We stayed at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort for 6 nights during our family Hawaii vacation using our Marriott points. This luxurious Kohala Coast resort sits on one of the best beaches on the Big Island, making it one of the best places to stay in Hawaii. In fact, Hapuna Beach is so beautiful that it has been named one of the best beaches in the U.S. and even in the world. The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort offers ocean views from every room, 2 stunning pools, a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, and many family-friendly amenities and activities. It is regarded as one of the best resorts in Hawaii and is a great place to stay on the Big Island Hawaii for a beach vacation. Read our Westin Hapuna Beach Resort review to help you decide where to stay on the Big Island of Hawaii among all the luxury Hawaii hotels and resorts.

Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Review

**Our WTA score represents our own views based on our personal experience with the entity being reviewed.

How we booked our stay at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort on points

The Westin Hapuna Beach is currently a Marriott Category 5 property requiring 30,000 to 40,000 points per night. Off-peak dates require 30,000 points, standard dates require 35,000 points, and peak dates require 40,000 points as of September 14, 2019 when Marriott introduced dynamic award pricing. Marriott Rewards members with a Marriott credit card can redeem free award certificates for nights up to 35,000 points. This resort is a great option for using the free night certificates.

We stayed prior to Marriott’s dynamic pricing and paid 35,000 points per night plus a $30 daily resort fee. We also took advantage of Marriott’s “5th night free” promotion to get one night free. The cash rate at Westin Hapuna Beach for a stay in July is $495 per night plus taxes and fees. This would have cost us $3,607.88 for 6 nights after taxes and fees. We paid $30 per night so using our points here offered us a huge savings. We think 35,000 points/night is a great value for this luxury beach hotel on one of the most popular Hawaiian islands. We suspect that the price of this resort will increase once construction is completed on the property.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Location

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort is located on the sunny Kohala Coast of the Big Island. The hotel was formerly called The Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. It underwent a $46 million renovation and became a Westin property in June 2018.

The resort is about 30 minutes north of Kona International Airport, the main Big Island airport. The Kohala coast is renowned as the most luxurious coast on the Big Island and is home to many of the best hotels in Hawaii. The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort stands out for its prime location on one of best beaches in Hawaii. Guests can body surf at Hapuna Beach and snorkel at Turtle Point, where sea turtles are often found as well as colorful reef fish.

The Westin is right next door to its sister property, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. A free shuttle provides transportation between the sister properties so you can enjoy the Mauna Kea’s amenities as well. We never made it over there but have heard it is also very beautiful and luxurious. The Mauna Kea is a Marriott Category 6 hotel and is more expensive.

The Westin Welcome

As soon as we pulled our car up at the resort, staff came to greet us with leis and help with our luggage. The large open-air lobby that looks out over the koi pond, pools and beach makes a remarkable first impression. The natural beauty of Hawaii is on full display and is simply breathtaking.

During check-in we received pineapple juice welcome drinks and cold hand towels to refresh ourselves.

As Marriott Gold members, we were hoping for an upgrade from our partial ocean view room to a full ocean view room. However, the staff member checking us in said they were fully committed and it would not be possible. We did ask for and receive a room that was in the South tower since there is currently construction near the North tower. Part of the property was sold and is being converted into private condos, so construction noises can be heard during weekdays. We recommend asking for a room far from the construction to make sure the noises don’t disturb you.

We received a map of the resort and a schedule for the resort activities and made our way to our room. The bellman brought our luggage to our room just a few minutes later.

Partial Ocean View Room with 2 Queen Beds

We stayed in a 600 sq ft standard room with 2 queen beds and a partial ocean view. Our room had a desk area, 6-drawer dresser under the flat screen TV, reading chair, small kitchenette area with a mini-fridge, and a small closet with a safe. Our room also had a balcony with a high-top table and 2 chairs and a large cozy lounger. The room was spacious enough for the 4 of us to be comfortable, especially with the extra space on the balcony. The balcony was the perfect spot to watch the sunset or linger over a cup of tea in the morning while deciding on our plans for the day.

The marble bathroom had 2 vanities, a bathtub, separate shower, and separate room for the toilet. The toilet functioned as a bidet and had controls for front and rear cleanse, a heated seat, and even a drying function. The kids thought it was the coolest toilet they’d used since we visited Japan (which has fancy toilets everywhere).

Bath amenities included robes, slippers, and white tea aloe bath products. We liked the fresh clean scent of the body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

Our room did not have a mini-bar (which we think is a plus so we don’t worry about the kids breaking into overpriced candy bars while we sleep hahaha). Instead rooms have an empty mini-fridge that you can stock with your own snacks and drinks. There are also shelves next to the kitchenette area where you can store your snacks. The room had a hot water kettle, complimentary tea and coffee, and one free bottled water per day.

