Tropical Dreams is nestled under a sign saying "Andy's Cafe" in a vibey shopping center that's open-air, great for chilling with ice cream on a warm day, overlooking the water. We tried a few flavors, each one delicious. But in the end I opted for the vanilla, because it was one of the best vanilla ice creams that ever touched my tongue. The service isn't anything special, but the man behind the counter will give you samples if you ask. read more

Tropical Dreams - It's called Andy's - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Good service! Yummy ube ice cream! Tried the vanilla macadamia ice cream too. So far the best ice cream in Kona. I've tried several places. This is by far the best! read more

Tropical Dreams - Ube ice cream - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Great Ice cream!!!!! Kona Coffeee and Chocolate Mac Nut. Also called Andy's Cafe and owned by fellow Phoenician!!! Aloha

After lunch at Mi's waterfront bistro we decided to get some ice cream to cool us down from this humid weather in Kona. We saw the flavors they have and decided what to get my wife got the coconut chocolate Macadamia nut ice cream and myself got the Macadamia nut ice cream. When I taste my ice cream it taste really good nice silky and rich and the Macadamia nut were good. My wife enjoy her ice cream. read more

Tropical Dreams - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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It's so weird reading peoples' reviews of this place. More than one said "tourist trap"- written by tourists. Go figure. This is Kona, everywhere is a tourist trap. Tourism is what drives this town. That doesn't mean it always has to be a bad thing. Tropical Dreams is dead center in the touristy part of Kona, in Waterfont Row. Stuck right in between Kamana Kitchen (AMAZING Indian food- go there) and Mi's Italian Bistro (also a good choice), it's a tiny little shop who apparently does a lot of stuff (besides ice cream- shave ice, tea, Italian sodas, smoothies and coffee). I've only had the ice cream here, as Tripical Dreams makes some really great stuff. They have nice creamy ice cream. You get what you pay for, and you definitely pay a pretty penny for this. If you compared a scoop here and at Baskin Robbin, you would more than likely pick Tropical Dreams, it really is much better. I strolled in after eating a monster meat dinner at Kiawe Smokehouse two doors down. After all of that protein and smoke flavor, I had wanted to end with something sweet, and ice cream sounded amazing, but when doesn't it? I didn't bother asking to sample any of the flavors, I just took a quick glance- and ordered a single school of chocolate coconut macadamia nut. Came out to about $4-5. The ice cream was very good. It had the perfect blend and unison of all three flavors. Not too much of any of them, but just right. The little chunks of macadamia nut in the thick creamy chocolat-ey ice cream was magnificent. Service was thankfully not that rude guy I kept reading about in reviews past, but a friendly girl at the counter- who had been busy cleaning the oustide tables and then the inside of the shop before we ordered. Shop was clean inside and out, service was just fine, and the ice cream was bomb. I cant think of anything bad to say. I'll be back again, especially after a meal. read more

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Small stand with some interesting ice cream flavors. Our service was great with the server checking with the ice cream factory about which flavors had egg so my son with an egg allergy could safely order. Thank you for being so attentive! read more

Great as always. Nice way to get out of the afternoon sun and browse shops in Hawi. Highly recommend the trip from Wiakoloa.

Nice little spot to get a Tropical Dreams fix, right at the waterfront. Prices are comparable to prices for two scoops at Missouri ice creameries, so I don't know what people are talking about when they complain about the price. I ordered banana storm--banana ice cream, strawberry jam, and what was either brownie bits or cookie bits. Mmmmmmmmmm. read more

It was a hot day in Kona, so we were looking for shave ice. We saw a sign for Tropical Dreams Gourmet Ice Cream, and a sign that said Shave Ice. The ice cream is locally made at the Tropical Dreams factory. But we were looking for shave ice, and the guy behind the counter said that they made their own shave ice syrup. I decided to go with Vanilla, Lemon-lime and Banana for my 3 flavor choices. The syrup flavors were pretty good, but the shave ice was not very fine. There were some large chunks of ice as you dug further down in the bowl (not a pleasant thing to bite into). We were the only customers ordering shave ice, so they should have taken their time to create a finer shaved snow cone. I think I will research yelp next time that I want shave ice in Kona. Or I'll get the ice cream next time... read more

