Review: Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay

On my recent trip to Hawaii, my family and I visited the Big Island and stayed at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay.

Prior to the trip, I browsed through the reviews.  Most had been positive, though there was a few common feedback about aging bathrooms.  Still, the Sheraton Kona Resort looked interesting enough that I decided to book our stay there.

Location and Parking

The Sheraton Kona Resort is located about 15 miles — or about a half hour drive — from the Kona (KOA) International Airport.  If you drive to the hotel, you’ll have two parking options: self parking or valet parking.  Either option will cost you. The self parking rate is $15/day, and the valet parking rate is $22/day.

Check-In

We were given welcome shell lei necklaces at check-in. As a Starwood member, I was also given the choice of bonus Starwood points or drink chits.  I opted for the latter and used them at the Holua Poolside Bar and Lounge.

Hotel Room (In Pictures)

The hotel room is great — spacious with soft and comfortable beds. While the bathroom isn’t super modern (after all, not every place can match those heavenly showers), it was perfectly fine.

Room Views

We had 2 rooms for our stay. One was upgraded to the oceanfront view and the other was a “garden” view. Both rooms were on the 4th (top) floor of the Helani Wing.  There are four wings at the resort, and each wing is color-coded.  While the garden view is picturesque, I prefer the ocean view since I get the opportunity to spot manta rays from the lanai!

General Service  

The service here at this hotel is generally fantastic, though we ran into a minor issue when we got back one late evening after visiting the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  There was no valet staff in sight.  It was all sorted out eventually when we called the hotel (from the hotel).   We were instructed to leave the car and bring the key to the check-in area.  The check-in area was also empty, though a staff promptly came out to take the key from us.

Resort Grounds (In Pictures)

The resort is beautiful and well maintained.

On-Site Restaurants

The resort offers several restaurant options.

Resort Fees

The hotel charges a resort fee $31.25 per night, which included the items listed in the picture below.

Activities

There is plenty to do at the resort.  There is a nice, good sized pool at the resort and a recreational/game room with two foosball table, a ping pong table, and a pool table.  Cultural activities (i.e. lei making, ukulele lesson, intro to hula dance) are available and included in the daily resort fees.  I love it – more in a separate post. There is also a manta ray learning center as well.

If you want to get away from the resort, you can visit the concierge desk to book other activities, such as manta ray dives.  The resort fee also includes the use of the Kona trolley, though we didn’t make use of it.

Wrap-Up

Is it resort a perfect 5 stars hotel experience?  Perhaps not. I’d still give it high 4 stars out of 5.  I had a very relaxed stay, and it’s a place I would recommend to family and friends.

IN THE HAWAII TRIP REPORT SERIES:

• How I was Wrong About Hawaii (link)
• My Experience: Giving out Free Roses to Random Strangers (link)
• How to Request Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Tickets (link)
• My First Voluntary Denied Boarding Turned into the Best Airport Days, Ever! (link)
• Hawaiian Airline’s Plumeria Lounge in Honolulu (link)
• My Stay at the Holiday Inn Resort Waikiki Beachcomber (link)
• Review: Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay (Big Island) (current)