Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort

Older but rooms were nice and a good value. Food _​breakfast was decent. The absolute best part was the snorkeling. Some if the best we have seen. Huge variety of sealife. You just need to go out farther away from the masses of people that stay close.

Like a page out of paradise.
I came here for my honeymoon and we got a room overlooking the south side where the ruins are. On a clear day where the sea water reflects the perfect blue shade, and the palm trees are swaying here and there, it was picture perfect.
Under the hotel, is a tide pool you can spot turtles.
Housekeeping was on top of what we asked for.
When we had issues with our door cards, the front desk sent guys up and our card issue was resolved within minutes.
Our room was clean and spacious. Balcony was wide enough. Room was what was advertised. Bathrooms clean and no issues at all.
Favorite part of the hotel, on the other side of the pool on the north end, you can walk right onto a beach that is PERFECT for snorkeling. I thought he snorkeling here was better than hanuama bay on Oahu. The reef is different yes, but the fish I saw were more colorful and more plentiful. I saw a turtle beach itself on the same beach, Keauhou Beach.
The hotel resort is a short drive from what is considered «down town» Kona.
Why not five stars, I had to pay for parking. Why parking fees is not included in the room rate is beyond me.
I would stay here again!

Really amazing hotel to stay at especially since it’s right next to a really great snorkeling place. We came to Hawaii to go snorkeling period. It was so nice to be right next to a highly recommended place to snorkel! We were able to go snorkel whenever we wanted throughout the day. The service was awesome and if I was ever hungry I could head over the the shack near the beach or to the bar at night. They have activities and shows for guests at night near the bar, so it’s really nice. We actually wanted to go back to the big island and this hotel when we left and stayed in Waikiki. We missed the relaxation feel and missed not seeing a million tourists everywhere we went. I would definitely come back to stay here in the future, maybe for a vow renewal which is COMPLIMENTARY and free to guests.

If you’re staying in Kona, Keauhou Beach Resort has the essential niceties you need, at a price that’s very reasonable. We got a standard room for $ 99/​night, and since we were on our honeymoon, we got a free upgrade to a king-​size bed, a better view of the ocean, and a small gift.
Beautiful grounds:
The ground floor has a very open-​air feel: the front desk, dining areas and lounging areas are open to the outside air. The resort is on the shoreline, and right next door are some large, sacred cultural stone structures that are fun to explore. At night, there’s a garden walkway that’s lit up by torches that’s great for a romantic stroll. In the morning, the slow rolling of the waves is a welcome sight, especially when the sun is out from behind the clouds and bringing out vibrant colors.
Beautiful rooms:
Every room has a balcony. Our room was very spacious and felt homely. We had a mini-​fridge, desk and chair, wicker chair, a separate sink area with a large counter, and a closet with sliding full-​length mirror doors. We had a square shower/​tub that had one corner that functioned as a seat.
Good amenities:
There’s a free hot breakfast everyday with potatoes, eggs, oatmeal, toast, juice, coffee and fruit. There are tennis courts, a workout room, a pool and hot tub, laundry room, gift shop, nice restaurant, and a bar and grill on-​site. There’s free high-​speed wired internet in every room with an Ethernet cable provided. There’s free WiFi on the ground floor only.
There’s an internet station near the front desk where you can pay to use the internet and print stuff. Printing airline boarding passes is free.
Nice programs:
There are cultural classes available daily. A free Hawaiian language class is offered every morning. We found this class very helpful in learning how to pronounce Hawaiian words and learning the cultural meaning behind common words like «aloha» and «mahalo».
The not as good:
I have only a couple minor nitpicks about Keauhou. Parking is $ 10/​day. There’s no WiFi in the rooms, and the TV in our room was not a flatscreen. Upon our arrival, I noticed some minor dirty streaks on the sink. These issues were pretty insignificant for us.
Keauhou is no Hilton, but it’s got a lot of niceties that I wasn’t expecting for the price we paid. The staff was always pleasant. It’s unfortunate that this place will be closing in October (
). If you have the chance, stay at this awesome place before it’s too late.

I am sooooo sad this place is closing and being torn down. We’ve stayed here at least 4 or 5 times, and it’s just a cool place.
As I write this review I’m sitting on my balcony watching the turtles, eels and fish swim by!!! From my balcony!!! Where else can you do that???
I wish all the staff & their families good luck in their new adventures, and thank everyone at the Keauhou Beach Resort for their Aloha!
You will be greatly missed!!!

