Need to know
Rooms
150, including 37 suites.
Check–Out
Noon. Check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability, but pre-registration may be required.
More details
Rates include breakfast, trips in the house car, non-motorized watersports and bike hire.
Also
Almost every room and suite here has an ADA-adapted version. Some have special communication features (a flashing fire alarm and doorbell, braille door number, portable ADA audio kits for guests with reduced hearing); and some have been designed for wheelchair-users, with access ramps, lowered handles and widened doors, roll-in showers, bath seats and grab rails. And, staff will ferry you about the resort in a golf cart on demand.
At the hotel
Beach; archaeological sites; cultural center; watersports center; farm and apiary; bocce, tennis and pickleball courts; fitness center; open-air cinema; concierge; laundry; and free WiFi. In rooms: Bluetooth speakers, minibar, kettle and coffees, free bottled water, and Prima Fleur bath products. Guests staying in kauheles (suites) get welcome and departure gifts, snacks and a drink, and an Evidens de Beauté travel kit; signature suites have butler service, and special extras: a cultural experience, one-way or roundtrip transfers, a spa treatment, and more. And the Ocean Front Four-bedroom Maheawalu Kauhale has all-inclusive dining.
Our favourite rooms
Hawaiian architecture has been paid homage here, with thatched-roofed and tropical-wood-lined hideaways; they’re sleek and modern on the inside (the work of designer Nicole Hollis), but with locally inspired prints and native handicrafts to anchor you in the locale. Where you stay depends largely on what you want to look at: tropical gardens? The leafy natural lagoon? Where Kahuwai Bay’s waters meet the sand? Or perhaps just the Pacific Ocean all around? Hale (thatched hideaways) are cosier for couples and kauhale (suites) have a living room. Of the signature suites, we like the standalone one set by the black-sand beach or the Maheawalu or Kumukea kauhale, which have a private pool and hot tub.
Poolside
There are four pools. The Shipwreck Pool is set by the sand and puts blue on blue with the Pacific in the near distance; while not strictly adults-only, it’s a quieter, more grown-up spot with loungers and deck chairs for drinks. It’s connected to the 25-metre lap pool, where more active guests can stay in their lane. The huge Moana pool also melts into the view and has two integrated hot tubs, and kids have their own sandy swimming spot. All are loosely open from 11am to 5pm, but staff aren’t going to kick you out on the dot. And you can swim off the sandy beach too (the coast to the north is rockier and wilder).
Spa
At Asaya Spa (open 10am to 7pm), there really isn’t anything more relaxing than looking at a (reassuringly inactive) volcano. The complex is built into the cooled black-lava flow from Hualālai, and open-air treatment and relaxation rooms overlooking the venerable monument make you feel calmly connected to the land. And this deepens during time-honored rituals: lomi-lomi massages, gentle lava rock pummelling, and energy-point activating, alongside CBD soothing, after-sun and Sturm Glow facials and beauty touch-ups. There’s a sauna, aromatherapy steam rooms and hot and cold plunge pools, too, and the fitness room is packed with Technogym kit, some spilling out onto the lawn for alfresco work-outs, plus there’s a yoga studio.
Packing tips
Pack sturdier-than-usual flip-flops (lava stone is tough on flimsier sorts), and a rash vest will be handy whether you’re wave-riding or not.
Also
The resort’s Hale Hookipa Lu`au grounds let you party in authentic Hawaiian style, with an imu pit for traditional open-air cooking.
Pet‐friendly
Up to two dogs on the smaller side (under 22 pounds) can stay in a room. Extras will be provided, but they’re not allowed in the spa, gym, restaurants, pool areas or beach, and any extra cleaning needed will be charged. See more pet-friendly hotels in Hawaii.
Children
As Lilo & Stitch fans know: ohana means family – and no-one gets left behind. Kona Village caters heavily to children, with the Rosewood Explorers Keiki Club, huge multi-bedroom suites, dedicated menus, eco-friendly and cultural activities, and more.
Best for
You could comfortably bring little ones of any age here, but those aged five and up will get full use of the facilities.
Recommended rooms
The two-bedroom kauhales will serve small families, but for multigenerational stays book the 'Ohana Pool Four-bedroom Kauhale.
Activities
The Rosewood Explorers Keiki Club entertains five to 12 year olds Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 5pm (closed during special events). Activities lean towards learning about local culture in engaging ways, interacting with nature on the estate, frolicking in the water and picking up indigenous crafts (lei-making, painting coconuts to use as postcards). Otherwise, there’s all manner of watersports, jungly adventures in nearby national parks and alfresco movie nights. The spa offers gentle facials, manicures and haircare for smalls
Swimming pool
Shallow, with a sandy bottom, the keiki saltwater pool (open all day for swimming, with food and beverages from 11am to 5pm) is safe for little ones to splash about in (although unsupervised).
Meals
Moana restaurant has a ‘keiki’ menu for kids aged 12 and under. It’s filled with favourites: mac and cheese, brioche grilled cheese, tenders, sliders and rice bowls and veggie platters in the name of health. Dinner served 5pm to 9pm, desserts served all day. While Kahuwai Cookhouse’s menu brings pizzettes and hot-dogs to the plate.
Babysitting
Babysitters or nannies can be arranged through an external company on request.
No need to pack
Baby-monitoring equipment can be borrowed on request.
Sustainability efforts
Being caring and respectful custodians of the land is Rosewood’s kuleana (privilege and responsibility) – indeed, the land is leased from Kamehameha Schools, who provide scholarships for Hawaiian learners of all ages – and they have a sustainability manager to maintain its green cred, a ‘Sense of Place’ initiative to bring the locality in, and the ‘Rosewood Impacts and Sustains’ eco-friendly programs in action. All water is recycled or reclaimed using a wastewater plant and desalination in groundwater wells; there’s the largest private solar-powered microgrid in the state; and guests are welcome to fish for tilapia (an invasive species) from the ponds on-site, after which they’re used as high-nutrient compost or sent to a monk-seal rehabilitation center where they’re fed to weaning pups. The ‘Try Wait’ initiative supports sustainable fishing, and Rosewood works alongside the local Marine Life Advisory Committee and the Nature Conservancy to protect coral reefs. The 22 archaeological sites in the grounds are lovingly tended to, all artwork was commissioned from natives, and staff are locals, ensuring a feeling of ohana built into the hospitality. Dining is kept local and sustainable, with the ‘Partners in Provenance’ initiative cutting down kilometers for ingredients (70 per cent of which are sourced on island), and immersive dining experiences to be had; and there are many ways to take a cultural deep dive here, starting at the dedicated center. And suitable leftovers are supplied as feed to an organic pig farm nearby.
