This is my January 2012 review of Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. This was our 31st stay at Mauna Lani, coincidentally celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary. (We had an extra trip in September 2011—wonderful, with super-calm sea conditions for lots of shore snorkeling and interesting, different flowering plants and trees.)
We always go in late January to celebrate our anniversary, but have also stayed there in other months, mostly in summer. This very long review (I can’t stop talking about the place I love) is similar to January 2011’s, but there are some updates. The 2011 review and photos (which I hope TA keeps!) are at http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g2219999-d111599-r95712584-Mauna_Lani_Bay_Hotel_Bungalows-Kohala_Coast_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html.
This time, we noticed that food service seems to have slipped (in all the restaurants), which accounts for my giving it a "4" rating instead of the usual "5." The hotel is making some management changes, so I expect this will turn around and I look forward to dining more at Mauna Lani next trip and giving it a "5" again!
We think Mauna Lani is the best spot on earth, with a wonderful “sense of place” and friendly and kind staff ‘ohana. It’s not glitzy and not excessively pampering…if you love the natural setting of the Big Island, are relatively self-directed, don’t need trappings and obsequiousness to make you feel good, my bet is you will love the place. It also has supurb snorkeling right offshore, with clear water ("the more sand, the less clear the water" is a general observation).
Mauna Lani has a Japanese-influenced, minimalist style, not all brass and marble—that’s the Orchid—or posh and glamorous—that’s the Four Seasons. The grounds and pond areas are well kept and extremely beautiful. The open-air lobby is spectacular in a “natural” way, with sweeping vistas. Some reviewers dislike what they consider the “dated” and “1980s” look of the hotel. It was indeed built in the early 1980s and the architect was the famous Killingsworth, who also did the former Kapalua Bay Hotel and what was the Kahala Hilton, as well as the Halekulani. The thing to bear in mind is that the hotel is designed so that you look OUT at the ocean and mountains, not inwards AT the hotel. And when you are on the beach, the hotel keeps a low profile and does not dominate the landscape. It’s a quiet and peaceful resort.
As usual, we were in an ocean view room on the pool side. We prefer that side because there are great sunset views from the lanai, glimpses of dawn over Mauna Loa and Hualalai, and we can look out over the lagoon and bay there to assess snorkeling opportunities upon awakening. Although there are sometimes group evening events on the lawn (weddings, parties, etc.) they go quiet before 10 pm so it’s not an issue.
We arrived late at night. The bags came quickly and we changed into bathing suits and went to wade in the small beach lagoon for a few minutes, sit in the Jacuzzi, and see the brilliant stars and Milky Way overhead. Paradise.
Our first, sunset dinner the next night at Brown’s Beach House over at the Orchid was excellent. The chef is really good and execution is consistent. Nino Kaai, the singer, was great as always (he does contemporary Hawaiian music). It was nice to say hi to him—we always look forward to this dinner to let us know we really ARE in paradise.
This year, we did not eat often at Mauna Lani. The food service operations in general seem not as good as we’d remembered; Mauna Lani has been making some management changes so we expect things will turn around in that regard. We did attend our second James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef event there, and it was great fun and good food, too. They will have it at Mauna Lani again next January—not sure when—so if you are coming there then and can afford it, check it out! We also had one dinner at Canoe House (the food and service were better last year and in September) and a couple of breakfasts at Bay Terrace (the waitresses there are great and the food is very good—wonderful fresh fruit, omelets to order, pastries, etc.).
Outside the hotel, we enjoyed dinners at Napua at Mauna Lani Beach Club at the point, Norio’s over at the Fairmont Orchid, Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai in Keauhou, Beach Tree at Four Seasons, and the Four Seasons’ Surf Sand and Stars beachside bbq buffet. A couple of dinnertime high spots were also the room service burgers and fries we had while watching the original Hawaii 5-0—only times we eat burgers all year!
Water Activities: The water was abnormally calm for winter this time, and we got a lot of great boat and shore snorkels in—we did this every day of the trip except for two! We enjoyed going on Mauna Lani Sea Adventures’ “Winona” http://maunalaniseaadventures.com/ for a snorkel sail to “Pentagons” and saw a lot of sea life; the crew is always great and it’s a very high-quality experience. We go every trip. We went on Ocean Sports’ http://hawaiioceansports.com/ Black Sand Beach Snorkel (wonderful conditions), Fair Winds’ Hula Kai http://www.fair-wind.com/hula-kai to “Nudibranch” and “Rob’s Reef,” and on Endless Summer Charter’s snorkel sail (we chose Puako reef). The latter http://www.endlesssummerprivatecharters.com/About_Us.html is a new enterprise that runs a very nice 40-foot catamaran out of Kawaihae and I have asked TA to add it so I can enter my review, which should be forthcoming. From shore, we went to the Beach Club beach several times, the inner lagoon (lots of parrot fish and turtles there), Waialea (kind of cloudy), Two Step (fantastic conditions), Puako (too rough to get in and see much so we went by boat later on), and a couple of other spots near Mauna Lani. Mel and Judy Malinowsi’s book “Snorkel Hawaii” is an excellent reference if you are looking for spots—they are more plentiful in summer and the book is well worth getting. The authors live at Mauna Lani now.
