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18 reviews for Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel
I returned from Big Island two weeks ago, having spent five days at the Hapuna Beach Prince with my girlfriend. When booking luxury resorts, there isn't much to choose from on Big Island. As with all my recent trips, I got the Prince through Priceline. Our initial impression left a bad taste in my mouth. We were greeted at the front desk by a receptionist who could only be described using the C-word. It was fairly obvious that she hated her job, and gave us attitude for booking through Priceline. She gave us a room with 2 separate beds at the [--] end of the resort. [The property is huge, and it was a fairly long walk.] When I politely requested for a room with a king size bed, she told us that the resort was fully booked and that we were "extremely lucky to stay here at the rate that you got." After parking in an empty parking lot and walking through a empty lobby to get to the empty check-in desk, it was obvious that she was lying through her teeth. Perhaps this woman didn't get the memo that in this recession, she would have probably been laid off if it weren't for Priceline customers. In any case, I let the issue go because, after all, we did not come to Hawaii to sit in the hotel. Other than dealing with that bitch, we had a very pleasant experience. A few points...
-They use the phrase "Partial Ocean View" VERY liberally when describing their rooms. When looking out of our balcony, the view was 10% ocean, and 90% of the back of another building. However, like I said, we did not come to Hawaii to sit in the room and watch the ocean. I will admit that the property as a whole was extremely nice and well-groomed.
-The beach was absolutely AMAZING. Words cannot truly describe it. We witnessed sunsets that you only see on television and in movies. This beach alone makes staying at the Prince well worth it. Unfortunately our last day was cut short due to a tsumani warning which closed all the beaches in Hawaii.
-I can't really comment on the food. We only ate breakfast there twice, but it was pretty damn good and reasonably priced. We did glance at the lunch and dinner menus, but the prices were totally obscene. Fortunately, about 5 minutes to the north is a quiet little town with some very good restaurants that I highly recommend [Blue Dragon, Seafood Bar, Harbor Grill]. Since it was a fraction of the price of the resort, we ate there instead. In addition, there is a Foodtown supermarket about 10 minutes to the south. We stocked up on sandwiches and snacks before heading back for the night. Everything on Big Island seems to close at 9pm, so beware if you're a late eater.
-DO NOT USE VALET PARKING. Self parking is $15 and valet is $20. These fees are annoying, but they seem to be the standard everywhere. The self-parking garage is covered by a roof, while the valet parking is outdoors under the sun. You will be paying an extra $5 per day to get into a smoldering hot car.
-The travel arrangements desk was extremely helpful. If I remember correctly, the woman who helped us was named Leslie. She must've spent 45 minutes with us recommending where to go, what to see, where to eat, etc etc. I can't thank her enough.
Overall it was a pleasant experience. Besides the receptionist, the hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The property was beautiful and well maintained, and the setting was very romantic. I'm not sure how family friendly the resort is, since we only saw 1 family with children during our entire stay. The beach is incomparable to anything on Big Island, if not the United States. If you can get a good deal, I highly recommend it.
This is a very nice resort. It is peaceful and very beautiful. However after about 6pm there is zero night life. We ended up driving into Kona every evening which is about 30 miles south.
It is a toss up between staying in Kona and visiting Hapuna Beach in the Day or vice versa. If you like to have some drinks at night and dont want to worry about driving, I would stay in Kona.
We stayed about a month before the earthquake happened for our honeymoon. We really enjoyed our stay.
Now I read a few reviews and feel we either did really well for our room, or things could be hit or miss. Our stay was a great one.
It really is nice having that open air feeling through out the public areas, and when you have breakfast it really is a nice touch. Breakfast was good every morning. We had dinner at the Ocean Grille our first night and it was very nice to sit out on the patio, watch the sunset, and have a wonderful meal.
The hotel is pretty quiet after dark, so it not much for nightlife if you are into that. There was some nice music to listen to in the evenings and have some nice cocktails.
The beach is nice as well. So we enjoyed our stay and often talk about the Hapuna to this day.
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Great place.
Needs more night entertainment and action. Food was to pricey so we drove to Waimea for B,L&D,...
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This place is nothing great unless you like the feel of a convention type hotel from 1983. It's not very nice and the only reason why people like this place is because the island is beautiful, but you can do MUCH better at other places.