Westin Hapuna Beach Pools and Beach

The property grounds are well maintained and absolutely gorgeous. The pools and beach are the main selling points for this resort. The kids loved the koi pond, which you pass on your way to the pools and beach. On certain mornings you can feed the fish at 9am. The adults-only infinity pool is near the koi pond, although we never went there since we had the kids with us. We didn’t mind at all since the family pool was fantastic.

The family pool was our favorite place to spend our time at the resort. The 6,800-square-foot pool overlooks Hapuna Beach and the turquoise blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. There is a small shallow section that looks like a rocky inlet where little kids can splash around, or energetic kids like ours can jump off into the deeper section.

Pool and beach chair service are included with the daily resort fee, which includes umbrellas they’ll set up on Hapuna Beach. The pool had plenty of lounge chairs so we never had trouble finding enough for all four of us. There were private cabanas that you could rent as well. The beach desk provided towels, cold water, and beach gear to rent or borrow.

The resort fee includes 1 hour of snorkel equipment for 2 people daily per room, even if you have 4 people in your room. This is one area where we think the resort can make some improvements, especially after staying at Hyatt Centric Waikiki where you can borrow as much beach gear as you need and have it for as long as you like for free. The Westin Hapuna Beach nickels and dimes its guests in this regard. For a resort that charges $500+ per night plus a daily $30 resort fee, we think the beach gear should be available for as long as you need it and for each guest in the room. If you want extra sets of snorkel gear or keep it longer than an hour, they charge you.

Most of the staff at the beach hut were strict with this policy. However, one morning after asking ever so politely the attendant let us borrow 3 sets of snorkel equipment for an hour. The kids and I searched for fish and sea turtles while Bertaut flew his drone. If you plan on doing a lot of snorkeling, you might want to bring your own snorkel gear.

Activities included with Resort Fee

There are several activities that are included with the daily resort fee, most of which occur in the lobby. We unfortunately did not take advantage of any since they were scheduled at times that we were either still in bed, out sightseeing, or at the pool/beach. If the activities were offered at the family pool, we would have definitely tried some. Trying to pry the kids away from the pool for a Hawaiian language lesson wasn’t happening. However, many of the cultural activities sounded like fun and are kid-friendly. Activities include a sunrise ritual on the beach lawn, beginners hula, traditional Hawaiian chanting, basic Hawaiian language, lei making using ti-leaf, making hairpieces using feathers, and an art collection tour at the sister property Mauna Kea.

There are additional activities that cost a fee, such as yoga, stargazing, barre class, spin class, aqua fit, cardio pump, and circuit training. The beach desk also rents paddle boards, kayaks, and body boards for an additional fee.

Westin Hapuna Beach Restaurants

The resort has 4 restaurants, although we did not eat at any of them so cannot speak to the quality of food. We prefer to eat where the locals eat when traveling and spend most of our time out exploring. However, here are the restaurants at Westin Hapuna Beach.

The most casual is Piko Coffee + Bar. This cafe/deli is located just below the reception level of the lobby. It serves coffee, light snacks, and grab-and go-options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s a selection of yogurt, juice, milk, cereal, light meals, and other snacks. However, we recommend stopping by a grocery store to get snacks and drinks at a fraction of the price and then store them in the mini-fridge in your room.

Ikena Landing is open for breakfast only. It offers a full breakfast buffet and a la carte options. The full buffet costs $38 for adults and $15 for kids, while the continental buffet (no hot dishes) is $27. Our Marriott Gold status unfortunately does not get us complimentary breakfast. Since we did not feel like shelling out over $100 just for breakfast, we did not eat at Ikena Landing.

Naupaka Beach Grill serves lunch and dinner by the family pool and beach. The casual grill has a kids menu, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers. You can order food from your lounge chairs at the family pool and they will bring it to you, which meant most families ate here while enjoying the pool.

Meridia serves dinner and is more formal than the other dining venues. It is located above Naupaka Beach Grill and can be seen in the photo above, behind the pool on the upper level. There is both outdoor and indoor seating, as well as a bar serving tropical cocktails. Meridia serves Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with local influences. At night the restaurant lights torches making for a cozy ambience near the beach. We stopped by briefly for a cocktail in the lounge area of the restaurant on our first night.

We did not experience the warmest welcome at Meridia, however. When we came and said we just wanted to get a quick cocktail, the woman at the restaurant reception desk asked us if we had a babysitter for our kids. We said no and began to walk away, feeling a bit shocked to be honest. It’s a restaurant in a family resort, so we didn’t see any problem in bringing our kids. Another staff member overheard the conversation and stepped in to tell us that we could sit with our children in the lounge area of the restaurant, just not at the actual bar. We obviously weren’t planning on having our kids sit at the bar. We ordered a Mai Tai to go and then headed back to our room, feeling like our kids were not welcome there. We did not return to Meridia after the bad first impression. If you’re a family with young kids, dinner at Naupaka Grill is a better option since the kids can swim while you wait for your food.

