Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

It was a wonderful five days here. We left yesterday and are already missing it.
Debbie (from Monterrey) at the front desk checked us in and made my family feel so special. I can’t remember ever being treated so well when checking in to a hotel. I travel a lot and stay at hotels from the Marriott to the Four Seasons. Debbie was more professional and thoughtful than any hotel experience I have ever had.
Allen at the bell stand always greeted us with the warmest smile and brought our car up in no time at all every time. Jenny took amazing care of us during a special anniversary dinner. Every single person working at this Marriott treated us like we really mattered.
Our rooms while small, were very nice and had fantastic ocean front views. The beach and pools were never too crowded. The luau food was wonderful and the show just right.
It was the perfect five days celebrating my parents’ 60^th wedding anniversary. We will never forget our stay.
General information:
There are two shopping areas just across the street. Kings Market had a good general store for souvenirs. Check out Na Hoku for nice and reasonably priced Hawaiian jewelry… we bought koa wood and silver wedding rings. Queens Market has a good deli. We loved Daylight Mind Coffee Company for breakfast. Lava Lava Beach Club is a good alternative for dinner. The food and drink (mai tais) in the hotel were also very good. For an interesting and fantastic breakfast experience drive to the Hawaiian Style Café (20 minute drive and worth it) and order the house made loco moco (be sure to ask for the house made version). They open at 7 am and while there will be a line you can get right in. After 9 am you will likely have to wait. For the best shave ice nearby drive twenty minute north to Original Hawaiian Shave Ice. It’s a food truck in the parking lot of the Blue Dragon Restaurant. We found it because that is were we met our captain for the Endless Summer Charter — private boat to see dolphins and snorkeling. I highly recommend sailing with Captain Brian, Damon and Liam!
The resort has a small beach for swimming and water sports. The sand is a bit rocky, but nothing basic water shoes can’t handle. There are two pools and two hot tubs with cabanas you can rent. There were always plenty of chairs and towels at both spots.
We are getting married next summer and plan to make the Waikoloa Beach Marriott part of our celebration.

Worst hotel bar ever! Really bad live music. Understaffed and they ignore solo visitors. Too bad because I know how to tip! Glad I decided to stand my ground! I asked if I was invisible. Bartender said she didn’t see me even though she waited on both parties on either side of me. Maybe next time just apologize and mean it.

We had such an enjoyable stay thanks to CLINTON! Everyone at the resort was friendly and helpful but Clinton went above and beyond for us. He made my wife feel extra special on her birthday and treated us like family. We would definitely stay here again and we would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a great experience on the big island. Ask for Clinton when you check in, the rest of our group was checked in by a lady who was terrible. Clinton had to fix the mess she made later on.
Also, props to Asia at the concierge desk who helped us plan awesome activities!

The grounds are well designed. The pool areas and beach access are great. As far as location it is perfect because the Queens market place and Kings shops are walking distance. There is a very nice market located at the Queens Market place and some descent restaurants. I think that the location is advantageous over many other resorts in the area.
Inside the Marriott there is a very good small coffee shop that has excellent coffee and breakfast treats.
The view from the main hotel area is fantastic all the way around! Ocean view is beautiful.
When we booked the room the description stated «ocean view» I figured this meant ocean front but I was very wrong. It was more like partial side view of the ocean – Not great so the management made all efforts to upgrade us to a better room. We ended up at the cabanas, which they gave to us for a discount to upgrade too. The view was much better.
The cabana rooms are larger and more upgraded than the other rooms maybe other than the ocean front rooms, which may also be upgraded. It was a very good room with a comfy bed, fridge and full bath tub. The only complaint we had was that the bed and walls shake hard when people are walking up and down the stairs or slam their doors. It’s strange and disturbing at night.
This hotel can use some modernization and upgrades but on the whole the service and management here are fantastic. Even the housekeeping staff and valets are very kind and friendly. You can tell that the management is doing an excellent job with making sure that great service is key at this resort.
We enjoyed a relaxing stay here and will likely consider staying here again next time we are on the big island.

my gent and i recently traveled here and had an AMAZING experience.
1) the rooms are awesome.
2) the service of the employees is impeccable and incredibly welcoming.
3) the infinity pool is just grand.
4) we rented a little cabana/​daybed for the day and got awesome service from of the servers. the mai tais were yummy, and i had literally the best pina coloda of my life.
i highly highly recommend this resort. i would stay here again in a heartbeat.

This is a nice property. We usually prefer smaller properties, like the Fairmont just north where we stayed here last time. But we stayed in one of the adult buildings here, which was quieter and had a great time.
Like many large properties, there are plenty of restaurant options on property. The family section is what you’d expect.
I was a little disappointed with the lack of beachfront, but this is the rocky, Kona side of the island. The lagoon was small and crowded.
Pros: Large Marriott property with predictably clean, well-​appointed rooms. Good dining options. Both a quiet area for grown-​ups and a boisterous family area.
Cons: Crowded, sprawling property.
Bottom line: We’d likely only come back if we got another amazing deal. We just prefer more intimate resort properties.

