Mauna Kea Resort, Kamuela

its my second home! everyone at the hotle is friendly and enviting. the beach is the nicest i've ever been to, and the golf course is amazing!

This would have been our 5th visit in a row to spend a week in May. we were so sad to hear about the earthquake.Over the years we have probably spent between 15-20 times at Mauna Kea. Hopefully we look forward being with you again in the near future. Duncan and Margie Mahone

Staff knows guests. Very friendly. Beautiful setting. Museum quality artifacts decorate property. Limited dining facilities on property most days only drawback. Have deepest regrets over recent earthquake damage. This is a tragedy that I'm afraid will take some time to repair.

I have been to hotels and resorts all around the world (many of them 5 star places), but the one I always come back to is the MKB. There is a magic about the place that is beyond description. It starts the minute you leave your car and step into the lobby, which frames the beach and ocean as if it were a living picture. There are little surprises and treats all through the hotel and the experience of it, from the excellent polynisian art placed throughout the building, to the plumaria flowers the staff leave on your pillow when they make your bed each morning. In fact it is the small touches which which in large part make this place special. The location is perhaps the MKB's biggest selling point however. It is located in a natural cove which boasts not only a beautiful half-moon shaped beach, but also fascinating reefs a little further out and along the coast. It was here that as a child I saw my first wild sea turtle. Yet another small joy is that each night big manta rays come in next to the rocks and swim a fantastic ballet as they feed on micro-organisms drawn to the lights which light the beach. It's fun just to take a strole around the grounds and see what you can discover, from the art, to the koi pond, the the forested garden back behind the lanai rooms, to areas overlooking the ocean where whales can be seen breaching in the springtime. The staff cannot be beat. They are very friendly and make you feel as special as you want to be. They are wonderful people, and well worth getting to know. If you take the time to do that, you'll not only have fond memories when you leave, but also new friends! I first went to the MKB when I was a child, a year after Mr. Rockefeller opened it, and have been back many times since. Of all the hotels in the world which I have been to, there is but one to which I always return, and it is the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.

My husband and I had a wonderful stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in May 06. It truly is the most beautiful beach in the world! Its a great place to go for R&R. Nice and quiet (mostly couples). The hotel is very clean and comfortable and the staff is extremely attentive. I highly recommend it!

I�m sure that among many visitors of Mauna Kea Resort nobody took 18-hour flight twice a half-year for just to be there. We did. After vacationing last August at Hapuna Prince, we hadn�t come across any other place on Earth for our New Year vacation and decided to go back to Big Island. After leaving �Hapuna� in August we were sure, that there is no better place on Big Island to have a perfect vacation. We were wrong. There is. It�s Mommy � Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. For us this hotel is like a reflection of Hawai�i, with its unique beauty, diverse colors of nature, warmth and sincere hospitality of native people. This place had all for healing us from hard, depressive, lacking fresh air and full of work lifestyle of a big city called Moscow. Seating at �The Pavilion�s� terrace in the morning, drinking flavored Kona coffee, eating sweet papaya or smoked salmon with best in the world red potatoes, you could finally stop, relax and meditate upon eternal values of life. Yes, this place can change you even for a short period of time. Mauna Kea has its personal style in all �in architecture, in decoration, including a unique collection of art � its objects spread out over the hotel, so you just stay like in a museum. There is one touching tradition: every evening once a sunset began, one of the employees blow in shell and light torches, erected like mushrooms all over territory of the hotel. With sunset this show is unforgettable. Being there, we often gave a good word to Mr. L.S. Rockefeller who created this place 40 years ago � his dream still live and work perfectly. We were lucky: all the amenities we used worked very well, all the services were wonderful. By the way, before we arrived, I worried a little about small size of the rooms, because in many reviews people complained about it. We had a beachfront room and it was not small at all, but perfect with a huge king-size bed, soft seating area, a desk, satellite TV and sideboard with coffee-maker, mugs, glasses, ice, etc. There were two big ward-robes in bathroom area, where we can put all our things and even two big suitcases. It has a big lanai with a dinner-table and an almost unobstructed ocean-view (if only palm-trees can be an obstruction).This room was wonderful, may be not so luxury like in �Regent Beverly Wilshire�, but for me it was better, because it had a unique Aloha spirit of Mauna Kea. Two words about dining: during 12 days of our vacation we were lucky to have 2 famous �Clambake� buffets, on Saturdays. It was superb with the freshest seafood, but unfortunately we couldn�t break our last year�s record for lobster engorgement. Again I had only 2, my husband � 3.It was a pity. Japanese buffet in �Hakone� (Hapuna) was also delicious and professionally varied (now I can say �as usual�). In general all the food we had in the hotel was good and with Hawaiian touches. We didn�t look for another dinner options, just because it takes time for driving and we didn�t want to spend our evenings outside Mauna Kea. Besides it makes no sense � other good restaurants on Big Island are not cheaper at all. Finally I can say that I understand 40% of guests, who return to Mauna Kea again and again. We wish we could too. Here in Moscow I�m so jealous of you, who may be living within just a 6 hours flight from this magic place. But we�ll be back. Again.

Can't say enough...we loved it here. Just an overall excellent experience. Wonderful service without being pretentious. Even though it's a sizeable place..we always felt like we were alone. We had a 'garden view' room and STILL were not disappointed.

nothing. i loved everything. the survice, pool, cleaning survice, room survice, elevators, loby, price, i i i i i i i cant wait to go back!!!!!

Very out of the way beach. Must either be a guest at the famed Mauna Kea Hotel, or vie for one of the 20 free public parking spots. One of the cleanest and family friendly beaches on a island not really known for beaches, but lava runs. Because this beach is on the property of an upscale resort, it has well manicured landscaping, great shower and bathrooms facilities. The only drawback is you must bring your own drinks and snacks because there is no concession stand, and only hotel guests can order from the attendants. The water is crystal clear, with gentle rolling waves, prefect for swimming, floating, and snorkling. A place you really want to come back to.

we loved the wonderful views, and the ocean was marvellous. the service was excellent. the only thing we didn`t like was when we were going back to home.