Mauna Kea Beach Hotel: a stunning beach spot

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In a nutshell: Great snorkeling and manta ray viewing in a secluded spot on the Kohala Coast.

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Review: Overview

The beautiful Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has a prime oceanfront location on one of the prettiest beaches in Hawaii – Kauna’oa Beach. This half-mile-long shoreline has a protective cove for snorkeling and watching manta rays. It’s one of the biggest reasons to book this hotel (especially because the pool is small and somewhat lackluster).

When booking your room, you can choose to stay in the main tower or the newer beachfront wing. Although the beachfront rooms are a bit further from the main lobby, they all have a private, furnished lanai and open ocean views. On the other hand, the tower rooms can either face the beach or the nearby golf course.  

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Key Facts

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Location:

This hotel is located north of the Waikoloa resort area on the Kohala Coast. It’s 15 minutes from Waikoloa, 35 minutes from the Kona Airport, and 45 minutes from Kailua-Kona town. But it’s only a 7-minute drive from the best beach on the Big Island: Hapuna Beach.

If you’re up for a walk, there’s a trail that is about a mile one-way connecting Mauna Kea Beach and Hapuna Beach

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Pool:

There is one pool on site, and it’s very simple, nothing fancy, but it looks out onto the beach, so it does have nice views.

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Review: why we love it

• Beach access: This beach is stunning and while it is a public beach, parking is limited and very hard to get. When you stay there, you can just walk out and enjoy it!
• Manta rays: Not only can you spot mantas from the shore, but one of our favorite manta ray night snorkel tours leaves from here.
• Rooms are spacious: These rooms give you some space to spread out, and some even have more than one lanai! Rooms start at close to 600 sq ft, giving you an extra 200 square feet compared to the average room in Hawaii.
• Amenities without a resort fee: It’s almost unheard of to see a Hawaii hotel with no resort fees, especially while still offering on-site amenities. Without getting in the car, you can enjoy tennis courts, a spa, golfing, a fitness center, cultural classes, a kid’s club (for a fee), and an on-site luau (which makes our list of the best Big Island luaus).

Things to Know Before Booking The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

• Far from Kona: This resort is far enough north that getting down to Kona is a pain (45-minute drive).
• Undergoing renovations: The beachfront wing is undergoing renovations through October 31st, 2025. Rooms in that wing won’t be available, and with renovations, there may come noise or disruptions.
• Parking fees: Unfortunately, high parking fees are par for the course in Hawaii. Like many resorts, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel charges a daily parking fee, which is not included in the room rate.
• Marriott loyalty doesn’t get you much here: Unfortunately, having status in the Marriott Bonvoy program doesn’t go as far here as it does for many other hotels. So room upgrades and other special perks are hard to come by.

Want to check out other options on the Big Island? 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.