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Back from Waikoloa

PeteBob

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I recently visited the Marriott Waikoloa. I had a 2 bedroom suite. The suite was excellent with 3 balcony's & 3 TV's which helped a lot to satisfy all interests. The room had partial ocean view. I've been here before and the place hasn't changed a lot since my last visit. Everyone wore a mask, except in the pool. I didn't eat at the restaurant. The local tourist market has good Spam Masubi and we ate a year's worth of Spam Musubi. :) They have grills so you can cook. They work well and it was fun talking with other guest and sharing info about other properties. Also a shoutout to the Bellman, Sean. He was very helpful, giving great tips about the beaches, restaurants and food trucks. Sadly, we only checked out one food truck that made Malasadas, It's parked on the side of the highway between the airport and the hotel. The malasadas were very tasty!

The pools are as nice as ever. The towels were very available. The beach is nice for swimming.

The Marriott beach is ok for swimming but terrible for boogies boards and snorkeling (too cloudy).
For Boogie boards, check Kua Bay, across from the veterans cemetery. Note that if there is no wind, the Kua bay waves will be small. Kua bay does have a small reef area on the south end. There's showers to rinse off the sand. Note: There's no shade at Kua Bay.

For snorkeling go to Beach 69. The water clarity is excellent and there are nice reefs with plenty of fish. Beach 69 has showers and there is shade as well.

For both beaches, it's highly recommended to get beach shoes. Walmart has an excellent selection.

Other tips. If you venture to the the southern part of the Island, check out Kona Grill (old name was Sundried Specialties.). Their fried fish is excellent.
For awesome coffee, about 100 feet down the road from Kona Grill, you can find a coffee seller, in the same structure as the marble/granite cutting shop. There's a nice man there will sell you the best Kona Coffee!
 

SFTechGeek

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Resorts Owned
HGVC Lagoon Tower
HGVC The Bay Club Waikoloa
HGVC Las Vegas Boulevard
Sounds like a great trip. Trying to get to Waikoloa for a HGVC presentation. Trying to buy 7000 points on secondary market. Does Marriott offer presentations like Hilton?
 

sea&ski

TUG Review Crew
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And for all of you wondering where Beach 69 is:

I don't believe we have discovered this one yet. We have always had decent snorkeling at Waikoloa and also used scuba/snorkel tours. Perhaps winter is different for Waikoloa.
 

PeteBob

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Sounds like a great trip. Trying to get to Waikoloa for a HGVC presentation. Trying to buy 7000 points on secondary market. Does Marriott offer presentations like Hilton?

I hate the sales pitch. They can be total A-holes. I skipped it. I didn't have someone manning the front desk for timeshares. I don't think there's a lot of business going on in the sales office.
 

PeteBob

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And for all of you wondering where Beach 69 is:

I don't believe we have discovered this one yet. We have always had decent snorkeling at Waikoloa and also used scuba/snorkel tours. Perhaps winter is different for Waikoloa.
 

PeteBob

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And for all of you wondering where Beach 69 is:

I don't believe we have discovered this one yet. We have always had decent snorkeling at Waikoloa and also used scuba/snorkel tours. Perhaps winter is different for Waikoloa.
oops! Sorry about that. It's not hard to find. Use Waze or similar app to get there. It's a few miles north of Waikoloa. There's a Malasada food truck parked on the side of the road that is also the access to get to the beach. The road is really narrow so drive slow.
There's functioning restrooms. Get beach shoes with the rubber soles (Walmart) to project your feet. Great snorkeling. Saw many fish, a turtle and a white and brown eel.
 

Bill4728

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Lake Tapps, WA
I just heard from a friend who stayed at the Bay Club last week (next door to Marriott) , They said that the county government went Covid crazy. At all the beaches on the Big Island, you are not allowed to bring anything for shade. No sun shades, no beach umbrellas and no pop-up tents. This make no sense to me. I hope no one else follows this idea.
 

lynne

TUG Review Crew
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Kamuela, HI (from Long Island, NY)
Resorts Owned
Pacific Grove Plaza
I just heard from a friend who stayed at the Bay Club last week (next door to Marriott) , They said that the county government went Covid crazy. At all the beaches on the Big Island, you are not allowed to bring anything for shade. No sun shades, no beach umbrellas and no pop-up tents. This make no sense to me. I hope no one else follows this idea.
That is not true. The county is trying to limit large gatherings with prohibiting tents and canopies but you certainly can have a beach umbrella for shade.

COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES:

  • All County of Hawai'i parks and recreational facilities are open unless otherwise sated.

  • Indoor and outdoor groups of more than 10 persons are prohibited.

  • Groups must maintain a minimum of 20 feet of physical separation. No mingling between groups.

  • All parks pavilions are closed.

  • Canopies and pop-up tents are prohibited.

  • All permits and reservations for use associated with parks and recreational facilities through October 4, 2021 are cancelled.

  • County cemeteries, the Hilo Municipal Golf Course, and County swimming pools remain open.

  • Face coverings are required at the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens except when eating or drinking. The pavilion, playground, and petting zoo are closed.

  • Camping at County facilities of groups in excess of 10 persons is not permitted.

  • Events or activities over the permitted maximum number of persons must submit a comprehensive plan and be pre-approved by the Director of Parks and Recreation. Plans should protect the health, safety and well being of participants, officials, supporters, spectators and other individuals present (i.e., enforce restrictions on gatherings and physical distancing, as well as strategies for disinfection/sanitization of common surfaces).
 

1Kflyerguy

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
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San Jose, Ca
Resorts Owned
HGVC Kings Land, Elara, and Marriott Destination Club Points
Following up on PeteBob's comments, Beach 69 is awesome for snorkeling, nice reef close to shore. Close to Waikoloa resorts, easy parking and shade on the beach.

Some trips that's the only beach we snorkel at. Hapuna beach is next-door, and awesome for just hanging out and swimming.
 

PeteBob

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Sounds like a great trip. Trying to get to Waikoloa for a HGVC presentation. Trying to buy 7000 points on secondary market. Does Marriott offer presentations like Hilton?

There was a couple of timeshare sales people. I did not talk to them. Concierge called me a week before I arrived and one of the questions was to ask if I wanted to talk to the timeshare folks. I told them I am not interest. I was quite surprised that the timeshare people respected my request. In the past, I've had to firmly tell them I am not interested.
 

dannybaker

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Hilton use to give a hola card that can save you hundreds of dollars. We scheduled three tours with the card and saved about $600.
 
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