Best Captain Cook Hotels

Imagine enjoying a delicious breakfast sitting on the broad lanai of the house at Ka'awa Loa Planation. An enticing array of fruit, juices, eggs and baking fills your plate while your eyes take in the beautiful view down into the valley to the ocean. Whatever your plans for the day, items such as beach towels, coolers, sunscreen, beach chairs and umbrellas are available to borrow. Host Hannah will offer recommendations as to where to visit. Her knowledge and her breakfasts are second to none. We stayed in the cottage on the property. Although small, there was plenty of room for the two of us. The cottage will sleep 4 comfortably if two of the four are children. It would be crowded with four adults. There is a lovely small patio behind the cottage which caught the morning sun and made good spot to sit, read and admire the garden. I highly recommend staying at Ka'awa Loa when visiting South Kona. We plan to stay again on this lovely property when we next return to the Big Island.

We had an absolutely fantastic stay at Gingerhill! 5 out of 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, would do again. We stayed in the Jungle Canopy, which is a perfect oasis for two. We like to travel more DIY-style (and honestly, on a budget) and this fit the bill perfectly. It’s pretty much as described - a glamping tent canopy with a small kitchenette, running water, toilet, and outdoor hot shower. If you are looking for 5-star accommodations and lux service, then this is not the place for you, but if you want a nice retreat from the tourist bustle and like to travel more on the independent side, you can’t go wrong here. After a long day exploring, it felt so good to come back to our little jungle retreat and rest and recuperate. The bed is amazingly comfortable. Once we got used to the noisy nightlife, we slept very well. The kitchenette has a small refrigerator, hotplate, sink, and - very important - coffee grinder, coffee provided! and french press. The basics in terms of dishes, utensils, etc are also provided. A major bonus were the farm kitties who came by to say hello multiple times. All our interactions with the owners and staff were lovely - they were very quick to respond to any of our requests for assistance or amenities. Some tips for anyone booking here and important to note - this is only for the Jungle Canopy - all of the accommodations are slightly differently equipped: 1 - bring headlamps and extra lighting - maybe a solar lamp or two. These were absolutely essential. While there is modest lighting, it wasn’t quite adequate especially after dark. You really are surrounded by jungle vegetation and natural lighting is limited. 2 - bring ear plugs. The frogs and jungle life at night are pretty deafening at first. We needed ear plugs the first couple of nights and then, amazingly, we adapted and were able to sleep without them. Tips that go beyond the Jungle Canopy: 3 - There is a very good grocery store less than 5 minutes from Gingerhill - the KTA. We got everything we needed there, service was friendly and we were pleasantly surprised to find that prices were not as expensive relative to the mainland as we expected. 4 - Our favorite snorkeling spot, or at least, in our top 3, was one of the closest to Gingerhill. There is an informal parking area for the Captain Cook Monument hiking trail about 5 minutes away. The hike is a bit long and steep compared to other places with closer ocean access, but the snorkeling there was on par with everything else we explored. It had perhaps the most abundant fish we saw. 5 - If you’ve done your homework, you know that a lot of sunscreen is not good for coral reefs. While you can buy “reef-safe” sunscreen, the best option is none at all. Consider using long-sleeve rash guards or dive skins instead - it offers superior sun protection with no concerns about harmful chemicals in the water.

The hotel has no walls or wooden boards, it is just surrounded by anti-mosquito sand nets, and there are curtains around the bed. It's still a bit cold in January. The shower is outdoors, with a curtain, and it's a bit cold, so it's not convenient. The air in the forest is good and the chirping of insects is pleasant. Breakfast is very simple, bread, boiled eggs, and some fruit. I don’t like it a bit but I don’t feel full. The novelty is quite good, a bit like camping. Don't come with children, they are scared, and people here go to bed early and require quietness. The kids were bored and had to be quiet.

I was nervous to stay here given the reviews and with the current construction I wouldn't have been happy to pay full price (not because of noise/dust, but because the restaurants/spa/bars/etc. are not all up and running!) but I got a nice 30% off deal through the Outrigger website and was happy with what we paid. I chose the oceanfront room knowing I'd get a good view (too many oceanview hotels only offer a glimpse of the water) but never imagined the incredible surprise we got - our room faced directly out to where the lights shine for the manta rays each night so it was like we had our our private manta observation deck! It was unreal! The room was comfy, clean and spacious; the staff were super friendly and helped quickly when our balcony was flooded after a storm, and we loved the morning yoga, mac nut lattes at holoholo market, and the easy self parking (it's really not a long walk). The beach pool was closed for renos but we enjoyed the courtyard pool very much, and the grounds were stunning to walk around in the morning an evening - keep a lookout for goats on the rocks! We were also able to walk to and from Keauhou Bay marina for our night snorkle with the mantas which was super convenient. KTA superstore and L&L BBQ are just down the road for quick eats and the location was perfect for visiting K'au, Kona coffee farms and to get to the airport. Can't wait to stay again when the renovations are complete!

The Condo was in good condition, could’ve used new carpet and paint touch up but despite that very clean!!! The size the condo was perfect and we could see the ocean from the patio doors. The kitchen was well serviced with clean nice dishes. The washer/dryer was a fabulous feature we used!! The front desk staff were very helpful and friendly. Parking was including and easy to find. Condo was close to Kona Inn shopping and the bypass road used for Hwy 11. Would definitely recommend staying there!!! The guest book in the condo to write your own entry was so fun to read what other guests had done!!

The 2-bedroom and 1-living room type is very good, can accommodate 6 people, 4 rooms, and there is an active bed in the hall. There are also two bathrooms. It is very comfortable to live. But there is no air conditioning, one room has an air conditioning cabinet, but if you want to use it, you have to pay extra. Washing machine dryer is very new, easy to use, but people who sleep in the living room bed will hear the sound of the machine running. The kitchen is fully equipped and suitable for those who plan to cook. The hotel has a large supermarket and commercial center in the area in 5 minutes by car. We arrived at 9 pm and the front desk had ended work, but there was a special line phone at the front desk door. Calling to inform the surname will tell you the password of the room key deposit box password, and you can pick up the key yourself. There is no elevator in all buildings, which is inconvenient. In addition, the worst part of the room is that the window facing the road is not a traditional window, but a glass shutter, the gap is large, the noise is too loud. At night, there are fewer cars and there are more cars after 6 o'clock in the morning, and it feels like sleeping on the side of the road. Students who don't sleep well should choose carefully.

The hotel is located right on the shoreline with walkable access to many restaurants nearby. It’s also a convenient 20 minute drive from the airport. The rooms were spacious and had all the necessities. The only downside is the nearby pubs open late into the night; you will hear people screaming/yelling and karaoke until about 1am. If you are on a lower floor, the waves crashing against the shore can get rough and loud depending on the tides/weather.