We have been coming here for many years. Stunning views, amazing grounds, good staff, friendly! I hope they keep this place the way it is forever. It really can’t get better than it already is. Especially for this price. Super cool Old School Hawaii Vibe here. Aloha at da’ max in Keauhou!

This is my first night here, found out they have a gym. So far the customer service sets the standard high. We paid a lot of extra $ to have the best, at first they were going to have near the back of the resort. He could tell I was too pleased. So we met half way. I was pleased with the accommodations.
They have a laundary service or if you bring some change. Then you could work out while the laundry if getting done.
Tip: If you have 3 days, spend one day one the west side, one day on the North side, and one day on the East side. We spent most of our time driving, we did manage to cover all but the interior which is highly protected anyway. I will get to that later.
They have a presentation for newcomers, it is very useful if this was your first time on the island. We had already made a trip around the island (scared us half to death) so it wasn’t as beneficial. The surrounding area is next to is (I believe) ritual grounds to the south, and a beautiful park to the North.
This is a must do again, but only for one night. We visited other hotels. This offers more of a culture atmosphere. There are others that are a LITTLE bit nicer but not by much. So the $ spent here was worth every penny.
The only thing this place needs to do is upgrade the TV and a some maintenance.
See my other reviews in my list for more information on what to do or Not do.

When we first checked in we were in for a bit of a shock. We booked with Orbitz and kept requesting a ocean view room but in was never put through. Lesson #1 If you are booking with a company like Orbitz call the hotel itself to make sure you get the room you want. Thankfully the clerk at the front desk was full of Aloha! He said «Wait a minute I will be your friend ». He found us a room over looking the water. Yay!
Lesson #2 The first day you get there try to go to the free orientation from the activity director. You will learn a lot of valuable bits of information that I wish I knew earlier. For example: Don’t drive on Saddle Rd at night when leaving Hilo. That was one of the most scariest nights of my life!
There is also a breakfast buffet every morning starting at 6am. They have eggs, cereal, Portuguese sausage (sometimes), rice, french toast, pancakes (you must try the coconut syrup. so good!). They also have orange juice, milk, coffee and a variety of fruits. Lesson #3 Don’t leave your food unattended because there are these little chubby faced birds that wait till you leave to eat your food. It never happened to me but I’ve seen it a lot.
The room was basic but it had a great view! The bed was comfy but the room could use some new carpet. The free Wifi is a bit slow so you may be better off tethering off your phone.
Writing this review makes me miss this place ! We had a lot of fun and the staff is so helpful and accommodating!

This is for, specifically, the Kalanikai Bar which is part of the overall resort.
My bride and myself were there for drinks one night and while strolling the outdoor garden area we heard the most amazing music coming from Kalanikai Bar & Grill building. We thought it was a CD being played louder than normal there but we got closer and it was live music from two harpists. Whoa, how often do you see that sort of thing especially in this fantastic ocean side setting? We went in to see them and ended up staying for the entire performance. The bar was open and the service was great! It was like we stepped into this magical thing by accident.
Kudos to Kalanikai Bar! If this place has more live music like this, I definitely recommend you check it out. It is such a breath of fresh air from the usual ukulele/​mediocre pop you tend to get at the night spots on the coast. CHEERS!

What a nice change from the Hilton in Waikola!
My husband and I were on the big island for our honeymoon for the first 5 days and unfortunatley only one night here. We loved it! It is right on the ocean– great view from the lovely room. We arrived fairly late and were leaving first thing in the morning, so was not able to enjoy everything the hotel had to offer. It was just far enough away from Kailua-​Kona to give it a nice relaxed feel! The staff was very friendly and helpful. We had a VERY noisy family next to us, which was fine when we arrived and the minimal time we spent in the room but late at night when we called the front desk to let them know– they addressed the issue immediately.
The breakfast was very nice– good variety!
We would have given this a 5 star but the restaurant and bar close early and are VERY SLOW!!! We sat down at a table to watch the sunset and got our first drink. It was not an absurb price for a resort… We quickly drank it as we developed a thirst from all of our traveling :) We waited at least 20 more minutes before we were acknowledged by the waitress. And we got a drinks about 10 minutes after that… once we finished those, we were not asked again if we wanted something for almost 20 more minutes– even after flagging down the waitress… by the time she came back by we just asked for the check… it was just silly to wait that long, especially since the place wasnt that big and there were not that many people. It took forever to get our check (another 20 minutes or so), so I walked up to the bar to pay our bill… that is not what I would expect from a resort bar!!! Everything else was lovely!