Tropical Dreams - Shave Ice - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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This gem is tucked away but worth finding! The Guava ice cream was great but having them had a taste of the chocolate coconut mac ice cream I will be going back for it and possibly as part of an affogota (coffee over ice cream) which was recommended to us (along with the pizza at Kai on the ocean which we also plan to try). The hub got the volcano shaved ice with vanilla ice cream (3 flavors- pineapple, watermelon and guava) and it was light and divine! The server was awesome and we will def go back! read more

You will not stop eating! if you do a trip to Black Sands Beach you have to stop to refresh yourself! All the treats are fresh as is the fruit. Poke, I ice cream, and more! read more

Yummy ice creams! But tourist trap prices. $6.20 for 2 scoops. I can get a whole pint of organic homemade back home in my own touristy town for those prices Mr got Mac Nut & Mango Sorbet; I chose the Lilikoi & Toasted Coconut Gelatos were creamy & very flavorful; sorbet was nice & tart w/ lots of mango flavor We'd definitely come back but remember to bring a big wallet read more

Tropical Dreams - Mango / Mac Nut & Lilikoi / Toasted Coconut - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Overpriced,... nothing special. We expected something unique and local based on the reviews,.... you are in Hawaii,.. get a shaved ice or acai bowls,... the rest of the world has ice cream (and much better). read more

**Tourist trap** This ice cream is delicious, I ordered a scoop of the salted caramel swirl and Kona coffee in a waffle cone. This ice cream has great depth of flavor and very creamy. However, this location is a joke, as other reviews mention, the staff treats you as an inconvenience. Every other server or wait staff on the island has been above average - exceptional service and the staff was excited to learn about where we were from/ what we had done on island so far. The expense of this ice cream doesn't scare the Brooklynite in me used to paying $3-4 for a scoop BUT the "icing on the cake" of this place is that they charge a $3.99 ice cream scooping surcharge! What??? A surcharge for scooping ice cream? They should either shut down this shop or hire people who are happier to deal with tourists. read more

This ice cream was amazing and they have unique flavors such as banana storm and chocolate coconut macadamia nut. The girl who scooped our ice cream was very friendly too. She was asking us questions and actually seemed interested to hear our stories. read more

The service is great; really nice guy this morning; friendly and made my wife a custom ice coffee the way she likes it. 5 stars ***** for service. Do not order coffee here because it is NOT Kona coffee as shown on their menu and noted by other reviewers. I ordered a large drip coffee and it tasted just like hotel coffee; not a hint of Kona flavor. Owner needs to note issue; maybe remove "Kona Coffee" label from menu? read more

Hubby loves their coffee. Had to stop here more than once during our stay on the big island. There is plenty of seating and the patio has a beautiful ocean view you can stare at while enjoying your coffee. The baristas are super friendly and helpful. And we will definitely stop back here again on our next Hawaii trip read more

I mean, the ice cream is good so that's nice. But the service was pretty terrible for a second time in a row. The guy working couldn't say a single word. He was too busy talking to another vendor and couldn't be bothered. The tables were also dirty. Lame. Even when we said thank you on the way out he just nodded. We won't be going back that's for sure. I hate to leave a negative review ever, but this one deserves it. Save your money for another shop like Baskin Robins up the hill. Way better! read more

The guy working behind the counter did not great us, he sat on his phone texting, starred at us without speaking while we ordered. Gave us our total and did not thank us for coming. Worst customer service I have ever experienced! Ice cream was mediocre I will not return. read more

