna Kea and returned almost every other Christmas with our whole family and kids after that. Haven't been for about 4 years, but there is no prettier, quieter beach anywhere in the world IMHO. The above poster is correct in describing the caring and competent staff. Yes, rooms are only "normal" but the art in the hotel is extraordinary--it's the Rockefeller Asian collection--the other Buddha that's at the Art Institute in Chicago--just sitting outside at the top of the steps from the dining room. They used to also have sunset cocktail cruises on the catamaran and the luau is the best we've found in Hawaii. Another choice might be the Ritz Carlton but it doesn't have the wonderful beach. Hapuna is very cold as described above and Mauna Lani doesn't have the beach that the Mauna Kea does. Hope you have a wonderful time. Oh, book now for the end of November and if you don't have kids with you, I would recommend a room in the old hotel rather than on the beach. Prettier views and quieter.

I'm not sure why everyone above keeps referring the Hapuna Prince as "cold"? I stayed there last summer and would go back in heartbeat! PS: The hotels are owned and operated by the same co. (IMHO)

I stayed at the Orchid in April. There was construction going on, but I never heard it. I don't know what it's like now though. Sorry. You may want to call the hotel directly and speak with the manager about this specific question. Then if you decide to book there and it's not what he said, you would have some recourse I suppose.

If you really want to try something different try the Kona Village Resort. You stay in your own private hale. It is quiet and romantic. Three meals a day. You can swim at their beach which you cannot do at the Four Seasons and you can snorkel right from the beach. It is like being in paradise.

I'm staying at the Hapuna Prince in Sept. Why do you think this hotel is "cold?"

I was one of the people who originally described Hapuna as cold, but perhaps I'm not qualified to do so... that was just my family's opinion when we wandered over to the Hapuna for drinks one evening. The decor is much more spare and monochromatic than the Mauna Kea (and with the exception of the art collection, I'd describe that as fairly spare, too!); very modern and smooth-surfaced. Also when we walked in from the parking lot we encountered absolute silence (no sounds, no people, nothing) which we found a bit creepy.

However, we did not stay there, so perhaps the public areas we saw were misleading. I did see one positive post from someone who actually stayed there, and they are probably more in-the-know than I would be. However, our initial impression was that we much preferred the ambiance at the Mauna Kea over the Hapuna.

I just returned from a week at the Orchid. The construction was in full force. If you stay in the North Tower you can not hear the construction at all. Our first room was in the South Tower on the side facing the construction and we asked to be moved. They actually accommadated us which made our vacation perfect. We had a very pleasant experience at the Orchid. The only other issue is that at certain times during the day you can hear the construction from the beach at the swimming lagoon. We did not find it bothersome but I did hear a few people complaining. If you plan on staying at the Orchid, I would defintely ask for the North Tower or at the very least the side of the South Tower facing the pool. Have fun. We loved the Big Island.

I'm one of the people who have raved about the Hapuna since staying there June of 2000. Yes, it's subdued, but that's what made it such a nice experience. It's actually a very hard to describe place, but tranquil comes to mind. I thought the Mauna Kea was also a lovely property, but it seemed more staid, seemed like an older crowd, and I almost felt as if I'd stepped into a hotel from the early 70's or 60's! I enjoyed the dramatic view of the ocean from the lobby of the Hapuna.
I like the way that the hotel was so spread out. The staff were extremely accommodating, and they gave us a nice upgrade at check-in and champagne for our 2nd anniversary and I just can't say enough good about the staff and the rooms. The bathrooms were so big, and marble; nice bathroom amenities (Garden Botanika) I have stayed at several nice hotels in the last few years, but the Hapuna was definitely one of the best.
CAn't wait to go back.

Dana, thanks for your feedback on the Hapuna Prince. I was getting a little worried.
Did you try any of the restaurants at Hapuna or Mauna Kea?

Pauli --
check out the Royal Waikoloan -- although not on the Kohala Coast, it's a beautiful medium sized resort with hiking and nature trails, beautiful beach/pool and wonderful layout (all open so those luscious hawaiian breezes come rolling through the lobby and bar). We loved it.

Re: Royal Waikoloan -- I got nostalgic thinking about it so I just checked out its web site -- it IS on the Kohala Coast.

Thanks for your comments everyone.

I called the Orchid a second time to ask how noisy it really was and the person told me not too bad right now but they are about to start building. We decided, since we're in the construction business, we really didn't want to chance having to listen to hammers banging even for part of a day. It could remind us too much of our real life! After much back and forth we decided to stay at the Mauna Kea. The beach there seems quite appealing.

By the way, we stayed at the Royal Waikoloan a few years ago and we're very unhappy with it. Bad service, a choice of a room over the bar or a smelly smokers' room and general unpleasantness. Maybe it's better now that there's a new owner, but we'd never go back there.

Thanks again!

To the top for Anita! Here's a pretty lengthy discussion of the Big Island Hotels you mentioned... and some others!

Stayed at the Royal Waikaloan years ago, not impressive at all. Also beach was not swimmable at all.

We ate at the Canoe House in one of the other hotels, if you like Pacific Rim Cuisine it was amazing. also nice was the beach lapping at our feet. This was in the early 90s though

Lisa

I have to disagree with the negative posts on the Royal Waikoloan which is now an Outrigger property. I can't comment about "years ago" but last summer when I stayed there it was wonderful. In fact, it was the highlight of our vacation. The property, staff and amenities were first rate. About the beach...it was the most beautiful I have seen on the three islands we have visited. The water was completely calm(this was in August) and the snorkeling was the best we experienced anywhere (including the expensive snokeling tour we had taken). Everyone can have different experiences I guess but I would recommend this property to anyone.

I've stayed at the Royal Waikoloan as well and had a really fabulous stay. It's on the beautiful Anaeho'omalu Bay. I can't imagine that it was unswimmable. Hope Lisa didn't mean the Hilton Waikoloan because that beach is not swimmable.

The Outrigger Waikoloan is not in the same league as the Orchid I just want to express a different point of view for the Outrigger.

Bobby:
The Japanese Restaurant at the Hapuna Prince is quite good, especially its dinner buffet...try it! The reason many describe that hotel as "cold" has alot to do with its sleek, modern (but attractive) decor, the almost total lack of " Hawaiiana ", in both decor and spirit, and the fact that it always seems empty (though the fact that it is so spread out may contribute to this feeling).
Despite this, the hotel has a wonderful beach, a small pool, very spacious rooms, helpful staff and is a good choice if you are seeking a quiet, sedate stay on the Kohala Coast. Quite frankly, all the hotels on the Kohala Coast are pretty special and are all well situated for exploration by car to the North Kohala Mountains, Kamuela, Parker Ranch and further daytrips to Waip'io Valley and the lush Hamakua Coast heading south to Hilo.
Do not miss driving extensively on the North Mountain Road and circle to the other side of the island....these daytrips were the highlights of my repeated stays on the Big Island.