Review – Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

The Good – The hotel has a great beach and excellent pools for young kids, heated spas for adults and even has a slide for both. The room we stayed in had a spectacular view of the ocean, lagoon and sunset. There were many great activities available at the resort including canoing, snorkeling adventures, Luau show (Wed & Sat), water biking, and more. We were concerned that the hotel would be over run by drunk spring breakers but it finally dawned on us that Hawaii is a state with a legal drinking age of 21 so there weren’t any spring breakers to be found. There were many families with young children (infant to 14) here at the resort but no drunken disorderliness. This hotel is located about 15 miles from town and is fairly isolated but there are nearby shops and a convenience store (expensive) to buy various food items. The nearby restaurants are moderately expensive but the food is good.

The Bad – Finding a waiter to fetch a drink at this hotel is impossible. The mandatory $20 resort fee is ridiculous, if it is mandatory then it should simply be rolled into the price of the hotel room per night. Why charge separately?

Unfortunately, our room was prone with problems: The room fridge was not working so it had to be replaced. The A/C needed to be repaired with a replacement filter but we were unaware of a magnetic “lock” on the sliding glass door window that needed to be close enough to activate the A/C. Evidently our door was ever so slightly open that the sensor never activated to turn the A/C on.

The Damage – The final bill was close to $2200 for 5 nights and this included a $300 Luau fee for Wednesday night. Dining & drinking at the hotel is expensive and we opted (like so many others) to shop at nearby Wal-mart in town and load up on beer, wine, snacks and fruit rather than spend money at the resort. Food (and other things) in Hawaii in general are expensive. Expect to pay $6 for a box of cereal and $4 for a gallon of gas (March 2008).

The Recommendation – We liked the hotel and would stay here again but I would highly recommend you rent a car to view the rest of Big Island during your stay. If you have kids, love the beach & pools and outdoor activities then this is the place for you!

Hotel Website.