Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii

Our Family of 8 ranging from 91 years to 13 really enjoyed our stay. At the beach Chelsea, Aaron, Jayden and the recreation crew set us up in the perfect location and provided snorkel gear and towels. Hale Kai servers/service was outstanding and the food was an hit with everyone. Our rooms were incredible! The beds and pillows super comfortable!

We had the good fortune to make this trip with our son's family over the New Year's holiday. Everyone had a good time at the beach, pool and surrounding adventures. The Big Island has the most to do of any of the islands. We particularly enjoyed seeing the erupting volcano which put on a good show while we were there. Star gazing was fun as was snorkeling with manta rays. The rooms were very nice - spacious with good views. They do need more drawer space if you are staying more than 2 or 3 days. The hotel is very big so there is a lot of walking particularly from the north tower. I'd suggest staying at the south tower nearer the beach and on the south side of the building to avoid all day sun. The bathrooms need towel bars near the sink and toilet exhaust fans but otherwise were fine. The biggest plus was that the restaurants were very good if a bit expensive. Even so the wine choices were fine for the price unlike our dinner at Mana Lani's Canoe House which were ridiculous. All our meals were delicious and varied enough for teenage boys. The boys also loved the beach area viewing fish, swimming in the surf and paddle boarding. Service was very good and universally friendly. It is a well run place and in good condition.

We went over the Christmas holiday. Overall we really enjoyed our trip - was very good but not perfect. Pros: beautiful property, gorgeous landscaping, kept very clean, exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, great pool, fun extra activities on property. The young guys who ran the activities were terrific (kudos to the two guys at beach shack, and the main bartender). Hotel left everyone little gift bags on Christmas, which was a really nice touch. Easy parking, great location near shopping and many restaurants. Attracts nice family oriented clientele. Great service at pool. Epic sunsets, free bike and snorkel rentals, swimming with turtles!! Small private beach completely swimmable regardless of tide level. (Note for those comparing properties: Fairmont has more pool and less beach than neighboring hotel Mauna Lani. But the Fairmont beach was big enough for the number of guests.) Cons: The room. We stayed in north tower section (2000s). Two elevators, one out of service during busiest week of the year = annoyingly long waits (we were there a full week and it was out the whole time). Room had significant drawbacks. There were no drawers for clothes! Hanging space only. Terrible design: the dresser in the room has one drawer occupied by Nespresso and electric kettle, another drawer taken up entirely by coffee capsules and tea, another for wineglasses and another for dishes and ice bucket. These have built-in sections so you really can't take the stuff out and use them for clothes. In the middle is a refrigerator (that was very useful). Literally the entire dresser was used for things that could have easily gone on the top. As a result, for a family spending a week in a room, with nowhere to put underwear, socks, pjs, bathing suits etc. things got messy quickly and we were constantly looking for things. Bathroom: nowhere to hang towels; needs overall updating. Food: On-site deli and cafe food overpriced and mediocre at best. We utilized the nearby supermarket heavily for breakfast and lunch (which is why the room fridge very useful). Food at nearby Mauna Lani is also expensive, but much better quality. Small complaint: There was zero lighting in the stairs on the path behind our room. Totally dark section of the path. (This is the path behind north tower, not far from the tennis courts.) We used our phones to walk the dark stretch when we walked down to the pool/ lawn area at night, but for elderly people it could be dangerous. All in all I enjoyed the stay very much but for what we paid I think next time I would try another resort or rental where I can unpack our undies and socks! It sounds trivial but with kids it becomes yet another obstacle to getting out the door when you can't find what you need.

Our stay over New Years was exceptional. The rooms are comfortable, balconies large, and amenities are top notch. The hotel was at capacity but no detail was spared for each and every guest. I was worried about getting restaurant reservations, but they were plentiful as they were limited to guests of the hotel over the holidays. Every staff person we came into contact with was friendly and helpful. My sole complaint was that the hot tub is TINY. For a property this large, there needs to be more than one. Other than that one minor complaint, this was one of the best hotel experiences I have ever had.

Honestly contemplated leaving a 2 star review for the following concerns: 1) "Ocean View" rooms | Our family booked 4 ocean view rooms at the Fairmont Orchid for a week. I'm including photos of our views. None of us had Ocean View rooms...unless you count walking all the way up to the balcony and turning your head all the way to one side to see a part of the ocean. We hope the Fairmont will change their marketing as this is not a true description nor charge for those rooms. 2) Cockroach in our room | Upon arrival, we opened a drawer where the tea kettle and coffee maker were located and found a cockroach. 3) Concerned with Harmful Stereotype in Fairmont's TV Ad | We hope the Fairmont will also update their marketing on the TV. They had an obviously old ad on replay that was warning about pickpocketing and prominently featured a person of color in the role of a pickpocketer. We understand the intent is to protect guests but the portrayal was concerning and I hope they update this outdated and negatively stereotyped ad. However, I was absolutely grateful to some of the most amazing and warmhearted staff we met on the island that worked at the Fairmont. They upped the review significantly and, if it were only for them, I'd have given a 5 star. I must share praise to them here: 1) Kaiulani: Simply the best personification of the Aloha spirit - each of her classes gave so much insight, history, and appreciation of Hawaiian culture. And she is just a kindhearted person overall and one of the best Hawaiians we've met! 2) Bruce from Brown's Beach House: The best server in all of the Big Island! He was attentive, kind, patient, enthusiastic. And though we had very restrictive dietary needs at our table, he showed nothing but joy to help make it a wonderful dining experience for all. He was particularly kind and attentive to our son with special needs and that is always most appreciated. 3) Robert at Brown's Deli: Seeing him every morning to pick up breakfast was a delight. He was so kind, attentive, and remembered our family every morning.