Hawaii · Island of Hawaiʻi
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel After the Renovation: The Big Island’s 1965 Legend Was Worth the Wait
The Big Island has a treasure of a resort that has just come out of a complete renovation, and having stayed, my only verdict is: the wait was worth it.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel opened in 1965 on a site Laurance Rockefeller chose himself. The renovation touched everything from the rooms to the public spaces, and the old-money character at its core has not changed at all.
The rooms
The rooms have moved to warm earth tones, and floor-to-ceiling glass pulls Kauna‘oa Bay straight into the room. The new bedding is visibly softer — you lie down and do not want to get up. The art on the walls is new too, each piece a nod to Hawaiian culture.
The course really is that beautiful
The biggest surprise of the stay was the Mauna Kea Golf Course. Eighteen holes strung along the coast, with the Pacific in view from every one; palms and black lava as the natural hazards; a sea breeze that is exactly right. Challenging and relaxing at once. The greens are immaculate, the fairways cut like carpet.
The atmosphere
Breakfast on the terrace, waves under the smell of coffee, and time seems to slow. An evening walk along the shore, palm silhouettes against the last light, every casual photo a keeper. This is the unshowy luxury that a lot of new hotels cannot learn.
The pace of the Big Island and the character of Mauna Kea are a perfect match: no itinerary, no checklist, just switching off. Have you played an oceanfront course? Which one had the best views?
Virtuoso benefits and live rates for the hotel are here; for the rest of the Big Island, search the Kohala Coast.
Photographs are my own.
Jay Yan · FlyBest
