We got a room at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel through Priceline. The beach was gorgeous and the snorkeling was just as good as Hapuna. We stayed for 5 nights there and felt relaxed. The hotel was beautiful and the staff was friendly. The only thing was that though the room was spacious, all the furnishings were quite old. Some dressers were stuck and some window shutters didn't work. The rug had stains. Luckily the beds were great so we decided we could put up with the room. I'm sure the hotel was amazing in its glory days but I would expect a lot more for their asking price. The hotel should seriously consider a facelift. With the best golf on the island and the perfect beach, it is a wonderful place overall.

We had a great time at the Mauna Kea. The beach is simply the best on the big island. You can snorkel right in front of the hotel on a beautiful reef and see sea turtles and a decent amount of fish. Water is pristine and very calm. The golf course is also incredible. For a family, you really can't beat the beach access and convenience. It truly is one of the best beaches I have ever been to.

The Mauna Kea is in a great spot on the Big Island and is really fairly close to a number of things to do if you have a carThe food there was only average at the hotel. The Saturday night beach buffet had a great setting, but the food was not as good as we hoped. For food, I would highly recommend a trip to Waimea (Merriman's) for dinner and to go shopping (20 minutes East). We went for a hike in Poholo down to a black sand beach and it was well worth the 40 minute trip north. We also ate at the Hualalai Grille at the Four Seasons (only about 20 minutes away south) and it was the best meal we had on the island. I had a decent message at the hotel, but there really is no spa, so that was kind of a disappointment. Also visited the Mauna Lani, Waikoloa Hilton, and the Fairmont. The Mauna Kea was definitely the best hotel for a Hawaii beach vacation, hands down. We also ate at Roy's (average food - no views - would not go back), the Canoe House (pretty good - nice views - would go back) and Coast Grille (average food - great views and service - only worth it if you are staying at the Mauna Kea or Hapuna).

In 1965 Laurance S. Rockefeller and Robert Trent Jones Sr. collaborated on the first resort on the Big Island. The location was the stunningly perfect Kauna'oa bay, with its quarter mile of crescent white sand, soft to the toes and warm water. The result was the Mauna Kea Beach hotel, the original resort on Hawaii. We had the pleasure of staying here only two nights and three days, but it was terrific. The view of the bay and ocean from our room was incomparable – including Hapuna Prince and Marriott Beach. Our balcony overlooked the beach and the bay, with a sweeping view of the ocean and some of the coast. Aside from the breathtaking view and the magnificent beach, the hotel staff was amazing. Everyone was friendly and service was excellent, with the possible exception of the Copper Bar (literally, a copper bar) about a half hour before closing time, it took a bit to get our drinks. The long driveway down from the highway gave a feeling of seclusion and privacy. The golf course is pretty to look at, but I don’t golf. Valet parking was amazing; our car was always ready by the time we got to the lobby. The maid service was outstanding and the fruit plate waiting in the fridge was delicious. The setting is romantic, relaxing and refined. The rooms are spacious, with nice finishing touches everywhere. The TV was small, but considering the view out the balcony, we did not mind. Dining was great, the Sunday brunch was amazing, with a wide array of breakfast, seafood, sushi, fruits and veggies, even prime rib topped with an assortment of to die for deserts. Batnik was closed when we were there. Room service brownie and ice cream was delectable. We truly did not want to leave. At the rack rate a great value for the level of service, our rate of less than $150/night made this an incredible steal. Romantic enough for me to ask my girlfriend to marry me there, and classy enough for our honeymoon (quite possibly) Mauna Kea Beach is all that I remembered and more. The only area of improvement could be the pool, it is a simple oval pool with a shallow end and a really deep 10 ft section (scuba lessons, I believe). I still enjoyed it and the hammocks nearby immensely.
I hope one day you get the pleasure of staying at this world class resort. Actually, don’t then I can get a better deal next time when I stay here again. <wink>

My husband and I stayed at the Mauna Kea for our honeymoon. Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted with leis. We had very prompt service at check-in and were quickly shown to our room. In addition to the plate of fresh fruit in our refrigerator, a bottle of champagne was also waiting for us in our room.

I've read every Tripadvisor review of the Mauna Kea and I disagree with those who think it needs an update or makeover. Our room was perfectly fine--spacious, very clean, and not at all outdated. We didn't see what the fuss was about. The bathroom was also perfectly fine--the shower and tub were a combo but that doesn't bother us. The hotel building and grounds were beautiful. This was exactly what we had in mind for our first trip to Hawaii. We didn't want to stay in a hotel that looked just like every other hotel on the mainland--we wanted to feel like we were in Hawaii. The Mauna Kea accomplished that.

The beach was amazing and the water was fairly calm the entire time we were there. The beach staff were very friendly. We've read complaints about the pool but don't understand why anyone would be concerned with a pool when there's such a beautiful beach a few steps away. The pool looked fine to us--it was a bit on the small side but like I said, who cares about the pool? We were there for the beach!

We ate dinner at the Pavillion once, which was very good. We ordered room service a couple of times, which was also very good. The room service staff were excellent.

The only negatives we could find with the hotel were the clambake and luau--we felt that they were overpriced for the quality of food and service. This really surprised us because we had such excellent service everywhere else at the resort. However, this would not deter us from returning (we just know what to avoid next time).

A minor annoyance were the birds roosting in the trees inside the resort--we understand that this couldn't really be helped but we were awoken several mornings (bright and early) by the chirping. We grew accustomed to it by the end of our stay.

Overall, this was the perfect choice for us. We have never been so relaxed in our lives. We went out exploring around the island quite a bit, but we couldn't wait to get back to the Mauna Kea. It's just that good. We wish we were there now!