Featured

Johan Sent on 05/05/2024

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Above and Beyond

Working with the Royal Kona team (Maura, Pam, and Marites) was a dream! Their team is very communicative and responsive. They were able to help us turn our dream wedding into a reality. This was especially important to use since we were planning the wedding from another state. As soon as we arrived in Hawaii, everything was exactly as we had planned and expected. They truly have a dream team at Royal Kona!

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Emily Sent on 10/29/2022

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Incredible - thank you Maura!

We just had our wedding at the Royal Kona this past week and were completely blown away. We had a Jewish wedding which required a lot of extra moving parts and unusual requests. Maura handled all of them with aplomb and was extremely kind, warm, and professional throughout the entire process. Our wedding was beautiful and I could not believe how welcome the Romance Center made us feel. The venue (Sunset Cove) was stunning and multiple guests mentioned how delicious the food was. The vendors associated with Royal Kona were also amazing. The florist took a vague suggestion of a color palette and a couple of inspo photos and turned them into something spectacular and the DJ kept guests dancing all night. Thank you Royal Kona!

Christina Sent on 07/21/2022

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Romance Center

Maura and her team was wonderful, every detail was taken care of and we were able to enjoy the wedding from beginning to end. Everything was perfect from the flowers, the food, music and dancing. I guess really enjoyed themselves. A big thank you to everyone at the Royal Kona Resort

Ariel Sent on 07/11/2022

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GREAT Wedding Planners & Beautiful Ceremony spaces

We LOVED having our ceremony here. The wedding planners are amazing! (shout-out to Maurisa & Pam, especially) The spaces were beautiful and so well decorated. Doing our wedding here was easy, and gorgeous and having Maurisa made my wedding planning so very, very easy. We got married at Nohea Point (but almost did Sunset Cove) and it was private and beautiful. We did sunset pictures at Sunset Cove and it was amazing. RKR wedding people were super accommodating to help my uncle get to and from the ceremony space and the luau space. They also made sure there were accommodations for a couple special food restrictions my guests needed.

The resort is within walking distance of so many great food spots that most of our guests didn't need a car if they didn't want to explore on their own. Many of them carpooled with others on adventures, but there was enough within a 5-10 minute walk that a car was not necessary. You aren't 'stuck' in the resort like you are in some of those other resorts (e.g. up in Waikaloa). This was the BEST way to get both the opportunity to stay at a beautiful resort but also get to experience Kona / Hawaii.

I would get married here every time, this was a dream! Dream wedding, dream wedding planners.

Hiccups: the only thing is that the wedding planners are separate from the resort itself. The resort (hotel) doesn't help coordinate with rooms, the discount for rooms is not very much and there's not much the (amazing) wedding planning people can do to help make that better, so you will have to deal with the hotel side completely separately from the wedding planning stuff.

Also of note: You have to bring your own photographer & hair/makeup. I HIGHLY recommend Dawn Eicher for photography and Grace (Indigo Grace Artistry) for your Hair and Makeup. They're both phenomenal humans.

Heather Sent on 06/12/2022

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Perfect 10 Out of 10 Stars

Our wedding day exceeded our expectations in every single aspect. First, Maura was patient, knowledgeable, friendly, and empathetic. The team was incredibly kind and made us feel at ease immediately. The venue was gorgeous and intimate and the decoration was stunning…not over done and yet gorgeous. The ceremony and officiant -oh my goodness, my husband still raves about him. It was personal and spiritual and more than we hoped for. The reception -the food!! Never has there ever been such yummy food at a wedding!! The cake beautiful and the pictures as a result of the venue are stunning. Everyone there still raves about it with many saying this was the best wedding they had ever attended ..and we are not youngsters :) thank you Romance Center for giving us a day to remember for the rest of our lives.

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Colin Sent on 01/19/2022

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Went above and beyond our expectations.

The romance team at Royal Kona went above and beyond to make our wedding day truly special. They are easy to work with, have some creative ideas, and their attention to details & our special requests made for a great experience. Combine that with the most incredible backdrop for our ceremony and reception, our wedding at The Royal Kona Resort was everything we wanted and much more.

Alisha Sent on 12/14/2021

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Stop looking and book at the Royal Kona Resort!

