Westin Hapuna Beach Resort: wake up on the best beach on Hawaii

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In a nutshell: Spend your vacation on the best beach on the Big Island (in our opinion). The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort is an excellent location and features gorgeous beachfront design.

Overview of the Westin Hapuna Beach

The true draw of this hotel is its location. Spend your vacation just steps away from the most beautiful beach on the Big Island. Hapuna Beach State Park is a popular spot for locals and visitors, thanks to its sprawling landscape and crystal-clear water. The Westin Hapuna is the only resort on this beach, which is why this is always one of the top spots to stay.

Westin Hapuna Beach Location

The Westin Hapuna Beach is located on the sunny Kohala Coast, approximately 30 minutes north of the Kona Airport. The Kohala Coast is known for its fantastic beaches, sprawling resorts, and great winter whale watching. You can also get some large waves and strong currents in the winter up north. 

Highlights of the Westin Hapuna Beach

Pools

You’ll enjoy access to two pools at the Westin: a 6,800 square foot family pool and an adults only infinity pool. Both of these pools have stunning views of Hapuna Beach. If you want more shade at either pool, you can rent a cabana for the day. 

Rooms

Want an ocean view? Yes, you do! All rooms at the Westin Hapuna Beach come with some sort of an ocean view (partial or full). So sit out on your lanai (balcony) and enjoy watching the sunset over the Pacific. 

There are two room configurations to choose from: 

• Standard rooms: choose from two queen beds or a king bed with this standard hotel room layout. These rooms are nicely sized at approximately 600 square feet.
• One bedroom suite: Enjoy a separate living space and bedroom with their 800+ square foot one-bedroom suites. 

Restaurants

• Meridia: Mediterranean-style cuisine is on the menu here for dinner
• Ikena landing: breakfast buffet and a la carte items available
• Naupaka Beach Grill: an all-day eatery steps from the pool
• Piko Coffee + Bar: coffee and light snacks to go are available at this cafe

In addition to these restaurants, there is in-room dining, private dining, and you also have access to the restaurants at the Mauna Kea Resort. 

Activities

There are a few activities you can enjoy, without heading too far from the resort: 

• Rent Beach Gear: Head to the Hapuna Beach Activities Hut where you can rent kayaks, snorkeling gear, or paddle boards
• Hike: Part of the 175-mile Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail runs between Hapuna Beach and Mauna Kea Beach. The hike is approximately 2.2 miles each way and is a fairly easy trail with great shoreline views. 
• Cultural Activities: The Westin has an Aloha Ambassador who leads some great cultural activities, including lei making, chanting, and hula lessons. 

If you’re looking for other activities to do in the Kohala Coast Region, our favorites include: 

• Kohala Zip & Dip zipline experience
• Kohala waterfall swim and hike
• Small group raft whale watching (seasonal)
• Manta Ray Night Snorkeling

Westin Hapuna Beach Review: Why We Love It

• The best beach on the Big Island: This is probably the most spectacular beach on the Big Island (though it can get rough waves in the winter). All beaches in Hawaii are public so you don’t need to stay at the hotel to visit the beach. But a big benefit of staying at the Westin is you don’t need to arrive early in hopes of securing a parking spot — just walk out of the hotel and enjoy!
• Marriott Resort: If hotel points and member rewards are important to you, this is a great property to choose in the Marriott collection. 
• Fantastic ocean views: The hotel was constructed to maximize ocean views, no matter where you are on the property. You’ll walk through different levels of the hotel and from pretty much anywhere you’ll be able to look out on sweeping views of Hapuna Beach. The pools both have excellent ocean views as well!

Things to Know Before Booking the Westin Hapuna Beach

• Isolated: When staying at Westin Hapuna Beach, you have easy access to arguably the best beach on the island…but not much else. If you want to eat off property or do pretty much anything else, you’ll need to get in your car. 
• Luxury pricing without luxury amenities: The Westin is priced on par with some of the five star hotels on the island, but the hotel itself isn’t really a 5-star hotel. It’s very nice, but they definitely charge a premium for the beach. Considering the price, the rooms are very basic.
• Lack of food options: There are a few restaurants on-site but they are expensive and limited. If you’re staying for multiple days, the options will feel old pretty quickly, so be prepared to get in your car and head out for meals. You’re approximately a 15 minute drive from the restaurant options in Waikoloa. 
• Resort fees and parking: Unfortunately, high resort and parking fees are par for the course in Hawaii. Like many resorts, The Westin Hapuna Beach charges both a daily resort fee and a daily parking fee, which is not included in the room rate. This can be sticker shock if you’re not expecting it. 

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.

We have LOVED using your itinerary for the Big Island!  We haven’t done everything on it, but everything we have done we have been so happy with.  We stayed in the camp cabins at Volcanoes, did the big crater hike there, swam with manta rays and yesterday kayaked out to the captain cook monument.  The snorkeling there was so beautiful, and the highlight was seeing the dolphins!  I attached a video I got of a dolphin  jumping right in front of the monument!   It was spectacular!  We are here with our four teenage and young adult kids, and it’s been a fantastic vacation.  Thank you for helping to make it easier for us!!

Wendy S.