We had a corner suite which offered a great view of the ocean but not privacy when sitting on the balcony. Room was small. Stayed in a great suite at the Waikiki Sheraton in Oahu then here. Kinda like going from a 4 star suite hotel to a Motel 6. Was within walking distance to shop and eating. Which is great cause their is no place to park in town.

Great place near everything, the food is excellent the prices are about the same as if you go out to applebees or something of that sort. if your cash flow is not that great there is a walmart and a target near by. a new shaved ice stand opened up its real good. try to stay away for the travel guide stand they over charge, plan out your days worked great for me. Best vacation ever, The beaches a must do for anyone

The hotel is a cheap place to stay and everybody was friendly. We were there for 10 days in mid Dec and could not be happier. Good place to stay because it is right next to shops and restaurants and ocean is right there.If you want a quiet, mellow, nice place to shift into slow gear and veg out this is the place.If you want decent cheap coffee to start your day buy coffee from Kona coffee lady across the street from Bongo Bobs(good breakfast place) she sits in an old truck thats been there for 40 years she will give you filters for your rooms coffee pot.Both places are less than 100 yards north of the Hotel. I also recommend Snorkel Bobs for reasonably priced gear for swimming Hotels Lagoon is good place to start, Hotels bar is great place to hang late in evening as it has great 180 view of ocean. For the active crowd there is a great sports bar restaurant right behind the ABC mart next to Bongo Bobs. I had no real complaints about this hotel our room we were in was probably in need of an upgrade but the room was clean and in good shape and being able to hear the ocean all the time was the best.You will wake up some mornings to find a cruise ship anchored right off your hotel's beach and thats worth a picture or two. Our Balconies view with the sound of the surf made me feel like I was in a Corona beer ad. I will be going back to Kona and the Royal Kona Hotel, Aloha

If you're looking for luxury you'll be disappointed, but if you're looking for a good quality, clean and comfortable room in a great location then this is it. This isn't a `resort' in the sense that you hang out around the pool sipping cocktails. The bar is nice for a quiet drink after a day of looking around the island and Don's restaurant looks OK... but when you're this close to the great choice of restaurants, cafes and bars on the main street then you should really only be at the resort to sleep, park your car and maybe check out the Luau. There are better places to swim and work on your tan on the Big Island, but as far as hotels go, this is a good one. I'd stay there again.

theroom wasn't clean. there was mildew in the room. the service was poor. okay breakfest. peeling wallpaper in the room.smelly sheets th shower wasn't great. i wouldn't stay here again.

My wife and I stayed at the Royal Kona for 8 days on our honeymoon. The place was great!The staff was very friendly and helpful,the loacation was unbeatable,on site luau and little swimming lagoon were great too.Great view too! We stayed in the renovated section in a deluxe room--which was clean,comfortable,and looked fresh--the renovation was obvious as the room appeared new! I've been to the islands 4 times-and this place was the best place I stayed.After reading the other reviews--I would recommend travelers to pay a few extra bucks and get one of the higher grade rooms --after all,you get what you pay for.Aloha :)

The best feature of this hotel is the location that is walking distance to restaurants and the famous ABC store. They also have a private lagoon for snorkling. The service is terrible. Most days, I had to request soap and towels. The maids were not complete in their tasks. No microwave! Why? The on-site restaurant is like a Denny's; nothing original or tasty. The drink prices are very high--similar to a full service resort. They charge a delivery fee to the pool--that is about 20 feet from the bar. yet they don't tell you of the fee unitl you notice it on the bill. Also, they charge $10 a day for parking. Zero bell service. Not one person helping guests with suitcases. And the parking lot is far from the elevator. A low class hotel.

I have no axe to grind with this hotel or any others, but be sure to check the "35 days in advance cancellation fee". We visited a Grandson who lives in the Hilo area, and although having initial plans to stay at the Royal Kona resort for two nights, we decided to stay with the Grandson for the duration of the trip, and called over a day in advance to cancel. We had to pay for one of the evenings. Of COURSE, it is listed in the "fine print", but I usually don't bother with fine print, (I usually wouldn't expect either a mainland hotel or Yahoo travel to treat someone in this manner) The woman at Yahoo travel was very apologetic, but, end result, you're out at least the cost of one nights stay. I have never experienced a cancellation fee that varies from $25.00 to the full cost of the stay. Very dissapointed.

We go every year for a month. It fits our budget and you get to know the staff and other guest who return every year for at least a month. The location is great and the food in Don The Beachcomber is better than Huggo's which is rated as a five star. Linda, Anne and Diane at the front desk are so helpful. Ivy and her sisters make sure the rooms are very comfortable with extra towels and shampoo on request. I've never had more friendly staff except on Holland America cruise lines. This hotel is like being on a ship except you can walk everywhere from this location. Just park the car and go. Further, last year there was a earthquake warning and the staff were well equiped with maps and escape route to higher water. They are very organized and there laid back attitude changes very quickly when you feel insecure. I would tell people to stay here. Dollar for dollar, it's the best bet for a restfull stay. This is our 12th year and we keep going back.

I liked everything about my trip,especially the enviroment and my surroundings. The only downfalls was the 12-hour bus tour around the island, with polynesian tour bus service, didn't care for the female tour guide,she talked too much on her family, and when she wasn't talking about her family; she was taking unnecessary 20 minutes,cigarette smoke breaks that really got on everybody nerves. The other thing was the hospitality room that the hotel allow you to use for an hour to freshen up before you leave for the airport, that room was the nastiest, ugliest room you would want to see or be in your life. Other than those (two) bad incidents; the stay was heavenly............yours truly,2nd honeymooners.