A Review of the Kona Tiki Hotel (Big Island, Hawaii)

After a busy couple days in Disneyland, and a half week on Oahu, both our family and my in-laws headed over to the Big Island, Hawaii to slow things down and spend some time relaxing. While researching where to stay on the Big Island, our Frommer’s Hawaii with Kids (Frommer’s With Kids) recommended a small, quaint, and very affordable hotel located on the shores, call the Kona Tiki Hotel (75-5968 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona, HI).

While our stay on Oahu was comped using Priority Club points, we wanted to be mindful of cost on the Big Island when it comes to hotel accommodations. We do not travel so much by staying in high end resorts with lots of amenities we never use. The goal for our family is safe, clean, and comfortable, with a pool, and breakfast is always nice. Fortunately, the Kona Tiki Hotel met all of these requirements, with a keep it simple and affordable approach.

By most travelers accounts, the Kona Tiki probably may not be what most people are looking for when it comes to hotel accommodations. The rooms are simple, no fluff, or fancy kitchen or bathrooms. There is no television in the rooms (or anywhere as far as I could tell). Rooms do not come with air conditioning; why would you need it being ocean front with an open air concept? What Kona Tiki Hotel does give you is affordable, ocean front accommodations at awesome prices, including daily breakfast, that feels more like a welcoming, family-run (which it is) home.

At around $100 per night, the cost could not be beat for a Pacific Ocean front room, just steps away from the edge of the room. Our room was appointed with a queen and a single bed, and we upgraded to a kitchenette, complete with microwave, stove top, and sink. We were fortunate to have been given the end lower-level room, which was great with young kids. There is also a very small, and dated, bathroom, but again, the idea is keeping everything simple and affordable. Does one really NEED granite counter tops and rain shower heads? How much time do you really spend in the bathroom? The idea is to get in, and get out and enjoy what the beautiful islands of Hawaii has to offer.

WiFi was also available on property, although the signal was very weak in our room so I spent most my time online outside of the patio or at the pool to pick up a better signal. Rough life, I know. In reality, I really enjoyed my late nights sitting out on the patio, “surfing” my life away with the beauty of Hawaii as my backdrop. When attempting the recreate the scene at home, the boys just get sand everywhere and the salty, Ohio air just can not replicate that from the real ocean.

Note, credit cards are not accepted at the Kona Tiki, although they do accept Paypal (where credit can be processed). The idea behind the Kona Tiki is keep costs low, and pass that along to the customer. Therefore, when we arrived, the remaining balance due needed to be paid in cash, or I assume check. This was not a problem for us, as we had allocated cash towards this portion of the trip.

Also included in your rate is a free breakfast served poolside, which includes fresh fruits, bagels, breads, and muffins as well as juices and coffee. Breakfast was a terrific way to start your day, looking out into the ocean and watching the spinner dolphins go for a morning dive.

Guests can also use the pool 24-hours a day, just mind your noise and other guests. It was fun playing with the boys in the water while the ocean splashed over the lava rock walls. There are also boogie boards, pool noodles, and various other outdoor accessories that guests were able to use. We even left a couple things people could use too after we left.

Picture an ocean front hotel room, with the ocean 10 feet away from your room, and paper doors. You can almost hear the ocean crashing against the walls. Sounds terrific, doesn’t it? That is what I thought too. In reality, it takes some getting used to when you are trying to sleep. On rough nights, there is a constant barrage of white noise in the background, and for some reason it took me some time to get acclimated to the sound. Poor, pitiful me; queue the tiny violins!

One aspect that was really enjoyable to me, and I wish I would have gotten to do it more often, was a tip from a fellow guest. If you sit on the edge of the rock wall, and tossed pieces of bread, hot dog, or in my case, Goldfish crackers, into the water, you could watch eels come out from between the waves and rocks and eat them. In addition, little crabs were all around on the lava rocks, darting between the waves and sunning themselves. It was simply fascinating to watch the ocean creatures and having interaction with them. While not necessarily part of their typical ocean diet, it was a great start to feeling connected to the islands.

Unquestionably, the most delightful aspect of staying at the Kona Tiki Hotel was the managers on the property during our visit. The Kona Tiki hires people to come in and manage the property for them, often taking up retirees to perform the daily operation of the facility. During our stay, Ruben and his wife Jann, were in charge of managing the property, and were a month into their 3 month commitment. I will get more into all of that in a future post.

However, Ruben was an absolute delight to come “home” to everyday from our adventures around the island. He always warmly greeted us each morning at our breakfast, and impeccably kept up the facilities. At sundown, each night Ruben would come out with the guests for the torch lighting ceremony.

The Kona Tiki Hotel really was a terrific accompaniment to our time on the Big Island. The hotel was ideally located near restaurants, shopping, and other activities. The property itself was nicely appointed, and provided our family with a good nights rest (once you get used to the ocean waves), all for around $100 per night.

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