Yucky

It looked so nice from the website we decided to stay here for our honeymoon. Well, we took one look at our corner king honeymoon room and left. There are water stains on the ceiling and they have to tape down the rug in the outside corridors with duct tape! The outdoor corridors smelled like a laundrymat since the laundrymat was on the bottom floor. This might be a better hotel for low budget, non-honeymoon types.

Excellent

Just spent 9 nights here and was totally satisfied. Very clean rooms and helpful staff. They even called one day when we had been on the other side of the Island overnight to make sure everything was OK. I would definately go there again. I was shocked to see all the negative reviews. It's within walking distance of all the touristy shops and the view from our room, an ocean view room, was fantastic. Good parking and you get a discount after so many nights. we needed a third set of towels and had them within 5 minutes of arriving. MAHALO Royal Kona and staff.

Hmmm

If you like paying alot of money for motel 6 quality then this hotel is for you. The room was not very clean, there was no fan in the bathroom(at least not one that worked anyway), and everything seemed like it needed updating. I would highly recommend looking for somewhere else to stay.

Good value for area

We stayed here 3 nights Jan'03. Although the hotel was sold out, many rooms were still available via the internet for $99/night, garden view. The hotel's location is a very convenient 10 minute walk from Kailua's restaurants and shops. It sits right on the water and has a great salt water pool adjacent to the hotel with it's own breakwater. While the hotel states it's been rennovated, it's not "3 star" quality. The hotel has a large center building and two smaller side buildings. Room condition in the latter was fair. Our room had some ceiling and wallpaper blemishes, dark florescent lighting, small blankets, weak a/c, variable shower water temperature, no hair dryer or ironing board, and inoperative alarm clock. The bathroom floor had cigarette burns, baseboard gaps along the wall, shower curtain was old, and cheap toiletries. Our room wasn't cleaned until late afternoon. The pool was closed for rennovation. The restaurant was pricey compared to the many choices available a short walk away. The hotel's prime location and reasonable cost, relative to the area, are its saving graces...

Ordinary

We stayed at the Royal Kona Resort in August 2001. After coming from a fantastic hotel in Waikiki, this hotel was a total wake up call! The porters didnt offer to take our luggage and the reception staff were blunt & rude - no happy welcome smiles thats for sure. We had asked for an inter-connecting room which we didnt get and ended up climbing over the balcony each time to reach our other family members. The rooms were furnished old fashioned and in serious need of a face lift (which I believe they have since done). The bathroom room was mouldy, cramped and small and the safe in the wardrobe didnt work. The buffet breakfast was very exciting either. Most of the hot food was cold and you have to be careful of the birds flying around inside - they will steal your food off the plate !! The Luau dinner is a good experience and the food & cocktails served there were very nice. The Hotel is in a convenient place to walk into Kona for shopping and other eateries, but all in all it needs a serious renovation done & friendlier staff.

Fantastic!

Best location on the Big Island. Great Breakfast.

Park for free on the street. Walking distance to

most resturants and shops.

No swimming beach. (Beach 10 yards long)

Pay max $90 included breakfast.

Not exactly "royal"

Just returned from the Big Island and a stay at the Royal Kona Resort. Like the other reviews say, the location is great, but here's what you get as far as lodging:

--Very 60's-70's decor. The whole hotel is in need of renovations very badly. We were in the Beach House section, and the carpet was literally taped together in some spots.

--Rooms are extremely dark. Even with every light on in the place, it was hard to read.

--Ancient mini fridge that still said Hilton on it.

--Poor service. We called twice for more towels (they give you two) and finally had to go to the front desk ourselves to get them.

--Common areas are very dated, peeling paint, dirty, etc. The whole hotel needs a good cleaning and painting. If they would just spend some money on renovations, they would really have something because the location is great.

--Be prepared to pay $7 a day for hotel parking. (Not mentioned on the website)

--Breakfast buffet is gross.

All in all, I wouldnt recommend this property unless you get a really low rate (we paid $89 a night, including breakfast) We saw lots of cute little B&B's on our travels around the island, and I wish we would have explored that option.

Royal Kona review

We stayed at the Royal Kona on the last night of our vacation. The hotel has a great location but was a little seedy in my estimation. I had read several reviews of this hotel mentioning a recent renovation. I have to wonder what the place must have looked like prior.

Our room on the 7th floor had a partial ocean view (even though we paid for a full one) and 2 large water stains on the ceiling, one of which cascaded down the wall. The price of the room though was very reasonable.

When we arrived we had a couple of odd tasting Mai Tai's (maybe we were drinking detergent) and ordered lunch. Our waitress barely spoke English and delivered me some sort of fish sandwich after I had ordered the pork one. I ate it anyway.

The pool is very small and is surrounded by some ancient indoor outdoor carpeting which looks like it should be replaced. I found the water a little milky but swam in it just the same. There is a saltwater lagoon nearby. Wear water shoes because the lava is sharp.

I thought the breakfast buffet was a disappointment and would never do that again. After seeing all the grease in the soggy bacon tray I had to wonder in the Royal Kona was somehow in cahoots with local cardiologists and was trying to supply them with business through their buffets. There are some better places in town. For dinner go to Huggo's which is right next door to the Royal Kona. The food, drinks, atmosphere is fantastic. We thought the Ocean View Inn restaurant down the street was pretty cool too. That's where a lot of the locals go.

At the foot of the elevator right next to where you are repeatedly solicited to visit time shares (we'll give you a $100 voucher at Wal-Mart just for taking a tour!) there is a pot belly pig that my kids liked petting. If you go there with kids they will probably bug you to get them a pot belly pig afterwards.

Update on the Royal Kona

Having just returned from a third visit to the Royal Kona, I'd like to fully endorse and expand on what "Mark, Kansas" wrote in his March 6th review.

The Royal Kona is indeed ideally located oceanfront on the south edge of the town of Kailua, making dozens of shops, bars and restaurants readily accessible via a relaxed two-to-ten minute stroll.

Rates are relatively inexpensive, particularly when compared to the luxury five-star resorts up the coast in North Kona and Kohala. The gorgeous Kona sunsets are, of course, identical.

While there's no doubt that the property is an older one (old-timers in town still call it the "Old Hilton") it has very recently been renovated, with new beds, carpets and furniture.

An ideal location, beautiful views, reasonable rates, friendly staff and recent renovations make the Royal Kona awfully tough to beat as a great value in Hawaii. I've been to the Hawaiian islands nine times and simply haven't found a better deal anywhere. Aloha!

Great Price and Location

Great location, walking distance to about anything that is worth seeing or doing in Kailua-Kona. The staff were very friendly and informative about the area. I have stayed there on two different ocasions for ten days and will be there again this year (2002). Nice resort for kids and adults alike.