Mauna Lani Terrace Review: Condo Benefits with Beach Access

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In a nutshell: condo benefits with beach and resort access

Why We Love Mauna Lani

Mauna Lani is a planned development on the Kohala Coast. It’s sunny and wonderful. It’s just north of another development, Waikoloa, but it’s significantly less busy as there is only one large resort: the Mauna Lani Auberge.

There are a number of vacation rental communities in the Mauna Lani development, with this, the Mauna Lani Point being one of them. We’ve also listed other vacation rental options within Mauna Lani at the end of this review!

There is a shopping center and a handful of restaurants to enjoy. Our favorite perk of staying in Mauna Lani is access to the Mauna Lani Beach Club. We spend days on the sweet little beach, where there is a restaurant and beach chairs available on a first come first serve basis. Your vacation rental should come with Mauna Lani Beach Club access, but check the listing the confirm.

Overview of the Mauna Lani Terrace

The Mauna Lani Terrace Condominiums sit oceanside on the Kohala Coast where you can walk to dining, the beach, and golfing. It’s not exactly beachfront, but all that’s between you and a beach day are a lagoon, a large fish pond, and a walking path. There are nice private BBQ pods you can reserve for free where you can grill up a catch from fishing. Plus you’re just a few minutes’ walk from the Mauna Lani Auberge Resort where you have access to their restaurants and activities.

The Mauna Lani Terrace Key Facts

The Mauna Lani Terrace Location:

The Mauna Lani Terrace is located 40 minutes from Kailua-Kona, 30 minutes from Kona International Airport, and a 12 minute drive from the best beach on the Big Island, Hapuna Beach. It’s also walking distance from the Mauna Lani Auberge Resort, the beach, and golfing.

Check out some of our favorite nearby activities:
Stargazing on the Kohala Coast
Kohala Zip & Dip Adventure
Kohala Canopy Zipline Adventure
The 6 Best Big Island Luaus by Location

The Mauna Lani Terrace Pool:

There is a large pool, a children’s pool, and a hot tub. Their main pool has two shallow sections with lounge chairs.

The Mauna Lani Terrace Unit Sizes:

There are 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units with 2 and 3 bathrooms in each unit. Yes, even the 1-bedroom units have 2 separate bathrooms. All units have air conditioning, in-unit laundry, and multiple private lanais.

Mauna Lani Luau: Hale Hoaloha Luau

As the Mauna Lani Terrace is near the Mauna Lani Resort, you are close to an epic luau! It is an Island Breeze Production, so you know you will get a world-class performer, delicious food, and fire-knife dancing.

Book before you arrive, as the luau is only available on Fridays. Seasonally, they open availability on Mondays.

Highlights include:

• All-you-can-eat buffet
• Lei greeting with all the tickets
• Complimentary drinks with an Ohana Package (standard)
• Open bar with the Ali’i Package (premium)
• Traditional hula dancing and fire knife dancing
• Traditional Hawaiian food plus local favorites

Details for Hale Hoaloha Luau at the Mauna Lani:

• Location: Mauna Lani Resort (click for directions)
• Length: 3.5 hours
  • 5:30 pm – Check-In Begins
  • 5:45 pm – Preliminary Activities
  • 6:00 pm – Dinner Service
  • 7:00 pm Hale Hoaloha Performance Begins
• Days Available: Friday and seasonally on Mondays
• Price: $220 for the Ohana Package and $270 for the Ali’i Package

Explore all the Best Big Island Luaus here!

The Mauna Lani Terrace Review: Why We Love It

• Multiple lanais: There’s a lot of lodging on the islands that boast private lanais in their rooms, but it’s uncommon to see multiple lanais in each unit. This is really nice for a lot of reasons, like getting a little time to unwind at the end of the night, separate from the rest of your group.
• Location: It’s on a beautiful section of the Kohala Coast, not too far from Hapuna Beach, close to several great walking trails, a golf course, and Mauna Lani Auberge Resort and its restaurants.
• 2+ bathrooms: even the 1-bedroom units have 2 bathrooms which really comes in handy on excursion days if someone in your duo tends to hog the bathroom getting ready.
• Beach access: this property isn’t exactly beachfront, but it is waterfront and has direct access to the beach via a short trail. There aren’t any main roads or buildings dividing you from the beach. There is also a lagoon right outside the condo buildings and a fish pond just beyond that, before the ocean.
• Free parking: With high costs for lodging in Hawaii, it’s always nice to find somewhere with free parking, and you can even have more than 1 car for your group, but the second car has first-come, first-served parking rather than an assigned spot.

Things to Know Before Booking The Mauna Lani Terrace

• Accessibility: there are only 3 units that are explicitly wheelchair friendly, some units have stairs, and there are no elevators. Be sure to check pictures and listing information on the individual unit if someone in your group has mobility limitations.
• Rental fees: all accommodations in Hawaii can come with some (rather large) fees. Whether you’re in a hotel paying resort fees or you’re getting a vacation rental and paying service fees, factor these into your equation. We usually go with VRBO because we’ve found that these fees are usually lower than what you’ll find on other similar platforms. 
• No unit consistency: all of these vacation rentals are individually owned, so there’s a lack of consistency. Some have excellent views and others come with a less impressive view or fewer helpful in-unit amenities. Reading reviews of individual units can always give you a better sense of what to expect before booking. 

Want to check out other options in the Mauna Lani resort area? Read our reviews:

The Best Big Island Itinerary

Ready to plan the rest of your vacation? We have you covered with our Big Island itinerary. This download and go itinerary takes you on a planned out route around the island seeing the best sights and eating at the best restaurants.

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