TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Even in the land of Aloha it's hard to imagine a more friendly staff. Every single person. Rooms are brand new, so brand new that upon our arrival they were doing a photo shoot in the room next door to us in order to update their website. We know there were complaints this summer about the construction. Consider that now mostly complete. The ocean-front rooms with their lanais are amazing. Free welcome drink coupons. Vegan options (Tofu Poke!) on the menu are appreciated. Guests of all ages body types and cultures make it a welcoming place for all.

Unfortunately this was my least favorite stay at a Marriott property. The hallways and rooms are outdated (dingy carpets, built up grey residue in the tubs, chipping and dents on the walls, corners, etc.) and are not worth it for the price being charged. The restaurant food is subpar - almost $50 for a breakfast buffet that is just a hair above a continental breakfast, $34 a la carte omelettes, $30 chicken caesar wrap with fries, $16 cocktails. The pricing itself isn’t an issue, it’s a resort so that makes sense. But the quality of the food/drinks at the restaurant does not match the price! I stuck to getting small items at the coffee shop, or at the grocery store about 10 minutes away, which was cheaper and much better quality. I went to another resort about 20 minutes away on my last night and had a fabulous dinner, dreading going back to the Marriott Waikoloa. Everything closes early and there’s really nothing to do on the property past dinner time, although the Luau night was a nice experience. The beach area is nice, but the resort really needs to take over the beach “cabana” rentals instead of letting an independent company do it. It’s overpriced and you get a beat up outdated cabana. No service, no water, nothing. The only other option is finding a little piece of shade under a palm tree with the lounge chairs owned by the resort. I didn't use the pool, but both of them seemed nice enough and were never overly crowded. In addition, there was construction going on that I wasn’t informed about prior to booking or upon check-in. The first morning of my stay at 9 a.m. sharp there was jackhammering that could be heard until 5 p.m. Thankfully I spent my day in the overpriced beach cabana, because being able to come back and rest in the room throughout the day was not an option. When I shared this with the front desk the next day, the attendant was not apologetic at all, didn’t try to escalate the issue, and just told me I could “come back at 8 a.m.” when the manager was there. I didn’t even bother. I appreciate that it seems they’re trying to update the property, but they need to at least let people know what’s going on, so we can decide before committing to a stay, OR compensate for the inconvenience. I will say that most of the staff was lovely, including the activities concierge - I just did not appreciate the experience I had with the apathetic front desk attendant. If you’re a MVC owner, the owner’s side of the property is actually nice and updated and is what the other side of the property SHOULD look like - it’s not extravagant by any means, but it does look like you’re in 2025 vs. 2014. I would not recommend this property to anyone I know, and will not be making a return visit.

“Garden view” room?? The photo shows our lovely “view”. Not to mention they ruined my 40th birthday by forgetting to mention that all access roads will be closed all day due to the Ironman competition. I had two days to do what I wanted to on this island and they ruined it. My partner told staff that it’s my 40th and they haven’t even acknowledged it. Awful customer service

Beautiful resort and a peaceful vacation. Nice room, friendly staff members and a nice location to walk to restaurants and shops. Food portions at the coffee shop are huge, sharing is a good idea so you don’t waste food. It would be nice to have some umbrellas on the beach, other than having to rent expensive cabana lounges, but the beach area is not run by the hotel.

Just got back from a 2 week stay with fiancé. First week we were in Maui at the Wailea Beach Resort (also Marriott) which was absolutely amazing, so we had high hopes for the next half of our trip on the Big Island. We were trying to decide between here and the Hilton next door and unfortunately, I feel as if we made the wrong choice. We took an afternoon to go see the Hilton and for a similar price there is significantly more offered and the grounds are just not comparable. Next time we will stay at the Hilton. On to the details… Pros: staff friendly, room was clean, pool area is nice, beach access (main reason we chose to stay here), excellent location close to Kings/Queens shops and other very nice beaches. The dinner we had at Hawaii Calls restaurant and dessert was the best we had our entire stay. The cafe staff in particular were very friendly and efficient. Get the Mac-Joy iced coffee!!?? Cons: daily construction directly above us beginning at 8 am lasting all day that we were NOT informed about and had we been I would’ve stayed elsewhere. Weird room design. Room is Small, nightstands located behind the bed, and between the bathroom and headboard/main room area there is a sort of paper wall shade that lights up the entire room when you turn on the bathroom light if you need to use the bathroom during the night. Shower and toilet area are not separated from sink area so you can’t get ready while your partner showers or uses the bathroom, etc. The front desk seemed to be short staffed as there was only 1 maybe 2 people at any time creating a line/long wait to check in or ask questions. Limited food options - only 1 restaurant and a breakfast cafe that closes at 11:30 so if you want to grab something quick or a coffee on your way out there aren’t any options aside from the sit down restaurant. No beach umbrellas. Birds everywhere inside the open air area which are nice but then requires tending to the area because there was bird crap I accidentally touched on the seat of the chair when trying to eat. Walls are thin, I could hear the next rooms conversation quite loudly. Didn’t seem to be enough hot water even when I showered at 11 pm one night after being out all day (which shouldn’t be a busy shower time for the hotel). Overall I think it’s an okay/average hotel but personally think it’s overpriced for what it is and doesn’t really earn the “resort” title and extra daily resort charges and self parking fees, in my opinion, when compared to other resorts in the area. The Hilton is comparatively priced and has absolutely magnificent grounds with breathtaking views, manicured lawns and sculptures, a lagoon, multiple restaurants and stores, a lunch restaurant with excellent food and views, etc. Our stay was “okay” but nothing that stood out or necessarily makes me want to stay here again.