scorecardI took my mom to Hawaii's Kona Village resort for $1,765 a night — our stay was almost perfect
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I took my mom to Hawaii's Kona Village resort for $1,765 a night our stay was almost perfect

David Morris   

I took my mom to Hawaii's Kona Village resort for $1,765 a night — our stay was almost perfect
I hope to return to Rosewood's Kona Village resort on Hawaii's Big Island soon.Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort
  • My mom and I stayed at Rosewood's Kona Village resort on Hawaii's Big Island for $1,765 a night.
  • Some highlights of our stay included our ocean-view room and access to a black-sand beach.

Hawaii recently took the top spot in a ranking of the happiest states in the US to live in — and it's also long been a favorite vacation spot for my family.

We've spent time on Maui, Lanai, and Kawaii, but the Big Island is my personal favorite. In my experience, the Kona coast has wonderful weather, great beaches, and a lot of diverse marine life to observe.

On my most recent trip, I stayed at Kona Village. The property closed in 2011 after facing severe tsunami damage and reopened last year as Rosewood Hotel Group's first property in Hawaii.

I'm a longtime fan of Rosewood hotels and resorts, so I was excited to visit this location for the first time. My travel agent booked my mom and me the best available rate at the resort, which included one free night and an upgrade to an ocean-view room.

This was absolutely a splurge: We paid $1,765 per night, which included credits for breakfast each day and tax.

After our early flight, we were able to check into the room by 9 a.m.

After our early flight, we were able to check into the room by 9 a.m.
The staff greeted us upon arrival and already had our room ready.      Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

We landed in Kona around 7:30 a.m. after taking a red-eye from the West Coast. After grabbing breakfast, we took our rental car to the property, which is about 20 minutes north of the airport.

Hotel staff called me the day before to inquire about our estimated arrival time and to see if we needed assistance making restaurant or spa reservations.

Even though the hotel knew we were arriving early, I was still pleasantly surprised our room was ready at 9 a.m. The resort's managing and room directors, along with the front-desk team, were all on hand to greet us.

We stayed in an ocean-view room that resembled a bungalow.

We stayed in an ocean-view room that resembled a bungalow.
I appreciated having an ocean view.      David Morris

Kona Village features about 150 rooms and suites, each designed as self-contained bungalows. I loved the privacy this provided.

I'm glad we upgraded to an ocean-view room, as I loved being able to read outside on our balcony while overlooking the water.

The property also offers suites with ocean views, but we didn't need the extra space.

Our thatched hut was thoughtfully designed.

Our thatched hut was thoughtfully designed.
The bathroom included a huge shower and a stone tub.      David Morris

The rooms felt a bit rustic and were very spacious at 600 square feet. Plus, the beds were supremely comfortable.

Our queen-sized room didn't feature an outdoor shower like ones with king beds do, but our bathroom was still beautiful and spacious with great shower pressure and a large bathtub.

Kona Village has a very strong sense of place.

Kona Village has a very strong sense of place.
The view from our balcony was breathtaking.      David Morris

Staying at Kona Village felt like what I imagined Hawaii to feel like decades ago before technology was everywhere.

The atmosphere was relaxed and free of distractions, with in-room TVs only available on request. I especially loved taking in the calming, scenic view from our balcony.

The spa looked beautiful, but I didn’t end up booking an appointment there.

The spa looked beautiful, but I didn’t end up booking an appointment there.
We crossed a lava field when walking from the spa's reception building to the treatment rooms.      Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

The spa was situated adjacent to our room and looked gorgeous.

We toured the facilities, and the walk from its reception building to the treatment rooms across a lava field felt otherworldly.

I love visiting spas while on vacation, but for the first time in as long as I can remember, I ended up not booking an appointment. A 90-minute deep-tissue massage would have cost me nearly $500 with gratuity, which seemed a bit steep.

There were endless tracks of black-sand beach.

