OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa

I have to admit from the start that I am not a fan of huge resorts. When we pulled up my initial reaction was of disappointment - it is vast. Even though I'd done my research before booking, I somehow didn't quite appreciate the scale. My 18-year-old-daughter, though, 'wow'ed at the open-air lobby, and loved the room, the largest we'd had so far in our two-week trip in Kaua'i and Big Island. It does take a while to get anywhere, but to my surprise I warmed to it. Yes, there are lei-festooned, floral-shirt wearing tour groups aplenty, but there was also genuine warmth and personal service from so many of the staff. I was surprised to really enjoy the Feast and Fire Luau, expecting just a sanitised Disney version of Hawai'i. It is certainly slick - perhaps a little too much so - but the performances from the musicians and dancers are excellent, and there was a strong feeling of respect for tradition despite the slightly over-done costumes. The buffet was good for a mass-feeding, and the setting on the lawn with sunset through the niu palms gorgeous. As we were out every day exploring, we didn't actually use either of the pools, but they are impressive, especially the beachside one. The main gym is being renovated (to my family's annoyance), and there are major renovations occurring elsewhere in the resort, so noise may be an issue in some parts for a few months. There's a store on-site for snacks and souvenirs, and the Piko restaurant serves generally good breakfasts and dinners (although the acai bowl was a fail according to my daughter.) It is certainly a resort where you would not need to leave the premises if that's your thing. There's a lot of activities provided, the service is excellent, and it's a great location. It really comes down to personal preference on size. I'd still prefer something smaller, but I really enjoyed my stay at Outrigger.

We recently stayed at the Outrigger Kona and truly enjoyed our stay. It is a wonderful hotel that is currently going through a transition. A new Duke’s Kona is rumored to be opening in the near future. We were upgraded to a suite above the construction area and loved the room, since we are at the pool during the day it did not impact our stay. Thanks to Meredith for her hospitality. The staff at the Outrigger is wonderful. We decided to splurge and book the club level rooms and were not disappointed. Their staff was amazing and Tessa, Maria, and crew should be commended for a job well done. It is definitely worth the upgrade! Even our housekeeper Letty introduced herself during our stay. I would highly recommend the Outrigger for a 4 star hotel with wonderful staff!

The hotel was beautiful and wonderfully situated on a point adjacent to Keauhou Bay just sout of Kona. Gorgeous ocean view from our room. Room was spacious and clean with tasteful art. Pool area was gorgeous! Every staff member was so friendly and happy to accommodate every request. The food in the Restaurants was delicious! Shout out to Chefs Ash & Mark and cooks David & Don for the poached mahi mahi with the king trumpet mushroom/lime cream sauce! It was one of the best high-end dinners I’ve had in quite a while. I hope to stay at this Outrigger again!

I cannot say enough, kind things about the staff at The Outrigger. They are truly exceptional! When we checked in, our room was not quite ready and so we were sitting in the lobby on a staff member, Sharlaine, came to talk to me, my wife, and our three-year-old daughter. She got to know us, learned our names, and found out that it was going to be my birthday during our stay. We were so happy to find out that she worked in club 47. Every time we entered, she greeted us by name and knew part of our story. They truly exceptional service came on my birthday when we showed up to club 47 and Sharlaine and Tessa gave me a homemade lei, a birthday cake made out of mini cheesecakes and sang happy birthday to me. I have never felt more cared for and surprised by a hotel staff in my life. I highly recommend club 47, because it is totally worth it. The breakfast, the drinks, the snacks, and the staff are phenomenal. We also requested toys for the children’s area, and they delivered them for us. Thank you to the staff from making it a wonderful stay. And once again, my deep gratitude to Sharlaine and Tessa.

Overall we loved our stay at the Outrigger! Positives: Nice rooms, views, and amenities. Faith and the other staff at the Piko coffee bar gave us excellent service and we loved the drinks and pastries there. We had some excellent dishes at Piko as well including the vegan chowder and the Northern eggs benedict. And the front desk staff let us switch rooms after our first room had a crying baby next door. I liked the wristband room keys that could get wet as well. Negatives: The wifi was out of service for about half of our stay (about 5 days). The prices, quality, and consistency of the dishes at Piko could’ve been better. The first time I ordered the pesto pasta it was awesome, but the second time it had no pesto on it and was just a coconut cream sauce. Also, the vegan indicators and options at Holua could’ve been better.

This place is lovely! Relaxing, tidy, friendly attentive staff (shout-out to Faith at the coffee bar for the banging macadamia chai lattes and Mike at the pool bar for his epic MaiTais), perfectly located, just far enough away from the shenanigans of Kona village to actually relax but get there easily if needed. There's a shopping complex nearby but you'll need a car to get around. There's one pool but it weaves around creating two zones, one is adult only which is a very thoughtful feature.

Outrigger is a 4 star resort. Once you get comfortable with that then it’s overall a very nice place to stay. If you want 5 star quality look elsewhere. We visited for 7 days over the winter holidays. We booked a suite for a family of four (two teen boys). Positives - the rooms were excellent, the staff generally nice, the pools were great, the gym is brand new and the lounge access was worth the extra money if you used it for breakfast and a drink or two in the evening. Areas for improvement - granted it was the busy holiday period but there was a noticeable shortage of staff especially at the front desk, there are no signs for the games room and when we found it no pool sticks. The gym is great but no exercise mats which means people were using the gym towels as mats and they would run out quickly. The jacuzzis were hot but the jets were not working. The pool slide was a hit but the staff did not enforce rules for little kids…which I thought was dangerous. The wine at the Lounge was undrinkable but my wife says the mixed drinks were good. We ate at the pool bar a couple of times…food was average at best.

We loved the Outrigger and would have liked to stay longer. The hotel has excellent food, drink, coffee and market services, and the staff is first-rate—always courteous and sunny. The front desk went completely above and beyond to make up for a mistake in our reservation before we even asked about it. The beautiful location is a few miles south of the restaurant/shopping heart of Kailua-Kona, which may be a drawback for some guests, but it’s not a great distance and it’s quieter at the Outrigger. Pool facilities are quite large and pleasant. Self-parking is easy and convenient. We’d be excited to stay here again.

We had a super nice holiday stay in a spacious room with 2 beds overlooking the bay. This resort is about 25 minutes south of the airport and has a decent grocery store nearby. It is also right next to the dock where various operators start/end manta rays tours and captain cook area boat tours. If you have a valid Hawaii driver license you can ask for a kama’aina discount, and if you belong to Outrigger’s Discovery club you get a 15% discount at the resort’s restaurants. Kids loved the water slide in the massive pool on the back side of the property, the rec room with its free pool table, foosball, and Pac-Man games, and watching the manta ray boats right off the shore. The fitness room has brand new equipment including treadmills, peloton and recumbent bikes, rowing machine and weight machines. Instead of lugging room keys or key cards around in your pocket or wallet they give you a wrist band containing a microchip that unlocks the room door. Note that the wellness spa is currently undergoing renovation so you will need to reserve mani/pedi, facials, etc elsewhere for now.

Second time back to Outrigger. Great location south of Kona. We upgraded to the Voyager club which included breakfast and drinks/apps in the evening. The food was AMAZING! Staff at Voyager were so kind especially Sharlaine and Tessa. The remodeled rooms are really comfortable. Joy from housekeeping was so sweet, always checking in on us when we walked by. I also need to compliment the valet staff, professional and quick. Really impressed by the friendliness of all the staff we encountered. We will be back :)