Review - The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort

December 18th, 2020

Enroute:

Our flight from Dallas landed almost a full hour ahead of schedule, which allowed us additional time to handle all the covid-related arrival formalities. Be sure to check out what it’s like to fly domestically during covid in this po st . Even though Hawaii as a state required travelers to present negative Covid test results in order to be exempted from a 10-day quarantine, the Big Island of Hawaii actually tested inbound passengers again before they were released from the airport. The process was relatively smooth - passengers were separated into two groups: the ones that could produce a QR code generated on the Hawaii Safe Travel portal, and the ones who couldn’t. Fortunately we had done our research, so we were directed to the queue for secondary screening.

Once we reached the temporary medical tents, we provided our contact info and had our nasal swabs. After that, we were free to go. Positive tests would get a phone call within the hour. From deplaning to reclaiming our checked bag, the process took exactly one hour.

We had reserved a rental car, which is absolutely vital should you be interested in seeing the natural beauty of the Big Island. Pulling out of the rental lot and up the shoreline highway headed north, it was about a 35-minute drive from Kona Airport to the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, located on the Kohala coast.

Check-in:

As soon as we pulled up under the porte-cochère, the ocean made for a stunning backsplash.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Porte-cochère

The property was renovated in 2018, and they did a phenomenal job with it. The façade gave away its age, but the structure was grandiose, with high clearance and al fresco public space. The interior mostly stayed true to the island vibes, blending ubiquitous use of various natural woods. The open design created a draft of ocean breeze cycling through the lobby constantly. I’ve always been a fan of the “bringing the outdoor indoors” concept.

The lobby of the hotel was located on the 8th floor, which means most of the rooms were tucked down below. On the lower end of the grand staircase was Piko Bar, which dubbed as a hotspot for sunset cocktails, as well as a morning grab & go station.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Grand Staircase

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Piko Bar View

On the edge was the panoramic view of the resort compound, which receded further from the lobby bar.

On the way to the guest rooms, there were different seating areas on each floor, allowing for some spectacular display of the not-so-distant ocean and mountains.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Seating Area

Unpack:

After an obligatory mai tai at the bar, we headed to our room located on the top floor (9th). We stayed a total of 7 nights with a Marriott certificate I had expiring by the end of this year, so we only needed to pay for the additional parking ($25/night) and resort charge of $30/night. It included the following:

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Resort Fee Inclusions

Before the room tour, familiar readers know I’m going to deride the practice of resort fees. However, I do have to commend the Westin Hapuna for at least making it less insulting with some offerings we did end up taking advantage of. On the other side, there’s Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, which we stayed at later on our trip and had to check out early. You can read about the horrendous experience her e.

Welcome to our premier ocean view room at the Westin!

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Premier Ocean View Room Bathroom

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Premier Ocean View Room Closet

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Premier Ocean View Room Loveseat

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Premier Ocean View Room Writing Desk

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Premier Ocean View Room Bedroom

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Premier Ocean View Room Balcony

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Premier Ocean View Room Daybed

The first impression of the room was really positive. If you’re a US-based reader and thought to yourself “wow this looks really nice for a Westin?”, it’s because this property is owned by the Prince Hotels from Japan. Prince owns and operates many hotels along the Pacific Rim either under its own brand or through franchise agreements with major hotel chains. Hawaii is inarguably the most popular destination for the Japanese.

For a non-suite room, I reckon the size was beyond adequate. A dual-vanity is always a favorite feature of mine, as well as separate bath and shower. In this case the tub wasn’t a soaking one, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. The bathroom was large, well-lit and spotlessly clean.

The overall décor of the room was on the bland side in my opinion, but it was comfortable nonetheless. Being on the top floor, the best part was the balcony. Food on the Big Island was amazing and liberally portioned, so we’d always have leftovers every time we went out to eat. On most evenings, we set our food on the table outside and had candlelit leftover dinners while the sun evanesced beneath the horizon.

