We just returned Sunday from five nights on BI and 5 nights on Maui. I'm writing specifically about the Fairmont Orchid because I really had a tough time finding detailed information on this place and felt like I was taking a bit of a gamble staying there.
The bottom line, from our family's (mom, dad, 4 1/2 and 7 year old) point of view: absolutely fabulous.
We would go back in a second. Here's what we all loved the best: the man-made beach and all the activities that come with the activity card. My kids (admittedly young and with limited resort experience) have always seemed to like pools, but after the Fairmont, they fell in love with the ocean. The bay was sooo calm and perfect for young kids. The Orchid beach boys (aka beach attendants) are wonderful. One taught my kids to "surf'', or at least the basic positions. They got a huge kick out of it. We also went out in a kayak, snorkeled and saw turtles, sat in one of those floating chairs, floated on floats, etc. They liked it so much that on Maui, they so wanted to go into the ocean all the time (versus the fabulous pool at the Hyatt) but couldn't spend nearly as much time because of the HUGE waves.
The Big Island was so relaxing. The Fairmont is large, but never feels that way. My daughter met a lot of friends and hung out with them (she's the 7 year old). The families we met were so nice. It was just all so laid back. (My husband and I had been to Big Island, pre kids, about 12 years ago).
We loved the beachfront casual restaurant,whether for lunch or dinner (even in our cover ups). There's a deli if you want even more casual. Not as big as Fairmont Kea Lani, but still handy.
I'm printing out pictures now and reliving every minute of a wonderful vacation. One night (the 4th of july) we sat in one of those oceanfront cabanas (no charge) and had room served delivered there.
The rooms aren't as big as the Fairmont Kea lani (since those are all suites) but were plenty big enough, including a good size lanai. We booked partial ocean view through expedia (great deal) and were "upgraded'' to an ocean view. As many people here have noted, ocean view here is not like many other places. WE could see the ocean, at a distance, from the lanai, but not from the bed or anything. And you're wayyy too far to hear the waves. Still, I'm glad we didn't pay for a higher category because as many people also have noted, you're rarely in your room, especially when youhave young kids. I don't think we turned the tv on once.
On our 15th anniversary, the cleaning lady noticed all the cards and flowers in our room and herself had a note and some candy sent to us.
ACTIVITIES: Since we had been there before, our only "adventure'' was to the Waipao Valley and the Volcano. Highly recommend both (nothing new here), even with young kids.
MEALS: We stayed pretty close to the hotel (we have Roys, for example, at home) but did go to the Four Seasons beach bbq. The grounds there are amazing and will make you drool over a romantic place for a honeymoon or second honeymoon. The buffet was very nice, and you can't get any closer to the ocean for a meal, but it was still a buffet and unless you're a huge buffet fan it's not a MUST do. The S'mores on the beach was a nice touch though. This place just oozes money.
MISC. My husband had an oceanfront massage but I never made it to the spa. The gym is fine, though, and they have several classes. I tried seaside yoga, which was tame but very nice.

Kendallg: I'm a little confused.

"The buffet was very nice, and you can't get any closer to the ocean for a meal, but it was still a buffet and unless you're a huge buffet fan it's not a MUST do. The S'mores on the beach was a nice touch though. This place just oozes money." Which hotel are you talking about here? Fairmont Orchid, Fairmont Kea Lani or the 4 Seasons?

Thanks.

kendallg, thanks for the little details about the Orchid Beach. That could "make" a vacation for a timid swimmer, or a family having young ones, as you do. I am looking forward to your Maui report. Thanks!

Kendallg,
Thanks for posting your trip report. I am in a similar situation as you were in because I have two younger children (will be 10 and 7 when we go) and don't want to stay at the Hilton on the Big Island. We have stayed at nicer resorts on Maui and Kauai and want a similar experience on the BI. We don't care for the sprawling resorts with a Disney Land feel. I thought the Orchid might be too formal sounding for us. Did the staff make your family feel welcome there? Were there any special perks for the kids such as a welcome gift on arrivial, discount on meals, or did you try the kids program? I like that the water is calm. That would be a big plus. How was the pool? Was it heated? Were the ocean front rooms closer so that you could hear the ocean or is the whole hotel set back from the ocean? Thanks for your help. I was leaning towards the Mauna Lani Bay but maybe I should reconsider. Also, did you happen to see the turtle release program at the Mauna Lani?

