We arrived late in the evening and were greeted by a friendly and efficient front desk staff. We were immediately upgraded to an ocean view in the Ali'i Tower, because we had booked our stay as a honeymoon. A bottle of champagne and two glasses awaited us in our room - and what a room! The view is stunning, and the room was classy, comfortable and clean. My husband was happy to find a 32" flat screen TV in the room. (We had to watch the Olympics occasionally) ;)
The resort was built with nature in mind. It blended into the scenery without disrupting the balance and grandeur of nature, while preserving the prehistoric landscape. It rested like a giant eagles nest perched on rocky cliffs overlooking the hypnotic waters of the majestic bay. Man and nature blending their resources to create a mixture of serenity and prestigious comfort. The Royal Kona Resort fulfilled our need for tranquility, entertainment and inspirational bewilderment.
The staff, from the housekeeping to the front staff, and the bar & restaurant wait staff were fantastic! The front desk staff was very friendly and eager to make our stay comfortable; the housekeeping staff was also friendly and very keen on refreshing our towels and cleaning our room as often as possible. The wait staff was friendly and fast, you have to try the "topless mai tai", and I would also recommend the Ono Fish Tacos. We liked to grab the lounger style chairs with the foot rests when we went down for drinks and/or food at Don the Beachcombers. Great place to catch the sunset. :)
We had breakfast once at the buffet at the Royal Kona's restaurant. It was fairly comparable to most breakfast buffets around, price-wise (around $16 per person). The bar fridge came in very handy. The in-room picnics can save a good chunk of cash, for those looking to cut costs on their holiday budget. Lulu's just across the street has a $5 breakfast deal on the weekends. Tasty eats, great price, can beat it!Mahina Pizza was one of our favorite places for good food at a good price. Pizza, subs, mostly casual fare. The Big Island Grill is a favorite with locals. Delicious food, HUGE portions, and very reasonable prices. Kona Brewery & Pub - worth the wait to get a table. Serious flavor country! Again with the huge portions, pretty reasonable prices, and one heckuva beer! I recommend the Fire Rock Pale Ale. :) The Kona Canoe club is a little more pricey, but not too bad. Great view, conveniently located in the Kona Shopping Village, and they make a mean mai tai. We just had drinks and "pu pu's", a nice place for a light lunch. Bongo Ben's is a good restaurant, delicious food, a bit more expensive, but overall not too bad. Last but not least, we took in "Huggo's Java on the Rocks". I enjoyed kicking off the sandals and being barefoot in the sand while having lunch. Good service and good eats - a nice place to hit up for happy hour.
The grounds are gorgeous! We got a bit snap-happy and couldn't stop taking pictures. It has the look of a luxury resort, without the luxury resort price tag. The lagoon area is really nice, like your own beach on the resort. At times, the public beaches can be rough and more rock than sand (usually in the winter months). Having your own private lagoon was a nice touch. There's a nice beach just a few minutes walk south of the hotel, but you can get pushed around by the waves, keep an eye out for high surf advisories. There was always a lounger available by the pool. Great place to kick back with a book, or for a quick dip without the salt water. The location is perfect. It's right on Ali'i Drive, which is littered with shops, restaurants, some historical points of interest and beaches.
The Royal Kona is the only resort style hotel located this close to the amenities. The other popular hotels, such as the Sheraton, or the Hilton were at least a half hour cab ride away from the downtown area. We didn't need to rent a car at all during our 2 week stay. Which was good, because the car rental companies were sold out for our entire stay.
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