To all of you who have travelled to the Big Island of Hawaii recently--I'm looking for any and all reviews of the following (ESPECIALLY if you've stayed within past few months) hotels: Hilton Waikoloa, Mauna Kea, Outrigger Waikoloa, Royal Kona. Our family group will consist of hubb and I, 5 and 9 yr old daughters, my Mom (in her late 60's) and my bro. If the trip is long enough we may stay in 2 places, one less expensive and one more splurge. Planning to go Oct/Nov--how far ahead should we make reservs?
MAHALO!

Hi! We stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa last year w/ my parents. (Extended an incentive trip from work to Maui and took them along, they are in their 60's as well). We LOVED the Hilton and thought if we had our kids along, it would be great! (our co. doesn't allow kiddies on these trips). There are three pools, you can swim w/ the dolphins, there is a monorail system throughout the place, it is wonderful. There were kids here and there having a blast (in Maui, we stayed at the FOur Seasons and there is hardly a kiddie anywhere in site). It is, however, pricey, but you may want to go 3-4 days there. The Outrigger next door looked nice, just not fabulous, over the top like The Hilton, but their rates probably are more favorable as well. Take your kids to see the volcano, we were fortunate, it was "live" at that time w/ some fabulous views. It was an alll day trip from morning until late at night but well worth it. The rest of the time we spent at the resort, we didn't want to leave. The beach is beautiful, restaurants great...
We definitely will go back. As for making reservations ahead, I would at least inquire now, we made ours a year in advance. Have a great time!

Hi,

You will love the Big Island. I stayed at the Outrigger Waikoloa and thought it was fabulous. The beach is absolutely breathtaking with fabulous snokeling. There is a stand there for renting kayak's, boogie boards etc...
We only paid $175/night for ocean view with balcony. We were even upgraded to club level which was a real treat. The pool has a fun water slide and a sandy "beach area" for younger ones. It was a lot more pool than I had expected.
Originally, I had wanted to stay at the Hilton, so I talked my husband into going over there to see it. I was very surprised to not like it! The huge pool seems to be the main draw and I agree it is wonderful, but everything else about the place made me not like it. The place was packed with people waiting in large crowds to ride boats through the property. We could never find any decently priced food for lunch and finally left to go somewhere else. The worst thing though was the lack of beach. There was a man-made sand area on the side of the lagoon where lots of people were snorkeling (we could see quite a few fish). Some people might love it for the pool and I'm sure it will be less crowded in the fall( we visited in August). But be aware about the beach situation if that's important to you.
I can't say enough nice things about the Outrigger. We didn't even take advantage of all the programs they offered (Hawaiian crafts, hula lessons etc..) You'll have fun no matter where you stay!

Thanks to both of you and I hope to see more!

We juust stayed at the four seasons everal weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I disagree with the email above about the 4s and kids. We have 2 boys, ages 7 & 9 and there were plenty of kids at the pool. Contrary to belief, the hotel is very kid friendly. We almost didn't stay there because we were worried about it. I cannot say enough great things about the hotel and staff, as you are made to feel at home (no stuffiness). It was our best vacation by far mostly due to our stay at four seasons. If you want any further details, please let me know.

Also stayed at the Outrigger Waikoloa and loved it. Thought it was fabulous and the beach and the bay were beautiful. And everything "D" says is what I would say so no need to restate. Same fab experience at the Outrigger and same feelings about our visit to the Hilton. It may be for others but it wasn't for us. We were soooooo glad we picked the Outrigger!

Just (as in, I was lying at the pool a week ago today) got back from a terrific time in Maui and Hawaii. We stayed at the Four Seasons/Wailea in Maui and loved it. We were primarily aware of couples, but there were definitely families there, as well. The hotel service was terrific, the room was spacious, and the facilities were very nice (we loved Spago, if you want a nice dinner). My understanding if you are going to have kids with you in Maui is that The Grand Wailea (next door to the Four Seasons) may have more to do for them. We spent a fair amount of time off the property and could have used more time there. Snorkeling right off the beach was great; we saw beautiful fish, magnificent coral, and a turtle! Properties in Kaanapali are also much bigger and may have more to do (we saw only the Hyatt because we went to dinner at the Swan Court). Kaanapali is also closer to Lahaina, which has a lot of activity. We were in Hawaii on business and chose the Four Seasons for the relative quiet -- the lobby was deserted by 11pm on Saturday night -- people tend to be up early and in bed early.

We left Maui to go to the Big Island for a club trip with my husband's company and stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa. What a contrast to our Maui stay! It was huge -- it is a mile between the tower we were in (Ocean) to the other side of the property (Lagoon Tower). It is also beautiful and very self-contained. I would highly recommend doing some "ecotourism" tours. We went on one on private property to see waterfalls. Off-roaded to get there and then hiked in about 1.5 miles. Very doable, even for kids, and absolutely gorgeous. We are people who like to be "part" of our surroundings rather than just observe them (we chose the hike over a helicopter tour, for example). The Hilton is fabulous for families, with lots of different places to hang around and explore, as well as a number of restaurants. For lunch, a couple of the towers have less expensive options that you can grab and eat on the run to get back to the pool, beach or whatever. Have a great trip. Next time, I hope to bring our children (9 and 6).

Tom RE:Four Seasons Big Island-- I've seen nothing but rave reviews but somehow I keep thinking "with older kids or just hubb/I" and it's probably a little above our price range, also did any of the pools have a slide or such?
The Hilton Waikoloa is interesting as far as the very opposing reviews(seems ppl either "love" it or "hate" it if you know what I mean so I just don't know what to think!!) one sees everywhere!! We may have a long enough stay that we could try 2 different hotels.The Outrigger is looking VERY interesting as it seems to have a little bit of everything we are looking for, and the prices aren't bad for what you get. The Mauna Kea's beach sounds incredible and you can use the Hapuna Prince facilities also, maybe too stuffy for kids?? Royal Kona is supposedly refurbished nicely, we did stay there years ago and the oceanfront rooms are REALLY oceanfront,boring pool tho. The Hilton might be worth a "halfstay" if only to do the pools and maybe dolphins for kids. We probably still have some time to decide since not going til Oct/Nov?

oh my goodness--found GREAT pics of Big Island beach hotels at wizardpub.com,Big Island Revealed part,hotel part. An earlier post from Fodors had this site in it--it's awesome!
Hope more folks have input on Big Island hotels.

Well, here I am posting AGAIN
just wanted to remind ppl to please use the Fodor's Rant/Rave sections and post reviews after their travels as it is SO helpful to fellow travellers.
THANKS!

to MAW: the four seasons does not have a slide but it is gorgeous none the less. our kids had a great time regardless. Plus, the hotel has a natural spring pond that is loaded with several thousand fish including eagle rays. The pond is used for snorkeling and is the best place to teach kids how to snorkel. In addition, everyday the hotel has an eagle ray feeding in the afternoon whereby the guests can handfeed the rays. This was such a fun experience for my kids. There is also a stretch of beach where turtles hang out, my boys loved it.

Thanks Tom...still don't know if it's where we'll end up but I appreciate the info!