The check in area enclosed in an area with no walls. From the time you walk in the "lobby" you can see the pool and ocean. I didn't know what to expect. Since the lobby was a bit humid that evening, I was a little curious as to what to expect.

The nice hallways turned into a nicer room. The room was very pleasant, with a large bathroom and a veranda that was on the ground floor so I could walk to the pool/ocean directly.

The bed was plush and comfortable. The bathroom was a good size with a great walk-in shower. For you eco-tourists, when you opened up the door to the patio, the A/C shut off so you wouldn't leave the cold air running whilst the patio door was open. Nice touch.

They do charge a $20 resort fee which does include parking. Also high speed internet is thrown in. It is an irritant but all the resorts in Hawaii levy this tax .... so what do you do?

There is a nice up-scale outdoor mall within a 5 minute walk of this hotel. All the chains are located there plus a very nice ABC Grocery store.

The property is on a lagoon which makes for some nice snorkling or lazy beach watching. There are lawn chairs on the beach so you use them to stargaze at night or watch the sunrise/sunset. Spectacular views.

The only draw back is that it is FAR from the airport. It takes 20 minutes by car and it is along, desolate drive. A taxi will cost $50 one-way. It is more convenient to rent a car. Getting around the Big Island is nearly impossible without a rental.

We traveled from Philadelphia to the Big Island and the long flights were absolutely worth it. I won the hotel on "Name Your Own Price" through Priceline.com and got a GREAT deal! When we arrived, we picked up our rental car, which you have to get or you miss out on the true beauty of Hawaii. The ride to our hotel was about twenty minutes, but it's an interesting ride with the coastline and the lava rocks. Pulling into the hotel drive, you pass two shopping centers, which are great to have there!!! Take advantage of the food market and the restaurants - especially Sansei (sp?) the Japanese restaurant - it was the best food on the island. When we got to check in, we asked about an upgrade since we were on our honeymoon, and we got one for $50 extra per night, which was NOT bad since we paid so little for our room to begin with. Our room had a great view of the ocean and the pool area and we had a great big King beg that was very, very soft and fluffy. There is a luau there every Sunday and Wednesday that was unbelievable! If you have the money, don't miss it! It's a great time and great food, and a great way to meet new people. The restaurant is expensive. We ate there for breakfast everyday because they were having a special for $21 per person (which is a lot still) but when you're sleepy and you're hungry, you compromise. The breakfast buffet was actually really very good. Don't get too carried away charging things to your room, because it can add up fast. Double check your final bill, too, because a lot of people were having problems getting over charged for things and even being charged for things that weren't really theirs - we didn't have any problems though. We went on the Pearl Harbor tour which was amazing. The day was long, but it was totally worth it. We went to a few state parks, the botanical gardens and waterfalls, and just drove the island a little. My husband got carried away a little too much in the rental car - we had a Mustang Convertible and he got a speeding ticket on the second day. The police cars there are not marked, so be careful. People do drive crazy, too, so watch out. If you get a chance, go to Umauma Falls - it's worth the hour long drive, plus you can see beautiful sights. There are two pools that are nice and there's a slide into the one pool - fun! The beach is public and sometimes is hard to get a seat, that's the only down side, really. It rained every day but just a light mist which wasn't bad and didn't interfere at all. The airport is not too great. Our flight was at 11pm and the car had to be returned by 7, so we sat there for 4 hours OUTSIDE getting bit by mosquitos, so take bug spray. The airport terminals aren't open all day, just a few hrs before your flight, but the time can go fast if you find something to do. It's a beautiful place and we are now looking into buying a condo right across from where we stayed!

We stayed 8 days at the Marriott and we loved it. I compared staying here vs. the Hilton and chose the Marriott for several reasons. Mainly, it was a smaller property located close to shops and restaurants. We planned a lot of day trips including an overnight trip to the Volcano so we weren't planning on just staying at the resort. We got a great price on our room. The view was beautiful and the room very clean. It was a little small and could have used more storage, but it was so light and bright it didn't bother us at all. The grounds are gorgeous. The pools are great, my 11 year old son loved the slide. The fish ponds are so pretty and the beach is great. I liked the fact that the $20 a day resort fee included snorkeling equipment, internet, and parking. The parking lot is very close and an easy walk. Nearby are two great shopping areas, one with a market that sells nice food - hot sandwiches, sushi, breakfast platter, rice bowls, etc. We ate there or took it back to the room several days. My son enjoyed Marble Slab and we had a nice meal at the Macaroni Grill.

We also went to the Marriott Luau. The food was good, the grounds beautiful, and the show entertaining, really pretty costumes. I suggest you sit on the right side of the stage if you want to watch the sun set, the stage blocks the left side but you can always get up and take pictures.

A little nicety at the pool was that they had free water available all day. The pool hut staff was always super friendly as were the ocean rental staff at the beach. During our entire stay the restaurant ran specials in the evening. We ate on the night they had the $19.95 rib eye. It was a very nice dinner. We stopped at Wal-Mart and brought our own cereal and milk and snacks so we saved a lot on breakfast. The drinks at the bar were $11.00 and very small so we never ordered anyone.

On our last day our flight was not until 11:00 pm so we kept our room until 8:00 pm for an additional $75.00. This was very convenient. Otherwise, they will keep your luggage and have a concierge room available.

The exercise room looked well equipped with a nice view of the pool. I didn't visit the spa. They had tennis and ping pong. Also, three days a weeks they offer Hula Lessons, Uka la lee lessons, and lei making.

I can't recommend the hotel highly enough, it's a wonderful place to stay. I was very sad to leave.

My husband booked this hotel for our honeymoon. The hotel is quiet big and spacious. When we arrived after an 18 hour flight, we were so tried but he smile and friendliness of the reception girl was warm enough to cool us down plus we were given our room quickly.

Room: i liked it, it wasn't too big nor too small, had a little terrace that was partially looking over the pool and sea.
Room service was very good but I've heard from my friends about amazing treats in their honeymoons in other countries i haven't seen in the states generally! like rose petals thrown on the bed and towel shapes. It's my honeymoon, i think of everything romantically.

Pools: 3 pools are there with 2 or 3 Jacuzzi's, one of the pools was an infinity pool which is amazing. It wasn't crowded at all ound the pools so we could easily find a spot to sit in.

Beach: I guess one of the few hotels that has a very good beach with clam water to swim in. It was very important for me to find that cos i love the beach and to swim in sea water. The marriott has it.

Other Beaches: the big island has a handful of beached you can't mss. the Mauna Kea Beach & Hapuna State Beach Park

Breakfast: We loved the breakfast, we have booked our room BB & it was a wise thing to do. The waiters were friendly and the buffet was enough to fill you till 3 or 4:00 pm.

Shuttle: there's a shuttle that takes you to the hilton which is next to the marriott. The hilton has different restaurants. We had dinner in the steak house, my husband loved it, i was so & so only because i'm finicky with food! Also the Hilton has a great big pool that i guess you could pay like a day use fee to use

Outings: About a 45 min. drive you could go to the town area to eat in different restaurants but mind that all of them close at 9!!! There's lou lou's for clubbing. Nice place and probably the only place to hang out for clubbing there!

Activities: Snorkeling is fun. Helicopter ride to watch the lava and the volcano

I would definitely go to the big island again and stay in the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa