Outstanding Hotel

Eric, Jackson, MS, 2005-12-23

Let me preface my comments by saying that we only stayed at the Fairmont Orchid for about 12 hours, checking in after our flight arrived and leaving early the next morning for the other side of the island. Even with such a small amount of time at the hotel, we were thoroughly impressed. The hotel has immaculate grounds. It is obvious that the Fairmont Orchid pays great attention to the exterior as the lawns are manicured and all of the gardens are well-maintained. Our room was very nice. The bathroom furnishings were what you would expect from a high-end hotel. I did see minor mildew spots in a few places in the shower, as another reviewer (here or on another site) noted. Also, the water temperature in the shower repeatedly fluctuated each time I showered. Neither of these were very big issues, though, and I certainly would not categorize them as "complaints" of ours. However, if you are the kind of person who searches for things to complain about when you visit a hotel, you will probably be able to find a few things at the Fairmont Orchid that the rest of us would overlook. The bedroom was spacious and had a nice balcony. Our room did not face the ocean, but we could still see it from our balcony. The rooms have sliding shutters that you can close while leaving the glass balcony doors open, thereby enjoying the ocean air at night -- a nice touch, we thought. Every staff member we saw was very helpful, from the check-in staff to the bellhops and the custodial staff. Each employee we saw smiled and seemed to make an effort to be friendly to us. The staff alone would justify staying at the Fairmont Orchid. The location of the hotel is in an area about 15 or 20 minutes north of Kona. Kona seems to have most of the tourist attractions on the west side of the island, so expect to have a little bit of a drive to get from the hotel to most of the places you read about in Kona. Not a big deal for us, but it may matter to you. We did not take the time to eat at any of the hotel's restaurants and my wife, to her dismay, did not have time to visit the hotel's spa. Those are the reasons that the spa and restaurants are not included in this review. In conclusion, we were very happy with our brief stay at the Fairmont Orchid and our only regret is that we were not able to stay longer. I would definitely recommend the Fairmont Orchid and the Kohala Coast area to anyone staying on the Big Island in Hawaii.