Royal Kona Resort — Hotel in Hawaii

We stayed at the Royal Kona Resort for the last week of our Honeymoon trip. We had an Oceanfront room with a King Bed in the Bay Tower. It was an especially nice touch of the hotel to leave a bottle of Champaign in the room because it was our Honeymoon.

The property design is clearly a bit dated, but at the same time the mid-century details add to what makes this resort special. They have maintained a lot of the charm from the original Kona Hilton, with the Koi pond, the relief murals, the Tiki statues, and the open air atrium's and lobby decor.

The resort clearly take very good care of the property with well maintained walkways and gardens, a clean parking lot, clean rooms and common areas, and especially evident by the current repairs being done to the building exteriors.

Our room was spacious, clean and had an amazing view of the ocean. There was plenty of space for the two of us and our luggage. The decor was simple, not overly done, and tasteful. The wet bar, the custom lamps above the night stands, and the sliding privacy panels for the patio door were nice touches. We did wish for more electric outlets in more convenient places, like next to the nightstands. There were no USB charging ports either. The mattress was in need of replacement, as it was quite lumpy and not very comfortable. The balcony was very large and provided excellent views of the beautiful sunsets that happen here night after night. The sound of the crashing waves below were quite peaceful.

The bathroom was functional, but felt tired. Modern finishes like a quartz countertop, a modern low-flow toilet, newer lighting and a tile instead of linoleum floor would go a long way to making the bathroom feel less outdated. We did appreciate the more traditional mini-bottles of shampoo, body wash, etc. over the more-common wall mounted pumps.

Most of staff at the resort were very helpful, and were quite friendly. We had two very pleasant experiences with the front-desk staff, but the person that checked us in was very unhappy to be there. She did the job and answered my questions, but you could tell she did not want to be working that day. We chalked it up to she was just having a bad day, as she was in a good mood the next time we saw her. We had a couple of interactions with a couple of the maids and they were quite friendly as well.

The staff at the Don's Mai Tai Bar were very friendly, provided great service, and made us feel especially welcome. The voucher for 2 free Mai Tai's was also a very nice touch from the hotel. The food and the drinks were quite good and we enjoyed it enough to come back a couple of nights later. The view from Don's Mai Tai Bar is excellent and made dinner and the after-dinner drinks that much more enjoyable.

There were plenty of parking spaces available at the resort and the parking lot was spacious, clean, and seemed well lit. We didn't have far to walk to our building any of the nights we returned to the property. Most of the parking attendant staff was quite friendly and helpful, but there was one that couldn't answer simple questions and didn't really know how the machine worked and was unable to help us when the gate wouldn't accept our room key. But at least another parking attendant was able to step in and help us.

There are plenty of restaurants and shops that are in walking distance of the hotel. The hotel does have the salt water lagoon, but if you want a larger sand beach you will need to drive to it. The resort is a great location for exploring the west and north sides of the Big Island. It's not too far from some of the south attractions either, as you can drive to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park in less than 3 hours.

We would recommend the Royal Kona Resort to anyone that's considering a visit. We hope to stay here again the next time we're in...

