Marriott’s Waikoloa Ocean Club

We visited the vacation club side of the Marriott Waikoloa Ocean Club over the Easter weekend. Our experience was largely positive. Despite the size of the resort, it maintains a very relaxed feel. The ***** areas are spacious and open with many places to sit and look at the ocean (both outside and semi-inside). The pool area always seemed to have seating available, though there was a shortage of umbrellas. The ocean is a short walk across a lagoon. Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, there are loungers available for free on the beach. They are a short walk to the right, bypassing the more elaborate ones for which there is a charge. The ocean itself was quite calm, but very rocky (bring water shoes!). Our room was nicely appointed. The limited kitchen is a modest negative, but the property is clear on what you are getting. Despite the absence of a range top and oven, the room came equipped with all the usual Marriott Vacation Club kitchen supplies. The balconies were small with just enough space for two chairs and a small table, so it's not easy to eat on the balcony. We had a one bedroom unit, so we had two of the balconies, a nice feature. The bathroom was dated. Our one complaint during our week on the property was the occasional absence of towels at the pool. Twice, late in the afternoon, the towel hut was out of towels. They had a pre-printed sign to announce this, so it must not have been an exception. One of the times, we were told that some were available at the bell stand, quite a walk from the pool. Another time, we were told that the delivery was late and that it was on its way. A couple of hours later, the towels were still "on their way." This is inexcusable at a resort. Management needs to remedy this problem. Having an emergency reserve that can be tapped seems like a obvious solution. The towel issue was annoying, but luckily the many other positives of this property leave us with a positive assessment of this property.

Stayed here for a few nights and enjoyed our time here. Clean, welcoming and a good location to go to either Kona or Hilo or to even just hang out in the area. Dated in certain aspects, but I suppose that’s the charm to it. Overall, it’s a bit pricey for what you get, so I would recommend getting a deal by planning ahead.

Our villa was perfect ! It had everything we needed. Pool area was very nice - we relaxed in the hot tub at night (there are 3 !) . We liked the location; it was central for driving to the Volcano National Park or driving along the west coast . There are many restaurants and shopping near by.

The biggest dud of all during our stay in Hawaii. If you just want to lay on the beach then this spot is ok. If you want to eat good food, drink tasty drinks, and see Volcanoes National park or most of the other attractions then this spot is terrible.

Very slow service, too lazy to even work on requests to change rooms from the ground floor to a higher floor for security. Many bugs on the room ceiling and walls. Many sharp edges on all furniture, especially tv cabinet metal handles in black that caused bleeding cuts and even cut through clothing. Room lighting is too dim and metal handles are dark, easy to get injured as they are extremely sharp.

We stayed for 2 weeks at Marriott Waikoloa on the timeshare side. We had a wonderful visit!! I know there was recently construction, but the lobby, grounds and rooms were beautiful and very well maintained. We have traveled extensively and been to the MVC in Maui, Kauai, and at Ko Olina and many other properties. This a smaller property, very well maintained and the staff was phenomenal- so kind and helpful with whatever we needed! The pools were great, the beach was gorgeous, and loved walking through the ancient fish ponds. Very nice and convenient to have the king and queens shops just a few minutes walk from the resort. We loved, loved our stay, a few things that could be improved: -Pool food menu was lackluster, nachos were not good. -My kids loved the activities, a few more activities would have been great! -We loved the Buffet, a few days they were out of yogurt and some cereals. Things you need to think of when coming to the big island: -It’s very, very laidback. This is a place to chill, it’s not a party place at all, you come here to relax and see the amazing things on the island. -You are on an island- everything is expensive. Come here knowing that! Remember workers have to live in the island- it’s expensive for them too! -things are far. When you leave Waikoloa or go from A to B anywhere on the island it’s a bit of a drive, but the drives are interesting, easy and beautiful! -All beaches are public- no resort owns the beach. I saw complaints about not enough chairs at the beach- they are lucky they can have any! Had a great stay and hope to come back one day!

We are MVC owners and used points to book a week at the Waikaloa Ocean Club. Staff was very nice at check in and the bell service here is top notch. As a ts guest our room was in the Ka'ahumanu Wing which was very nice, we had an ocean front view. The staff at this resort is very laid back, when asked, nobody seemed to know if you needed a wrist band to use the pool or slide, however, we had no problem getting chairs by the pool for four of us any time of day. We also spent time at A-bay where we rented a cabana, kayak and paddleboard. Alot of families were enjoying the calm water in the bay. There are food options on site: Hawaii Call Restaurant and Aka-ula Lanai. I wished they had directed us there at check in, we were unaware and discovered them the next day. The rooms are spacious, the kitchen is huge with a full size refrigerator, microwave oven and dishwasher. There is no stove or oven, we used the bbq grills on the days we cooked dinner. The air conditioning units in both of the bedrooms were SO loud, it interrupted our sleep. Adding ceiling fans might help so that you don't have to run the A/C all the time. This seems to be a problem in every room as this is mentioned in every review. The resort is 18 miles north of the airport, it's a nice drive with views of volcanic terrain. We enjoyed our stay and will definitely come back to visit again.

We have been MVC owners since 2007 and love visiting MVC resorts in Maui and Ko Olina. This year we decided to try the Big Island and we do not feel like this MVC property is as good as the other Hawaii locations. Pros: The unit itself was nice and well maintained. We loved having the in unit laundry and found it spacious and well decorated. Great proximity to the King Shops/Queens Marketplace The pool area was small but adequate and we never had a problem finding a pool chair. One day we rented a pool cabana and found it reasonably priced. Pool waiters were friendly and attentive. Cons: The beach! No chairs or cabanas offered from the hotel but only through 3rd party vendors. No beach waiters/food service. No valet parking. The parking lot is close but after a long day of travel it wasn’t the best first impression when we arrived. Resort common spaces seemed drab and outdated. The open air lobby has a great view but doesn’t seem as special or well maintained as other MVC Hawaii destinations. The on-site restaurant was ok but nothing special. Wish this MVC had a better restaurant like Longhi’s in Ko Olina. Prices seemed exorbitant for certain things like bottled water and drinks by the pool. We ended up moving over to the Fairmont Orchid for our last two days and their drinks were cheaper! Sundries were as well. Overall I would say it was fine but wouldn’t be a chosen destination in the future. A few tweaks and some more attention to detail and it could be a special place.

The location is great because it is very walkable to the King and Queens shops. The hotel lobby has outdoor elements, which was lovely. What was disappointing for our stay were the rooms themselves. They look to be new room, but they appear to be neglected. The shower in our room had a lot of mold, and the room itself was incredibly tiny (maye 250 sq ft? We had to stack our suitcases on top of each other). All in all, for the price we paid, we paid for location, not really the hotel itself. Staff is friendly.