Royal Kona Resort in Kailua Kona, HI

An older resort, hotel, with low-key vibe and stately elegance, in its heyday, nice pool great lounge chairs with a view of the crashing surf. All rooms have a lanai with the table and chairs and very private. A very good workout room with pneumatic pump machines. Note: some construction underway in one wing of the hotel only. The beach and saltwater pool is closed due to damage from high surf. But the pool swimming pool is great. Front desk are very friendly as well as the restaurant and bar which also has a happy hour and a great view of the ocean. For longer term tourist there is a luau that was well attended. The sound of the crashing waves and birds in the garden port cochere adds ambience. We would stay here again.

I stayed at the Royal Kona Resort when I was escorting a group of New Zealander travel agents around the islands. The property hasn't lost its charm and is very convenient to a lot of local shops and eateries. What I hadn't remembered was the Voyagers of the Pacific held on property. It was my luck that I was called up on stage and I quickly realized I should have brushed up on my Tahitian dances. The food was scumptuous and there's an open bar. Treating yourself to a couple of nights at the Royal Kona Resort will be money will spent, and don't miss that ocean front luau. A hui ho!

We were underwhelmed at first, but this resort really grew on us as we went through our 7-night stay. Really good staff, and the location was just perfect. Everything was made easier by staying here. As long as you go here with reduced expectations of a high-end resort, you will appreciate the Royal Kona Resort. We wound up loving our stay and will stay here the next time we are in Kona. If you are expecting a gorgeous and fancy pool area that you just want to hang out in all day, you will be disappointed. And if you're going to Kona for this reason, you will need to pay a lot more, and you're probably not doing Kona the right way. The cons of this place (why we were underwhelmed)...and we were disappointed on our first day: 1. It's a bit run down. The rooms could use a facelift and are really outdated. 2. The lagoon area was closed and it didn't seem like it was opening very soon. The lagoon seems VERY COOL and will decrease traffic at the pool, so I urge the Royal Kona to get this area back running. It's too good a resource to leave languishing. 3. The pool closes at dusk!!! Why??? Cons that turned into not being so bad: 1. The pool area seemed so small when we got there. And no hot tub. We were disappointed, but during our stay, the pool never got too crowded. There's not much to do in that pool (it needs a facelift as well), and you probably don't want to stay in that area very long (seating is limited as well), but we never encountered issues of it being overcrowded during our stay. The pool was nice for a quick rinse off after snorkeling (it's kept at a really nice temperature), and the adjacent kiddie pool kept most kids out of the main pool. And as mentioned earlier, the pool also closes at dusk, which was weird to us, as a night swim might have been really nice. 2. The parking cost seemed expensive at first...but it wound up being very worth it. It's also very easy to go in and out. You just use your hotel key and parking was very convenient and easy. Given the ease to walk into town, so you didn't have to worry about parking in the town was totally worth the cost!!! We stayed further away the last time we stayed in Kona, and we really regretted that. 3. The bathrooms were so old. Ugly, but everything worked and no hot water issues. Functional beats beauty in my opinion. 4. Everything worked in that outdated room. Air conditioning was fabulous. TV had no issues. We had a partial ocean view and I spent a lot of time on the balcony working, which was made easy because of that great view. Internet in the room also worked great so I had no issues getting work done. All of this functionality in the room was very appreciated. Pros: 1. The location was perfect. Totally perfect to explore downtown Kona. So easy!!! This is the main reason to stay here. 2. The view. It's honestly stunning. This is where a night swim was missed. To be swimming with that view would have been so cool!! That view is honestly breathtaking and helped make this resort stay an exceptional one. To have that view while having dinner/drinks was amazing! The location and view turned this resort into a high-end one, even with the previously mentioned Cons. 3. The beds were remarkably comfortable. Way better than expected, given the run-down looking rooms. The beds were fabulous. Very important to me! 4. The restaurant was pretty good. We weren't expecting much, but the food was always better than expected. And their Mai Tais were strong and awesome!!! And to have that view while eating/drinking was so amazing! 5. The staff was great. Polite, friendly, professional. Great interactions with staff the whole time we were there. They were always helpful. 6. The cost. The Royal Kona was less expensive than other resorts, and those resorts don't have that view/location that the Royal Kona has. Totally worth the money to stay there. By the end of our trip, both myself and my wife (hard to please), were so happy that we picked the Royal Kona for our vacation. 7. A shout out to the sundry store that is onsite!!! Every time we needed something, they had it in stock, and they did not gouge you price-wise. Their prices were similar to the ABC stores in town. They could have easily charged more, but they didn't. That was appreciated. And the staff there was great too! All in all, a wonderful trip to Kona and a wonderful stay at the Royal Kona. We would totally stay here whenever we come back to Kona. This was my 3rd time there, and this was my best time there, in part due to the Royal Kona.

Came to stay because of the lagoon on property, it’s closed and cannot be used. Wish this has been mentioned when I made my booking as I would have chose a hotel with beach access, since now there is here is the very small pool. Probably wouldn’t stay again.

Very spacious ADA room! Clean and comfortable. Love the location! Walkable to all Ali'i drive has to offer! Restaurant and bar is open air we saw dolphins jumping in the bay! Food was great, drinks were great! Staff is always pleasant and accommodating.