Staying at the Fairmont Orchid Resort, Hawaii

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I will start this post by saying that I have not been paid or compensated to write this guide to the Fairmont Orchid resort on the Big Island of Hawai’i. As one of the best luxury resorts in Hawaii, I have always wanted to stay here though. Since we were planning another island trip on top of Oahu I thought it would be a great time to visit.

We spent three nights here and I’m writing specifically about the things that I did while at the resort. There is much more to offer though, so if you want to do it all you’d need way longer than 3 days here.

Where is the Fairmont Orchid?

The Fairmont Orchid resort is part of the Mauna Lani resort complex. The resort houses a couple of hotels, a golf course, shopping area and a whole load of volcanic rock.

The luxury Fairmont resort is right by the water at the end of the worlds longest driveway. OK so that may be an exaggeration, but it sure feels that way.

You’ll drive about a half hour East of the Kona International Airport to get there, along the Northern coastline of the Big Island.

I had never been to Hawai’i before this trip, but quickly realized a car would be the best thing to have on the Big Island. The Fairmont Orchid Resort was very easy to find, in fact driving around any of the island is pretty simple.

To get to the hotel turn East onto Highway 19 from the airport (the opposite way from Kailua) and continue along until you get to the Mauna Lani Drive turnoff.

An Aloha welcome in Hawaii

Arriving at the Fairmont Orchid resort you can drive up to the main entrance. There you’ll be immediately greeted by the incredibly friendly staff who, if anything like my visit, will present each of you with a kukui shell lei and take your bags. Instantly good service and a Hawaiian welcome, it doesn’t get much better.

There is a resort fee of $48 per room per night on top of the room rate which goes towards using all the amenities like pool, gym etc. But it also goes towards tours and activity equipment rentals, self parking, wellness classes and even a fun photo shoot if you make reservations.

We were able to easily self park the car then walk the short distance back to the main entrance to check in.

Check in will no doubt be easy and painless and given the size of the resort you can expect to be escorted to our room. On our way, the bellman told us all about the property including history, a brief guide to some of the things we would find there, and tips on where to go. It was like a mini tour on the way to our room, and very much appreciated.

We learned that the beach on the resort is famous for having turtles lounging in the sun during the day, so we were almost guaranteed turtle sightings. Is there any better news to get upon arrival at a hotel? Turtles!

Accommodation at the Fairmont Orchid

Our room was one of the lead in room categories, a Fairmont Room Garden view. The room was spacious with a king size bed, bathroom with bathtub and shower cubicle, as well as separate toilet room.

We had our own lanai (patio) which was ground floor looking out on the beautiful garden but hidden from everyone behind all the amazing plants. I spent a lot of time on the patio reading or working on my blog.

The sound of the nearby waterfall feature in the background and the exotic birds (well exotic to me) flying by. If this doesn’t scream luxury resort I don’t know what does.

The rooms have a large closet with personal safe and plenty of hanging space. There is also a fridge which is a must have for me when I travel. Not a fully stocked mini bar fridge where you risk exorbitant fees every time to look at an item triggering the temperamental sensors. But a real fridge, completely empty for you stock with your own cold drinks and snacks.

In the room there was a good seating area if you wanted to chill out in an air conditioned room. A bit of a must if you travel during the hotter months.

Where to eat at the Fairmont Orchid

I’ll level with you: the cost of the rooms at the Fairmont are not cheap (although more than worth it). I’m lucky that I get pretty good deals due to my day job in the tourism industry. But if you do decide to stay at the Fairmont here in Hawai’i just be aware that the restaurant prices are pretty in line with the luxury resort.

That being said the food is amazing, and we were spoiled for choice with restaurants here, just as you will be at any Fairmont.

Breakfast at Orchid Court

Breakfasts at the Fairmont hotels are always some of my favorites. I love the huge selection they have in the breakfast buffet which is always really good quality. Here the breakfast buffet is around $50 USD per person, but includes pretty much everything you could ever imagine wanting for breakfast. Including made to order omelets and eggs.

Lunch to go or snacks at Browns Deli

Right next to the pool area, this place is probably going to be the cheapest thing you’ll find in the resort. The baked goods are delicious and there are fresh and healthy salads. They also sell a selection of coffees, smoothies and cold drinks. Perfect for a light lunch if you’re staying on the resort for the day.

Drinks at Kahakai Bar

The Kahakai bar does some small appetizers, known as pupus in Hawai’i. But they also have tropical drinks that will make you really feel at home in this beautiful property. Swim in the pool, then head to the bar for a relaxing afternoon.