Shortly after we checked in, the hotel treated us to a Hawaiian fruit plate and a bottle of Chardonnay, which was of course appreciated.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Welcome Fruit Plate

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Welcome Wine

Unwind:

Hawaii is 5hrs behind ET, so we both woke up at around 5AM and decided to hit the gym before starting our first day. The gym was capped at 9 persons at a time, and one must reserve their slots through the QR code given at check-in. The interface looked like this:

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Gym Reservation System

Availability was mostly plentiful.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Wellness Center Entrance

The gym and the spa shared the same wellness complex, which was upscale and tranquil.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Wellness Center Hallway

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Wellness Center Relaxation Area

The gym itself was well-equipped for a resort hotel, and I didn’t have any trouble finding what I needed for my workout.

Not a bad place to get some gains, eh? The gym shut down for 30 minutes to deep clean between each 1-hour appointment. On top of that, there was an air purifier, should you feel more at ease.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Gym Air Purifier

The locker room was serene, given it’s never crowded.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Gym Locker Room

Directly outside the wellness center were the pools.

One level below were the adult pool and hot tub, which looked even more enticing at sunset.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Adult Pool

Closest to the ocean were the kids pool and the beach club.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Kids Pool

The hotel beach was part of the public Hapuna beach, and it had the softest sand I had ever walked on. The water was gorgeous as well. However, there were surf warnings on most days, so we only swam in the ocean once. The Pacific was no Caribbean.

We did have a few rounds of cocktails by the pool, but mostly we spent our time exploring outside the hotel. The drinks were reasonably priced and potent, with most cocktails at $15. The 4.7ish-percent Hawaii sales tax couldn’t hurt either.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Kohala Tai

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Caipirinha

On our second last day, we played the 18-hole golf course that wound up and down the coast.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Golf Course

We were interrupted by these cute geese named Nēnē that were a protected species native to the Big Island, I think?

Depart:

On Christmas Eve, the hotel placed a gift bag on each door, and it turned out to be white chocolate covered macadamia nuts.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort Christmas Treat

Our week at the Westin went by faster than we would’ve liked. The hotel sure was stunning, from the rooms to the amenities. The staff were genuinely friendly and helpful but not overly eager and intrusive, which I feel like is true to most Hawaiians - laid back but ready to help when you need it.

I’m sure the hotel had amazing food but we didn’t end up having a single meal there, just because there were so many great options outside. Hawaii is so culturally diverse, and it really reflects in its cuisine - we had delicious tonkotsu ramen in the creamiest broth in Hilo, heartiest loco moco and kalua hash for breakfast, the tenderest and juiciest huli huli chicken in Waimea, freshest ahi and brews in downtown Kona, teishoku from a 3rd generation Japanese family restaurant in Captain Cook and the crispiest and crunchiest lechon kawali in Waikoloa Village.

The real gem of the hotel lies outside of it. The Big Island is unlike anywhere we have ever been. It’s about the size of Connecticut but sometimes you feel like you’re in New Zealand, sometimes Bali, sometimes Jurassic Park and sometimes Mars. We happened to be there when the Kīlauea volcano erupted for the first time after two years, so we got up at 4am one morning to drive up there before dawn. Watching the smog emitting out of the active crater and inhaling the sulfur in the air was one of the most surreal moments in my life.

The island also has so much wildlife. Scuba-diving with manta rays at night where their bellies were glazing off your forehead and spotting humpback whales blowing air are scenes normally from Planet Earth, but you get to watch them all in real life on the Big Island (well, not far off the Big Island).

Mostly we just enjoyed driving on the winding roads that take you up and down the mountains. Every turn was a surprise. You could feel the temperature drop as you went uphill, and all of a sudden everything around you was green and lush again.

Words can’t take you to see what we saw, neither can photos. But maybe this one will help you decide on your next vacation destination, whenever you’re ready to see the world again.

Review - The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort

December 18th, 2020

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