The Fairmont Orchid Hawaii

The Fairmont Orchid is a gorgeous, beautiful and luxurious property with immediate beach access and great snorkeling. The location (as most of the other resorts) are 20-40 minutes from the airport and any other facilities and towns. Therefore, if you plan to stay and eat all meals at the Fairmont, it will cost you dearly (for a family of 4). Breakfast prob $55-75, lunch $60-80, dinner $100-125+! Oh, and drinks at the pool are $6-12 each! We ate a few meals there but mostly stocked up at stores (cereal/lunch items and drinks) and traveled 30 minutes for local restaurants. The staff is extremely courteous and everywhere - main complaint is that we had to wait long times between ordering and getting food (usually at the lounge for the "tapas" deserts). Overall, I don't think you will be disappointed but I wish the resort would be sensitive to food/drink prices as I believe they are unreasonable - even for Hawaii.

Our family spent a week at the Orchid and everyone had a great time. The Gold Floor was really worth the upcharge. You have a separate private check-in, drinks throughout the day, food morning and evening and your own concierge for the floor. Plus free valet parking and wireless access. Taking all these benefits into account it makes staying on the Gold Floor a great value. We all really enjoyed the Spa Without Walls and having a massage in a private cabana near one of the resorts waterfalls. Was not very impressed by the spa locker room amenities, but the massage itself was excellent. Overall we had a wonderful time and would go back again.

warm welcome, comfortable beds, K-cup coffee maker with Kona coffee, and unbeatable sunsets made for a wonderful stay. Simple drive from airport. Food was good, especially Halekei dinner with feet in the sand watching the sunset. Would highly recommend and can't wait to go back.

Staff was friendly and helpful. Pool was well maintained.

A great hotel with a beautiful view , beautiful grounds, and luxurious rooms. The downsides are the short and small coastline as well as the cost. Hawaii is known to be expensive but you would think that amenities such as snorkeling gear etc.. could be included with the amount of money each room costs. If you are willing to spend the money a great place to stay

The Fairmont Orchid is absolutley beautiful in the perfect location. You can have a fantastic vacation without ever leaving the resort. The beach is beautiful and the shoreline snorkeling is great. There are many activities to hold the interest of every guest. The staff was friendly and offered outstanding service. The resort is fairly isolated so you must drive roughly 15 minutes to the closest dinning options outside the hotel. The area is pricey, but the Fairmont is extremely high. The lack of more reasonable dining options at the hotel is my only mild complaint, especially for breakfast. The breakfast buffet at the hotel was $30 per person. Overall we felt as though we spent a week in paradise while at the Fairmont Orchid.

My wife and I loved our stay here. They were very accommodating to us for our requests and the staff was generally pleasant and friendly. The grounds are beautiful, well manicured and feel comfortably classy. Everything felt well done and not at all about being gaudy and resort-esque. As an added bonus, green sea turtles often cruise their little rocky bay/beach. Great for a quick snorkeling trip- especially for kids. Our only complaints were that our shower never quite got hot, and that Kohala and Waikoloa are a 45 minute drive from activities based in Kailua-Kona. Our complaints were pretty minor and our 6 day stay felt way too short. We already miss it!

Hotel was nice and clean. The rooms were modern and spacious. The bell staff was great. The property is in a nice location. We traveled here when the kids were younger and really enjoyed the lagoon but the kids are teens now and wanted more of a water sports beach. Snorkeling was good. No surfing or boogie boarding. Sports rentals (paddle boards and kayaks) were limited to use in the small lagoon area. Pool is very nice. We were moved around on the beach and at the pool a number of times due to corporate events. You might want to check the corporate event schedule before you book. The pool deck got quite crowded.

My wife and I really enjoyed our time at this resort.

First, the good stuff -- the hotel property is postcard perfect, thestaff are friendly and helpful, the mango margaritas are addictive, the spa services are top-notch and the small, beach is a rarity on the Big Island. But, there's room for improvement. Unless you plan never to leave the hotel, you'll need a car. Parking at the Fairmont is not cheap (or free like other hotels on the island) -- $17 for self-parking and $22 for valet parking per day. Food, drinks and just about any service that you would want also come with a big price tag. Lastly, walking in the hallways is like stepping into a freezer. Walk fast!