When traveling to a new place, it can be so overwhelming trying to choose a hotel to stay at. You can read all the reviews on Trip Advisor and Yelp, and at the end, I’m always more confused than I was before I read all the comments. So I hope that anyone looking to travel to the Big Island of Hawaii, may find this unbiased review helpful, especially if you are traveling with small kids {like we did}.
The resort is located 25 minutes northwest from Kona airport via HI-19 {pretty much the only way to go north and south}. It’s in an area called the Kohala Coast known for the sandy white beaches and for the little amount of rain that area gets annually. This was a plus, since nobody wants rain on their vacay {it did rain our first day there, ha!}
Besides the Mauna Kea golf course, and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel {more on this later}, there isn’t anything around this area. But a fifteen minute drive south gets you to Waikola Village, where there is plenty of shopping and restaurants at Kings’ Shops {a premier shopping and dining destination}, as well as Queen’s Marketplace {again shopping & dining}.
Back to the Westin Hapuna. There is no denying that the open feel of this resort with sprawling ocean views was most definitely the best part. I could not get enough of the scenery. The lobby was gorgeous and open, and there was a giant couch swing to the left where we enjoyed gently swinging and watching the sunset.
The level underneath the lobby had a small, but open air bar called Piko, and comfy seating where you can get apps and drinks and just relax while watching the palm trees sway beneath you.
The level underneath housed the breakfast restaurant called Ikena Landing. You could get breakfast a la carte or buffet {kids under 4 are free}. We opted for the buffet a few mornings while we were there. The food was great, lots of options, and everything was fresh and yummy. And of course beautiful views all around, so a perfect way to start the day!
Once you walked down the steps from Ikena Landing, you were heading down to the Koi Pond with a little wooden bridge. There were a few rocking chairs, that were mostly empty all hours of the day. But the koi were a fun stopping point for us, especially for Elle, since she loved finding her favorite fishies.
Just below was the adult-only infinity pool. I squeezed in an hour there while Elle took a leisurely nap. It was heavenly.
Below the adult pool was the main attraction for us. The family pool!!
It was huge, sparkly clean, and 4’12” feet deep throughout. There were always plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas. The towel stand as well as a water cooler was close by. We spent at least a few hours each day there because it was just so relaxing and perfect for Elle to jump and splash in.
The best part for me, was the restaurant/bar right by the pool called Naupaka Beach Grill.
You could order from the waitstaff walking around {this service was a bit slow}, or you could walk up to the bar to order the drinks yourself {faster service, although I sometimes felt a little rushed when ordering drinks; there were usually two bartenders on, and they were understandably busy}.
And when we got hungry, we usually just grabbed a table, or a comfy couch seat in the shade. The service was always good, the food and the drinks were always delicious.
The poke bowl was my absolute favorite food option, and the Coconut Wireless drink {Malibu rum, Disaronno, Creme de Coconut, pineapple, macadamia nuts, and fresh mint} was my go to… and of course their Mai Tai’s were to die for.
Down from the pool was a path to the beach. Most of the beaches in Hawaii are public, as was the Hapuna Beach. However most of the non-hotel guests {aka locals} were way off to the left boogie boarding and sunbathing; leaving a large chunk of beach to the hotel guests. Again plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas, but no beach service.
The water was warm and crystal clear, but most days had pretty big waves. This definitely wasn’t the kind of beach little kids could run into the water by themselves. There was also some good snorkeling off to the right near the cliff {lots of colorful fish and even some turtles}.
My most favorite part about the beach and the location of the Westin Hapuna, were the sunsets.
Every single night they were magical. Some nights we watched the sunset from the Piko lounge, some nights from the couch swing, but my favorite night was right on the beach.
Aside from all the amenities I just mentioned, there was a kids club that we never ventured to, a spa that we couldn’t squeeze into our schedule, the gym that nobody really had the will to visit, and the Meridia restaurant open for dinner, that didn’t seem suitable for small kids. When we weren’t eating out {somewhere else on the island}, we had dinner at the Naupaka Beach Grill one night, Piko for apps and drinks another night, and got room service our second to last night, after a very long day of driving and exploring the island.
Overall, our stay was amazing. The whole feel of the resort, the pool, restaurants, and beach make me want to go back in a heartbeat. As mentioned before, the resort has a sister hotel, The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and we went to use their beach for a few hours one morning. It was a nice change of scenery, and it was another gorgeous hotel and beach {they will do complimentary valet if you are a guest at the Westin}. Their dining facilities were also open to Westin guests.
Overall, we had the most wonderful stay. I would definitely choose the Westin Hapuna again for our next vacation. The resort had everything we needed, and the best part for me, was that it was very family friendly.
Happy to answer any questions about the Westin Hapuna or the Big Island of Hawaii!
xo, Anastasia
