Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Our seventh visit to Hualalai. Everything was outstanding. Bell service, concierge, valet, desk, service staff, all top-notch. Beautifully maintained grounds and pools. The new restaurant Miller & Lux is a cut above. The ongoing “welcome back” theme was nice. Our previous stay was immediately post-pandemic, and the whole island, including the 4S was a bit … rough. Everything is back the way it should be. The only thing that would be an improvement would be fewer children, which I understand would be less than favorable for business. ;) Everyone’s experience is different I suppose. I can only surmise that a recent less-than-stellar review was left by the folks making the most vocal, attention-craving complaints at the restaurants and pool during our visit. Not surprising.

Writing this while still at the resort and thankful we only spent 2 nights here on the way back from Japan. This is my fourth time at Hualalai and first in 4 years. I will never return. This used to be one of my favorite properties. And to be clear, I am a frequent traveler and usually extremely loyal to FS. This hotel used to be fabulous but it has markedly gone downhill in every way. It no longer feels like a Four Seasons but a Marriott at best. The list of grievances is long but TLDR: the rooms are in desperate need of refurbishment, housekeeping is subpar, the wait times for everything from pool chairs to breakfast is absurd, the service is disenchanted and this hotel nickel and dimes you for everything. For those looking for more detail, here you go: -visible stains on all the room furniture and pool towels -our toilet overflowed all over the bathroom at no fault of ours. Not a single apology from the hotel. -the welcome amenity was a bottle of aqua pana. First FS that hasn’t offered a bottle of wine. -staff at the kids club is rude and they make it seem like supervised kids are not welcome unless you pay to drop them off. -15-20 min wait time at breakfast when more than half the tables are empty but unbussed -staff telling me to come at 8am to reserve pool chairs feels very 3-4 star hotel -$50 for mediocre pasta -housekeeping that leaves hair in the shower drain -impossible to get dinner reservations at a reasonable hour if not done days in advance Just overall not at all a Four Seasons experience. We will never return. The Rosewood Kona village next door, on the other hand, looks great!

Felt welcomed from the moment we checked in. The level and attentiveness of service was something I’ve never experienced. An amazing stay with an amazing staff. The resort was beautiful.

i wish they would not shine service cart headlights into rooms at night. So annoying!

Just incredible !!

Room could use some renovation, bed end board was sharp and could easily run into and get injured. There was a opening in the wall in the closet room which was not closed visibly full of dust inside, reported to the house keeper and front desk, they never sent anyone to do anything about it. House keeping knocked on the door when we had do not disturb sign on and insisted to come in this was in the evening when we were packing to leave next morning. We have option to get turn in service or not by putting sign out. Room service came knocking on the door to pick up the tray when we did not call for one yet, we were still eating the breakfast. We did not feel safe to leave anything in the safe after first day when it did not operate and they sent a security to open it, how ever that security asked us what we keep inside the box, we're seniors. Persons at the front desk and the conceirge were not that much friendly and welcoming. For the amount the hotel charge, we were surprised how it changed when we stayed there once before. Ropm service food was excellent. Restaurant Elu was unfriendly and food is not that great.

The resort is beautifully landscaped and the staff very well trained, there is a hint of the old world charm in the fellow guests reminding me of the days of my parents and grandparents. The spa and gym were used extensively by myself and my travel companion, both are top quality. Literally there was a resort pool for every mood and whim. The food was by and large great but like every resort suffers if you order in room. Oddly I think the resort suffers somewhat from disorganization on the administrative end... for example being assigned a room we hadn't booked though it was quickly addressed in rather a grand style and by the end of our stay almost forgotten. The overhead on running this place must be mega-enormous and hence a price per night that make even the comfortable squirm a bit. Overall though both I and my travel companion consider it an experience worth the cost.

Beautiful. Great pools. Only drawback is not really any ocean access. All rocks

We just spent five incredible days at the resort!! I can't say enough positive things about the beautiful room, the fabulous pools, the unique experience snorkeling at King's Pond, the amazing food at all of the restaurants, etc.  - the property is absolutely incredible, BUT it's the service team that truly makes this resort magical!  I communicated with the concierge team prior to arrival. Their responses were swift and thorough. They exceeded all of my expectations. I highly recommend booking excursions through the concierge team (there is no upcharge). I researched excursions and hikes prior to our trip, but in the end, I decided to rely on the Four Seasons team, and I am so thankful I did. Our hikes were amazing, and the night snorkel with the manta rays was one of the best experiences of my life. The helicopter tour of the island that the team planned was perfect. The team helped me with restaurant reservations before and after checking in. Their advice and attention was above and beyond what I have experienced at other Four Seasons resorts or other 5-star resorts. This resort team nailed it!! I'd like to give a big shout out to Jalen (truly amazing from booking to check out!! His team helped me with dietary issues in ways that other hotels have not, his team responded to every request and was SO helpful)  and Iwalani (she helped with excursions and so many other details to make the trip special). When we ran into some difficulties with noise from corporate parties near our room, they addressed the issue fully, and I could tell they truly cared about our experience. Juan David also was present and let us know that he cared about our experience and was committed to making the resort the best possible Four Seasons experience.  Before I booked our trip, I considered the Rosemont property next door. I spent time on that property because I am a runner and was able to run through the property and explore its offerings. I am so thankful we chose the Four Seasons. In my opinion, the Four Seasons property is in a league of its own on the island. Rosemont is very spread out. Most people needed bikes to travel from the bungalow to the pools and beach. The beach area wasn't as pretty. The Four Seasons has several great beach areas. We saw lots of sea turtles, and we were able to enjoy the waters. It has a gorgeous beach walk that I could run. We also had dinner at Canoe House because the reviews were great. It was a wonderful experience, but the restaurants at the Four Seasons were similarly priced, and we enjoyed the food more without having to leave the property.    My only feedback to the Four Seasons is to alert guests if there are corporate parties or events that might impact their stays so that guests can adjust their room location preference according to their needs. I gave this feedback on sight to Jalen, and he was AMAZINGLY receptive.  I also highly recommend Kona in January!! The whales were everywhere! We had a fabulous experience and can't wait to go back!!

We have been to this resort a couple times a year since it opened. It continues to be outstanding in every way. It is a beautiful resort, and the staff continue to provide outstanding service. Many of the clientele are repeat customers and the staff have come to know them. It is not another "high rise" hotel, and the layout with various pools and facilities are great for families. Our kids and grandkids also come here when they have a chance.