This was a great hotel.
I booked it through priceline and got a great deal on airfare and a week at this resort. I was there on business and it was a great hotel to stay at. It is isolated enough that there is actually a great deal of privacy from the town of Kailua-​Kona, but close enough that everything is within a ten minute drive. It has a wonderful reef brimming with life that you can go navigate at anytime. Great place to stay for snorkeling. Everything was great here except that everything shuts down early, however i wont deduct for that, as that is the way the entire town is.

We really loved this hotel.
Location: It’s right on the ocean, and just far enough away from Kailua-​Kona that you feel like you’re out in the countryside a bit. It is also right next to a public beach that is not very crowded and perfect for an introduction to snorkeling. I recommend renting your gear from Miller’s Surf, which is a couple miles north on Ali’i, and then using the nice public beach. There is also a shopping center at the top of the hill above the resort with a grocery store (nice for stocking the fridge in your room), movie theater, and several local restaurants with plenty of free parking.
Service: Everyone here is super nice and willing to help with anything you need. The desk staff is courteous and helpful. The restaurant staff was nice, even being in the thick of dealing with the Ironman crowd. There is a very nice woman who does cultural education programs almost every day at the hotel and she is extremely friendly and personable. The more I talked to her, the more I was amazed by her experience and knowledge of Hawaiian culture.
Amenities: They have free breakfast every day! Just wanted to get that out of the way. Not the crappy excuse for breakfast they might have at a Holiday Inn Express, but a real, big-​time, breakfast buffet. Eat big in the morning and let it tide you over until mid-​afternoon. Other than that, the hotel was built in the 60’s and, frankly, could use a bit of updating. There are no flat-​screen TVs and the rooms do not have wifi. But really – are you here to watch TV and play on the internet? If so, you’d better re-​examine your priorities. The rooms are clean, the views terrific, and you can always get your wifi fix down in the lobby area. There is a pool, but it’s sort of weak. Better to walk a few yards down to the beautiful public beach. The lounge overlooks the ocean and serves drinks and a limited menu every night. There is frequently live entertainment!
Overall a great value and a superb hotel if you are looking for a down-​to-​earth place to enjoy your vacation. No ultra-​slick resort experience here, but clean rooms, nice people, lots of culture and nature, and… free breakfast!

Location is 5 star and the rooms are 2 star. I would actually stay here as it kinda motivates to stay out of your room (not that you need any motivation) in this beautiful island.
Wi-​fi is free only in the lobby and not in the rooms which is funny to me in this day and age.

I was mighty pleased, this trip being funded by Continental miles and all. A fantastic crash pad for those who are not stuck on high-​end luxury but still like paradise. The view is amazing, the staff is wonderful, the fitness center is well-​outfitted, you can see sea turtles from the bar, it’s off the strip but close enough if you rent a car, and my room was well-​worn but comfortable. I was here to see the island, not the hotel grounds; but my experience of this hotel was surprisingly delightful.

