economie

I took my mom to Hawaii’s Kona Village resort for $1,765 a night — our stay was almost perfect

October 17, 20240
The staff greeted us upon arrival and already had our room ready.

Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

We landed in Kona around 7:30 a.m. after taking a red-eye from the West Coast. After grabbing breakfast, we took our rental car to the property, which is about 20 minutes north of the airport.

Hotel staff called me the day before to inquire about our estimated arrival time and to see if we needed assistance making restaurant or spa reservations.

Even though the hotel knew we were arriving early, I was still pleasantly surprised our room was ready at 9 a.m. The resort’s managing and room directors, along with the front-desk team, were all on hand to greet us.

We stayed in an ocean-view room that resembled a bungalow.
The bathroom included a huge shower and a stone tub.

David Morris

The rooms felt a bit rustic and were very spacious at 600 square feet. Plus, the beds were supremely comfortable.

Our queen-sized room didn’t feature an outdoor shower like ones with king beds do, but our bathroom was still beautiful and spacious with great shower pressure and a large bathtub.

Kona Village has a very strong sense of place.
We crossed a lava field when walking from the spa’s reception building to the treatment rooms.

Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

The spa was situated adjacent to our room and looked gorgeous.

We toured the facilities, and the walk from its reception building to the treatment rooms across a lava field felt otherworldly.

I love visiting spas while on vacation, but for the first time in as long as I can remember, I ended up not booking an appointment. A 90-minute deep-tissue massage would have cost me nearly $500 with gratuity, which seemed a bit steep.

There were endless tracks of black-sand beach.
I loved spending time at the resort’s pools and hot tubs.

Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

If we got tired of the beach, we’d head over to one of the two pools, which were accompanied by inviting hot tubs.

Whether we set up camp on the beach or in one of the complimentary poolside cabanas, the staff made sure we were well-hydrated. They were also readily available if we wanted to order anything from the bar or kitchen.

We loved the poolside Hawaiian shaved ice and fresh coconuts topped with rum, which were free and served by the resort’s management team.

Breakfast was tasty, but I thought it was a bit overpriced.
We were disappointed with the food at Moana.

Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort

I really wanted to love Moana, the resort’s flagship restaurant. However, our one — and only — dinner here was not great.

At Moana, we started with the $32 grilled octopus, and I felt it was overcooked and tough.

For my entrée, I opted for the $55 shellfish ramen. Although the protein was cooked well, the noodles clumped together and I found the broth to be quite salty.

My mom’s $55 grilled Hawaiian snapper was also disappointing. The fish was placed face-down in mushroom dashi, which she thought was too salty and had a somewhat bitter flavor.

It’s possible the restaurant just had an off service, but we decided to venture out of the resort for dinner the next few nights.

We had better luck dining outside the property — but Kona Village had one casual spot we loved.
I’d love to return to Rosewood’s Kona Village resort in the near future.

David Morris

I had pretty high expectations for Rosewood’s first Hawaiian property, and for the most part, Kona Village hit all the marks. The resort’s location and services may be the best I’ve experienced in Hawaii.

The only real downsides I found were the food at Moana, the breakfast upcharges, and the high prices at the spa.

Other than that, our stay was perfect, and I’d love to return for a long weekend soon.