Mauna Kea Beach

Stayed here for 4 nights starting 9/24 to attend a wedding. During my flights flights attendants kep remining me of the Hurricane Nolo which hit this big island's north & souoth areas. Fortunatly, this resort was spared of rain...but frequent wind gusts still hit us. As you can see from the photos you would not have guessed that a hurricane was nearby. I've stayed at several resorts in Hawaii, including the Waikoloa just south of this resort (which is also great). All I can say is this is one of the best place to stay. The staff, from front desk, concierge, room service, restaurant staff, and even the ground crew were very friendly and made me feel welcome. I will definitly be coming back. The room accommodation was great. They had already given me a room with a great view of the beach and ocean. Each night I spept with the sliding glass doors open (with a separate screens to keep bugs out) to the sound of waves. One night, as I has watching a beautiful sunset I fell asleep on the day bed (I guess?) on the balcony and didn't wake up unitl 3 AM. I will be post separate reviews on two restaurants on the property. To the entire staff at the resort, Mahalo!

First time at Mauna Kea Resort, second time to the Big Island. Previously we stayed at Mauna Lani Resort, so it was inevitable we would compare the two. First impressions of Mauna Kea Resort and the room was it still looked 60 years old despite the reported $200+ million in recent renovations. I guess the furniture and trimmings in the room were new with a lick of paint, but much of the wallpaper and floor tiles still looked in need of updating. That aside, we loved our room and the view overlooking the beach and ocean it afforded us. Brilliant views of the sunsets every evening. We were very comfortable in the room and really felt like home away from home. The resort has a very quiet, relaxed feel to it, and is not pretentious or overwhelming. The beach and water access is way better than Mauna Lani. Minor gripe would be how close they have the beach loungers crammed together… you really get to know your neighbors! One thing not available that they provided at Mauna Lani was pitchers of water on the beach tables, and no one walking up and down taking drink orders. I believe they cannot do this as it is a public beach and no alcohol is allowed on the sand, although they seemed to turn a blind eye to this if you got your own drinks from the Tiki Bar. We did go to dinner at both The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort (took the free shuttle) and Fairmont Orchid, and found both these hotels over the top and too large. It felt like we were on a modern day humongous cruise ship. Made us even more happy with our choice to stay at MKBR. Staff were all very friendly, helpful and professional. Buffet breakfast was standard fayre, with custom made omelets and other egg dishes plus waffles or pancakes made to order available. It was easy to go back for second or even third helpings! One highlight and a must see, is out at Manta Point every evening after dark when they turn the spot light on the water is to see manta rays close up attracted by the light which evidently attracts the plankton they feed on. A once in a lifetime experience. Also say hello the resident macaw/parrot Mango when going to breakfast. He doesn’t appear to talk, but seems a friendly sort. All in all I think we ended up preferring Mauna Kea to our previous stay at Mauna Lani, both had pros and cons, but in our opinion Mauna Kea just edges it for the beach and dining experiences.

This was our second family trip to Mauna Kea and first since the completion of their renovation! The employee culture at this hotel is truly one of a kind. We are so thankful to Heleani and Emmy at the Front Desk, Charlie with valet, Justyce at Copper Bar, Kevin at Hau Tree, and all of the Manta breakfast ladies including Alma and Xena for making our stay so perfect! We also had the opportunity to work with Cynthia and Mahea from Pacific Dream Photography and they not have done more to be flexible and make the experience special for our family! We can't wait to return.