Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

“Amazing resort and staff”

We stayed two nights at Kona Village, left to visit Hilo for 3 nights and returned for one more night. We were warmly greeted upon arrival each time. The resort is absolutely stunning but equally as impressive is the gracious and professional staff who go out of their way to make you feel welcomed … more

We stayed two nights at Kona Village, left to visit Hilo for 3 nights and returned for one more night. We were warmly greeted upon arrival each time. The resort is absolutely stunning but equally as impressive is the gracious and professional staff who go out of their way to make you feel welcomed and taken care of throughout the day. Of course we go back ten years with the manager Daniel and assistant manager Jose Maria so love seeing them, but we’re also impressed with many other staff members including some who had previously worked at Mayakoba, one of our favorite Rosewoods. Top notch resort with a beautiful location great for viewing the sunset.

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“Kona Village-- a very special place.”

Everything at Kona Village, Big Island was wonderful. From the smallest touches-- comfy sheets and towels, fluffy pillows, the recommended reading book on our night stand (Stoner), refilling the ice bucket every night are examples. Kona Village is made up of individual Halles, cabins. We loved tha… more

Everything at Kona Village, Big Island was wonderful. From the smallest touches-- comfy sheets and towels, fluffy pillows, the recommended reading book on our night stand (Stoner), refilling the ice bucket every night are examples. Kona Village is made up of individual Halles, cabins. We loved that privacy. As far as our Halle--we loved the outdoor shower, loved the patio, loved the ample closet and drawer space, and loved the hanging bed on the patio. We were told they were at 85% capacity the days we were there; but you never felt like it. It was quiet, peaceful and slow paced. The mountain side view of the lagoon side offered us beautiful sunrises every morning. Housekeeping was amazing, they actually cleaned; not just made beds and checked the bar. There was a good bit of walking on unpaved roads; which was fine (and helped work off the malasadas that I had every morning) but people should be prepared for that. Many times staff would stop and offer us rides on their golf carts. As far as staff goes, they were consistently outstanding. From remembering your name, or how you liked your coffee, to making sure you knew keiki food service was free (which was a pleasant surprise) to the cabana service-all were well trained and eager to be helpful. Special shout out to the guys at Kilo Kai. They are phenomenal. We took advantage of the fishing, snorkeling and canoeing activities. They are a fun crew (Cam and Pooh) who go out of their way to be helpful. Daniel, the manager, was amazing. He added so much to our stay. I feel like he sets such a high bar for staff to emulate. We bumped into him several times and always had a great conversation and learned more about Hawaii. He's helped us become Rosewood fans. The daily activities make Kona village a truly special place. The shave ice days were delicious and those gals were fun too. We took advantage of the cocktail class featuring three mai tai recipes. Eric, the barkeep, was quite educational. (They have 5 different sizes of ice at Kona village -who knew?) We often don't fully appreciate a truly educated, experienced bartender and Eric definitely was one. I could have stayed there at Shipwreck all night if I didn't have some where else to be. Guest services they shared special features of Kona Village that they love. Three of my family members used the spa. My son and daughter-in-law did the couples massage and loved it, especially the champagne following their massage. My son said he could move his neck in a way that he hasn't been able to in quite a while. I appreciate all that Rosewood does/did to preserve the sacred places on site. We went to the resort's cultural center and learned about the history of the resort (before the tsunami) and about the petroglyphs. In speaking with the manager, Daniel, we learned even more about how Rosewood strives to use local resources/providers as much as possible. He even arranged for an individual tour for one of my sons to learn more about Kona's solar capacities and water conservation programs. That's not just being nice, that's genuinely caring for Rosewood, the island and your clients. We usually don't linger on site at a resort but at Kona you almost don't need to leave. The snorkeling was so special. It literally is right off the beach. No tour, no getting on a boat. Beautiful fish right there. It was magical. We went every day our schedule would allow. I do have to say the food opportunities were a bit limited. Maybe it was the time of the year? No sushi at the Shipwreck Bar which I had read about and was looking forward to. But the smoked oysters and Brussel sprouts at Kahuwai Cookhouse were incredible. We don't usually go back to somewhere we've already visited, but I'm pretty sure, in this case, we will. The island, the weather, the people, the resort--all were wonderful. Kona Village is indeed a very special place.

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