dw

For the Marriott, I found the sand on the beach way too coarse. Also, when I was there last month, the winds were so strong that if you went to the beach, you just ended up being pelted with sand… so there was literally nobody on the beach near the hotel. (Realize this is not a year round occurrence.)

Personally, my favorite beach on that side of the island is Maniniʻowali Beach (Kua Bay), though depending on the day the surf can be quite strong (definitely not for kids)

Smiley90

Same thing happened to us haha. It wasn't great. It was pretty to look at, but nearly everyone just stayed near the pool.

Finkface

To add to my dismal stay here, at breakfast, the server asked for the card for the free continental breakfast. I said I hadn't been given a card. After five trips back and forth asking my name, room number and status, she came back and said sorry, you have to have a card. I said I didn't have one so they should sort it out. A manager came over about five minutes later with the elusive card.

I had chosen the $10 F&B credit in addition to breakfast as detailed above. On my emailed folio, you guessed it, no $10 credit. I went to the front desk to check out and said I had chosen the $10 credit but it hadn't been applied. She looked and said well, you have to give them the card for it to be applied and showed me a printed card as an example. I said no one had given me any card (neither that one nor the breakfast card) but I had chosen the benefit as she could see and could she please just apply it for me. She said again that I should have used the card (which I never got!) and said "I can't just give you $10 off your bill" in a pretty snarky tone. I said she better figure it out so she silently typed away, printed something off and wordlessly handed me a new folio with the $10 credit applied. Really, really poor service from check in to check out coupled with a horrible, dark room on the ground floor where I had to have all the lights on at 9am, that's how dark the room was. I definitely can't recommend this hotel in the slightest.

Now at the Courtyard King Kamehameha and a polar opposite in terms of service. Lovely staff, beautiful, large, ocean front room and a much nicer hotel with a great lobby full of Hawaiian history and a wonderful, welcoming atmosphere. Really nicely updated rooms as well.

DELee

I'd generated the following graphic a few years back but it appears to have disappeared upthread so pulling it from my hard drive since FT albums isn't working right:

And, yes, the sand at this beach is coarse but more plentiful than the CY but at the CY it is literally outside the back of that hotel. Here you have to walk multiple hundreds of feet to get to/from the beach.

David

p.s. Here's the property map from our visit:

DELee

FWIW, here's a Google 3D view of the CY and its beach from my post over in the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, Hawaii [Master Thread] thread:

So, yes, if you want a much more urban feel, the CY has that. For the more resort-ish feel, the Marriott is closer to that condition. And of course other Marriott properties on the Big Island such as Mauna Kea has an even nicer beach but likely more expensive or the former Sheraton Keauhou which has no beach.

​​​​​​​David

Kacee

Those going to the Big Island should be aware that the island itself is a big hunk of relatively new (in geologic time) black lava with only a handful of nice beaches.

If you want a beach resort experience on the Big Island, choose the Mauna Kea or the Westin Hapuna, both of which are situated on gorgeous beaches. Otherwise, choose a different island.

wahoyaho

I also did not receive the elite breakfast vouchers at check-in. I went back to the front desk and got them. Also asked about the guest compensation. They had to check with the manager, but he wasn't there.
The next day got a call saying that I can go to the front desk any time to pick up my $100 dollars. At the same time, asked about the replacement benefit for wifi and was credited back $18.95 per night.

tikrasltu

Going there in a month (end Jan) - any latest reports on expected capacity, elite treatment, plat/titanium benefits?

NationalChamps2015

The beaches on the Big Island are every bit as nice if not nicer than beaches in say Maui. Hapuna or Mauna Kea are terrific spots, but there is nothing at all wrong with the beach at the Marriott. As a matter of fact, I prefer the beach at the Marriott at the Big Island as opposed to Ula beach at the Marriott in Maui. Way longer walk, no beach chairs and more crowded.

NationalChamps2015

BTW there is no comparison between the Courtyard King Kamehameha and the Marriott on the Big Island. Location, beach, rooms, pool etc. the Marriott has it beat.