Ashley24: They TOTALLY made our family feel welcome, especially at the beach. There really was nothing formal about the place, at least I didn't think so. At check in, they did give us all leis and the kids also got a candy-filled lei. They also had, upon request (thanks to another family's recommendation while we were there) kid bathrobes so they can be just like mom and dad! My kids got a kick of it (for one day at least).
The pool was chillier than at the Hyatt Maui but it didn't keep any of us out of it.
Also, there's a great sand-bottom hot tub for the kids that they liked. They also loved the hammocks.
We did go over to Mauna Lani for turtle independence day, which was really neat. They had a bunch of activities for kids like face painting, rock climbing, they could hold a turtle, do a turtle rubbing to make a picture, etc. The turtle release part actually turned out to be anti-climatic!
I, too, was weighing mauna lani vs. fairmont and am sooo glad we stayed where we did. THe prices were very comparable and from what I could see the Fairmont was a notch above in terms of overall appearance. Just seemed classier, to me. We did go to Canoe House, though, for our anniversary and loved it as always.

To the person who asked about the beach buffet, sorry for confusion I was referring to the Four Seasons!

We stayed at the Orchid for an Awards trip with my H's company a year and a half ago. We loved it. Could not have been lovlier. It was a beautiful experience. We were there in April, so there weren't very many kids really. The place had a very small, intimate atmostphere. It was quiet and gracious. We ate many meals here. We, fortunately, got free buffet breakfast each morning and the food was sensational. They had fresh fish every morning on the buffet, and that with the sticky macadamia nut buns made our morning complete. Beautiful grounds, lovely room.

We went to the Hilton where some friends were keeping their older kids and this place was aweful to us. Huge, loud, and couldn't find any place to have a drink and a view which we thought was wierd. It would take you 20 minutes to find your room, it looked like. We were so glad to get back to our small, quiet hotel afterwards.

But I just wanted to share that all the meals we had at the Orchid were wonderful. Very good food there. And not far from the Mauna Kea for golf or dinner if you want. We would go back there in a heart beat.

We stayed there a few years ago with our 6 and 4 year old children. They loved that hotel, in fact, the Orchid spoiled them ever after! First with candy filled leis at the arrival, then the greeter/doorman remembered their name and sang Hawaiian songs to them and made them giggle while we waited for the car to be brought out. The sand-bottom jacuzzi just for little kids was wonderful (not hot, just warm enough to feel relaxing). And the waiter brought crayons to the table at breakfast while I got food from the buffet; another morning a waiter was juggling fruit to entertain the kids when I got back to the table.

It was such a wonderful, kid friendly hotel! And we also enjoyed the calm, shallow waters of the little cove where each morning the beach boys would drop off a variety of sand toys for all the children to enjoy. Ahh, I have to book a return trip, just thinking about how great it was.

Sounds nice! Was there a kid's menu at any of their restaurants? Also, do they have rooms that were closer to the ocean in order to hear the waves or would you say that the water was too calm for that? Is the hotel set back a ways from the water, more so than the Mauna Lani? What were your reasons for liking the Orchid so much more than the Mauna Lani? Thanks for your help!

Kendallg, How did you get into the Waipao Valley? Did you have a 4wd or did you take the shuttle? I really want to visit the valley but the guidebooks make it sound really hard to get down to.

