Fairmont Orchid - Hawaii

Great hotel, with great amenities and exceptional staff.

My first time at this resort, and my second time to Kona (in 2010 stayed at Hilton Grand Vacations Kings Land - which I don’t recommend because of crowded mega resort and long walks to amenities, swimming, and restaurants). Fairmont Orchid met our family needs: 4-5 stars, on-site beach with snorkeling, reliable weather, kid friendly, not crowded with lots of resort space. More Shopping and dining are within 10 minutes drive too. It’s an expensive resort, but They don’t nickel and dime your for everything which is appreciated- free self parking, free snorkel rentals, and younger kids eat free, for example. 2 complimentary metal water bottles. Renting a pool daybed with cooler and umbrella was only $62 for a weekday, 125 weekend. The food is hotel pricey but not much more than nearby restaurants. So I felt we got a lot of value for the hotel price, and no resort fee I think. The beach had some sharp volcanic pebbles and rocks, but overall comfortable. The little cove almost has no waves so it’s great for kids. Not much coral but a ton of fish and some sea turtles too - within 30 yards of the shore. The pool is big but I wish there were 2-feet wading areas for toddlers. It’s an older style pool so it’s mostly 3-5 feet deep. Plenty of available lounge chairs and attentive pool staff and food/drink service. The breakfast buffet was extensive and delicious. Lunch service was casual fare like sandwiches and tacos. Drinks were mixed well. We didn’t get to try Browns beach house dinner but the Japanese restaurant was good - but limited menu. We did the on-site luau on Saturday which was fun, and tasty food/drinks. It was pretty windy (15-20mph) two out of 6 days. Not sure if that is normal for the area and time of year, but they did need to close some stuff due to the wind, and the pool was less enjoyable. Other than that, weather was perfect (85 high 70 low 5mph breeze and no rain). Every staff member was friendly and competent. We felt like they cared about us (ohana warmth) and took pride in their jobs. As others have said, the low point is the dated rooms, but it wasn’t an issue for us. Yes the walls have some blemishes and the fixtures/door handles look old, but that was not a big part of our vacation. The tv remote didn’t work but we used wifi mostly (which was plenty fast). Nice balcony with views and AC was strong. The bed and sheets were wobbly and a bit noisy when you moved. Overall my family was very pleased and we would return! Thanks Orchid staff!

We loved the setting, the quiet relaxing atmosphere, the adult pool, delicious food and excellent service.

Our stay was great, the staff was very friendly and accommodating. The grounds are really nice but the rooms could use some updating to make them more modern. But, you're in Hawaii so nothing really bothers me.

Attentive staff, friendly service everywhere on property. Clean, older room with view of the golf course, rate offered through conference attending was consistent with older room.Views and grounds were spectacular. Pool was fantastic, secret hot tub in the foliage was fun. Fire rings in the evening on the grass were nice Enjoyed the trails along the water on each side of the property- perfect to explore and see turtles. We didn't eat on property so can't comment about restaurants.