I am beyond happy and impressed with the simple decision to book the Royal Kona Resort for our wedding day. As an out of towner who had not been to the big island before, it can be hard to know what to expect. However, the pictures provided are exactly what you see when you arrive and you will not be disappointed. The information and details provided from Maggie Snead (best wedding planner ever!) through my many emails and phone calls help you easily paint the picture in your head. Maggie is honest, helpful, patient and so supportive! She helped simplify the process of wedding planning and made sure we were happy with all decisions. The day of coordinator, Stasha, is highly recommended too - wow, I never expected someone to be so attentive and helpful! The food was amazing and the views are breathtaking. You will be beyond happy you booked at the Royal Kona!

Hyeri Sent on 11/09/2021

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Wedding that all your guests will keep bringing up

I explored the island for 2 weeks and did not found any other wedding venues that’s as romantic and beautiful as Royal Kona for the price. Coming from design background from NYC, I had lots of visual requests and all of them were met 100%. Everyone at Royal Kona were easy to work with and they were happy to change things around to meet my requests. They only focused on making my day perfect. We had a very small wedding due to Covid. Some of the family members were against small weddings, but our wedding at Royal Kona completed changed their view of small weddings. At all my get-togethers, our wedding is always a hot topic to talk about, and I’m consistently hearing from different people that they have not been to a perfect wedding like this in the past.

I don’t need to talk about their details and professionalism because you will experience it yourself. The only tips I can give to the future wedding couples are
1) upgrade your meal to Hawaiian Buffet Menu for a small $ more per person. The standard is too ‘standard’, but their Hawaiian buffet menu is delicious and something your guests can only experience in Hawaii. We even mix-matched the two options from Hawaii buffet options (we’re big on food!)
2) extra lighting is definitely worth the cost. It’s costly but you will be amazed by the ambience it provides in real life and in photos.
3) Typically the sunset is during the cocktail hour. We moved our start time 1 hr early to have the sun setting in the background during the dinner. All our guests enjoyed every moment of their dinner time. The wedding couple will have to sacrifice their dinner to go out for sunset photos. You won’t feel hungry from all the excitements anyways.
4) be creative and add things in. I requested white runway carpet which Royal Kona couldn't provide, but they let me order it from Amazon and deliver directly to them! I also requested extra chairs to make the ceremony visually fuller.

Royal Kona will help you in any ways to make your wedding perfect for you. Everyone there is so friendly and supportive. And the price is just amazing!

Jill Sent on 08/10/2021

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Absolutely incredible!!! Was blown away

Wow!! The wedding coordinators, Maggie and Kayli at the Royal Kona went above and beyond to make sure our day was perfect! They made us feel like family and anticipated our every need and want!! They spent extra time on every detail and made sure that we were taken care of from the second we arrived at the Royal Kona, through all the pre-wedding events, and even after our wedding! They accommodated our every need, from extra guests at the wedding, to finding extra tables at our welcome event, to making sure our rehearsal and luau ran smoothly, to bringing fans to our rooms while we got ready! They have true joy in their work and you can tell that they take such pride in what they do! The Royal Kona was 100% the right choice and our wedding was beyond every expectation! It even down-poured during the reception and the DJ stayed out with us while we danced in the rain and the coordinators set up our indoor venue. I felt such ease in planning the wedding from California because they took care of everything and made my dream come to life! Not to mention, Maggie was calm, cool, and collected the entire time. The flowers were the most beautiful I’ve ever seen (based on one photograph I sent them!) and all the decorations were tasteful and stunning. It was also the perfect location. We looked at other venues in the resort area, but chose the Royal Kona because guests could walk to so many nearby restaurants and shops! In addition to the room rates being much more affordable! Thank you, Royal Kona for giving us the most epic and gorgeous wedding that we will remember forever!!!

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Nisha Sent on 07/21/2021

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Practically Perfect!

