Kona Village A Rosewood Resort

Our first visit to Kona Village for our babymoon and it far exceeded our expectations. Gracious check-in with the bonus of our room being available early and upgraded. Personal touches for our special trip - baby bump pillow for sleeping, little gifts, regular acknowledgement of our celebration. The hotel itself is stunning. Never felt crowded, even during Easter weekend. The hales (single building accommodation) are private, quiet, and chicly appointed. They do a great job at adding little complimentary elements to the trip - Friday afternoon pizza pop up on their garden, golden hour wine and cheese, coconuts by the pool on Saturday etc. Highly recommend Paniolo Night on a Thursday - ticket includes huge spread of raw, barbecued, shaken and poured. Plus some authentic Hawaiian cowboy entertainment. We are already anticipating a return to Kona Village, where we know we will enjoy it just as much with a baby as on our own. I have my eye on their praised sushi night at the shipwreck bar.

Moana restaurant at Lona Village was excellent. The food was great, they accommodated my travellers’ vegetarian food constraints, and the ambience was just amazing. Food up and down the Kona Coast is extremely expensive. But where Hualalai food is tired, traded down ingredients, constantly upselling waiters when they have a pulse - the team at Moana was helpful, friendly and when we were delayed provided a free drink. At $100 a person with only 1 drinker the free drink didnt move the needle. But the recognition that we were waiting a long time goes a long way compared to other places on Kona that are mailing it in or pushing luaus and car dealer events. We liked Moana so much we went back again. A rarety. But a truly great spot.

the staff was so friendly and the property was clean and had a great beach and adult pool

the white sand that ruined my shoes. drinks were also pricey

The Rosewood Kona Village resort is a sprawling family destination. The newly-built rooms are beautiful and spacious, the facilities are great, and almost every staff member we encountered was super friendly. The housekeeping, restaurant and spa staff in particular were very good. On the downside, some of the issues aren't fixable (but could be considered positives for some people). These include the fact that the resort is so sprawling that many far-flung rooms require staff-driven golf cart taxis to get you from your room to the restaurant and pool areas of the resort (so don’t forget anything from your room!). You can also bike (once you sign a ridiculous waiver) or walk the 5-10 minutes it takes. Be warned that the owner of the resort has unfortunately committed to a particular “legacy feature” of original Kona Village: coral-dust roadways, which are very powdery and will get all over of your shoes and tracks all over the rest of the resort. Given the large number utility golf carts, compounded by the addition of even more carts when there is a booked wedding for example, there’s a lot of dust and traffic. Another non-fixable issue is the beach, which is not great. It’s mix of coarse sand and dried lava formations. Very pretty to look at, but definitely not like the beautiful white sand beach of the nearby Mauna Kea resort. (I’m sure this explains why they invested so much in two separate and beautiful pool areas.) The upside is that the snorkeling is very good. Finally in the non-fixable category, is the isolation of the resort (which is a feature of many resorts in this “dry-side” part of Hawaii—again this could be a positive for some people). While it’s located next to the Four Seasons resort, if you want to do any sightseeing, shopping or outside restaurants, you must arrange that transportation privately. The resort is located on the edge of a giant “a’a” lava field, miles down the highway from anything else. The other issues we encountered are fixable. In general, the resort seems to be understaffed, surprisingly in key areas like pool and beach service. We also found the staff to be very informal, which may be a feature of the Big Island, but we were still surprised to overhear conversations about tips and shifts. In the main breakfast area, the noise of the clanging silverware when the team was setting or clearing tables was really really loud. There are no lifeguards at the pool or the beach, which is surprising given this is supposed to be a family resort. The food quality was fine, but not special and nowhere near worth the prices the resort was charging. The check-in welcome sequence was really disorganized, I think because other people were checking in at the same time. It took a couple hours for our bags to get to our room. We’re not sure what went wrong or if this is typical, but in our case it got our whole stay off on the wrong foot. We found the concierge to be super nice, but really not experienced to the level required for a resort in this category. Finally, we did not receive any guidance on tsunami evacuation plans or on protecting sea life that frequently uses the small beach for rest. Overall, we were disappointed and would not likely return.