Very nice new Marriott.
After my let down at the Waikiki Courtyard I wasn’t expecting. Ugh but this place blew away even my highest expectations.
Large spacious rooms. Nice modern bathrooms. Enough water pressure to knock over a lamppost.
Great! Reinvigorated my faith in he Marriott brand.

My husband and I enjoyed the first leg of our honeymoon here. Our flight in was delayed, and the banana bread waiting for us in our room after a long day was the first of many pleasant surprises. The staff are all friendly, relaxed, and helpful. The Local Expert concierge desk was awesome — due to flight in and out issues our time was cut short but they helped us book all the things we had to do, and gave us other (even better) suggestions based on our interests.
The breakfast buffet was included in our package. We were never rushed out so we were able to eat our fill so we could get a long day in before needing a late lunch/​early dinner. The omelet line was long at times (because they were great!) but there were plenty of other options if we didn’t want to wait.
At night there’s music in the bar area– our drink was the Hawaiian margarita by far.
Note that the chairs in the pool area are «claimed» very early — by 9am some days — when people put their towels down so if you’re looking for a good shady spot get their early to stake your claim.

I stay in Marriott Hotels 100 nights a year and am fairly jaded. However I LOVED This hotel. We only stayed 1 night to escape the madness of the Ironman. First let me get 1 complaint out of the way before I rave. The corridors in this hotel feel like something out of a horror movie, long and oddly lit. It seemed to be a very long walk to our room from the elevator.
Now for the good. The grounds are Amazing. We had a pool view room and could see the ocean if you looked hard enough. The pool area is simply beautiful, calm and takes you in. We loved swimming in the pool in the evening after a long day of playing in the salt water. The Marriott was doing the Luau that night and we watched from our room. The fishponds are beautiful and the little sliver of beach with the beach chairs is simply heaven. We took the short walking path to the north for a mile and thought it was wonderful.
Our room was very nice, with lots of space and a very comfortable bed. The balcony was fantastic to sit on and let Hawaii Wash over you.
The surrounding area near the hotel is not very ‘Hawaii’ and has more in common with a mainland stripmall. Your eating choices (I never eat at the hotel) are not great but for a place to stay I can recommend this place hands down without any reservations (except a bunch of money). Whenever I think back on my time at this hotel a feeling of utter peace reminds me I want to go back!

I could not have asked for a better place to call home on my weekend visit.
Room:
— It was spacious.
— The décor was very modern and inviting. It really made the experience feel like a vacation.
— The bed was very comfortable! I slept so well buried underneath the pillows and blanket.
— There was plenty of lights inside the room and majority of them were a bright white color!
— The balcony had furniture, which nice. I wasn’t able to utilize it but it was nice that I had the option to.
— There was a couch chair with a matching foot rest that was made out of strong straw like material, with a cushion that had a banana leaf pattern.
— The office table and drawers for clothes were all one entire piece which the television rested on.
— The office table had outlets located right on the edge, which was nice when charging my cellphone. I didn’t need to find an outlet which was closer to the floor.
— The bathroom was awesome! It had two parts. The toilet and shower were enclosed which the sink was open.
— There provide a mini coffee machine accompanied by two mugs & sugar. They do not provide creamer.
— There is also a safe and a hairdryer.
— They provide a lot of great channels! They provided channels I usually watch and it made me feel right at home! I appreciate that!
Wifi: (2 types provided)
— A Marriott guest Wifi that requires a passcode and just a regular guest that is passing through the hotel for a couple hours or for the day.
— Both connections are not the greatest but it does do the job. The connection feels like a dial up!
— The Marriott guest Wifi passcode is provided by the front desk usually within checking in. It will last the whole duration of the stay. It does expire!
Pool:
— The pools & beach are both so beautiful!
— The main pool is heated and instead of a distincted step down into the pool, there a subtle descent down into the water.
— The pool floor was a turquoise color which gave the effect of being in the ocean. It was lovely!
— There is a kid’s pool and a kid’s lagoon which has sand on the bottom.
— There is a water slide that open at 9am.
— In order to obtain a beach towel, one must get a towel card from the front desk. One towel card will get a guest two towels.
— The beach is beautiful! I was bummed that the other beaches that I visited were on the overcast side of the weather, however this one made up for it. The side was white and the water was cleaner than the ones here in Southern California.
— There was plenty of water activity rental places along side the coast.
— There are also beach chairs that are provided.
— The bottom of the beach can get pretty rocky, water shoes help!
Location:
— There are plenty of eateries in addition to the restaurant in the hotel that are a short walk away.
— There is a market two blocks away that pretty much has everything a visitor would need. Food, gifts, clothes, wine, sushi, etc.
— It is also not too far from the Airport and Kona.
Overall,
This place gave an amazing first impression to Big Island. The employees are very friendly, I was able to walk when I needed to get food or go shopping, and there everything was SO OPEN! It was so spacious! If I come back, I definitely know where to stay!
Cons:
Wifi connection.

