OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa

I having a wonderful stay and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. One of the early standout features was the happy hour—a definite perk that makes staying at this hotel even better. Tessa & her crew speak the Aloha spirit…

Outrigger is a 4 star resort. Once you get comfortable with that then it’s overall a very nice place to stay. If you want 5 star quality look elsewhere. We visited for 7 days over the winter holidays. We booked a suite for a family of four (two teen boys). Positives - the rooms were excellent, the staff generally nice, the pools were great, the gym is brand new and the lounge access was worth the extra money if you used it for breakfast and a drink or two in the evening. Areas for improvement - granted it was the busy holiday period but there was a noticeable shortage of staff especially at the front desk, there are no signs for the games room and when we found it no pool sticks. The gym is great but no exercise mats which means people were using the gym towels as mats and they would run out quickly. The jacuzzis were hot but the jets were not working. The pool slide was a hit but the staff did not enforce rules for little kids…which I thought was dangerous. The wine at the Lounge was undrinkable but my wife says the mixed drinks were good. We ate at the pool bar a couple of times…food was average at best.

We loved the Outrigger and would have liked to stay longer. The hotel has excellent food, drink, coffee and market services, and the staff is first-rate—always courteous and sunny. The front desk went completely above and beyond to make up for a mistake in our reservation before we even asked about it. The beautiful location is a few miles south of the restaurant/shopping heart of Kailua-Kona, which may be a drawback for some guests, but it’s not a great distance and it’s quieter at the Outrigger. Pool facilities are quite large and pleasant. Self-parking is easy and convenient. We’d be excited to stay here again.

We like the beach a lot.

This has a lot of potential-but it's undergoing renovations, so is a work in progress. We were aware that the spa was not available , but did not know about the rest of the renovations going on. -After a long day of travel, we arrived 2.5 hours after the scheduled check in time, and still had to wait another 1.5 hours for our rooms to be ready. -The rooms were recently renovated and were very nice. Housekeeping is short staffed. After not having our rooms serviced the first night, I asked at the front desk, and was told it was by request only. The next day when I once again requested service, I was told daily service was not available two days in a row. . While I understand staffing can be an issue, especially during the holidays, when I am on vacation I prefer to have my room cleaned-at least the towels refreshed and the garbage emptied everyday. -The pool area is very nice, and there were adequate chairs. When we checked in, they gave us cards to exchange for towels, but we did not have to use them. -There were activities , but little things that could be easily fixed were not. For example, my kids wanted to play basketball. There was one deflated ball-and no pump available. -Food is a MAJOR issue at this resort. There are two restaurants with long waits and no room service available. During the day, the pool menu had a lot more choices, but at night the menu was more limited-and it closed at 8. Luckily we had a car and were able to leave the resort most nights. -We did the Voyager 47 option. Food was good for both breakfast and the evening Happy Hour. Given the limited restaurant options currently at the resort, it would have been great to have the evening option available until 7-7:30 p.m. The staff was great, and the resort was clean and well kept. Once the renovations are finished I think this will be a great spot-but not there yet.

We had a super nice holiday stay in a spacious room with 2 beds overlooking the bay. This resort is about 25 minutes south of the airport and has a decent grocery store nearby. It is also right next to the dock where various operators start/end manta rays tours and captain cook area boat tours. If you have a valid Hawaii driver license you can ask for a kama’aina discount, and if you belong to Outrigger’s Discovery club you get a 15% discount at the resort’s restaurants. Kids loved the water slide in the massive pool on the back side of the property, the rec room with its free pool table, foosball, and Pac-Man games, and watching the manta ray boats right off the shore. The fitness room has brand new equipment including treadmills, peloton and recumbent bikes, rowing machine and weight machines. Instead of lugging room keys or key cards around in your pocket or wallet they give you a wrist band containing a microchip that unlocks the room door. Note that the wellness spa is currently undergoing renovation so you will need to reserve mani/pedi, facials, etc elsewhere for now.

Outrigger is an OK to Good Kona resort to stay at, but some reviews here are overly enthusiastic. Especially the ones that claim you need to upgrade to the Voyager 47 package. Give me a break. Reading some reviews here makes me wonder if Outrigger employees are writing them to pump the resort. With that said, anyone planning to attend should be aware that the Manta viewing platform is currently under construction and, therefore, inaccessible. Who knows when it will be reopened? Also, the planned Duke restaurant opening has now been pushed off until the end of 2026. And to make matters worse, restaurant renovation and work noise are ongoing. This most likely will continue well into 2026. And Outriggers isn't even giving an estimate of when Dukes will open at the resort. Yes, things do move slowly on the Big Island. Also any planning to visit needs to be aware that both pools are not heated. So if there's a cold night, have fun tipping your toe in before, say noon. The water is going to be cold and not warm, and that doesn't put a smile on resort occupants. Also be aware you can't park for free anywhere, so you get hit with a big fat parking fee everyday along with being issued a small pool towel (when using the pool). That small towel has to be returned, or you lose your room key. Unfortunately, the Outrigger treats pool towels like library books, and you have to check towels out and then back in, or you pay a penalty. Returning library books might be easier.

Our stay at the Kona Resort was absolutely outstanding and truly one of the highlights of our Big Island trip. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed with a thoughtful Santa Claus greeting, which created such a magical and unforgettable memory for my daughter. We were also pleasantly surprised by a complimentary upgrade from a double queen room to a suite. The room was amazing spacious, beautifully designed, and conveniently located right next to the pool, which made everything so easy with a child. The pool area deserves special praise. The water slide was a big hit, and the pool itself was fantastic. One detail we truly appreciated was the use of large grain sand around the pool area. It was extremely thoughtful the sand did not stick to our child’s hair or get into clothing, which made the experience much more comfortable and stress free for families. The water quality was excellent, very clean, comfortable, and without the strong chemical smell you often find in pools. It felt safe and gentle for children, which gave us great peace of mind. One of the most practical and appreciated amenities was the washer and dryer on site. After beach and pool activities, having easy access to laundry made a huge difference and added so much convenience to our stay. Overall, everything exceeded our expectations from the service, to the facilities, to the thoughtful details. This was a perfect stay, and we would absolutely return and recommend this resort to other families without hesitation. Full marks!

One suggestion we would like to share is regarding the room door privacy lock. When I stepped out briefly during the night, the privacy lock appeared to automatically dropped, which locked me out of the room and could not be opened with the key or key card from outside. If can adding a more visible warning sign on the door to remind guests that the privacy lock may automatically locked would be very helpful for the future guests.

Customer service is great

Second time back to Outrigger. Great location south of Kona. We upgraded to the Voyager club which included breakfast and drinks/apps in the evening. The food was AMAZING! Staff at Voyager were so kind especially Sharlaine and Tessa. The remodeled rooms are really comfortable. Joy from housekeeping was so sweet, always checking in on us when we walked by. I also need to compliment the valet staff, professional and quick. Really impressed by the friendliness of all the staff we encountered. We will be back :)