Royal Kona Resort - Kailua-Kona 19.63377, -155.98984

The Royal Kona is on the southern edge of Kona so it is ideal for shopping, wandering around on foot and other activities. The hotel's restaurant and bar is located literally at the ocean's edge on a rocky lava flow. Waves crashing over the rocks makes a spectacular setting for a meal or drink, especially at sunset.

Friendly staff - hotel is one of the oldest in Kona but location is good since you can walk to most things around Alii Drive. This is not the Grand Hyatt or Marriott but for the price it is okay. Good views of the Kona ocean and sunset. Restaurant "Don the Beachcomber" on site has very average food. Venture off walking distance to many other places to eat. This place doesn't have room service.

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This is a very run-down hotel that has undergone minor renovations. I stayed in the Lagoon tower, which was supposedly renovated, and found that it was musty, drab, and dirty. The hotel also seemed to be severely understaffed, and the morale of the workers was low. I had originally planned to stay 6 nights, but checked out 3 nights early to stay in one of the Kohala resorts. The only real positive about this hotel is that it is slightly less expensive, and it does have a pretty good location close to downtown Kona. If you are truly looking for a "resort" with good restaurants, pools, spas, good service, etc, then look elsewhere.

All was fine except it did not have ac

I was very happy with our experience at this hotel. Great location! Very nice staff. I would absolutely go back and recommend it to others.

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Less then sparkling gem in fantastic beach front location. Staff was pleasant but not overwhelmingly friendly. Room was clean but had paint peeling. Bed was perfect - offering a great nights sleep. We were only staying overnight so didn't have time to check out things like the pool or restaurant. Did eat at a fantastic Thai restaurant down the street. Hotel was having a concert and MaiTai competition/festival. Outdoor concert was nice even though we didn't actually attend - but if we had wanted to sack out before 10pm it would not have been an option.

My daughter and I recently stayed at the Royal Kona for two nights. We chose the hotel due to the exceptional location and price. We were not disappointed as the location was convenient to many restaurants and shopping. When we arrived we were offered an upgrade to a remodeled room at no additional cost. The lobby was an open air lobby with tropical surroundings. One you might see at a more expensive hotel. The lounge overlooked the ocean and had an appealing menu. A must try is the Mai Tai sampler. Overall this was a fantastic hotel for the money.

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I travel to the hawaiian islands five times a year on business and this hotel is a good choice - good valve

All of the staff were excellent in service and appearance. The hotel itself is old and they are making improvements. The rooms were large and comfortable. The view was not very good but we did not spend much time in the room. Excellent for the Handicapped.

I travel to Kona a lot and this is a very convenient and well run hotel. When I go to Kona, this is where I stay most often.

While in Kona, the last place we wanted to be was in our hotel room so the Royal Kona worked out perfectly! The hotel's location is fantastic. All of the villages offerings are within walking distance. The best feature of this hotel is it's exterior amenities and it's location on the shore line! The bar is great, the pool is great and the view of the sunset is amazing! Everything is open air and exactly what a mainlander would expect from a beechfront hotel in Kona. The room itself was not quite as impressive. Though clean and comfortable, the Tv was old and spastic and did not receive many channels, the bathroom was definitely showing some wear and the balcony had some strange, what I am guessing were planters at one time, that could have, at least, been repainted to not look like old empty planters... Otherwise, the bed was comfy, the room was spacious and the view was nice. As I mentioned earlier, the location and exterior amenities are where this hotel shines. For the price, the view and the mai-tai's, we would definitely stay here again!

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Walking distance to downtown Kona. However, they charge $10 per day to park your car in their parking lot.

On the waterfront with outdoor pool, wonderful views, good food at "Don the Beachcomber's" (Don invented the Mai Tai - according to the signs posted there). When we registered, the hotel provided a free senior citizen upgrade to a better room.

This hotel provides you with what you need to have a good stay in Kailua-Kona: comfortable room with good price for ocean view, nice lanai, and fridge and coffee maker. If you want high end luxury and pampering, then seek elsewhere. This place is a 2 minute walk from everything in Kona, and that says a lot when you never have to drive except for excursions. So for the independent traveller looking to spend a few good days in Kona and wanting to hit the restaurants and shops in town without ever having to drive, and sitting on your lanai at night listening to the ocean and watching the swells, this is your place.

Check-out and check-in took a long time. The lines were long, and they only had several people working the desk. Most of the workers seemed to be checking in large groups, which consequently delayed the check in/out process for all of us individuals.

