Kona Village A Rosewood Resort

We visited Hawaii for our first time - family of 6. Started with obligatory trip to Oahu for 4 nights for activities for kids and then planned to close trip with R&R. I’ll start with it’s a challenge to find place in a resort for a family size of mine. Yes we pay more but absolutely love the resort feel and fact kids can have some freedom navigating around. I am obsessive in my research (to a detriment) and researched all the places from FS to top of island. What’s important to us is rustic luxury and having a place in resort environment that can house us all - my description of that is a resort that blends in with nature, employees who provide quality service, and guests who blend in and stay to themselves - knowing all are there to recharge from life. Rosewood KV is amazing - the property is amazing, the pools are amazing, the green spaces are amazing…the rooms, the gym, the drinks, the food, the ukele barbecue (for ambiance) - everything. We planned to have a 2BR and were fortunate enough to get upgraded which added to our experience further. Rest assured this place is better than the FS or any of the other resorts. Book it - you will be very pleased

What a vacation! We absolutely fell in love with this resort and how low key, natural and beautiful it was. It was a huge splurge for us so to not be nickel and dimed once we were there was a huge plus. Cabanas at the adult pool are first come, first serve and you don't have to run down early to get chairs which was amazing. Service at the pool was a little slow and could be improved. Complimentary fruit and coffee is set out at breakfast. We loved having the bikes to explore the property and all the different little beach areas. The beach is amazing and large. The whole resort feels empty even though they were at 90% capacity. Now that low key, quiet kind of vacation may not be for everyone but we loved it. The rooms are amazing and so clean. No TV which was weird at first but very nice to disconnect that way. I do agree with other reviews that the toilet area would make more sense with a more soundproof door. Overall service was great. The only restaurant we ate at was Moana and it was fabulous. We will be back. *Only thing of note would be that it's far from most other restaurants and shopping so if you want to explore you really need a car.

We just returned from a most wonderful stay at the Kona Village hotel and are already considering planning a trip back! We planned a last minute getaway to celebrate our son's birthday. It was terrific. We felt very much at home on property - the rooms were beautiful and immaculate. The property felt new but classic. The food was excellent at the two main dinner restaurants, the coffee shop, and room service. We had some apprehension prior to our stay from the negative reviews online about the service at the hotel. All we can say is, that wasn't our experience. Service for dining was timely and kind. Housekeeping service was also timely and thorough. Considerations - the resort is beautiful and we enjoyed spending time on the beach and the pools. The hotel is far from other dining options other than the neighboring Four Seasons hotel, so either rent or car or plan to dine on property. The resort is also quite large; our room was very conveniently located, but some are quite a walk from the main resort amenities. There is golf cart service, but it seems understaffed. Would either plan a wait for a golf cart ride, ride a provided bike, or plan for a lot of walking if your room is far from the restaurants/pools/beach. We appreciated the on site coffee shop that was open most of the day - it was convenient to grab a morning coffee or drink prior to walking on the beach and the complimentary fruit at the coffee shop was a nice touch. There is convenient on site guest parking, but the team will also valet your car if desired. The team and services were very child friendly.

I wanted to give it a 5* there are so many excellent employees (Shannon for one) and it is somewhere really special. I have to give it the 4* because we had what can only be described as a horrible dinner experience at their 5* restaurant (Moana)- where I had to find our excellent waitress Parker multiple times for water, bread (even after we asked a busboy for it and he never came back) - coming from NY you do not expect that. Also we had the WORST neighbors which they cannot control, slamming their door every time but I did have to call security at 6 a.m. and she was still yelling on her phone (“AUSTIN”) on the deck but they did not answer their door so they came to me and well you could walk around the other side js. It’s a beautiful place - we wanted desperately to give it a 5* for Von by the pool who anticipated our needs, Savannah at the Cookhouse (eat there) and Sabina who is such a love and working so hard at making the dining A+. I know they are working on the dining and well if you don’t have our neighbors you should 💕 it! Pro tip - you can bike all over or have them take you in a golf cart and walk or have the four seasons pick you up in one and have dinner there too.

Stayed in Ocean front Hale, #8. Perfect ocean frontage, unencumbered view of the ocean. Unit 6 is also perfect ocean view and one of the original Hale locations. Rooms are Updated of course and the best part, ….no TV! Units 1-5 might be too close to family pool ( adult only preference ). Unit 5 being right on walking path but a solid view of the ocean. Just depends on the group but it seems more privacy starts 6 and wrapping around. See property map. Food on the property is good, not great. In room dining service, “sticky ribs” were the best. Solid Breakfast buffet @$55/person ( $35 for continental option) +22% gratuity auto added, is more than adequate with local fruits, pastries various egg and protein options. Plenty of selections.They also offer ala carte breakfast menu. Kahuwai Cookhouse is the Casual dining area which offers plenty of seafood and grilled protein options. Well staffed for lunch and dinner options. Awesome grill used here and Hawaii chicken dish was incredible. Morning coffee and fresh fruits are complimentary. Plenty of espresso options ( at a price ) and pastries are a nice touch as they start offering at 5:45 a.m. for those of us still mixed up on the time change and people departing early for day adventures. Hales are likely appointed the same. Our Ocean front was large with front porch sit down table and large couch for lounging and just taking in the ocean music. Two beautiful shower options independent of the stone/lava tub and dual sinks. Toilet area is set off but only with sliding louvre door. Not desirable. Even after 40 years with my spouse this design is too noisy and the only flaw in the room. Not sure of the design logic by NICOLEHOLLIS but a solid enclosure would be more acoustically appropriate. Sometimes I wonder if the designers and management actually stay on properties to test the rooms to identify what works and what doesn’t. Shanon/Devin at bell stand, Luna at front desk, Frank at coffee market, and many other friendly staffers are plentiful and I just don’t see “staff issues” as reported in other reviews. Keep in mind that this island has a calm vibe and is likely reflected accordingly. It won’t take long to adapt after a day or so. The adult pool is a huge plus as family pool was much busier than we anticipated. That said, adult pool area fills quickly but there are plenty of lounge chair options on the beach. And all right next to cool “Shipwreck bar” for adult beverages and food. Did not have, but the Sushi looked amazing! If you Do Not want a “hotel” this is an awesome, VERY ECO sustainable property and the place. Not inexpensive but not sure luxury or 5 star selections should ever qualify as an option for a “budget” traveler. Prices were in line with any luxury ISLAND resort. It is what it is! An island where everything is shipped in! Well worth the price of admission:-). Mahalo

Food was outstanding!

We stayed at Kona Village for our baby moon and everything was top tier. The staff couldn’t have been more accommodating. We’ve stayed at other five star properties on the big island and Kona Village is in a league of its own.

The facilities have been upgraded from the old KVR. No longer all inclusive as it was before. Quiet and relaxing atmosphere.