Spent 8 nights at this indisputably beautiful resort. As an initial matter nearly the entire staff from front desk to to concierges to food/beverage were beyond gracious. The property sits on what may be the most beautiful location in the USA. If you like looking at the blue Pacific staring at Maui with wild sea turtles and world class snorkeling outside of your front door look no further. The grounds are meticulous. Every sunset from this property was beyond stunning. And you can walk the beautiful beachfront trail to other parts of the Maua Lani complex which was fun. We splurged on a few activities like the sunset canoe ride which I will never forget. Same for the couples massage at spa without walls by the waterfall. Resort is well located for island exploring and we liked easy access to the great food land farms market and queens village shopping areas (Sansei is particularly awesome for sushi). The rooms are good but not great at the price point and in need of some refreshing. The views from the rooms were particularly disappointing. I spent a lot of time in advance planning this stay and the views. The entire 3rd floor has a large concrete barrier on the lanai making it almost impossible to fully enjoy the views even when you have an ocean view room. The layout of the hotel simply doesn’t take advantage of the potential views unless you have an actual ocean front room. In other words paying for ocean view or partial ocean view may result in disappointment. The breakfast buffet was great but they have a major issue with bird management that needs to be resolved it is disgusting watching birds constantly picking at empty plates. Other resorts seemed to have figured this out. The fitness area and spa are good if not remarkable. There are other small disappointments which keep this resort out of the 5 star category. For $600+ per night the metal beach chairs with no padding like you see at your community pool at home don’t cut it. You have nice padded beach chairs by the pool but if you want them by the ocean; no dice unless you shell out $95 per day for a cabana. Fortunately there is a great shady stretch of beach for those needing a break from intense sun (they do close this area for private events sometimes though). Also not a plus or a negative but lots of kids and families here (all seemed well behaved) but if you are adults looking for total solitude this may not be the best choice. The food offerings by the beach were good but after a week we were wanting more variety. We visited nearby Mauna Kea beach hotel which lacks some of the luxury and hugeness of the Orchid but may offer better room views and a more casual old Hawaii vibe if that’s what you want. But to be sure you won’t be disappointed at this well run slice of American paradise.

We booked three rooms for my wife and I and our daughters and their husbands and had a wonderful time. The rooms are spacious and clean. Two of our rooms faced the property pool and grounds with a view to the ocean, and one faced the other direction towards the ocean. (Calling that one "ocean view" was a it of a stretch, meaning you had to stretch your neck over the balcony to see the ocean!) Nevertheless, the resort is very nice. They have a range of on-site restaurants, from flip-flops and bathing suit to "island dress up" Beach House with live entertainment. The Mai Tia's are great but you'll easily run up quite a tab. They have a 6 PM torch lighting ceremony which is nice, if not as dramatic as the historic "Blue Hawaii" torch lighting at Coco Palms on Kauai which we were fortunate to experience 36 years ago before it was destroyed. We frankly had scheduled so many activities around the entire island that we didn't have nearly as much time to chill at the resort to fully unwind. The last day my wife and I chilled in an ocean-view cabana, watched the waves and drank Mai Tai's and that was paradise while the rest of our family did their own thing. The Fairmont Orchids was a backup choice for us since the Mauna Lani which we stayed at 15 years ago is being renovated. To help others debating where to stay on Kohala coast in relationship to their teenager/children situation: If no kids and want best adult-centric experience, stay at Mauna Lani. If you have teenagers but want a relatively relaxing/adult friendly experience, stay at the Fairmont Orchids. If you have younger kids and love a Disney-like experience, stay at Waikoloa Hilton. They're all great in their own way. Mark from Cincinnati

we stayed at Fairmont Orchid for our Honemoon and this was by far the most beautiful hotel from our trip. the view from our room was breathtaking. The management have recognised our special holiday and treated us to a complimentary food in our room.
the room was spacious, equipped to a very high standard and the cleaning staff were friendly and attentive. room service at least 2 a day.
breakfast was amazing (made to order waffles!), but we didn't eat at the hotel for any other meals so cannot comment. we will definitely return for anniversaries in the years to come.