Big Island Revealed – Resort Reviews

Here are some of the Big Island Resorts that we have reviewed. Each review is unbiased and based on our personal visits. Our team regularly visits these resorts and reviews them for your benefit. You can also find Big Island resorts in our app for free! There you can filter them the way you want to find your perfect place to stay.

Featured Resorts

SCP Hotel Hilo

Update: The Hilo Seaside Hotel was sold and reopened as SCP Hotel Hilo. We will be back to re-review it as soon as can. Very clean, simple hotel (but very dated except the bedding) rooms across from the Ice Pond. Very warm staff that make the whole hotel feel...

Country Club Villas

These condos are large and comfortably furnished, and they seem well laid out. Many units have distant ocean views from the large lanais. If you want to avoid stairs, get a second-floor unit. (First-floor units have stairs that go down, feel more like a basement...

Hali‘i Kai

Hali‘i Kai is a long, narrow, gated condo property. Some units are two-story townhouses. Buildings 13–15 directly face the ocean. (A narrow lava field separates you and the ocean, but you can’t climb over the lava to get to it.) Buildings 10, 11 and 12 have more...

Kamuela Inn

This is a quaint inn that changed owners and managers in 2015. They renovated with fresh paint, new beds and furnishings. No phones (office phone available). Nice continental breakfast included. The setting is well-groomed and the staff is very helpful. If they are...

Keauhou Kona Surf & Racquet Club

This gated condo property is made up of older townhouses and newer condos. Huge variation in rooms here, even among the condos. Buildings 1–5 have outstanding units with incredible locations. On the other hand, some of the buildings have tacky rooms. End units (not...

Manago Hotel

Not-too-close, not-too-far from the more touristy Kona, this hotel was built in 1917 by a Japanese mail-order bride and her husband (with an initial investment of $100) as a restaurant with futons for their customers to sleep on (the rate was $1 a night back then),...

Shores at Waikoloa

These condos are smaller and aren’t as nice as Vista Waikoloa (its neighbor). By the way, despite the name, it’s not at the shore. The furnishings vary a lot, depending on the owner. The grounds were looking better on our visit but still could use some work in...

Kona Alii

This condo building has the look and feel of a city high-rise, and the units are adequate. Floors four and above are better (traffic below is farther away especially on rooms facing the street). Units ending in 07–12 have pool/city view. This isn’t the place to...

Kona by the Sea

Adequately furnished condos (though some could use updating), quiet, with pleasant grounds. The pool has an adjacent sandy area that’s kind of nice. The oceanfront saltwater pool mentioned in Sights section is next to the grounds, but you have to access it...

Kona Seaspray

This condo consists of two separate (and pretty different) buildings, the larger one and the smaller one. They had sold some units in the Reef building as condos. With their glorious location almost across the street from Kahalu‘u Beach Park, this is a good place...