We stayed here for part of our honeymoon and have mixed impressions about HBPH. Our room had a gorgeous and unobstructed vista of Hapuna Beach and the ocean. The views from the hotel's common areas are similarly spectacular. The location on the Kohala Coast is convenient - close to shopping and restaurants at the other resorts and not too far a drive from Waimea/Kamuela. The hotel doesn't offer a lot in the way of amenities, but it is peaceful and much quieter than a lot of big resorts (and peace and quiet were what we we were looking for).
Service at the hotel is uneven. The poolside bartenders, valets, and beachside staff were helpful and friendly. The folks at the front desk were not very welcoming and, at times, more focused on talking with each other than helping customers.
Our dining experience at the hotel's Coast Grille was also uneven. Our server was great (as was our food) but management confused us. We arrived exactly on time for our reservation, but we were told by the manager that our table wasn't ready yet (the restaurant was nearly empty) and that we should wait at the bar. We said that we'd rather wait in the lobby area, but the manager insisted we wait at the bar. It seemed like an attempt to up-sell alcohol, and we were annoyed that we were waiting when other people were being seated immediately.
Finally, a note on the rooms - they were a good size but unspectacular. The furniture is tacky and outdated. The mattress was comfortable, but the comforter was scratchy, so we just folded it up and never used it. Our bathroom was huge, but the shower was not for the faint of heart - they have a problem with moldy grout.
It's worth staying here for the location, the relaxing atmosphere, and the view, but only if you get a good deal off of a travel website. We would have been sorely disappointed if we had payed full price for our room.
This was the sh*ttiest hotel on the finest beach.
We actually moved from one room (crappy view) to another room (nice view) after much persistent haggling of the hotel desk crew. Hint: The night crew seems alot friendlier and helpful, if you don't succeed with the day crew you might want to try with them.
The negatives:
* The rooms are pretty nasty, period. Floors stink, and I couldn't walk around without the provided slippers.
* They provide to-go wine in their bars in plastic "cheap S.F. nightclub" cups
* The bathrooms in both rooms we stayed in were terribly moldy.
* The grounds are not very well kept. For example there was bird doo doo allover the place.
* Ocean view doesn't necessarily mean Ocean view. Be careful!
* Restaurants were mostly closed, except for the most expensive one. Luckily there are places to eat in nearby Kawaihae and Waimea. Talk to the locals, don't trust yelp.
* Be afraid to look under the bed, you might not like what you see. (i.e. creepy crawlies)
* They refill the "complimentary" waterbottles in the room with tap water and close them (without sealing) muhahaha.
The positives:
* The lifeguards, pool dudes are extremely helpful and really, really COOL.
* Virgil the night hotel desk man was awesome. Look for him if you need something done. Unlike other hotel desk folks, he will help you to the very end.
* Though the buffet wasn't too good, the employees were very, very friendly to my toddler.. I really appreciate people being nice to my son.
* The BEACH IS BEAUTIFUL. OH MY GOD. and not too crowded.
* The pool is extra nice too.
We stayed at this hotel at the end of our honeymoon just a few weeks ago. I definitely do not agree with it's high rating. The perks are that it's on the beach - a really nice beach and the waves are generally calm. So it's advantageous to stay there if you want to lounge around on the beach and not have to drive to one. The other thing is the pool is really pretty and looks out on the beach. Other than that, they really shouldn't call themselves a "resort." It's not a resort except that it has a spa. The rooms are outdated, they charge you for every little thing, like parking ($15/day, $20/day for valet) and even to "deliver" spoons or bowls to your room(empty ones - no food in them!) from room service. You have to unstack and move your own chair at the beach.
They don't have lei's for you when you arrive, which is just another way they are cheap with service.
They just don't go above and beyond for you the way a resort should.
When we arrived, I was disappointed w/ the room. The furniture is out dated and there were stains on the floor and furniture and soap scum on the shower door and tub. Also, found hairs in the sink and in my bed (not mine). Gross! I went to complain and they were very rude. They let me remain unhappy about my room until I finally spoke with the hotel manager who changed our room for us.
Is it me or shouldn't a hotel go out of their way to make sure you're happy? I wasn't asking for much - just a clean room. Skip it and stay someplace else if you're looking to be treated well. If you're just looking for a room by the beach, it'll do.
Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel is an incredible hotel. I stayed here about 5 years ago on vacation and then more recently, March 2007 for my sister's wedding.
The pool, the beach, the open-air bar. Wonderful location.
The bride and groom had initially wanted the wedding party to stay at Mauna Kea Beach Resort, but it was closed due to earthquake damage.
Even better. I prefer the Hapuna Beach resort anyway.
