# How close to the beach



## classiclincoln (Oct 14, 2011)

We're looking at some Hawaii resorts and wanted to know how close to the beach these are:

Worldmark Kona
Cliffs Club
Kona Coast Resort
Westin Princeville

We're looking for "beach resorts" and the II description says the beach is "nearby".  Would you consider them to be beach resorts?

Thanks!

Stu


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## Luanne (Oct 14, 2011)

classiclincoln said:


> We're looking at some Hawaii resorts and wanted to know how close to the beach these are:
> 
> Worldmark Kona
> Cliffs Club
> ...



I can only speak to the ones in Kona.

Worldmark Kona is across the street from the ocean.  Since there are not a lot of usable beaches on the coast, I don't think it's within walking distance of a beach you could use.  We have stayed here and it was one of my least favorite resorts in Kona.

Kona Coast Resort is on the bluff above the ocean.  Again, no usable beach within walking distance.

This is a great website to get an aerial view of resorts.

http://www.wizardpub.com/


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## teepeeca (Oct 14, 2011)

Worldmark Kona east of Alii Drive, accros the street from some oceanfront houses/condos ---may or may not have an ocean view.

Westin Princeville---on a bluff; don't think you can get to the beach from the resort; may, or many not have an ocean view.

Cliffs Club --- again, on a bluff; no (easy) beach access; have a nice ocean view if you are in (some) of building 6; most of building 7; all of building 8 & 9.

Kona Coast ---fairly close to the ocean; some units have ocean views (across from the golf course); cant get to the ocean from the resort.

Tony


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## easyrider (Oct 14, 2011)

The Kona Worldmark is a couple of blocks from a public black sand beach. 

To me a beach resort is on the beach like Ko Olina, Hawaian Princess or Hilton on Oahu.


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## MommaBear (Oct 14, 2011)

I agree with above on Westin Princeville and Cliffs- except the Westin does have a path down to the water, although it is a bit steep and somewhat slippery, the beach is deserted and very private. They also have a free shuttle to the St Regis that gets you beach access.

Maui has lots of beachfront resorts if that is important to you.


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## DeniseM (Oct 14, 2011)

The Westin Princeville is on a bluff overlooking the beach - there is a path down to the beach, and a free shuttle to the beach at the affiliated St. Regis, where you can use the beach chairs, etc., and have charging privileges.


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## DeniseM (Oct 14, 2011)

The Worldmark Kona would be my LAST choice - it looks like a Motel 6!


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## Luanne (Oct 14, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> The Worldmark Kona would be my LAST choice - it looks like a Motel 6!



As I said.  We stayed there and were not impressed.


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## vacationtime1 (Oct 14, 2011)

teepeeca said:


> Westin Princeville---on a bluff; don't think you can get to the beach from the resort; may, or many not have an ocean view.



You can get to the beach; it is a ten minute walk down a steep path.  Some rooms have water views, some have wonderful views of Bali Hai, others have garden views.


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## classiclincoln (Oct 15, 2011)

Thanks for the help, that's exactly what we were looking for.

Stu


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## PClapham (Oct 15, 2011)

The Kona Coast is 3/4 of a mile from a nice public beach- walkable.  But not a beach- front resort, like almost all resorts on the BI (still my favorite island).

Anitak


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## easyrider (Oct 15, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> The Worldmark Kona would be my LAST choice - it looks like a Motel 6!





Looks are a bit deceptive. WM Kona rooms are all pool view and are pretty decent as you would expect WM to be. The location is good for Kona.

The WM Kauai is right on the water but the shoreline is lava rock and shoes are needed. 

The Maui WM Valley Isle is on the beach with many ocean view rooms.

The Maui WM Kihei is across the road from the beach.


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## DeniseM (Oct 15, 2011)

I will have to respectfully disagree with you - in person I thought it looked like Motel 6, too....

And there is no ocean access across the street - it's shoulder to shoulder private homes and hotels.


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## eal (Oct 15, 2011)

Lawai Beach Resort near Poipu on Kauai is across the street from a small swimming and snorkling beach


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## easyrider (Oct 15, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> I will have to respectfully disagree with you - in person I thought it looked like Motel 6, too....
> 
> And there is no ocean access across the street - it's shoulder to shoulder private homes and hotels.



The public beach is 3 blocks north and across the street. I thought it was a decent place to stay. Not as nice or as opulent as some resorts but way better than a Motel 6. 

In WA Motel 6 is a big stucco finished building and has only 1 pool. Maybe the looks could be more like Super 8.


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## Luanne (Oct 15, 2011)

easyrider said:


> The public beach is 3 blocks north and across the street. I thought it was a decent place to stay. Not as nice or as opulent as some resorts but way better than a Motel 6.



Decent, yes.  Comfortable, no.

Our stay at the Worldmark Kona was a disappointment.  The unit was small, the balcony small (and unusable because the air-conditioning unit took up a good third of the space and blew hot air out into the balcony).  There was no way to open up any of the doors to get a cross-breeze so we had the air-conditioning running just about all the time.  So, if there was a pool view, we never saw it.    Also the bathrooms were tiny.  As I said, I wouldn't stay there again by choice.

Love Kona Coast and also the Wyndham Kona.  There really aren't any reports on the Big Island that are oceanfront, or even on a usable beach.  But, the Big Island is still our favorite.


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## easyrider (Oct 16, 2011)

Worldmark Kona rates pretty good with trip adviser.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?q=worldmark+kona&geo=&returnTo=__2F__

It could be that you were a last minute exchange. As an owner we reserve 13 months out and get nice WM rooms. On the WM website it shows rooms with less desirable locations at most WM resorts. If you were in a studio it is suppose to be small and does not compare to a 2 bed unit with washer & dryer.

While not as opulent as some resorts the location is easy to see the rest of the Big Island. The restaurants and seaport are a mile walk. The public beach is a shoe on, imo, as there are sea urchins. There are turtles here. There are better beaches nearby.

I would describe the WM Kona as more of a comfortable condo than an attraction.


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## Luanne (Oct 16, 2011)

easyrider said:


> Worldmark Kona rates pretty good with trip adviser.
> If you were in a studio it is suppose to be small and does not compare to a 2 bed unit with washer & dryer.



We were in a two-bedroom with a washer/dryer.  Again, I am just stating our impressions.  We felt the two-bedroom was small, with an unusable balcony and no way to get any kind of cross breeze which made the unit hot and stuffy unless we ran the a/c all the time.  While not terrible it would not be one of our top choices in the area.


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## tfalk (Oct 17, 2011)

The Westin Princeville is about 100 feet from the beach.  Unfortunately, it's 100 feet vertically...  If you are going to bother driving down to Anini Beach, take the 2nd Kalihiwai road instead and go down to Kalihiwai Bay... much nicer beach and waves bigger than a ripple...


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