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Upon check-in the hotel staff were very accommodating. The room(s) were comfortable and clean and far exceeded the expectations for a resort area on a holiday weekend. The hotel was at capacity but ample space was available in the guest parking lot and the hotel grounds were very quiet except for the guests enjoying the lagoon and swimming pool areas. Amenities were as described online and everything was in working order. I expect to return to this location in the future and would recommend this hotel to others who are interested in a fair price for a comfortable, clean and safe accommodation.

Guest reception was a disappointment. For any seasoned traveler you come to expect a friendly greeting. You are there to be welcomed and served. You have choices and they should appreciate you choosing them. I got a definite attitude from a young man who thought I was stupid. I even explained a folio process for making my stay seamless and his response was "not with this company" and refused to even find out if what I said was possible. His response could and should have been, "I am unsure but why don't we get you checked in, I'll find out what needs to be done and contact you in your room." Toilet sometimes ran, water from the AC had started dripping heavily into the bathroom. Overall you get what you pay for but good location. Spend a little more and get alot more somewhere else!

I travel to Kona for business 4 or 5 times a year. I have stayed at a few other hotels in the area and this hotel is a good choice, good valve, clean rooms.

We got here late at night after spending 4 days in Honolulu. Although we paid the same price, the quality of this hotel was by far not the same as the one on Waikiki Beach. But it was clean and the room was huge. I don't really have any complaints, just that you can't find any restaurant open after 9PM and in order to eat anything later your only choices are McD or Denny's. But this is not the hotel's fault. We also weren't too happy about having to pay for parking.

My room in the bay tower smelled horrible and the room hasn't been updated for a few decades. I checked out after one night, I was so dissatisfied. Supposedly, other rooms have been renovated in this hotel, but I cannot verify it. Location was nice and the front desk was very accommodating in canceling the rest of my stay.

This return visit to Royl Kona Resort reinforced my strong support for this hotel, mainly because of the friendly service of the staff. Location is ideal. Sunsets are phenomenal.

very good

Convenient to Kailua town. Not much sandy beach available unless you drive 20 minutes north. Everyone very hospitable at hotel. Ate off premises but restaurant at hotel looked very good.

This was my wife's first hotel in Hawaii. We have since stayed in some of the finest hotels and condo's in the islands. We always want to stay here. She wants the kids we haven't had yet to learn how to snorkel in the private lagoon. Some people want a fancier place, sparkling, catering to their every whim. They should go there then. The Royal Kona Resort is a wonderful hotel. Funky, beautifully located like a crown on Kona Bay, with amazing views from Oceanfront rooms, the Tiki Bar, pool, and Restaurant. It is a home away from home, you will be treated like family by the staff if you treat them with respect, like home. The hotel was built in '69 in Hawaii, right on the lava rock on the shoreline, they can't build this close to the water anymore, wear and tear is to be expected. Life grows everywhere in Hawaii, even in your room at one of the fancy hotels. It's called tropical for a reason. If you can respect the Beautiful lady this hotel has become, you couldn't be happier.

nice place but the room 212 to close from the fan kitchen

The hotel needs to be renovated but is well located. The rooms are clean and the staff helpful. The safe in the room was not working so we were offered to use the safe at the front desk in exchange. Overall good experience, inexpensive and in a good location. Do not pay for parking as you can easily find a spot in the street.

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We had a wonderful, 4th floor corner, spacious room in the Laguna tower- great view of saltwater pool and ocean. Had no trouble receiving extra blankets. We were impressed with the phone calls about our needs. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. We were not enticed by the restaurant menus but easily found good food close by. We found we were able to walk to most of our needs while we were there. However, there was a considerable charge for parking.

great location, great pool, awesome bar and restaruant. Good value for the money, the parking fee is a rip off however. It is an older place, but well kept up and clean.

The morning after my first nights stay, I noticed residue in the tub before I showered. I rinsed it out without thinking much about it. The final night's stay. I heard a bubbling sound coming from the bathroom. When I turned on the light, dirty water was backing up through the tub drain. The hotel sent maintenance right away with a drill powered cleaning device. Apparently they have had this problem before. The maintenance man said it was not sewer but only shower water from above and that the plumbing cannot handle too many showers at one time. As a gratuity, they left a hair ball on the floor beside the garbage can. I requested another room which they did provide. Fix your plumbing. It is called preventative maintenance to have the pipes cleaned. I don’t think I will be able to stay there again.

Very nice staff...only complaint is room was in need of major dusting and air vents in bathroom were very dirty.

