Royal Kona Resort, Kailua-Kona, HI - Reviews and Hotel Information

When I was planning my trip to the Big Island, I realized that the key to finding a good deal was to book a package tour - airfare, hotel and car - all through the airline. I was able to get a very affordable package this way - basically able to get the car and the hotel room for free, when you compared it to what it would have cost just for the airfare "a la carte." At any rate, the Royal Kona was part of this package deal, and that fact definitely affects the way that I feel about the place. For what it is, and as part of an "affordable" package deal, the Royal Kona was a nice place to stay - I really felt we got our money's worth here. Was it the ideal vacation resort - well, no, not really. . .

The Royal Kona was first operated as a Hilton property almost 30 years ago. It's definitely showing its age now. Our bedroom was perfectly fine, and we had a partial view of the ocean that turned out to be much better than I'd anticipated. (See the view on the Kailua-Kona front page.) But the bathroom was substandard - not up to "Super 8" levels of cleanliness and convenience. Throughout the complex of buildings that make up the Royal Kona, you can see peeling paint and chipped concrete. The bar and restaurant are faded, tired. The whole place needs to be given a make-over. If I were paying the rack rate here - which is close to $200 a night - I would not have been pleased.

Nor did I like having to pay $17 a night for parking! That was more than at the luxury Fairmont Orchid up the coast. On the positive side, the location can't be beat. Walking to bars and restaurants along Ali'i makes this a nice place for your first trip to the Big Island - just don't expect too much.

Royal Kona Resort, Kailua-Kona

Royal Kona Resort

Kailua-Kona Hotels