While planning this entire wedding, I was in the middle of teaching remotely and THEN we switched to hybrid teaching. I was so stressed and my mind was 50 different places. But everyone at Royal Kona was so amazing. Here are my top 5 reasons why you should pick RKR!
1. They are no hidden charges. Everything stated on that your proposal is everything you will be charged.
2. RKR takes care of every small detail. At one point I forgot to do a lot of things, but Maggie from RKR gently and lovingly helped me sort it all out
3. It's beautiful! We got married with the sun setting in the background and it was so perfect
4. They can plan for all sorts of weddings. I'm Indian and I wanted to have certain traditions part of our wedding. The RKR team made sure everything was setup, ready to go, and on time. No request was too crazy for them.
5. The entire staff can deal is amazingly helpful and kind. No drama, no bad energy just all love. I really loved my day.

Brian Sent on 06/09/2021

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Epic awesomeness

I would give this resort 10 stars! Not only was the view and garden absolutely gorgeous, but the event coordinator, Maggie, was really the one who made it all happen. She helped me throughout the entire process, making it as easy for me as possible and meet all my needs. Super attentive, professional and personal with you to make sure it's done right. Countless emails, facetimes and phone calls before the big day! Maggie always responded quickly and worked it out. So grateful for her! What a memorable experience and the best day of my life! Thank you Maggie and thank you Kona Resort! We love you!

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Monica Sent on 05/28/2021

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Spectacular

I had the absolute best experience with the Royal Kona! Like many others, we had to postpone our wedding due to the pandemic. Maggie Sneyd was so responsive and helpful with everything during that time!
I chose Royal Kona because of the packages they offered. It included everything I needed and they totally delivered!! I felt like everyone went above and beyond but again, Maggie was just a dream. She was incredibly kind, knowledgable and extremely helpful. Planning a wedding is an extraordinary task and she handles it with grace and precision. I highly recommend this location for anyones special day. Our guests had the best time and said it was the best food they've had at a wedding. The chef was even kind enough to prepare my husband and I with our own vegan plates - even made our wedding cake vegan! It was amazing. From start to finish I could not have asked for a better experience.
And not to mention - we were able to stay at the Royal Kona for a few nights (came with our wedding package) and the room was AMAZING! They have the best views and everything was super clean. The whole resort is clean and everyone is very professional. It's also in a great location that's walkable to many restaurants and shops.

Cathy Sent on 01/27/2021

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100% recommend The Royal Kona Resort & Romance Center!

Maggie Sneyd was absolutely amazing! She was so helpful and sensitive to my needs while planning my wedding right before COVID hit. She is an absolute doll! The Royal Kona Resort was clean, very romantic and the professionalism on EVERY level was top notch! I defiantly recommend The Romance Center to schedule your wedding as well as the Royal Kona Resort. See you again soon!!!

Kate Sent on 01/09/2021

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Our dream wedding!

If you are planning a wedding in Hawaii -I 100% recommend here!!
We purchased a packed deal and were able to customize bits and pieces to fit exactly what we wanted. The team at the Romance center were extremely helpful and explained the process and answered all our questions perfectly. The prices we very reasonable for what you would consider for a destination wedding, however, the outcome was a dream!

For the rehearsal dinner we did the luau held on the Royal Kona campus and this was spectacular! All the tickets for our large party were purchased together so we were able to all be seated on one long table. Food and drinks were included-the pig was ceremonially brought out of the underground oven. The drinks were tasty and the food was amazing also.
The show was about an hour or so and held everyone’s attention, including the small children we had with us!

The following day - the wedding day! This day could not have turned out more perfect. Anela was our coordinator for the final planning stages of this process and Kayli was our day-of coordinator. Kayli handled everything with easy and left nothing for my soon to be wife or I to worry about.
We had our ceremony at Nohea Point on the far side of the campus and they views were amazing, ocean in the background, lush green grass and trees around it made for the perfect cozy ceremony site. Michaela was our officiant and performed a traditional Hawaiian ceremony, we and our guest were blown away at how perfect it was. We highly recommend Michaela if you are looking for a Kona wedding officiant.

Our reception was held at the opposite side of the campus at sunset cove. The area lives up to its name. The sunset was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen! The cocktail hour was under way while myself and my wife were getting pictures taken. When we arrive Kayli had everything perfectly set out and our guests were enjoying charcuterie and drinks for the cocktail hour. The evening was so well planned out, we did the traditional Hawaiian dinner which was so delicious. The bartender was awesome and was mixing up awesome drinks all night, anything our guests asked for he was able to make! The DJ played exactly the music we asked for and our guests and us definitely had an amazing night!