To our surprise and delight, the discounted room in the older "Bay Tower" had a sliver view of the water. There were just enough decrepit touches to justify the price -- the hook falling off the back of the bathroom door, the patch of pealing wallpaper under the sink, the wad of toast on the coffee machine heating plate. But overall, the perfect Hawaii stereotype overnight -- no white sand beach but an excellent $13 breakfast buffet overlooking the water. And, most important, the Royal Kona Resort bar is the birthplace of the mai tai -- created by Donn Beach (no kiddin') in 1933. The classic mai tai is best, but try the taster set of 4 different mai tais for total wipeout.

Room was clean and comfortable, and we received a free upgrade with full ocean view. We had a wide balcony, and I think all rooms have them. The hotel is located near a good selection of restaurants and bars, and is well situated for day trips to Kohala District or the Kona coast, but a bit far for volcanoes. Great ocean view from the bar and restaurant, but surprisingly, their main restaurant was closed for dinner 2 days of the week. Other restaurants are within easy walking distance. We had a glitch finding it at first because of road construction and some missing (!) street signs, though that's not the hotel's fault, and the signs may be back up by the time you read this. Just a heads-up if you arrive at night, like we did.

The high points is that it's a good location, right at the end of the Kona main drag. Going in winter, we were able to get free parking a short walk from the hotel, and thus never had to pay the $10/day parking fee the Royal Kona Resort offers. the room was clean, but we were definitely in the non-renovated part of the hotel. Very old fixtures, plumbing was a little shaky to use, and there weren't many mirrors. Also, our room (with the lovely view of the parking lot) was right next to a restaurant/bar, and the walls were thin, making earplugs a necessity if you go to bed early. Also, they ended up giving us 2 double beds instead of a queen or king, so couples may want to check with the desk that you're getting the setup you want. Overall, it was OK, but if we come again we'll probably try someplace else.

Needs improvement. Elevator doors close so fast it closed on me and broke the bracelet I was wearing. The hotel did not care. And I am not a slow walker. You get what you pay for though.

Considering you get what you pay for this hotel was right on. The room we had was "full view ocean" or sort of and it was in one of the refurbished towers. Hotel location was super as it was all within walking distance of the "happenings". The amenities were adequate and for the price just fine. When you pay more you get more so we were satisfied because the hotel is reasonably priced and is good for budget travelers. The bar area is really nice and we loved hanging out oceanside. Also we were quite comfortable sitting out on the balcony enjoying the whales frolic at sea. This is not a place where you get TLC, it is huge and lobby can be a distance away. Using the parking area was comforting.

I stayed in both the Ali tower and one of the older towers while I was here. Both had spectacular views from the lanai. The older room's decor and bath fixtures were a little dated but it was clean and comfortable and had a great rate. The Ali tower is the same just more expensive with newer paint and carpets. We all (6 of us in 2 rooms) liked this hotel. It was well laid out with amazining views, nice pool and probably the best beach bar (original home of the Mai Tai)I have ever been to. Within walking distance to restaurants and shops. I would definately stay again. I should also mention that the hotel was recommended to me by family members who live in Kona. But if less than perfect paint bothers you you can spend a lot more somewhere else

We upgraded to an ocean front room because our reservation was an ocean view room but a big palm tree blocked the view. The view we had from our ocean front lanai was spectacular. We stayed in the Ali wing which is one of the upgraded wings...not that great! The paint was chipping, lots of marks on the elevators that need to be painted and cleaned up as well as dirty carpeting in the hallways. Our room was clean and well-maintained but nothing really special(except the view.) I would never stay in the old wing if the upgraded wings look like the one we stayed in.

We were on our honeymoon and very excited to stay on the Big Island. We heard mixed reviews about the Royal Kona Resort, so we went with it - that was a big mistake. The room was very dingy, had peeling wallpaper, poor lighting, and was excessively damp. We tried to run the air conditioner to get some of the moisture out of the room, but the air was not working properly. We were very uncomfortable in the room.

The Royal Kona is located in a nice area. That is the best thing that I can say about it. The Bay Tower rooms were filthy and needs to be updated. The carpet was torn and dirty. The sink leaked in the bathroom. Mold in the bathroom[ toilet, shower, sink]. The compact refridge was old and dirty. Everything in the room need to be cleaned or better yet updated. The most modern updated thing in our room was an 18 inch TV that was probably purchased 15 years ago! We complained about the room condition and the next night they upgraded us to the Alli tower. The rooms in the Alli tower were a little better. They charged us to use the tennis courts. A tennis court fee was not indicated in web site. The staff at the tennis court was not real friendly. The pool was nice, but the staff at the pool bar was not friendly. At the front desk Liz and Thomas were friendly but the remaining staff was not friendly.

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