First, a little background on our family. There are 5 of us ... me, my dh, and 3 daughters, age 8, 12, and 15. We love to travel and have stayed in every type of accommodation you can imagine from fleabag hotels while on the road, bed and
more +breakfasts, and even tenting on up to the Ritz Carlton. We were in Hawaii for a conference being held at the Fairmont, so had a blend of leisure and work time while we were there.
The hotel is beautiful, with garden paths leading from the lobby to the various wings of the hotel. Our rooms were oceanfront in the wing to the right of the lobby as you face the ocean. (sorry, I don't remember the building name) They were pretty standard as far as high end hotel rooms go ... decor was beautiful, the beds were very comfortable, and there was plenty of room for unpacking our clothing, storing boogie boards, etc. I won't focus much on the room, as we didn't spend much time there. I will say, though, that since we are from the Midwest, I do tend to spend a lot of early morning hours (like 4am early) on the balcony since my body clock wakes me up super early each day. The balcony furniture is very comfortable and there is adequate light out there if you, like me, tend to wake ultra-early while in Hawaii. I found that a really convenient way to get a day's work done before the rest of the family was up and about (I worked from 4-8am every day using my laptop and cell phone on the balcony and had a message on my voice mail that I was out of the office in the afternoon ... no one even knew I was gone and I had the whole 'day' and evening to myself without having to check voice mail ... I know, you're on vacation, but I get paid on commission, so there's no such thing as a paid vacation, and we were there for a conference).
The hotel is about a $70 cab ride from the airport. (including tip) It's pretty remote, although there is a mall with limited shopping and dining that you can take a free hotel shuttle to. We went over there once and were not impressed ... unless I was going there specifically for the Tommy Bahama store or cafe, I probably wouldn't bother going back there. The hotel restaurants do have a nice variety of food and all had excellent service. The Orchid Court buffet breakfast was excellent and we really enjoyed that to start the day off. We ate most nights at the Ocean Bar restaurant with our toes in the sand as we watched the sun set over the ocean ... my hubby enjoyed the burgers there ... I liked the pina coladas! (ok, and the seafood ... I ordered several different fish dishes while there and they were all perfect ... no complaints) The sushi bar was one of the best we'd ever been to as well ... but we only got to go once since our 8 year old thinks sushi is "disgusting" and we were on a family trip.
I can't speak to the Gathering of Kings since we had a luau as part of our conference, but if the entertainment staff that performed for us is the same as the hotel's regular luau, you won't be disappointed at all! They were amazing ... fire eaters and everything!
The spa was fantastic. They didn't push products at us at all and the hot stone massage was totally relaxing ... and was done outdoors in a little cabana where you could feel the ocean breezes and hear the sound of the surf. I usually prefer a little more private area, but have to say that this didn't bother me at all ... and not that many people were nearby. My oldest daughter had a facial and loved that, too. (the younger 2 just had nails done and got henna tattoos) Prices were comparable to other resort spas we'd been to, but the service was much more personal and friendly, again, with no high pressure to purchase products, although they did have a selection of products you could purchase if you wanted to.
Our favorite part of the hotel, though, was the pool and lagoon area. The hotel is an oasis in the middle of an area that was previously nothing but lava ... as you approach the hotel you'll see fields of black lava rock on both sides of the highway, then a few resorts start to appear on the ocean side of the highway. Given the desolation along the highway (which is beautiful in and of itself), I didn't expect the grounds to be so lush and beautiful. We loved hanging out in the hammocks when the sun got to be a little much, reading and napping in the shade of the palm trees.
The pool has several different areas and is plenty big enough to support quiet areas along with more active play (like volleyball). There is a nice, sandy bottomed kids area in the pool, a couple of whirlpools/hot tubs and bar and food service all around the pool. The beach extends all along the hotel's grounds with a wonderful, almost wave free, lagoon all the way to the left (as you face the ocean). You can pay a small fee (one time per stay) that gives you the use of snorkel gear, surfboards, boogie boards, kayaks, fish nets and all sorts of other things during your stay. The lagoon has great snorkeling ... there were giant sea turtles that swam right up to us while we were there. My youngest really has a fear of the ocean (she hates the waves) but wasn't afraid to go out in the lagoon at all. Near where the lagoon opens to the open water, it can get a little rough, but closer in to the shore and along the rocks where there are a lot of fish, you almost didn't know you weren't in the pool.
While we were in our conference, the younger two did participate in the kids programming that was running and both enjoyed it. They did crafts, nature hikes, etc. and didn't complain about having to go back ... although they definitely preferred hanging out at the beach/pool.
We didn't get much of a chance to explore the island since we were primarily there for our conference, but really loved the hotel, the amenities, the beach and pool, and were very impressed with the staff. This resort has given us a taste of life on the Big Island and we're excited to go back and explore the island. And when we do, we'll definitely return to the Fairmont.
Date of Stay: 05/10/2009
Children in Party: 3
Kids (7-9) Tweens (10-12) Tweens (13+) 
Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
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The Fairmont Orchid