Being a jazz nut, I was pleased to hear that they had live jazz at the open air bar/lounge in front of the most beautiful Hawaiian backdrop.
Bill Noble trio played, and even invited me to sit in with the band (I brought my guitar to play at my sister's reception), but that night in the lounge, I was too drunk on Mai Tais and possibly other fruity drinks that I would never order on the mainland.
But hey, we were in Hawaii. Why not?
So the lounge was great and staff and service were real nice. My room was big with a great view and a top-notch air conditioning system so that I could tune my guitar without a hitch, and also sleep in comfort.
My sister and brother-in-law had their rehearsal dinner on that grassy patch between the pool area and the beach, and it was a perfect spot. Great catered food, nice sunset setting.
On my last day there, we got a nice view of whales just off the shore.
Great wedding for my sister. Perfect little vacation for me!
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4/11/08: Weekend vacation, our first visit to this hotel. We've been to the resort area before but have always visited the neighboring (more popular) Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (where we had our wedding rehearsal dinner). Anyways, with that hotel under renovation, we decided to try this place out and have been quite pleased.
We arrived late Friday night and was greeted with lilikoi juice at check-in along with getting a free upgrade to a ocean view room! We spent much of Saturday hanging out on the beach - staff will setup beach chairs, small tables and umbrella for guests, great touch! This is probably the best beach on Big Island and is contiguous to a State Beach next door (they have lifeguards, this beach does not). Much of the beach is covered with sand, the snorkeling can be disappointing (since there isn't much coral or lave rock around) but the body boarding is great (not having to worry about bumping into rocks).
While the resort is alittle older than others along the Kohala coast, I definitely enjoy this place because of the beach hands down. Others have man-made beaches, much smaller in scale. Anyways, we look forward to returning in the future!
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This is a wonderful hotel if you want to lounge around the resort and not want to drive too far. For paying hundreds of $$ a night, you will want to take advantage of getting some R&R at the pool or beach. (That part of Hapuna Beach is secluded for guests.)
It is isolated between Waimea and Kona. If you need to get grocery items, you can drive to Waimea, which is about 30 minutes away. Same for the drive to Kona.
We were lucky enough to have our room upgraded to an oceanfront suite. The view was magnificent and we couldn't have asked for more. The staff was extremely friendly without the snob or fakeness. They were helpful, but not so in your face like other hotels. The only thing I could recommend is that the concierge staff have better advice (I could get the same info from the pamphlets). I felt I could get better recommendations from someone at a local store.
If you want privacy, you will not be disappointed. The hotel rooms are spread vastly on the grounds and actually, it can be kind of confusing and the parking lot to our room was really far. (Good - if you need the extra workout!)
The fitness gym was excellent. Compared to the equipment I was used to at 24 Hour, I was in heaven. The gym closes at 7pm, so you should plan accordingly or work out at the Mauna Kea Resort which closes at 10pm. Classes are also offered for $15.
Overall, I didn't have major complaints that put a damper on my vacation and I did leave feeling relaxed than ever. Thank you, Hapuna Prince!
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We used our Prince Preferred status for this hotel, which included a breakfast buffet. There were fewer choices at this buffet vs the (regular) buffet at the Maui Prince but they added a nice touch and gave out copies of the newspaper and photocopies of the NY times (weird, but it was still good to read). Our room had an amazing view of Hapuna Beach (one of the best beaches in the country). We spent the entire time sunning at the beach and sipping drinks (best mimosas ever) at the infinity pool.
From 6:00 --- 7:00 at the Coast Grille they have a $26 prixe fixe 3 course meal, which is a pretty good deal. The food was good and sitting on the lanai was nice. We ate a non prixe-fixe meal there and it wasn't worth the extra money we spent.
The Hapuna Prince runs a shuttle to its sister resort the Mauna Kea every 20 minutes. We ate at Manta Ray was the prixe-fixe restaurant there. Again, good food and good atmosphere. There were a lot of stray cats running around the dining area though and overall I liked the Hapuna Prince over the Mauna Kea.....at MK there are units that overlook the valet area, whereas at Hapuna they are all beach facing. And the beach at Hapuna was much, much, nicer.
I preferred the Hapuna Prince over the Maui Prince but only slightly....my husband is the reverse! So you really can't go wrong.
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I have stayed here twice, most recently during my wedding week (May '07) when we got a suite. The property has an amazing beach which is the reason why we stay here. Oh, we also like the good prices and spectacular customer service.