I cannot recommend this venue for weddings, vow renewals, etc. enough!

Our photographer was Ranae with emotion galleries-she was so attentive to us and the types of pictures we wanted. Ranae has so much great experience to bring to photography. If you are looking for a photographer of any kind in the Kona area I recommend Ranae!

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Aurora Sent on 12/16/2020

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Magical Night in Times of Uncertainty

Planning a wedding in a pandemic was difficult! Royal Kona Resort was able to pull through and gave us the perfect reception dinner for an intimate wedding / elopement. We loved the venue, setup, private chef, food & drinks and overall the service provided to us! It will always be a magical memorable night.

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Joyce Sent on 12/06/2020

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Royal Kona resort

Wonderful experience. The ceremony was very special. Everything was organized without a hitch in only a few days. Everlasting memories.

Carmen Sent on 05/15/2020

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Royal Kona wedding

Unfortunately due to the covid 19 virus we are unable to stay at the Royal Kona this July and have our wedding as planned. However, I am giving this rating for Maggie Sneyd in the wedding department. We were planning a wedding for this July and have been back and forth thru this process changing our estimate and adding and deleting things multiple times. This was due to the unexpected virus we were faced with unexpectedly. Maggie was very hospitable and helped us work thru every step of this process. She was very accommodating with all of our requests. When things are clear we would definitely love to work with her again. She was amazing!

Rei G. Sent on 02/17/2020

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Really worth your while, highly recommend!

We got the Royal Kona wedding package and it was the best $$ we ever spent. Having a wedding planner was a godsend when you're planning the wedding from a different state. They provided majority of what you need in a wedding that my stress was greatly reduced as they do all the coordination with the different vendors. Meiling our wedding planner and Kayli our day of coordinator were simply amazing!

Their food was exceptional! Everybody complimented us on our food choice of Hawaiian buffet. The venue was exceptional too! The hotel was right by the water. Our hotel room had excellent views of the water and resort and the terrace waa big enough to hold family or friends gathering before the wedding day.

The venue itself is exactly what I dreamed of in my wedding. We did the ceremony at Nohea point and reception at Sunset cove. Dancing barefoot on the sand was such a blast after a day of wearing heels!

Sandy Sent on 10/07/2019

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Excellent Experience

My husband and I were married at the Royal Kona Resort on September 30th. Both of us were impressed with the quality and attention to detail that was given to our big day. Criste Ching exceeded our expectations with all that she did as our wedding planner and day of coordinator. Every employee that we interacted with was kind and welcoming. We felt as if we were leaving our Ohana when we had to leave at the conclusion of our honeymoon. We would definitely recommend the Royal Kona Resort for a wedding venue!

Beverly Sent on 06/10/2019

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Best Day Ever

The Royal Kona is a beautiful venue with several choices for the ceremony location. The Romance Center is one stop shopping for all of your arrangements. The staff are all friendly and easy to work with. The ceremony had the perfect Hawaiian touches. Everything came together , to create the wedding of our dreams !

Felicia Sent on 05/30/2019

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Absolutely Perfect

Our wedding was so beautiful and everything went so smooth. The planning process was completely stress free. I was so happy with all the vendors! I could not have asked for a more perfect day/night. It was worth every hard earned penny we paid for this wedding. Thank you Royal Kona Resort!

Kristine Sent on 04/09/2019

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Amazing team!

The Royal Kona Resort has an outstanding team. The wedding coordinator, Ashley, went above and beyond to help us plan our destination wedding. She provided a questionnaire that set the tone for the ceremony and reception. This greatly helped with collaboration, price estimates and selecting vendors for photography, videography, as well as the details (flowers, cake, lighting, etc.). In addition, Ashley personally reached out to a local officiant to marry us. Ashley strived to make our vision come to life and provided exceptional service. On behalf of Jeff and I and our family, we are extremely grateful for the love and support provided by Ashley and her team.

Kathy Sent on 11/11/2018

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Thank You For Our Memorable Wedding!

