I've been to Mauna Lani twice: once 20 years ago on my honeymoon, and once last week for my 20th anniversary. It continues to be a stellar hotel, and the recent renovations have made it somehow more phenomenal.
Check-in was smooth and they had our room ready several hours in advance. The valets and front desk staff were warm and hospitable, and the room had some fun extras for our kids, which was a nice surprise. Not sure if it was the time of year we visited (first week of April), but the resort did not feel packed at all. We always found seats by the pool or beach, there were no lines at the breakfast buffet, and we had plenty of bicycles to choose from. Admittedly, we were there Monday through Friday, so perhaps it's busier on the weekends. Ideal times for dinner at Halani and the Canoe House did fill up, so be sure to book those early.
Service all around was great. The housekeepers always smiled and said aloha, the pool/beach servers were friendly, and any time I walked by an employee, they always said hi and were willing to help if we needed anything.
The property at Mauna Lani is the real star. The views are beautiful at all times of day, the grounds are impeccably groomed, and there are so many acres of fun things to do around the hotel. At nighttime, the whole resort turns into a classy tiki torch lit experience, and with the Hawaiian music playing in hidden speakers truly has the best vibe of any resort I've ever visited.
There are so many complimentary extras at Mauna Lani, I couldn't keep track of them all. Here are some of the free things we did: lei making class (took ~30 minutes but was a fun experience), ukulele lessons with Uncle Danny (what a delight!), par 3 golf course (they provide grown-up and kids clubs and electrolyte water, the only thing we bought were golf balls), took bicycles around the property and to the shopping center up the road, free tennis and pickleball at the fitness center, and the Holoholo Kids Crew.
For those with littles, the Holoholo Kids Crew was a nice option. There are lots of fun options, including crafting, hiking around the property, fishing, etc. Our kids made boats out of popsicle sticks and hot glue, then they tested them out in a small pond, and the next day they went pole fishing in the ocean. Pretty great for a complimentary service. Most children at the kids crew were ~4-8 years old, but there were a couple older kids. Our kids were 10 and 11 years old, and they were the oldest. By the end of the second day, they said they'd had enough of the kids crew because some of the younger kids were "a bit much".
The spa has changed a lot in the past 20 years. It used to be offsite, and you could have outdoor showers and massages, but now it is all part of the hotel on the bottom floor. The locker room and shower facilities were nicely done, and the common waiting room had teas, small banana cake bites, and house made granola packets. The common waiting room is a bit small, so when we left there weren't any seats for us... we ended up just showering and leaving the spa. It would've been nice to have relaxed together for 10 minutes post-massage, but otherwise it was lovely. The massages themselves were great-- our masseuses (whose names I have forgotten) were strong and got straight to working out our muscles. There was no small talk, just go in and get a massage then leave. Tips are already included in the price, FYI.
My only nits are that some of the food prices were exorbitant. We were prepared to spend some money, but we opted out of a nice dinner at the Canoe House because it was silly to spend that much for food. Roasted tofu was $42, fish was ~$65 or market value, and steaks started around $80. Wine prices and any sides were also very high. More of our meals came from the Surf Shack and the market than we had planned.
Tips:
- Sunrise double outrigger canoe paddle is worth the time and money. I nearly cried watching the sun come up over the mountain, and our guides (Jade and Josiah) reminded us about the aloha way of life and some of the history of the islands. It was magical.
- If you like any of the Mauna Lani branded clothes for sale, or some of the clothes by the Surf Shack, be sure the buy them there because we can't find a way to find them online.
- We tipped cash for lots of things (lei making, ukulele lessons, sunrise canoe paddle, private car to the golf course, valet, etc.), so be sure to bring plenty of $5s and $1s.
- If your kids want to partake in the Holoholo kids crew, be sure to sign them up in advance. And it costs $100 if you don't drop them off between 9-9:15am on the days you sign up (they do that to prevent people from taking up a spot and not using it).
- There are fishponds nearby, one has those fish that clean your feet while you sit there. What a fun experience!
- For the breakfast buffet, be sure to ask for an acai bowl. They make them to order, but it's not obvious who to ask. They were a huge hit for the whole family. read more