Castle at Royal Sea Cliff

The ocean views and sunsets were nice, but that $314 cleaning charge, with tax, for three nights was outrageous. It was tucked into the small print of our travel documents. Room 203 was basic but okay, with a good ocean view, though there was no hot water. Apparently the previous guests had the same problem. Cindy, the general manager, was nice and moved us to room 412, which was a huge upgrade, very nice and updated. I think the room you get depends on who you book through.

The location is handy for day trips, between Hilo and the volcano to the south and Hapuna Beach and the pricier resorts to the north. Kona city is a 5-10 minute drive, though there aren't many places to walk to nearby. Lots of parking, easy WiFi, and helpful, friendly staff. The building is nice and rooms are large, reasonably clean, and maintained. There are two modest pools, a very tiny hot tub, and only about three BBQs, which can be limiting. It's suitable for families with children. A good location, highly recommended.

The pools by the ocean are lovely, the outdoor BBQ grills were clean, and it was nice to have a tennis court out front, though it needs maintenance and is showing its age. Our corner suite in unit 610 had fantastic ocean views. Staff were consistently friendly and helpful. Still, after several trips and stays around the Big Island, I can't recommend Royal Sea Cliff if you have other Kona options. Pests were a serious, ongoing problem. Ghost ants, termites, and cockroaches showed up mostly in the kitchen, though the termites were elsewhere too. The winged ones came out at night and flew around, getting in people's hair. It was disgusting. We reported ants the first day, and someone sprayed without moving the food. I checked, and the chemicals weren't safe on exposed food. When things got worse and we reported them again, the concierge said pest control wasn't available at night and would come in the morning. Nobody came for the rest of our trip. There was visible water damage on the guest room ceiling and swollen baseboards by the window. The bathroom fan didn't seem to work, and several AC duct filters were filthy, as though they hadn't been changed in ages. Airflow was minimal. The walls were paper-thin: we heard upstairs neighbors dragging chairs and showering, and what sounded like toilets flushing. Not great for a family trying to rest. The kitchen floor around and under the fridge and oven was grimy. The dishwasher repeatedly left detergent pods undissolved and the dishes dirty, so we had to run it again. The fridge didn't seal properly, which risked spoiling food. One otherwise clean outdoor BBQ had a broken temperature gauge. WiFi was so slow I often had to use cellular data for work. Other reviews mention it too, so it seems known and unresolved. The location, views, and pool are there, but the maintenance, cleanliness, water damage, and poor soundproofing fell short of what guests should expect.

We were in Room #706 for about four nights a few weeks ago. It was quiet, and we barely heard road noise since the resort sits far enough back from Ali'i drive. The views west from around the property were great, with spectacular sunsets from our lanai and the pool. Staff seemed friendly and available. Lots of guests seemed to be retirees, which may explain the quiet, lol. There were free daily activities in the downstairs lobby, listed on a calendar by the elevators. My wife really enjoyed the hula class one afternoon. Both pools were clean and easy to get to, and the spa was relaxing after a long day, though we wished it were larger or there were two. Parking was free during our visit. I'd seen reviews mentioning a nightly fee and planned to park on the street, but the front desk said at check-in there wasn't a charge at the moment. Our room had a fully stocked kitchen, washer and dryer, plenty of towels, three beach chairs, an umbrella, and other beach gear. Hot water in the shower was perfect, unlike some other places we've stayed on the island. Room setups may differ, so check with the desk. The main frustration was a few small roaches in the kitchen. I had to kill a medium-sized one one morning and told the desk. There may be a pest issue, so we started taking the trash out every night. There are no recycling bins in the rooms, but each floor has a trash room for recyclables, which I suspect many people don't know about or use. Renovation work in the room below lasted two days, with tile being demolished and replaced on the lanai. It started later in the day when we were mostly out, but was still annoying when we tried to use our own lanai. I'd call ahead to ask whether nearby rooms are scheduled for renovations.