Land Activities: Because the water was so great, we did not get around to many of the things we’d planned. We never got to Pololu, Holualoa, Kailua-Kona, Hawi, or to hikes on Hualalai, ‘Iole land, etc. Next time, maybe! We never do get to all the things on our wish lists. We did go up to Upolu Point one morning for a walk from the airport to the Kamehameha Birthplace, stopping for mac nut treats at Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company in Kawaihae (the freshest and best nuts, in our opinion) and shave ice at Anuenue at Kawaihae Junction. The day we snorkeled at Two Step, we also walked the 1871 Tax Trail and saw whales and dolphin pods offshore near the lava tune and ramp. On the way back, we stopped at Bay View Farms and Greenwell’s for coffee. Another day we did a trip over to VNP and hiked the Kilauea Iki trail (always one of the best things we do, we go clockwise down the steps and up the switchbacks for the best crater views) and also went to the kipuka called Bird Park. That day, we drove over to VNP the north route and back via Keauhou to have dinner at Kai Lanai.
More About the Hotel and Beaches: One reason we choose Mauna Lani is the resort’s founding philosophy and long-time staff. We get the sense that stewardship of the land and its creatures matters. The long-time staff members truly do remember us from year to year and give us the sense we are genuinely being welcomed back. Mauna Lani has a lot of repeat visitors and I think Mauna Lani treats guests quite a bit differently than hotels that do have “good service” and “pamper you” but don’t expect to ever see you again.
The bell staff are great; most of them grew up on the island and offer good advice about everything ranging from where the waters will be calm on a given day to the best place to look for a new watchband. Housekeeping is excellent, thorough, and unobtrusive. The “breakfast ladies” at the Bay Terrace each morning are true treasures. The beach staff is outstanding and give excellent, up-to-date advice about water conditions and when the swells will be down or back up. This is particularly important in winter! The senior beach and pool manager, Ola, is extremely knowledgeable—we follow his good advice and by being flexible in our plans, we always get several excellent days of shore snorkeling in the area.
The top reason we keep coming back, besides the warm and friendly people, is the "spirit of place" that Mauna Lani has—few other Hawaii resorts have the same sense of serenity and peace. The resort is situated in a very special location, where you can see 5 volcanoes—Kohala, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Haleakela on Maui, across the channel. If you visit Mauna Lani, be sure to walk the path that winds among the fishponds in early morning or evening, listen to the birds, and absorb the peaceful—and to me, spiritual—ambiance of ponds that were built circa 500 AD.
Mauna Lani’s beaches are typical of Big Island beaches in that they are both somewhat narrow, with salt-and-pepper sand and some rocks. (For a wide beach go see Hapuna to the north or Mauna Kea beach with a beach pass; for white sand try Waialea or Kua.) If you are careful and look where you are going, you can walk into swimming depth water without water shoes. If you are prone to bounding in without looking, wear water shoes.
The far beach, near the Beach Club and Boat House, is a 10-min walk or short (free) shuttle ride away. That sandy beach has lounge chairs and a few cabana chairs, but little shade overall, so bring a towel and hat and cover-up if you plan a long stay there. Snorkeling is superb here if the water is calm. The reef is extensive. (See the Malinowskis’ book or ask about where to go.)
The lava-and-sand shoreline area in front of the hotel never seems crowded. It has hammocks and the classic, blue cabana chairs. If you look carefully at the bits of pumice in the sand and on the black rock in the lagoon, you will see bright green olivine crystals. The inner lagoon right in front of the Mauna Lani has subtle (but rewarding) snorkeling. There is a large, sandy water entry near the big black rock. I make my way counterclockwise around the rocks and inlets toward the seawall, going outside the buoy rope across the lagoon. Some places get very shallow toward the edges of the lagoon, so backtracking is required to prevent touching anything, but that can be a bonus…I see things I missed!
We love Mauna Lani and it's the place we are happiest. We have already booked for January 2013!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