Ashley: As i mentioned, we went to both Fairmont and visited Mauna Lani. The Mauna Lani is closer to the water, but it's just as calm there. We could hear the ocean from our room, it was just nothing like the pounding waves we had at the hyatt maui (where we had deluxe ocean view so were closer). We are huge oceanview fans, but i've got to say,with two small kids (who at 4 and 7 gave up naps long ago) at this point, it's really not worth the money. The lanai was great though and we could see the ocean, it's just that the dominant view, from our ocean view room was of the golf course. Still gorgeous though. I did not look at any oceanfront rooms, if in fact they have such a thing. I just cannot say enough things about this resort, and we've stayed at many different resorts in Hawaii, with and without kids.
As for kids menus, yes, they have them everywhere. Here's the BIG mistake we made: except for one time, we forgot to mention that our son is under 5 (he would have eaten free). He looks older so no one bothered to mention it to us.
Someone mentioned Hilton Waikoloa: we met people at the Orchid who planned to split the trip between orchid and waikoloa and they changed their mind after one night at waikaloa. Again, it's a matter of preference. We haven't been to Waikaloa since it was a Hyatt (way, way B.K., before kids).

Last few questions:
Did you visit the volcano in one day or did you spend the night over there? Did your kids complain about any hiking at the volcano or was it a highlight for them?

Did your kids go to the children's program at the hotel? My kids love to visit these clubs so I would prefer a hotel that does a great job with the kids.

What special price did you get on Expedia?

Thanks for your help!

We LOVED the Orchid as well! Can't say enough about it!

kendallg,
Did you visit the volcano in one day or overnight? Did your kids do much hiking? Thanks for any details!

We did do the volcano in one day, and we didn't leave until 1 p.m. I think i mentioned in an earlier post that I probably would leave a little earlier next time (or just not stop at waipao valley again) so we didn't do the hike in the dark both ways. My kids aren't big hikers at home, nor are we, but they held up pretty well. Of course, my 4 year old was on my husband's shoulders the entire hike to the lava. He walked some of the way back. One mistake we made: we didn't bring any food. They definitely would have liked a snack. It's not a hard hike,just long for little ones and a bit tough in the dark. Still, they really enjoyed it and so did we.
On the kids club, we only used it once, a Saturday night. Friday and Saturday night, believe it or not, come free with that activity card I mentioned. I think it was from 6 to 9. They begged to go and loved it. They watched a movie, went out to dinner, etc. Sign up early though, they almost didn't get in. Also, you have to be 5. My son is almost there and got through, but if someone wanted to be strict, they could have been and he would have been bummed.

thanks for posting this.. as a frequent traveller there-- i'm now in the process of planning our 4th trip in 5 years.. im glad to see it getting the recognition it deserves.
for my hubby and i it is the most special place on earth!!!
thanks for sharing! im glad you enjoyed it!!

hi kendallg: i am trying to decide between the Fairmont Orchid and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. seems like the Fairmont is the nicer hotel but the MK has the beach?
we have an 11 year old who loves to swim and snorkel and i do too: is the snorkeling and swimming particularly good at the Fairmont? even if the beach is small it still looks beautiful!
the spa and the pool both seem much nicer than the one at the Mauna Kea....it's hard to decide but i really am a hotel junkie and the hotel is as important as the beach....

Stellaluna, I just returned from a week at the Fairmont Orchid. The snorkeling is great there! At any given time there were at least 2 sea turtles around us as we were snorkeling, if not more. You can buy an activity card for $30 at the start of your stay and you will have unlimited acess to snorkels, kyaks, etc. We were very pleased with the beach at the Fairmont because it is an enclosed lagoon and the water was much calmer. I don't have children but it seems very safe for children. There were dozens of children playing in the water, snorkeling and playing on surfboards and floats without the fear of rough waters. The pool was a perfect temperature and the spa is even better than reviews say it is. I recommend staying on the Gold floor because you have daily access to free sodas, snacks, bottled water, your own concierge, etc. And it's all included with your room fee.

Mahalo AmandaF!

talk about advance planning!! just booked a week in August at the Fairmont Orchid, largely because of what all of you who have stayed there had to say about it. will be our first trip to the Big Island and well, ten months and counting!!

We have stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani several times and have always wondered about the Fairmont Orchid. Thanks for all the wonderful reports.

Do have one question though. My kids are a little older 9 and 12, and spend a great deal of time boogie boarding. Polo Beach in front of the Kea Lani seems to be perfect for them. Your talk about the calm beach at the Orchid makes me wonder if it has good waves for boogie boarding?