The staff was extremely courteous both times we stayed here and their service alone warrants 5 stars. They are always friendly, smiling, and I felt relaxed when I dealt with them.
Our suite was nice, but could be a bit updated. We had a suite on the 1st floor by the pool which led straight out to the beach from our patio. The negative side of this room was that it was kind of buggy, mosquitos came in and I got seriously bit the day before my wedding and had bad welts on my body!! I then asked the hotel to request that maid service not leave the door open as they service the room and I asked my husband to do the same with the patio door. No bug problems after that.
Our friends and family stayed here and all liked the hotel, but some people who stayed on the East side of the hotel had problems with geckos sneaking into their room. This is because the Hapuna Prince (just like the one in Maui) is an open building and the rooms are not enclosed within the hotel. Overall, an enjoyable stay!
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My Auntie got us the scoop on the kama'aina coupled with the under construction rate. We spent one night at the Marriott (A bay) and after a quick tour of a Hapuna Prince room we packed up our stuff and hightailed it over there. We saved a bunch of money and got a wonderful ocean view room. We also got extra resort cash to spend on food etc. due to the remodeling (earthquake retrofitting, why Mauna Kea was closed.)
Years ago a lot of people on the Big Island were against the Prince being built because they were understandably worried about Hapuna being ruined. They were relieved to see that Hapuna wasn't ruined and that the hotel blends nicely into the landscape. The last thing I personally would want to see is the Kohala Coast turning into another Kona.
At first I dragged my poor boyfriend all over the island in order for him to soak up some of the local flavor but in the end realized that aside from visiting relatives and running out for shave ice we really didn't need to leave the resort. ;)
Tres Romantic.
Also, just to clear something up -
The northern part of Hapuna in front of the hotel is not "secluded" or "private" for resort guest use. Hapuna is a state park. The beaches on the Big Island are open to everyone and cannot be privately owned. The beach area in front of Hapuna Prince is open to everyone, as it should be, should they choose to walk down the beach. The only claim that Hapuna Prince has is on their lounge chairs and umbrellas which they put out for guests only.
I was here to attend a wedding, and I just loved my stay here. I hated to leave. I found my room sumptuous and luxurious!
what an amazing hotel. the pool is right off the beach and has accommodations for all.
we attending a wedding here and stayed a night as well (although it was on a cot in a friend's room). we still spent a lot of time here for the wedding. it's clean and quiet and right on the beach. now, if i could afford these prices here, i would definitely get a room of my own next time.
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We stayed here recently a few days and loved the Hapuna beach, the pool and the open architecture of the hotel. Basically you walk through the front door and see the ocean! Amazing! We snorkeled there and saw a few hawksbill turtles. The hotel is close to really nice snorkel locations going south. We were two couples booking rooms wth ocean view. We got ocean view, however, one rooms view was much nicer because you saw as well the beach, while from the other one it was covered by trees and buidings. Make sure you mention that you want ocean & beach view! A draw back we found was the price of their food. Upon arrival we had 3 mahimahi sandwiches & fries & 4 small kona beers at the pool side and payed 85$! The good news is that there is not to far a Foodland store with wonderful island pupus and we had great evenings dining at sunset wth great ahi poke & else on our balcony! Nice place to have dinner we found as well was Blue Dragon, which is an open air restaurant wth live music.
I love this hotel. From the moment you arrive, the staff here provide top service. They are so friendly and helpful. When you check-in, they give you a nice cold towel and a glass of passion fruit juice. The hotel is like a big open air pavilion. I like that the rooms are not enclosed, so when you walk out of your door, you smell the beautiful Hawaiian air. The rooms definitely could use an update in terms of decor, but I have to say they are well-maintained and clean. I had a beautiful view of Hapuna Beach from my lanai. Rooms are very spacious and not far from elevators to access the main areas of the hotel. The pool is fabulous. It is very large. The pool service is great as well. They definitely make sure their guests are comfortable. The food was good, too. Food prices were typical for a resort. The best thing about staying at this hotel is that it sits on the beautiful Hapuna Beach. I think this is the best beach in all of Hawaii. The sand is so fine, white and powdery, and water so blue . It is truly beautiful. The hotel is isolated, but any resort on the Kohala coast requires you to drive to restaurants and stores that are not part of a resort. I love this hotel even though it is not as modern as I would like it to be. The hotel more than makes up for that in their Aloha spirit and the beauty of the location. I can't wait to go back....
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