We sat at the bar where they have a couple of big screens too. Perfect for people traveling with their significant others like mine who can’t leave sports behind even in paradise.

Dinner and a sunset at Hale Kai restaurant

One of the more casual restaurants, Hale Kai is ideal for some evening drinks and food. The view couldn’t be any better, located pool side with a view out over the ocean and the turtle beach area. Umbrellas provide some shade – especially helpful for pale, freckly people like me. The restaurant floor is sandy like an extension of the beach, and is a great location for this perfect Hawaiian eatery.

This is more of a splash out on dinner kind of place, than an eat there every night place, but the food was good. I had the veggie tacos with squash, corn, beans and guacamole, and Jeff had the flatbread. We also got the tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa which were delicious.

What to do at the Fairmont Orchid resort

As you would expect, the resort has plenty of amenities to keep you busy. No doubt their goal is to keep you there spending your money, and man does it work. But all joking aside, this place knows how to keep you occupied and has enough things to do for every taste.

The outdoor pool

I will admit their pool is one of the nicest I’ve seen. Boasting 1000 square feet of pool area it snakes around like a lazy river with seats and cabanas on all sides.

The main thing I love is that it’s open 24 hours for those looking for a 3am dip. The first night we got here was already 7pm but we had a lovely evening dip after the beautiful sunset, which can also be seen from the pool.

Private beach

If you want to swap the chlorine (mild as it is) for the ocean, then wander a couple hundred feet from the pool. There you’ll stumble upon a delightful little beach with a cove-like feel.

There are plenty of sun loungers, although expect to pay if you want a cabana with a shade. The Kahakai ocean bar is a great place to grab a drink (see above) and the palm tree lined beach is just divine.

Go snorkeling

Included in the resort fee are some items you might want to make use of this quiet bay area. Some premium items like kayaks and stand up paddle boards will charge an additional fee, but for us we just wanted to do a bit of snorkeling.

I am not too great in the water. My swimming ability is not stellar, and I tend to panic whenever I get in the water. But the rentals were free and I wanted to try it out.

We got a snorkel mask, mouthpiece and fins and after some mild anxiety (it wasn’t that mild) made it into the water. A lot of people will want to snorkel in Hawai’i anyway, so having this included is perfect.

You can only use the gear onsite vs. taking it out of the resort, but that was enough for me. I got to see some cool fish but also didn’t feel like I committed to a full day tour I couldn’t hack. An awesome way to spend some time on a warm afternoon. Also, the sand was white and beautiful and the water lovely and warm.

See some turtles

Hawai’i is known for its Honu, or turtles. The Hawaiian green sea turtles frequent many of the beaches around the Hawaiian islands. We went in search of them in Oahu. But the closest we got was when they were in the ocean deciding if they were going to swim onto the shore.

Here at the Fairmont Orchid resort the turtles crawl out onto the rocky part of the shore mid morning and bask in the warm sun. You can’t get too close and there are signs telling you to leave them alone, but we saw a good few turtles just hanging out. This was one of my bucket list items in Hawaii so I was glad to be able to cross it off.

Take a guided hike

The resort has a number of activities you can sign up for, all included in your resort fee. There are early morning yoga sessions on the beach, talks by locals about Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian lei making classes. I chose to join in on the Petroglyph hike one morning (note that activities vary daily so check what’s happening when you arrive).

The “hike” was a pretty leisurely walk along the property, past the golf course and towards Petroglyph Park. The guide told us all about the area and showed us the beautiful rock carvings. It was an 8am start which was nice because it was so hot along the trail already, I couldn’t imagine it later in the day. It also gave me the rest of the day to do other things.

Is the Fairmont Orchid Resort Hawaii worth visiting?

Overall my stay at the Fairmont Orchid resort was wonderful. I felt relaxed and happy, with plenty to keep me occupied and amazingly friendly staff. As with most luxury resorts they generally want to do anything they can for you. But I felt like the people were genuine and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The Big Island, and Hawai’i in general, far exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to go back, and let me tell you I’ll be skipping Honolulu and heading straight to the Big Island next time. Not that I didn’t like Honolulu, and Oahu, but I loved the Big Island.

I will for sure be going to the Fairmont Orchid resort again. In fact I’m already dreaming of which cocktails I’ll be sipping as the sun goes down in the most tranquil resort I’ve stayed in.

If you’ve enjoyed this post please leave a comment, or share using the social media buttons below. Have you stayed at the Fairmont Orchid? What did you think? Or what other places would you recommend to stay in Hawaii?