My boyfriend & I stayed here on our recent trip to Kona. Overall, the hotel was reasonably nice, but after reading the glowing reviews here and on TripAdvisor, it was somewhat of a disappointment.
TURTLES: Normally I don’t start a hotel review with the category «turtles», but this was one of our main reasons for selecting this hotel, and we (perhaps unreasonably) expected to see them all over the place. We didn’t see a single turtle at the hotel, despite walking along the beach and wading in the tide pools looking for them several times. I don’t know if I was misled or we were supremely unlucky, but after reading the reviews I expected the hotel too be swarming with turtles and it was very disappointing not to see any. (Fortunately we did see some while snorkeling at the nearby Kahuluu Beach Park, but we didn’t need to stay at this hotel to do so). On our last day, I did hear a concierge tell someone that the turtles had been scared away by the tsunami, and if that’s the case it’s hard to fault the hotel. Still, it was a huge disappointment, especially since the hotel has pictures and decorations of sea turtles everywhere — it felt like they were rubbing in our face that they didn’t have any :(
VIEW: This was another area that was a disappointment. We paid for a partial ocean view, and the booking package promised a one-​category upgrade. When I asked about the upgrade at the front desk they said we got the upgrade. When we got to our room it was definitely partial ocean view and not full ocean view. I checked with the front desk and they said our upgrade was from standard to partial, not partial to full, although I definitely paid for partial (it says so in my confirmation email). The room did have a nice view of the ocean, but it was ruined by this huge cement structure that is the roof of another part of the hotel. See pic here:
I’m not sure if the full ocean views are better, but honestly, the partial ocean view was pretty ugly and I wish I hadn’t paid $ 20 per night for it.
GROUNDS: The grounds of the hotel were quite nice. We really enjoyed lying in the hammock and watching the sun set behind the palm trees and playing in the lagoon and tide pools. Although there were no turtle sightings, we did see an eel, some spiny sea urchins, and a whole bunch of tropical fish, including a kihi kihi (moorish idol) in the tide pools. It was nice to eat breakfast overlooking the lagoon.
POOL: The hotel pool was very unimpressive. I know that’s not the highlight of the hotel, but it was the kind of small square pool that you have at cheap chain hotels, with no hot tub or deep area. It was especially sad after we visited the Sheraton for the manta ray viewing and saw their awesome pool complex. There was also a serious lack of chairs at the pool, which was frustrating. We would have liked to spend a bit of time at the pool, but didn’t because it was so blah.
BREAKFAST: The complimentary breakfast buffet was fairly mediocre, but for free it’s hard to complain. There were eggs, either home fries or hashbrowns, either french toast or pancakes and either bacon or sausage every day as well as toast and cereal. I liked the hash browns and french toast pretty well, the pancakes were terrible. My boyfriend was more disappointed with the breakfast than me — he wished they had something like muffins or bagels.
SERVICE: The service was uniformly good. The people at the front desk were very nice. My boyfriend cut his toe on some coral and they had some band-​aids and antibiotic ointment. There was no conditioner in the rooms (so weird) but I asked and they gave me some for free. I also heard the concierge/​activity person talking to people and she seemed very friendly & knowledgeable.
LOCATION: The location was great for us. It’s next to one of the best snorkeling beaches on the island (the only place we ended up snorkeling because it was so good). Fortunately this beach is now open as of 3÷21÷2011. I can’t even imagine how disappointed we would have been had that beach been closed. The hotel is about 5 miles from downtown Kailua Kona, which was a good distance for us — away from the activity and traffic but close enough to go in for dinner every night without much hassle.
ROOM: My boyfriend thought the room itself was fairly dumpy. I thought it was decent. It was generally clean and comfortable, although not much nicer than your typical Comfort Inn or something like that. I was not expecting luxury, and I was satisfied. They bed was a queen instead of the king we were promised. The bathroom was also very weird. It had a nice marble vanity area, but the bathroom was tiny & just a toilet/​shower stall (no tub).
I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to staying at an Outrigger resort in the future, but I don’t think I’d seek them out above other hotels.

Stayed here on my first trip to the islands. Was a great stay, had a convenient walk way to another hotel just a few minutes away. Its been a few years but I remember seeing sea turtles on the walk as well.
A huge koi pond that you could enjoy from several parts of the resort.
Would absolutely stay there again.

