Hapuna Prince vs. Fairmont Orchid

My husband and I are going to the Big Island over Thanksgiving. I booked us a ocean view room at the Hapuna Prince. I found a better price at the Fairmont (although not an ocean view, a garden view room). I am wondering if I should switch hotels? The Big Island revealved book gave the Hapuna Prince a poor review. Trip Advisor seems to have good reviews for both hotels. My concern is will our room really be ocean view, and are the rooms dated at the Hapuna Prince? I have stayed at the Fairmont in Maui and was very pleased. I am assuming the Fairmont Orchid is the same quality. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Kim

Hapuna Prince vs. Fairmont Orchid

Kim,

Tough call, actually. This will be a personal choice I believe. I have stayed at both and they are both fine, but I didn’t love either of them. Here is the best way to decide:

Hapuna: if you want to be near on the best beaches in Hawaii, this is it. Immediately adjacent to Hapuna Beach State Park, the beach is over a half mile of deep, wide white sand with a decent bottom. Outstanding for a day at the beach. Good pool. Originally designed for Japanese golfers. Much of the artwork comes from the much older Mauna Kea Beach Hotel during their renovation, so it is from the sixties. Decent service, better than average food, though IMO spendy.

Fairmont Orchid: tiny beach, not great. Mostly rocky shore. Good pool. Good service, good food. Usually costs more than I would pay for the hotel. My recollection was the rooms were smaller than the ones at the Prince. Intended to compete in the luxe resort market, but falls short of the FS, KVR an MKB.

Given the ocean view vs. garden view, I would say keep your res. you have now.

Good luck and happy travels!

Hapuna Prince vs. Fairmont Orchid

We loved the Hapuna this past summer. I received an email for special fall rates, so I would check their website and maybe you will get a deal and that will make the decision easier. For us, we always want to stay at or near a natural beach and the Hapuna fit that criteria quite nicely. The pool was very nice, plain, but nice and relaxing. It isn%26#39;t over the top luxurious, but it was very nice. We would stay there again in a heartbeat. Oh, make sure you try to get the buffet breakfast included in your room rate.

Keep in mind ';garden view'; actually might be nothing but ';parking lot view'; as I experienced it once at the Sheraton.

We stayed at the Fairmont Orchid in August and LOVED it. The grounds are beautiful and we loved the pool and beach. The beach is small, but protected by a manmade cove. We had a gardenview room and it had a beautiful mountain view overlooking pretty trees (we were on the 6th floor). The grounds are landscaped with flowering trees and waterfalls. We thought it was pretty luxe, although it wasn%26#39;t the Four Seasons or anything.

I have not been inside the Hapuna Prince hotel, but I have been to Hapuna Beach. It is a public beach, but it looks like the hotel reserves the right side of the beach for its guests. I thought this was a beautiful beach and we had a lot of fun there too. (Although the public facilities are terrible! I shudder just to think of them. Hotel guests obviously wouldn%26#39;t have to use the public facilities though.)

I guess it boils down to your preference. Hapuna Prince is right on/very near Hapuna Beach, which is one of the jewels of the Big Island, but the style of the hotel is very different from the Orchid. I would suggest looking at pictures of the resorts from expedia and tripadvisor and seeing what suits you better.

Hapuna beach is the best beach in Big island (and maui included) for boogie baording. Period. If u enjoy this as much as my husband does, u will have a blast of a time. Though atleast the public portion of the beach can be crowded.

My husband and I are also staying on the Big island over Thanksgiving. I love the Kea Lani - that is where we normally go, but husband wanted to try another island. We debated between Four Seasons, Hapuna, Fairmont, and Mauna Kea, but decided to go with Hapuna. I remember being at Hapuna beach as a kid and always wanted to stay at the ';pretty hotel'; on the beach. lol If anything, you can%26#39;t go wrong with Hapuna Beach being right there. Plus, we were able to upgrade to deluxe ocean view with free nights and get the breakfast included for the best overall price compared to these other resorts.

Lifeisbeautiful,

As much as my family says to drop it, I cannot. ALL of Hapuna Beach is Public. It is a state park. I know the hotel wants people to believe the section of beach near their hotel is theirs, but it is not. %26lt;sigh%26gt; Sorry. Just want to be sure everyone is aware the beach is public. Their beach chairs etc. aren’t, but the beach is.

Good luck and happy travels!