My wife and I just returned from Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort where we celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary. The Good: This property is unparalleled in natural beauty! A few of the staff Members, Jerry (From Arkansas?), Shannon in Valet, Frank (AKA Pancho) in the coffee house, Angie in the coffee house/shipwreck are AMAZING. They were kind, thoughtful and I would not hesitate to hire them away from this disaster of a resort. The fresh poolside coconuts The Al Fresco Cinema The Bad: A lot of minor as well as some major annoyances made this trip a HUGE disappointment: 8:30 pm turn-down service. This translates to 11:30 pm MTN so why bother? The rickety bikes are a lawsuit waiting to happen…doesn’t anyone have an Allen Wrench and some silicone lubricant/WD-40? It would literally take a few minutes to make these bikes travel worthy. How about an optional helmet for those of us who value our lives? One middle-aged Cabana-attendant with a white booney hat literally hid under the shade most afternoons at the shipwreck bar which explains, at least in part, why Cabana Service at the Adult pool is essentially non-existent. Some of the remaining staff are just plain rude (check-in). Most are aloof and disinterested. The prevailing attitude is a cross between “This is my first day at work and I don’t want to be here”. Forty-dollar Cheeseburgers with over-processed (Maybe Frozen?) beef. An island literally teeming with some of the freshest seafood in the world and almost none on the menu. The Ugly: The Resort is woefully understaffed for 150+ rooms. The shipwreck eatery has maybe 10 seats? We had breakfast at Moana every morning (No other place available at this resort) and what little staff was available struggled constantly to attend to several large parties. One morning, we finally gave up and simply asked for our check. The following morning, we noticed that an extra 15 percent was fraudulently added to this same check. We pointed it out to the Moana manager (I had photos) along with the raw eggs served that very morning in what I can only imagine was revenge for the small tip and a plan to poison me via Salmonella ingestion. The manager promised to look into it and comp us for our breakfast (Comp us for a breakfast we never had, a tip we never left)? At checkout, we approached the property manager on site (Patrick Erickson) a young man who apologized profusely and also planned to comp us for our breakfast. He assured us he would e-mail us back because he “Wanted to make it right.” I’m still not sure what that means but have yet to receive a return e-mail. Not even an “Apology, we have since looked into any fraudulent tipping and billing practices.” A couple we befriended on this trip later informed us that they too had been over-billed by $4,000. (Essentially billed twice for their short pre-paid stay)....Apparently funny math is rampant at this resort? We had been huge fans of the Rosewood Brand for many years and had believed that their high price point was well-deserved. It is obscene that one now has to risk life and limb, check our bills and take meals off-resort. Ms. Sonia Cheng, Ms. Maria Jose Rodrigues, Mr. Patrick Erickson, you should all be embarrassed by your management of this property. This resort is more Cirque de Soleil, more Motel 6, more Denny’s than the Rosewood Brand we had come to appreciate. It is an insult, a true mockery of the fine people of Hawaii who have entrusted this sacred place to you. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!

Lovely smaller resort that feels manageable and not overwhelming. Very good food. Sailing with Mike Field the absolute highlight! Be sure to seek him out! LOVE the bikes and the fabulous rooms (Hale)! Your own beach house! Gorgeously decorated in real Hawaiian style without being the least bit kitch.

Rosewood Kona Village is a truly one of a kind. The hotel’s design (from the rooms, to the pools, spa and restaurants) is breathtaking and thoughtful. Every material used is stunning and the property’s layout honors and incorporates the surrounding landscape beautifully. The bikes widely available for both adults and children allow for free roaming around these surroundings, which truly invite you to take them in slowly and fully. Although at capacity during our stay, the property never felt crowded and we never lacked a thing. The team at the Kilo Kai ocean activities center was warm and engaging with our children and, along with the security team, took good care of our seven year old son throughout the week, as he happened to severely scrape his leg. They bandaged his wound more times than I could count, kept him entertained while doing so, and became his first and favorite morning stop. The bell service and Shannon in particular were widely and promptly available, the restaurant servers always went above and beyond, and George from the concierge team welcomed us warmly and made sure to check in throughout our stay. Assays spa offered unparalleled serenity and the Shipwreck Bar offered great sushi and drinks against the stunning backdrop of the best resort beach we’ve experienced on the Big Island. Truly thankful for the days spent at Kona Village and hopeful to be back.

Overall: The hardware (room, hotel grounds, amenities) is great but the software (housekeeping, restaurant service) is inconsistent and desperately needs improvement to justify the cost, and falls short in comparison with other 5-star hotels. What we loved: Lona from check-in was personable and great. We stayed at a King tree top hale and the room is new/clean and close to all the amenities. We loved walking around the hotel and enjoying the view. The hotel grounds are beautifully manicured and all staff we met were friendly. Needs improvement: 1. First night dinner service at Moana was slow. We didn’t get our drinks for almost 30 mins, and only after we have finished the first appetizer. We also overheard the table next to us complaining the pork chop they ordered was 1/3 the size compared to the night before. 2. At check-in, front desk asked us to provide preferred time for turn-down/housekeeping. We wrote 7:30pm for turndown as that was when our Moana reservation was (which the reservation was made by front desk). We came back to the room at 8:45pm and the room was still not turned down yet. Housekeeping stopped by at 9pm asking to turn down, and we declined as it was too late for us. 3. Breakfast at Moana the next day had subpar food, especially when compared to the 5-star hotels we just stayed at in Thailand and Japan. The second day’s breakfast was much better, it was just inconsistent. 4. Housekeeping kept forgetting to discard the trash and leaving it inside the room. This happened to both the day and night housekeeping service. The morning crew left toilet paper wrapper on our desk, and the night crew left the bathroom trash and towels on the floor inside the room. The welcoming drinks/food from arrival was left outside our room for 3 days with nobody picking it up. 5. Nobody answered the phone when we dialed “0” and guest services button on the phone. We tried twice and waited for 2 mins on the phone before giving up. We ended up walking to the front desk to request what we need. Overall, I would not return to this property until they improve the service quality. The issues we encountered are unacceptable for a 5-star hotel. It was especially bad when compared to the other 5-star hotels we stayed at in Bangkok and Tokyo a month ago + other Rosewood properties around the world.

This is a great place for being close to the ocean, with very nicely appointed cabins (Hale). We weren't sure when we booked, but our bedrooms were air conditioned with the living room being open air. We went as a family group of 5, and the younger members had a great time snorkeling, swimming in the pools and just hanging out. The Moana restaurant had excellent cooking, with locals coming in to get the food and ocean atmosphere. Reservations were necessary at that restaurant.

One of the most unique and nicest resorts we have visited. Very much liked the Hawaiian Village vibe. It's a resort but really does feel more like a village. Room, grounds, beach and pools were fabulous and pristine. Although plenty of other guests around did not feel the least bit crowded. Very easy to get a pool or beach chair. Others have commented negatively re service but we were very well taken care of. Yes it's expensive as is the food but i can't wait to return