Westin Workout Center

The Westin Workout Center is well equipped with cardio equipment, free weights, Peloton bicycles, TRX system, and a CrossFit Studio. The fitness center is supposed to be open 24 hours a day, but this was not the case during our stay. I tried to go one evening at around 8pm and it was closed. I believe this was because they were doing renovations to the CrossFit Studio, but it would have been nice to still be able to access the other room that was not being renovated. The workout center has water and fresh fruit available to guests as well, which is always appreciated.

The hotel also rents out workout clothing for a fee if you forgot yours or travel light. If I remember correctly it was $25 to borrow clothing and tennis shoes.

Hapuna Spa by Mandara

Hapuna Spa is located by the fitness center and offers massages, body wraps, body scrubs, and other Hawaiian-inspired therapies. We did not get any treatments done there so did not get a chance to get a photo.

Westin Family Kids Club

The Kids Club is located near the fitness center for kids ages 5-12 years old. The kids club is $125 plus tax per day from 9am until 4:30pm and includes lunch. Or you can opt for a half day for half price. The kids club has arts and crafts, cultural activities, water activities, games, video games, movies and more to keep kids entertained so parents can enjoy a little time to themselves. We did not utilize the kids club since this vacation was all about spending quality family time together, but it’s always nice to have it as an option.

Service

Service at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort was efficient but left us underwhelmed for a luxury family resort. Although there were no major problems during our stay, we didn’t feel the warmth and connection to staff that we often experience at 5-star resorts. Our interactions with staff lacked personality and at times felt cold and impersonal, like when they asked if we had a babysitter at Meridia.

We are an extremely friendly and outgoing family and usually are on a first-name basis with hotel staff on day one of our stay. However, after 6 nights at the resort, we didn’t feel a personal connection to any of the staff members. No one knew our names and we only knew one staff member’s name, which is extremely atypical for us. This may not sound unusual for a large resort, but compared to some of the hotels we’ve visited (like the Andaz Costa Rica which shines on service), it was surprising to us. Our kids are usually giving hugs and high fives to staff they’ve befriended when we leave a hotel, and this wasn’t the case here.

However, many of the things we look for regarding service were checked off our list. They provide turndown service, welcome drinks, rollaway beds (only in certain room categories), concierge, kids program, consistent housekeeping, and quick delivery of luggage by the bellman.

Parking

Parking is an additional $25 per day for self-parking in the parking garage or $30 for valet parking daily. Three months prior to our visit, self-parking was included in the daily resort fee. We feel this is another example of the resort nickel-and-diming guests. A resort with ample land and no shortage of parking should not be charging its guests to park when it was previously included in the resort fee. If it was a city hotel, I’d understand a parking fee, but this just seems like another way to get more money out of guests.

Last thoughts on our Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Review

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort is situated on one of the best beaches on the Big Island with stunning ocean views. At just 35,000 Marriott points per night plus a $30 daily resort fee, it is a good value for Hawaii accommodation. It would be even better if Marriott waived resort fees on award stays like Hyatt and Hilton, but that is likely not going to ever change.

Thanks to being newly renovated, the contemporary decor feels fresh, clean, and up-to-date (which is not always the case in Hawaii). The resort offers several kid-friendly activities that educate guests about Hawaiian culture and traditions. Families can enjoy the enormous family pool while travelers without kids can enjoy peace and quiet in the adults-only infinity pool. There’s also a spa, well-equipped fitness center, kids club, award-winning golf course, and 4 open-air restaurants.

What we didn’t love about the resort was how far it was from most of the main attractions on the Big Island. If you plan to spend most of your time on the beach and in the pool, then this resort is perfect for you. We like to explore and didn’t enjoy the long hours in the car to see the other parts of the island. Ideally, it would be best to break up your stay on the Big Island between the Kohala Coast, Kona, and Hilo to reduce driving time.

We felt that the resort could improve by offering more personalized service and including self-parking and unlimited use of beach gear in the daily resort fee. The current construction noise was audible from the pool, which is not what you want to hear when relaxing by the beach. We mentioned how it detracted from our enjoyment of the pool at check-out, but staff simply said it is out of their control and that they don’t like hearing it either. They do not know when it will be finished, so if this a a major concern for you, check the status before you book your stay. Like mentioned earlier, we suspect that the price of the hotel will increase once construction is complete.

That’s it for our Westin Hapuna Beach Resort review. We hope we’ve helped you decide where to stay in Hawaii. Check out our review of Hyatt Centric Waikiki if you’re spending any time on Oahu.

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