This is a three star place with a five star view. Stay here if you snorkel — you’re right across the way from one of the best spots in Kona. Stay here if you want to be right on the beach, and I mean overlooking the water — I saw a sea turtle scoot by our first night. Stay here if you like watching the sunset at the bar. Stay here if you’re a little shy to put on the bikini because I’m telling you, you’ll feel hawt. Average age of inhabitants: 66. Average weight: 185.
But do not stay here if you’re a clean freak. The nice maids would minimally tidy up our room each day, leaving the tub untouched. I’m telling you, that tub had not been scrubbed since 2007. A dirty mug sat on the fridge for two days until I brought it down to the buffet to bus.
Also, give it a pass if you’re into the fancypants hotel experience. The TV (although who watches TV in paradise?) was late model 1995, and the décor was ticky tacky. The screen door didn’t work, and the handle was coming off the bathroom. (This was the weirdest bathroom ever. Square tub. Sliding door. Bizarre). And if you stay a week, you will want to throw the same plate of eggs and pancakes and bacon and pineapple across the room after awhile. The buffet breakfast is nice and all — but there was not a change to the menu, except running out of Raisin Bran. The food is not a big draw here.
Finally, avoid if you don’t have a car. You’ll be stranded. Just fair warning. Not to mention a staff that isn’t what I’d call enthusiastic, although some are very nice.
But the pluses are big, too. We had a Deluxe Oceanview room at what amounted to $ 125 a night. Our view was lovely. The sound of the waves rocked us to sleep. We practically ran into sea turtles the first time we snorkeled. The property is quiet and pretty. The rooms are large (except for that bizarre bathroom.)
All in all, I kind of loved it here. But then again, I’m not a clean freak.

A fantastic, beautiful hotel. The rooms are gorgeous, and I got a nice view of the ocean. The hotel bar/​restaurant actually sits on the bay, affording an amazing view at sunset. There’s a complimentary breakfast, with everything from fresh fruit to pancakes.
I booked through American Express travel, and got a great deal.

This was a wonderful experience. At check-​in, my girlfriend somehow finagled an upgrade to a corner room (sure, it was a Tuesday off-​season, but we warmly appreciated the gesture), so that we got a wraparound balcony with a view of the ocean AND the lagoon below. Thanks to that, we enjoyed a great sunset and many peaceful moments watching the sea turtles in the lagoon. Thanks to the open veranda doors, there were also several types of birds and lizards flitting through the room which was a cool touch.
The next day we decided to chuck our plans and stay an extra night. We could not keep the same room, but, amazingly, the same front-​desk lady hooked us up with an identical upgraded room on the other side of the hotel, on a different floor. So this time we got a view of the ocean, the beach, and the pool area.
We spent plenty of time by the pool both days, and it was never too crowded or rowdy (good for me who wanted to read, not swim). No drinks allowed on the pool deck but there was a beach bar adjacent, where we enjoyed the customary giant fruity umbrella drinks once or, um, five times.
The location was good, a few miles outside of town but convenient enough by car. The room quality was not the Ritz, but well within expected range for the price and overall very enjoyable.

If you’re a sea turtle worshipper like me, you’ve found the right place. Initially, the turtles were our primary reason for selecting this Outrigger, but over the course of our stay, we became more and more pleased with this hotel in its entirety. It’s not a five-​star resort next to the Fairmont, Mauna Lani, etc up on the Kohala coast, but our stay here definitely deserved a five-​star rating.
The hotel was purchased by the local school district last year, which is great news to them. They’ve recently renovated the entire building and are now constructing new facilities for the marine research projects. After all, this hotel is located adjacent to the island’s BEST snorkeling beach, Kahaluu Bay Beach Park. Go for a walk or swim in the morning to see a variety of fish and of course, the sea turtles. You will find many wonders there!
ROOMS & FACILITIES: The hotel is superbly well maintained. We were on the very top floor (7^th) with an ocean view. We loved it, especially at sunset. The place has it all — the beach, gym, massages, salon, laundry room, bars (two of them), restaurant, pool & jacuzzi, tennis courts, complimentary internet access in every room, self or valet parking, snorkel rentals, etc. The Expedia activity desk can be extremely helpful as they hold an introductory seminar on your first day to provide you with maps, tour options and a bunch of other valuable information… like where the «locals» hang out. Amanda, the Expedia rep, is one of the most energetic, cheerful and resourceful guides you can work with.
SERVICE: Excellent service… except for some restaurant staff, which I won’t go into details. The people at the front desk were really friendly and accommodating. For example — since our flight was leaving late at night, they provided us with a complimentary room, available for an hour at anytime after check out, so that we could head to the beach and come back later to shower, clean up, etc.
LOCATION: This hotel would be great for anyone who wants a more relaxed, not so populated environment. For major activities/​nightlife, you’ll have to make a five-​mile drive up to downtown Kailua-​Kona, but that isn’t so bad. Plus, there’s a large shopping mall (Keauhou Shopping Center) down the street from the hotel you can even walk to.
In sum, I’d recommend this hotel to anyone who enjoys having a little bit of everything.