I visited this resort this past April 2024 and it was my 1st time visiting Hawaii. I would have to say over all I was not impressed by this hotel or Kona for that matter. Where do I begin, the hidden fees that are paid when you check out are really ridiculous. The parking should be included in the stay; you should not be required to pay $25 a day to park during your stay. They tell you get complimentary items in your room such as 2 waters when you arrive, other stuff that was never mentioned and didn't get the opportunity to use, but they charge you for them anyway in the hidden fees. When you book your stay all fees and charges should be included in the final balance. Should not expect people that are there to visit to worry about extra charges.They put a $600 hold on my card for a deposit, which was really ridiculous. I know someone that stayed there once before and they didn't place a hold on their card for that much. I was not happy. We had to pay $377 when we checked out due to the hidden fees. Crazy, especially the amount I paid to book the stay which was quite a bit of money anyway. The rooms were okay, outdated but most of all very clean. The beaches were horrible near the hotel. They were very very rocky and not at all what I expected. We visited the closes decent beach which was Magic Sands Beach Park, it was a short distance from the resort. It was a horrible experience to say the least. The Luau that was at the resort was not that great for the money they charged. Don't get me wrong it was very interesting to see since I've never experienced it before, but the food was gross. The alcohol drink selection was not the greatest. It was not worth the money I paid. The restaurant at the resort had some really good food and drinks. My all time favorite was the french toast with the coconut whip on it. So amazingly delicious. If you visit you must try it. The food and drinks were ridiculously expensive though. The food and drink package was never offered when I booked through my travel agency or when I checked in. The restaurant service on the other hand was not the greatest. There was one younger female waitress out of all the waitress and waiters that was incredibly sweet and amazing at her job. Sadly, I have bad memory so I can't remember that ladies name, but she was probably mid 20's maybe mid 30's. I wish I could remember. She deserves the shout out. There was a guy and a woman, both maybe late 30's or mid 40's; they both were very argumentive and very rude. It wasn't even worth learning their names. The resort was near walking distances to shopping and other restaurants. But not a whole lot of either. The shopping could of been done all in 1 day. The view was incredible from the restaurant. They offered ocean view seating while you ate your meal. I would say that was the best part about my stay. Sadly, I will not be revisiting this resort in the future. If asked my opinion on if I would recommend this resort, sadly I would say NO. Unfortunately, I really did not get to enjoy my first visit in Hawaii. The big island was not what I expected at all. We were supposed to stay in Hilo, but when we arrived for the first 2 days; it rained all day. So, unexpectedly I decided to take the rest of my vacation to Kona. I kinda wished I would of just jumped on another plane and did my vacation in Honolulu. We had a layover and got to do a little site see and I have to say little more expensive but worth it. It was a stunning site to experience for the shirt time we had over there. I highly recommend staying on that island. At least the parts closes...

The Royal Kona is in a great location. It is within walking distance of many things in Kailua but tucked away enough that only hotel guests will be on or near the property. The property is also lovely, with Don's Mai Thai bar offering some of the best views from a bar in Kailua and right on the ocean. The rooms were clean enough and actually offered a great amount of space. You get your own little wet bar, which is a nice touch. Although the fixtures in the bathroom were pretty dated. I think calling the rooms "freshly renovated" is a bit of a stretch. They got some updated furniture is all it feels like. The staff, particularly at the front desk, were great. They were very friendly and informative and happy to accommodate switching my room to a quieter location. In addition, they were willing to help me out on my final bill when there was some confusion around the resort fee being prepaid. The staff were probably the biggest highlight. However, there were a few aspects that could be improved: There are wooden light diffusers built onto each side of the beds. While I can appreciate that these must be difficult to clean, the fixtures in both rooms I stayed in at the property were absolutely filled with dust. It was a little bit gross and my allergies did start to act up. The common areas on guest floors and the elevators were dated, a little dark, and grungy compared to the rest of the property. The elevators, in particular in the Ali'i tower, need attention. Noise inside the rooms was a problem. On the south side on the third floor of the Ali'i Tower, I was right above the lobby area and close enough to the bar that I had to request a different room. Moving to the North side of the tower, even on the top floor, I was woken up each morning by workers in the back lot area doing laundry, taking out trash and recycling, and other assorted tasks. In addition, the doors were very thin and not well insulated from sound. I could hear anyone on my floor, and with lots of families, you couldn't escape the noise in this hotel it seemed. Overall, though, I was happier being woken up early than kept up at night, and I appreciated the effort they made to try and make me more comfortable. On my first night at the property, about half a dozen other guests and I waited to be seated at the bar for nearly 30 minutes despite multiple tables clearly available, not many patrons in the restaurant, and multiple staff members going around. The other nights were much better, but I was still always asked to wait even though there were always open tables. There was also no bellman when I first arrived at the hotel, or so few they could not accommodate my arrival along with maybe 5 other guests. I struggled to see much value in the resort fee for myself. Many of the things they list, like safe access, Wi-Fi, filtered water stations, and access to the gym, are often just included as part of your stay at other properties. Plus, many of the discounts you get have minimum purchase amounts or other restrictions that notably reduce their value and caused me to never use them. Overall, I would return to the Royal Kona, but mostly for its location and views. I would like to see them improve their value and work on some of their small problem areas, like the elevators and bathrooms. I would recommend this property...