Fairmont Orchid was beautiful! The food at Hale Kai was really good (went back for Lobster Fried Rice Twice and the Chicken sandwich was wonderful) and Brown’s was even better. The breakfast buffet was super good with tons of variety and replenished right up to closing of breakfast hour. The location and views took our breath away. The only constructive criticism we can offer is that the room furniture needs some repair and updating. Loved the large tub and separate shower in the room as well as the spacious balconies! We went in a shoulder season last week of July with Backroads and lounge chairs (even in shade) were available through mid-morning. Our favorite activity was renting snorkel equipment from the beach shack-the variety and abundance of fish was incredible. A very special shout out to Momi at the front desk. At check in she went above and beyond to make sure our two rooms were allocated properly and when we were faced with a very late flight Momi took care of arranging things so that we could enjoy our last day instead of worrying about how to shower at 7pm after a day in the sun.

This is a beautiful property with great amenities. Our kids loved the snorkel equipment and I loved the grounds and the beach cabana. We also did an on-site photo shoot with Pacific Dream Photography which was a great experience and resulted in amazing photos.

tl;dr I think this hotel is best for families who plan on doing everything at the hotel or don't mind driving for activities. "Ocean view" is most likely not worth the price.

The good: The staff overall was great, the grounds were taking care of, the room was great (mostly, see blow), there a small beach area, the breakfast buffet was decent (for a buffet), and we found a great deal which made it a good value.

The bad: The food wasn't bad but it wasn't good. They nickel and dime you on a few things (not too much but worst is nothing near the beach has shade/umbrella unless you pay extra). The immediate area is pretty far from most activities (30-40min from Kona, ~1.5hrs from Hilo) and there isn't much in the way of stuff outside the resort.

The worst is we ended up paying an extra $200 a night for an "ocean view". I've actually stayed at the resort 3 times. I remember last time being burnt on the ocean view also so maybe this time "shame on me". If you get an ocean view you most likely won't see the ocean while inside your room. When we went the balcony only about 10% of the view was ocean. If you went up to the railing it was more like 20-30% of the view. It definitely wasn't worth the increased price.