Hapuna Prince or Orchid - need help
 

Please help me decide between the Hapuna and<BR>the Orchid. The Hapuna gets rave reviews here but the Orchid looks just beautiful. My<BR>family will want a good beach but also loves<BR>to spend time by a pool. Can anyone help me<BR>out ?? Note - our favorite hotel in Hawaii<BR>has been the Hyatt on Kauai. Do either of<BR>these hotels come close ?? Thanks.

Lana:<BR><BR> I haven't been to the Orchid, but the Hapuna would be close to ideal for lovers of beaches and pools. Most Hawaiian beaches don't compare to the top beaches in the Virgin Islands, but Hapuna is the exception. It is long (1/2 mile) and in the summer it is perfect for swimming, with calm and crystal clear waters (I understand that the surf is too strong in the winter). Their pool is a large free form one. Granted it's not a fantasy pool like the Hyatt Kauai, but as you know, the Hyatt Kauai doesn't have a good beach for swimming.<BR><BR>I suspect that you can get better rates at the Hapuna, as it doesn't fill up the way some of the other Big Island hotels do.

I have not been to the Hyatt on Kauai, but we LOVED the Orchid at Mauna Launi. While they don't have a hug beach, the beach they do have is a bay. This is great because the water is extra calm. Sea Turtles swim in there all the time and come right near you! You can get snorkel gear and kayaks on the beach-even have prescription snorkels if you wear glasses. The pool is great and so is the secluded hot tub area, open 24 hours. The rooms are very nice (although we preferred the rooms at the 4 Seasons Wailea in Maui from the same trip). The breakfast buffet is wonderful, and the poolside restaurant is great for lunch. The Orchid also has great service. One morning at around 10:00 (we had gotten up early to go snorkeling) we were at the beach and I wanted and iced tea. They hadn't brewed any yet, so I had a water instead. No big deal to me. Well, over the course of the day, we went to the pool, back to the beach, up to the room for a nap, back to the beach, etc. We were at the pool at around 5 p.m., and the waiter comes over with 2 iced teas and says "I've been looking for you all day!". He gave us the iced teas on the house but what was amazing was the fact that he remembered me and wanted to make it right (even though I wasn't upset at all!). <BR>I would really recommend staying at the Orchid. I haven't been to the Hapuna but from what I have read it is stuffy, and has A LOT of Japanese tourists. <BR>We loved the Orchid, it was a great honeymoon!

I think you're going to be pleased either way. I have only stayed at the Hapuna but know several people who have stayed at the Mauna Lani. From all I can tell, the Mauna Lani is slightly more upscale. That might be because it was at one time Ritz Carlton property. The Hapuna is very nice and very quite. I found it very relaxing and the beach wonderful (as stated above) but I know others on this line feel it's too quite. Enjoy!

Just want to clarify that this is about the Orchid at Mauna Lani, and NOT the Mauna Lani Bay and Bungalows. We visited that property when staying at the Orchid, and were NOT impressed at all. Very glad we were staying at the Orchid! And yes, it used to be a Ritz.

I would ditto an earlier reply as far as the beauty of the beach at Hapuna. We were there June 2000 and in terms of sand, surf, and size it is the best beach I have ever been on...an best of all it's right out in front of your hotel. We were very pleased with the service and quiet nature of Hapuna Prince. You can also walk to the Mauna Kea, their sister property next door. Two of the nicer golf courses adjoin these hotels. They are somewhat secluded, as are many of the Big Island resorts. The pool at the Hapuna as stated earlier is just a large rectangle, but very quiet and pretty, although I must admit very exposed to the sun, with not much shade. I have not stayed at the Orchid but have heard that it is very nice, although I absolutely promise you it will not be as nice of a beach as Hapuna. I just got back from Maui and Oahu...I really miss it already. Enjoy.

Stayed at both. I would choose the Orchid because I love watching the turtles along the black lava shoreline. Also the double covered lawn chairs along the shore are very nice for relaxing. However, If ocean swimming is imporant Hapuna would be the choice, very pretty swimable shoreline.

Although you didn't ask about the Mauna Lani Bay Resort, we just spent a week there and thought it was a fabulous place. Our room was large and well-appointed, the grounds are beautiful (with restored ancient fish ponds, one of which even has sharks), the service is top-notch, and the breakfast buffet was mind-boggling. There is OK snorkeling off the hotel's beach (which is visited by turtles) and excellent snorkeling about a 5-minute walk to a nearby beach. The Orchid struck us as too elegant for a Hawaiian vacation -- lots of marble everywhere. It did not look like a hotel for children. The Hapuna is attractive and does have a great beach.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful<BR>replies. You have given me much to think about !

bump for Jim...

One last thing. I think we have decided on the Orchid as the elegance and the turtles sound great - but how<BR>is the pool at the Orchid. I don't see<BR>a picure on their web site.<BR><BR>Thanks!

The pool is big, we never felt like it was at all crowded. There is also a great 24 hour hot tub that is secluded. We spent lots of time poolside!

The Orchid was built by the Ritz Carlton folks before Ritz became a Marriott franchise (not a good thing IMO).<BR>One criticism is that its decor is non-Hawaiian. <BR>That doesn't bother me personally, but many people don't like that.<BR>Other criticsms are that it caters to many conventions (which ruins the atmosphere everywhere on site), and that the beach is small as noted above.<BR>The pool is average size, and fine if there are no conventions ongoing. If there are, look out.<BR>

Yes I agree you may want to call ahead to make sure there isn't a meeting going on there. However in the current times the chances are probably slim. Also, another very nice thing about the Orchid is if you go during whale season (Jan-Mar) there are great sights of them in the ocean while eating at the poolside/beach cafe.

Hi, when the Hapuna was built the pool was shaped like a whale, not exactly free-form. It is huge & the hotel is really beautiful, the views are incredible & that beach is wonderful. Also the sister property is Mauna Kea & I like the beach there even better, it is a little safer all year, plus the snorkeling is the best. Either property is great, but if you enjoy incredible views, then I'd vote for the Hapuna.<BR>My favorite is the Mauna Lani as well, I like the position on the beach, as it is very close...which helps when it gets windy. I stayed at the Orchid when it was a Ritz & still preferred the Mauna Lani.<BR>Have a great trip...you'll love the Big Island. Aloha, Linda