We have stayed at the Four Seasons previously and decided to give the Fairmont a try as we were travelling as a family on this occasion. The property is beautiful and expansive. The pool area is great for kids also. We took several walks along the oceanfront to neighbouring properties and decided that location and aesthetics wise, the Fairmont is the pick. The Mauna Lani looks great but you can tell it is an old hotel that has been "tarted up" so to speak. We took advantage of the free shuttle bus to visit the local shops and pick up some items at the supermarket ... a must when you have children who like to snack! This leads me to my next point. Unfortunately the food and beverage prices at this resort are very high. Be mindful of this as there are few offsite options close by. That aside, we are looking forward to returning in the future.

My wife and I visited this resort for 5 nights this past September. The stay was mostly outstanding with very few exceptions. I will try to break down the details of our experience by category...

Location: This resort is a bit North of the Waikoloa Village area near the Mauna Lani shops. The location was remote, but there were a few things nearby for what you need. There was a nice grocery store, a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and Tommy Bahama Restaurant as well as a juice bar and coffee shop. There were not many other restaurants immediately outside of the resort in the Mauna Lani Shops, but there were quite a few 15 minutes drive away in the Waikoloa Village area if you want to try anything different while you visit.

The room: We had a standard room with a garden view and it was about what you'd expect from a Fairmont. The bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was very large with the luxurious grandeur of marble everywhere and had dual vanity/sinks and a separate tub and shower. I do wish the tub were larger and the shower was also small but had INCREDIBLE water pressure. The Le Labo bath products at Fairmont resorts are also exceptional. The rooms also feature a balcony with seating and a table. The room was in line with other 4/5 star resorts we've been to.

The resort: The grounds were very well kept, gorgeous and just a pleasure to walk around. There was a nice man-made cove beach that was perfect for wading in the water and cooling off and the Pool was huge and pleasant. The service while at the pool was adequate and I thought providing free sunscreen for guests was a nice touch. The only complaint about the pool area is there is not adequate shade. While there are umbrellas available free of charge, it is pretty hard to snag a lounge chair that had one available. We really had to limit our time near the pool due to this. They did offer cabanas and loungers with sunshades, but for a pretty steep fee. If there is one thing that could be improved at this resort...this is absolutely it. There needs to be an increase to the amount of umbrellas by the pool.

The food: The restaurants and bars at the resort are pricey, as is typical for a resort like this in Hawaii. Be prepared to spend $100-$150 on dinner for 2 each night and that is if you are being mindful with your choices. The Luana Lounge off the lobby does have a happy hour and the drinks were top notch. The view from Luana Lounge overlooking the property and ocean was spectacular, we found ourselves there for happy hour a few times. There was also live music and entertainment often when we visited.

Breakfast in the morning is around $35pp at the Orchid Court if you do not have it included with your stay. If you're not big on breakfast, you can get something small like a breakfast sandwich and coffee from Brown's Deli near the pool. Alternatively, you have the grocery store in the Maun Lani shops or the coffee shop/Juice bar are options if you don't mind heading just outside the resort.

The spa: We did not book any spa services on this particular trip. However we did review the spa menu and they had all of the offerings you'd typically look for and more. If you are into the resort spa experience, I do believe the spa here seemed to offer more than the typical resort. Expect resort prices for all spa services ($$$$)

The service: Just about every interaction we had with staff was a positive one. Housekeeping was always great, the front desk interactions were very pleasant and the attendants around the resort were warm, genuine and genial.

Other highlights: Sunset here is a ceremonious event here. As the sun lowers the tiki torches around the resort are lit by men wearing traditional Hawaiian garb and trumpeting a conch shell. There are plenty of tucked away corners of the resort to sit and watch the sunset. The colors of the sky from here are just jaw-dropping beautiful. To sunsets were reason enough alone to travel here.

Self parking was pretty convenient to the resort and was included in our resort fee which was nice. They did also offer valet parking for a fee, but we didn't see the need as the lot was pretty close to the resort.

The resort at night time aims a large light at the ocean just in front of Brown's Beach House. This attracts manta rays to the shallow water just beyond the rocks on shore and it is really an incredible sight to see.

If you have a late flight home, the resort did provide courtesy rooms for approximately 45 minutes upon request so that you could freshen up, get a shower and change after checking out. To do this, you must contact the front desk on checkout morning and schedule a time (subject to availability) This was a nice feature for us as we got to enjoy the resort amenities on checkout day before heading to the airport in the evening hours.

Quick tip...if you're renting a car (which I would recommend) be sure to gas it up at the Costco in Kona if you are a member. We found the gas at Costco was about $1.25 a gallon less than gas stations near the resort areas.

Overall we immensely enjoyed our stay here. The big detraction that prevented my review from being 5/5 was the pool shade situation. I really think the resort could improve this aspect. I'd overall recommend this resort and would stay here again.