There were endless tracks of black-sand beach.
Walking along the black-sand beach, I would often stumble upon interesting natural features and marine life.      David Morris

The nearby black-sand beach was filled with interesting trees and natural features.

I also loved that the hotel's beach area was dotted with cushioned lounge chairs and palapas, spaced far enough apart from each other to offer some privacy.

The marine life seemed to appreciate the atmosphere on the beach as well, as we often saw Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles.

We also got to go in the water. Staff was readily available to take us sailing on the resort's catamarans, show us great snorkeling spots, and help set up paddleboards and other water equipment.

There were two pools with beautiful hot tubs.

There were two pools with beautiful hot tubs.
I loved spending time at the resort's pools and hot tubs.      Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

If we got tired of the beach, we'd head over to one of the two pools, which were accompanied by inviting hot tubs.

Whether we set up camp on the beach or in one of the complimentary poolside cabanas, the staff made sure we were well-hydrated. They were also readily available if we wanted to order anything from the bar or kitchen.

We loved the poolside Hawaiian shaved ice and fresh coconuts topped with rum, which were free and served by the resort's management team.

Breakfast was tasty, but I thought it was a bit overpriced.

Breakfast was tasty, but I thought it was a bit overpriced.
I especially enjoyed the pancakes and chicken katsu at breakfast.      David Morris

The breakfast service was overall pretty well executed, and I appreciated the breadth of local dishes featured.

The chicken katsu, pancakes, and griddled foods were great, but I wasn't a fan of the ulu fried cake, which is essentially a fibrous bread fruit topped with a fatty piece of Kalua pork.

Because we booked with a Rosewood elite agent, we received credits to use toward our breakfast each day.

Although this mostly covered our morning eats for two, we paid more some days due to the pricing structure, which featured upcharges for modifications and some steep non-alcoholic beverage costs.

Our one meal at Rosewood Kona Village’s flagship restaurant wasn’t the best.

Our one meal at Rosewood Kona Village’s flagship restaurant wasn’t the best.
We were disappointed with the food at Moana.      Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

I really wanted to love Moana, the resort's flagship restaurant. However, our one — and only — dinner here was not great.

At Moana, we started with the $32 grilled octopus, and I felt it was overcooked and tough.

For my entrée, I opted for the $55 shellfish ramen. Although the protein was cooked well, the noodles clumped together and I found the broth to be quite salty.

My mom's $55 grilled Hawaiian snapper was also disappointing. The fish was placed face-down in mushroom dashi, which she thought was too salty and had a somewhat bitter flavor.

It's possible the restaurant just had an off service, but we decided to venture out of the resort for dinner the next few nights.

We had better luck dining outside the property — but Kona Village had one casual spot we loved.

We had better luck dining outside the property — but Kona Village had one casual spot we loved.
We celebrated my mom's birthday at Kahuwai Cookhouse.      David Morris

We enjoyed chef Tyler Florence's fairly new Miller & Lux restaurant next door at the Four Seasons. The steak house was great in terms of concept, service, and food.

I especially liked the crispy lobster Louie, which had an entire Kona crustacean served alongside hearts of palm.

We also checked out CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani, home to some of the island's best sunsets. The restaurant has a great pan-Asian menu.

On our last evening, we dined on the beach at Kona Village's more casual eatery, Kahuwai Cookhouse — and wish we had come earlier.

My huli-huli chicken was great, and my mom also liked her kalbi-glazed short rib. The simple preparations and delicious seasoning made every dish quite enjoyable.

Although there were opportunities for improvement, we loved our stay and would happily return.

Although there were opportunities for improvement, we loved our stay and would happily return.
I'd love to return to Rosewood's Kona Village resort in the near future.      David Morris

I had pretty high expectations for Rosewood's first Hawaiian property, and for the most part, Kona Village hit all the marks. The resort's location and services may be the best I've experienced in Hawaii.

The only real downsides I found were the food at Moana, the breakfast upcharges, and the high prices at the spa.

Other than that, our stay was perfect, and I'd love to return for a long weekend soon.

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