The guy behind the counter came out sulking and annoyed we were there. I asked him if he was having a bad day. He told me that he's made over 30 shaved ice on his shift, has worked here for two years and is really burnt out. The man was obviously depressed, I hope he gets help. Shaved ice were lacking on syrup. read more

don't know about the ice cream we came for the shave ice but left disappointed since what we got had the consistency of snow cone ice. Maybe the blade was dull, don't know but we've had much better shave ice in the area, the kind that is fluffy like powered snow. read more

A lot of options for coffee, ice cream and shaved ice. Also, local artwork. Friendly, delicious, and right on the ocean. Can't go wrong here. read more

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Boba tea, real and legit Can't comment on anything else Service was professional and quick read more

Ice cream was ok. Not great. They advertise Shave Ice but it is actually snow cone crushed ice, very disappointing. Tried a smoothie, made with the crushed ice not very well blended and flavor id only average. Would not repeat except for ice cream. read more

Disappointing shaved ice. From the consistency of the ice (chunky) to the lack of syrup. Just not good. A proper shaved ice should be finely shaved with no chunks and you should never have white unflavored ice in the center as ours did. By the time we got tot the table the color had left the exterior. See photos just disappointing. read more

Tropical Dreams - It sucks - Desserts Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Not worth the effort if you are a TD junkie like we are. Kinda dumpy location, tiny servings and they don't cover their ice cream like the other TD locations do which makes it get all icy and lose flavor. So it's $4.50 for maybe 2 oz of what used to be good ice cream. read more

Very small ice cream shop. Great friendly service. The ice cream was creamy and delicious.

We went on a Tropical Dreams ice cream hunt after trying it for the first time at Kohala Coffee Mill in Hawi. But man, this place cannot compare. Idk why there's such a big difference! It's not like Kohala Coffee Mill is the original location or anything (at least, I don't think it is). The ice cream at this location is still good, but it doesn't have the same creamy texture. I got 2 scoops (vanilla and macadamia nut). Both were decent in terms of flavor (macadamia nut was a bit too sweet for me), but ugh not creamy enough. And after being spoiled by Kohala Coffee Mill, this place fell short :( Still decent ice cream though, but not as good as I was expecting. read more

The ice cream was good. Unfortunately the guy behind the counters attititude could use some adjusting. Dude, if you hate your job...just quit. To the owner of this establishment, your employee's lack of customer service will negatively affect your business. We the customers should not be made to feel as though we were imposing on the ice cream server. Not coming back! read more

This is the best ice cream I have ever had. I love ice cream. My wife and I went back a couple of times, including on our way back to the airport. If you go to Kona don't miss this place! Delicious read more

Hawai'i taught me so many things, like that you should put strawberry and Oreos in banana ice cream. Sweet, creamy, and delicious.

As a co-leader of a WINGS birding tour group, I recommended we stop by this place for an experience for shave ice and made in Hawaii ice cream. Everyone enjoyed their shave ice and ice cream. read more

Excellent shaved ice. Price is good for he size, 3 flavors included. We got ours with mango, passion fruit, and guava which was an excellent trio. You can sit outside and watch/listen to the waves crashing on the rocks which makes this just perfect. read more

The ice cream was a little too pricey considering that it was melting in the cup before we got the ice cream. It seemed to be melting and refreezing making the cream a little watery. read more

Absolute worst gelato we've ever eaten. The owner needs to go and taste some real gelato and revise the recipe. Tasted like pure ICE no flavor. We also had a cappuccino.... Even worse than the gelato. Steer clear. read more

Came here with my family a few days ago. The ice cream itself was delicious, but the service wasn't great. The employee ignored us for several minutes and was then rude to us when we asked if we could place our order. read more

This review is just for the smoothie. I ordered a mango smoothie. The place claims to use real fruit, which is why I went. I've made probably close to 100 of my own real fruit smoothies at home. This didn't have real fruit. It was too sweet. No fruit chunks despite chunky ice. It tasted like an over-syruped shaved ice for $5.20 + .80 tip. It was just juice or syrup and ice. I'd give it one or zero stars for the smoothie, but I'm sure the ice cream is better. read more