Everything in the hotel was perfect. Had the best customer service ever. Check in seemed to be moving a little slow but reasonable, nothing to complain about. Asia at the concierge desk was immensely helpful and assisted my husband and I in booking 5 different activities and scheduled them accordingly to our stay. Asia went above and beyond to get us on the Mauna Kea stargazing Tour which was fully booked and was on our bucket list. Thanks Asia and thanks Marriott for making our honeymoon a pleasant and satisfactory honeymoon.
Time visited was in Oct 2015 right before the ironman triathlon. To be busy time for The Big Island service was great.

This was my first trip to Big Island (and Hawaii) and I went with the Marriott because I figured we couldn’t go wrong with that name. We were right! This hotel is wonderfully located right on the bay, with swimming water (not something common on this side of the island due to the lava rock).
Our room was very nice, the bed was comfy, the shower was showery and parking was included in our resort fee. Actually, many things were included in the resort fee, and we only used parking (we didn’t even get our «welcome» lei, hence the –1 star). We had a great view of the parking lot and tennis, but I didn’t request ocean view because I live in one every day.
The on-​site hotel restaurant was super slow. We only ate there once (non-​buffet) and were terribly disappointed. The little café off to the side was great though, and I went there a few times for Kona coffee. The bar by the lower deck was sufficient.
THE POOLS THOUGH — OMG. The pools here are really lovely. The main pool is an infinity pool, and then there are 2 other smaller pools, one being a sand floor. There were also 3 hot tubs. I will say — The chlorine was definitely noticeable in the infinity pool.
While I don’t think I would stay in Waikoloa again, only because of it’s secluded location, this hotel is super if it’s the area you want to be around, but it’s not very convenient to the rest of the island.

This is a nice, full service hotel.
It is a smaller resort, with a restaurant and bar near a small beach. It is located about 25 minutes north of the town of Kona and the airport.
It has an infinity pool, regular pool and water slide that is kid friendly.
Nearby shops and restaurants make the neighborhood good to stay in… you don’t have to leave, everything is walkable and nearby.
The rooms are just ok. The hotel seems to be getting a bit dated, with seams showing in the wallpaper, some paint touch ups needed, and bathrooms getting to be a bit older. An update to the hotel will be due in the next several years.
The bar and restaurant charge the typical Marriott prices, so be warned!
Overall, it’s a good value for the money.

TL;DR: Great place where the resort fee feels like it has a purpose, but my credit card information was most likely stolen here.
This place is a solid 4 ½ stars if you use the discounts and amenities that are included in your resort fees.
Room:
When I checked in the front desk gave me a nice little gift for being a Marriott Elite member and my room was very nice the front desk upgraded it from a mountain view room to an ocean view room (note: I went during the off season in September). The room was comfortable and clean. The A/​C worked like a gem and the room was cooled very quickly
Amenities:
There’s a whole list of amenities that come on the card that you get when you check in. I recommend taking a picture of your card # that way if you loose it you can show the picture.
I used the half hour snorkeling and 20 something % off of brunch.
Outside there’s an infinity pool, a pool with sand for the kids, and another pool with a slide (operational during the day). As you walk towards the beach you see a naturally fresh water pond that has fish and crab in it. Then the Beach
If you want to do a little shopping they have a trolley that comes up to the hotel and drives to the shopping center.
Credit card issue:
I used my credit card 2 months before I used it here at the Waikola Beach Marriott. I flew out 1 day after I stayed and received a call that my card information was being used across the country on the east coast.

This isn’t your typical Marriott. I’ve stayed at all the marriotts in Hawaii except poipu and this is by far my favorite Marriott and just might be my favorite resort on any of the islands. For those with hubbies who hate resorts, this one could change their mind. This place blends the natural beauty of Hawaii with the comforts and convenience of the mega resort into a perfect balance, not too «mega» but with all the bells and whistles that add value.
It’s hard to find any resort under 200 a night but last minute deals here makes this even better.
Pros:
Location: makes me feel like I’m Hawaiii more than any other resort. its stunning natural setting on a protected crescent shaped cove, other resorts have tha Man-​made beach feel white this resort sits across ancient Hawaiian fish ponds and beautiful lava formations.
Pool; gorgeous pool area with 3 separate sections give it a less crowded feel, open 24 hours
Beach: a-​bay is your quintessential Hawaii setting crescent shape beach palm trees calm waters due to its protected location
Restaurant: quite comparable totes of island upscale with daily specials that make it a great value any night. The prifme rib and crab buffet is especially popular among locals
Ambiance; low key.
Cons; Some staff were a bit on the chilly side, seemingly dis-​interested in guest service
One size fits all service no special extras or upgrades for our special occasion.
This might be the only resort thehubby will go back to.

