Our family just returned from a week at the Fairmont Orchid. It was a beautiful resort and very relaxing. This resort offered the atmosphere that we seek in a Hawaiian resort (for reference, our previous stays include the Four Seasons, Hyatt, & Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui and the Hyatt on Kauai). A corporate event made the resort feel a bit more crowded for a couple of days but otherwise we found it very easy to find seating at the pool and beach. The beach is not very big but we enjoyed it and it is excellent for young kids. There is a reef surrounding the swimming area so the kids can swim in calm waters without worrying about big waves. Our family enjoyed snorkeling, paddle boarding, and kayaking every day. The snorkeling was really great - we saw lots of colorful fish, eels and an occasional turtle. We loved seeing the honu (green sea turtles) resting in a protected area on the beach. After sunset, we saw a huge manta ray swimming by the shore. As a family of 5, we usually stay in suites and the 1 bedroom suite at the Orchid was very comfortable for our family. We found it to be very spacious and it was great to have 1 1/2 bathrooms. We enjoyed the dining at the resort as well as at nearby restaurants. We made a few dining reservations before we arrived but found that it really wasn't difficult to get last minute reservations (there are many great fine dining options in the area). The service at the beach, pool, restaurants & valet (only $5/day) were great. The only complaint about our stay (not related to the resort) is that there is no convenient laundry service nearby. We took our laundry to a store in Kona where they washed/folded everything for us. It was great and very inexpensive but about a 45 minute drive away. Overall, we had an excellent stay at the Fairmont Orchid and we can't wait to return!