Has anyone stayed at this resort? If so could you share your thoughts and experience? There is a chance we are going to Hawaii in September and will be staying at this resort. Thank you in advance.

My husband and I stayed there for a long weekend a year ago and we liked it. The grounds are nice, the staff is friendly, the pool is big, and there are lots of turtles to see if you snorkel off the beach.

I stayed there several years ago when it was the Sheraton Orchid. It is a gorgeous property, lovely pool, nice rooms. I don't remember spending much time on the beach because it was tremendously windy that January - almost cold. It is about a 35 minute drive up from the Kona airport so you would definitely want a car.

We were there last Saturday. Although we didn't stay there, we had lunch on the property, walked around and had the Oceanfront Massage from the spa, which was wonderful. This is a really beautiful property. We stayed at the Hapuna Prince Resort just a little further north because we like the beach there. Have fun!

The Orchid is indeed a gorgeous property. It's a bit more formal/European in feel compared to other Kohala resorts (lots of symmetrical plantings etc). We weren't overly impressed by the room furnishings (although the bathrooms are huge, marble and beautiful), we've run into spotty service there on occasion, and they charge for extras (e.g. cabanas and snorkle equipment) that are free at other resorts such as the Hapuna Beach Prince. But other than those relatively minor quibbles it's a spectacular place.

We stayed there a few years ago on an awards trip. Absolutely loved it. Beautiful grounds, lovely service, great rooms, bathrooms. The food was awesome. We would eat at the buffet downstairs and to this day it is the best buffet we have ever been to. Everyday they would have fresh fish and these awesome macadamia nut sticky buns. Yummm. Great place. You'll love it.

Go up the road and check out the Mana Kea. Also gorgeous place.

liesel: The last time we stayed at the Orchid was in January 2004, and the comments in my previous post were based on that and several prior stays. However I just came across more recent reviews of the Orchid on Tripadvisor.com, and clearly the hotel has been having some *major* issues lately. I strongly recommend you read these reviews before booking a stay there.

We stayed there this past March and had a lovely time. It was perfect for the kind of vacation we wanted. Laid back and relaxing. The staff was pleasant and available when we needed something. The grounds are simply beautiful and our room was nice although we spent little time in it. We enjoyed the man made lagoon/beach with turtles and easy snorkeling.

Thank you everyone for your comments ... I will definitely check out tripadvisor.com ... although I am going over hopefully on an awards trip as well so not sure that I have much choice as to where to stay. I believe my Fiance's company is pretty much set on the Fairmont.