We love the Marriott. Beds are always comfy and rooms and nice size and clean. The pool and fitness center here at 24 hours… which is really hard to find. It’s nice to not have to sneak into a pool late at night. Walking distance from the beautiful anaehoomalu bay. One of our favorite Waikoloa hotels!

Solid 4 ½ STARS!!! Wish they had half stars in Unilocal but they don’t.
We stayed here 10 nights. Such a great experience with a minor error here and there but nothing to write about. Just that the bar was super crowded 1 night and the bartenders were super busy and didn’t recognize us because the were so busy! But that’s OK
Breakfast buffet was great probably not worth $ 29 a person but still good! That’s hotel prices. Coffee at buffet not good. But coffee at hotel right by the front desk very good!!! Always crowded at 6 am. They forgot my espresso one time I’ll let that go too.
Service by pool area and buffet servers were exceptional!!! Food also very good.
Happy hour was awesome!!! Warm PuPu platter very good for a price off.
Pools were remarkable. 2 saltwater pools and an infinity pool! Also a slide. Always crowded area. Beach was also nice by hotel. Obviously there’s better beaches but when you have small children it works!!!
We’d definitely come and stay here again and also would recommend.
We had a great experience overall. Very pleased with our stay. Great and nice people working here, as well. Good location too

I was not feeling well and wanted a frozen smoothie from the breakfast and bar area below the lobby. The restaurant/​bar refused to make a smoothie before 11:00am. The bartenders were there, the ice was there. It 10:40am. Extremely poor policy, and terrible customer service. The guest obviously does not come first at this establishment.
It is now 10:53, same story.
I ordered an egg white omelette off the menu. Our server had it cooked up at the buffet station, and served it in a puddle of oil.

5 stars for the value. For what you would pay at a regular hotel on the mainland, you get so much more here. There are several nice large pools — an infinity pool, one with a slide, and another one that connects to a mini pool with sand for the little ones. Walk beyond that and there’s a natural preserve area, and beyond that is the hotel’s own beach. You can rent equipment and do water activities on the beach — kayaking, paddleboarding, etc. So nice. Oh yeah, and the beach was sandy with clear calm water, so it’s legitimate, you can actually spend some quality time here.
The rooms are nice and clean. We stayed a couple nights, left one night and came back. So we saw several rooms in our experience. Nice, comfortable beds and restrooms with good counter space (important for all my toiletries). And they have little lanais (patios) with chairs that you can sit and enjoy the beautiful view and cool air in the evenings.
We would wake up and have coffee at the lanai while enjoying the view. We would then go out during the day and loved coming back to relax at the pool or beach with our drinks and watch the sunset. I would definitely stay here if I’m back on the Big Island.

I had such a great time at this Marriott resort! I came here by myself on a little vacation to get some «me time». I arrived rather late and the front desk staff was still very welcoming and made check-​in quick and easy. I asked if I could have a room on a higher floor and they happily accommodated me. Exhausted I got to my room and ordered some room service. Even though the kitchen was close to closing they still made me a cheeseburger and I had it pretty quick. The burger was only okay, but hey what do you expect from room service?
The room itself was slightly dated. I know the hotel was renovated semi recently, but the carpet was a bit icky and the tv was pretty old school. The bathroom was of standard quality. I did find a hair in one of the towels. Kinda gross, but I just threw that towel on the floor to be washed. The bed was very comfortable and the sheets were fairly soft.
The pool area was a really pleasant surprise. Being a resort I expected a bunch of kids running around being obnoxious, but most of the people there were adults. It could’ve been because I went around 10am. I did not hang out at the beach much because it was rather rocky and the water didn’t look particularly inviting to swim in.
Location wise, the hotel is rather secluded, along with the Hilton resort. There is a little shopping center if you need to pick up some toiletries, snacks for a beach picnic, or whatever. Kona is roughly 30 – 45 minutes south and there you’ll find all the restaurants and touristy things to do. Also, if you plan on doing things on the east side of the island, it’s a pretty easy drive from the hotel to places like Akaka Falls and the botanical gardens.
The day I was leaving, my flight wasn’t until 8pm and the hotel waived the late check-​out fee and let me stay and relax a little longer. I really appreciated that. I highly recommend this hotel.