Hello Travelers:

I will be making a trip to the Kohala Coast August 2002. Need current advice/opinions on the Hapuna Beach and Mauna Kea. Specifically, which resort has:

1. Nicer Rooms
2. Nicer pools/spas
3. Nice dining

Any detailed information would be beneficial.

Safe travels!

Hi CT, I stayed at the Hapuna in Dec. Tough choice between the two. The Mauna Kea has breathtaking wiews of the ocean. The hotel seems a little more dated compared to the other 5 star hotels. One big thing I noticed about the hotel was that it was really empty! The asian tourism drop has really taken it's toll and it was probably only at about 20% occupancy. Hopefully things have picked up some. The Beach is very swimable at the Hapuna and also very pretty. Rooms are nice. The only negative I could think of is that room service is sky high. We paid $60.00 for two grilled cheese sandwiches and a personal pizza. It was like that every day. Breakfast buffet was mediocre. Several of the restaurants were closed due to the lack of visitors here also. I would choose the Hapuna again. Staff was very friendly and the pool was a nice size. Hope this helps. Have fun!

Thanks for the informative response. I confirmed with the Hapuna today. Only one last concern - the smoking/non-smoking room policies. The reservation agent told me that floors 3,7,8 at the Hapuna are non-smoking - is that true? Seems as if a majority of the hotel is smoking - is the odor obvious to a non-smoker? Any detailed opinions on the rooms at Hapuna?

Please advise.

CT

Yes, that's correct but I think only sections or wings of those floors. Although we had reserved a non-smoking room one was not availible when we checked into the hotel. We transferred the following day as we were stuck next to a terrible smoking room. As for common areas it's pretty open. It's very easy to find a desolate spot if you're concerned and use of the cabanas by the pool are free, and the stretch of beach is pretty long to find a nice spot. Also, another thing I really liked about the hotel is that there were lots of exotic birds around the grounds. Be sure to check 'em out!

We stayed a the hilton waikoloa village.
What an amazing place...not far from where you want to be and there are dolphins ....ck it out, there are great deals to be had

I stayed at the Hapuna Prince and would highly recommend it. The food is a little outrageous but about what I expected for a nice hotel in Hawaii. The Waikaloa is no where near as nice and is referred to as the "Disneyland" hotel by the locals. It's spread-out /large, crowded, and has no beach. The dolphin experience is ok (IMHO) but was not even highlight for my 8 yr. old daughter. Definately try and book a snorkel or scuba trip to Keakakua (sp?) Bay with the Fairwinds Cruise people. It's very reasonable and a great time to boot! PS: If you play golf, do not miss playing the Mauna Kea course! Since both hotels are owned by the same co. ,you can play either course. The third hole (I believe) is in a lot of golf magazines and the course was rated one of Trent Jones Sr. (he designed the course) top 4 courses. Enjoy!!

dcp--can you do the dolphin quest if you are not a guest at the Hilton? Do you think it's worth it as a "once in a lifetime" for 9 and 5 yr old daughters?

Yes, you can do the Dolphin qwest w/out staying there. I believe you can call 60-90 days ahead and make reservations. They fill up fast so I'd call see exactly how soon you can make reservations. While it's a neat thing, I'm not sure I would call it the experience of a life time. The kids get to spend about 90 minutes in the water but it's not swimming w/ the dolphins. The trainers call them and allow the kids to feed, pet, and get splashed by a dolphin. The pictures taken by the staff are absolutely superior. They took a picture of my daughter getting kissed (lips to bill) by the a dolphin. It's neat but not the thrill we (daughter included) where expecting. The snorkel cruise, however, is very cool. The boat has a water slide and diving board that makes for great fun. Plus the sail to Keakakea Bay (where capt. Cook was killed) and there are spinner dolphins that can often be spotted. We did not see any on our cruise but did see lot's & lot's of cool fish. Have fun!

dcp--MAHALO! so much for the additional info, I did receive email info form Dolphin Quest, and bookmarked Fairwind into my Hawaii folder.
As to this thread--if one is staying at Mauna Kea is it pretty easy to go back and forth between MK and Hapuna since you supposedly can use both facilities?