Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, Hawaii [Master Thread]
 

Just noticed when searching for properties on the Big Island that a CY appears near the harbor downtown. It's actually an older facility but evidently reflagged as a CY.

Anyone knwo the history on this place?

Doesn't look like a terrible location for one or two nights, but definitely not in the same league as a beach resort. I suppose that's why it's a CY.

The old King Kamehameha Hotel has been around a long time. Average property, IMO. Great central location, however. Check TA for reviews.

Any more reports on this? How is their treatment of plats? Are they good about giving ocean views? I don't need a resort hotel, and the rate is very appealing here.

Who can recommend nearby restaurants?

TripAdvisor reviews are here.

Husband is plat and stayed there 2 weeks ago. He was on business and when he checked in they asked if he was on business or pleasure. He answered business and he felt like they were segregating business travellers in one of the buildings away from families and partiers- which he appreciated. He had a higher floor mountain view, standard room.

I stayed there several years ago and this hotel was an average hotel room, with a decent location better known for its private beach and central to most Big Island activities.

I work for the company that owns and manages the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. We have just completed a multi-million dollar renovation and it became a Courtyard in November, 2011. The hotel is located near the Kailua Pier in downtown Kailua-Kona and has a white sand beach. The hotel does have a pool, pool bar and restaurant that looks over Kamakahonu Bay. Please let me know if you have other questions I can answer. I didn't want this message to come off like an advertisement.

coastalcal, welcome to FlyerTalk! It's great to have you admidst us.

Do you have any favorite casual restaurants near the hotel that you recommend?

Any updates on this hotel? I'm looking at the location for a trip in May and would love to hear some feedback. Specifics on Plat. experience would be appreciated.

I am here right now as a plat. This hotel is an easy LNF target and when using LNF, the location/rate cannot be beat (think high $70sw/o breakfast, high $90s with). My rate included breakfast for two but the FD gave me coupons for all three people in my group. I also got upgraded to a "partial ocean view" room, which is indeed VERY partial (i.e. stretch head around balcony railing to barely see water). Breakfast spread is good, but pricey if paying for it out of pocket. Pool bar is delicious with good drinks and reasonable prices. This hotel is definitely the nicest CY I have been to, and definitely has the feel of a FS hotel. Platinum amenity choices were great, I took the chocolate covered macadamia nuts. The have a luau a few times a week, but I think you can buy the tickets for about $49 in town vs from the hotel for $85. I saw it last night but didn't go; it did look fun though!

Excuse my ignorance but how do you "Use LNF?" I am guessing that referes to "Look No Further" but wasn't sure how to "Use" that rate to get the rates you are talking about. I see $135/night with an advanced purchase.

Look for a competitor site with a cheaper rate then fill out the claim form...

I used my CAT4 certs at this property last week and thought it was very nice to be able to redeem them at a waterfront property in Hawaii. I stayed at the King Kamehameha many (over 20) years ago and was very suprised and pleased on how the property had been maintained after the recent rebranding as a Courtyard.

The property has a prime location for the town of Kailua-Kona, at the start of Ali`i Drive and it's hard to miss. Parking is $12 a day, which I thought was reasonable. Budget-minded people might be tempted to park at the adjacent shopping center across Kuakini Highway. The hotel lot is very large and open spaces are easy to find, even when the property is full and a luau is going on.

The lobby suffered flooding from the tsunami in 2011 so everything is recently rennovated. There is a large exhibit of Hawaiian art from local artist Herb Kane and a large koa outrigger canoe on display. There are also three computer terminals with a laser printer for guest use adjacent to check in.

Upon check-in, I was informed that it was the hotel's policy to offer Gold and Platinum Elites a complimentary upgrade to a Partial Ocean View room; however, there were none available with king beds, only twins. I declined the upgrade for the first night and we were placed into a room on the second floor of the West Tower next to the ice machine and overlooking the parking lot. My feeling on this room was that it was something a Priceline guest would normally get. The room itself was fine, with fresh and clean furnishings, but I was glad to move to a Partial Ocean View the next day when one became available. The new room was in the East Tower on the fourth floor and faced Ali`i Drive; there was a bit of road noise with the lanai door open, but it didn't bother us when the door was closed at night. I liked to have the door open in the early morning and watch the sun rise over Hualalai.

Pluses of the rooms, other than the furnishings, was the mini-fridge for keeping drinks and snacks cool and the free wireless internet. Each room also has a sofa with a hide-away twin bed. One thing that was semi-annoying was that the a/c seems to be fixed at a central temperature and you can only control how hard the fan blows. The West Tower room was set around 74 degrees and the East Tower room was closer to 64, which was way too cold. We ended up leaving the a/c off at night and the lanai door open during the day when we were in the room. We stopped at the nearby Safeway to pick up some sodas and water and also bought papayas for breakfast from the farmers' market. The restaurant was happy to give me a breadknife and some spoons from their tableware and the front desk had a supply of paper plates that we made frequent use of.

Another plus is the large ABC convenience store on the ground floor, which is convenient for sundry and souvenir shopping.

We did try Honu's, the restaurant on property, for dinner one night and while it was somewhat pricey ($50 per person), the food and service was very well done and the beachside location is hard to beat. It was a very impressive offering for a Courtyard, IMO. We found it very convenient to walk to some other places to eat; I recommend the Kona Brewing Company and Splashers Grill, both across the street (KBC is a little further). There are a multitude of other restaurants within walking distance.

We found the staff at the hotel to be very friendly and full of aloha spirit which made our stay very pleasant. I'd be happy to redeem CAT4 certs here in the future and would also consider it for a revenue stay as the location makes it a very convenient base of operations for all the sights on the Big Island.

It has been quite a while (actually, way too long) since I have been to the Big Island. Great to know that the King K is now a Courtyard.

Obviously, have not stayed since it became a CY, but I know the location is a good one.

Thanks for the report Flyin. Well done.

Thanks for the update FlyinHawaiian! Much appreciated!

Cheers.

Headed here next week...any updates from PP's?