The Team at Royal Kona Resort's Romance Center is simply the BEST! The entire group of wedding guests join Jim and I in thanking you and the Team at Royal Kona Resort for the "Best Wedding They Have Every Been To”! We all had a great time and I heard the quote above more times than people who attended.
The flow and cadence of the evening was perfect, Coleman Kealoha Kaopua ‘Our Officiant’ was magical, the food & beverages were superb, the Luau show and performers were unbeleavably great and the whole evening became one of the most beautiful and memory producing events of our lives.

We are extremely grateful to you and all on the Royal Kona Resort team for the many varied talents and expertise that went into putting our wedding together! We now know the true meaning of 'Aloha’. Thankyouthankyouthankyou.

P.S. It also helped that all at the Royal Kona from the check-in desk to the clean-up crew were exceptional hospitality hosts. And I mean, everyone.

Hiroko Sent on 11/03/2018

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The Best in Kona!

If you are getting married on Big Island in kona, you cannot fonwrong with the breathtaking views at the venue at Royal Kona Resort. Officiant Thomas will complete your Hawaiian experience and exceed your expectations to the fullest. The music by Bula was perfectly moving. Definitely have Bula perform “Over the Rainbow”!!! We finished off the wedding celebration with their Luau. You cannot miss this amazing event to make your important day complete. We will be back to visit for our future anniversaries to come, even though we will never forget the day the team at Royal Kona Resort created for us and our family. Thank you to the awesome team at the Royal Kona Resort. Mahalo!

Jaime Sent on 10/31/2018

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Extremely Satisfied!

We couldn’t have been happier!

Michelle Sent on 10/31/2018

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Royal Kona is the best choice and value

Getting married at Royal Kona Resort was the best choice! We had the best day and all the staff and vendors were flexible and great to work with! Planning a destination wedding is hard enough but the quick responsiveness and the friendliness of the staff made it easy!

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Lauren Sent on 10/31/2018

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Our Happily Ever After at RKR

We had so much fun during our wedding week at Royal Kona Resort! I mmediatley wished we could have our wedding on repeat everyday!!! Everything went simply perfect thanks to our wedding coordinator Ashley, Mia (make-up), Lauren (hair) and the crew at the Royal Kona.

Tiarne Sent on 10/30/2018

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Amazing wedding venue!

It can be hard organising a wedding from over seas, but the lovely ladies at Royal Kona made it so easy for my partner and I with their professionalism and trusted knowledge! The venue set up, service, buffet menu and everything else was a dream come true and such a magical night. Royal Kona was a beautiful place to get married and my partner and I will be back for our anniversary! Thanks ladies X

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Natosha Sent on 10/30/2018

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Royal Kona Resort for a royal treat!!

We were just married at the Royal Kona Resort on 10/6/18 in a stunning private lagoon ceremony. My wedding coordinator, Ashley, coordinated every last detail. She took ALL of the stress of the wedding planning and streamlined the entire process. Our ceremony was followed by a spectacular private sunset dinner atop a hill overlooking the same private lagoon. We had a private chef, private butler and private musician for our dinner. Every last detail was executed with perfection! Throughout our wedding day, EVERY person enlisted for our wedding services (wedding coordinator, officiant, photographer, assistant photographer, videographer, florist, chef, butler and musician) provided personalized, professional, courteous, friendly and enthusiastic service. We felt like we were the only people at the resort! Combine amazing service with a picturesque and stunning location/venue minus the headache of wedding planning and you get a destination wedding delight! Thank you to Royal Kona Resort and staff for providing such a wonderful destination wedding experience!!! We were so thrilled that we opted to have a 14 day destination wedding/honeymoon instead of the usual 1 day traditional wedding back home! We look forward to celebrating anniversaries in the years to come at the Royal Kona Resort. I STRONGLY recommend Royal Kona Resort for your destination wedding!!!

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Candace Sent on 10/30/2018

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Destination wedding

It was truly a magical night. Leslie was our main coordinator with Ashley and Kelsy helping the day of. At one point I looked down off the hotel balcony and saw Leslie at the reception site decorating and coordinating.After the night had ended and everything settled there is no doubt in mind it takes the entire team to make the whole thing go off without a hitch... No pun intended.... From hair/make-up to decorations and dinner, to the DJ and Bula It was all perfect. We had over 30 of us and everyone (including those already married) said it was one of the best weddings they have ever been to. Obviously I am biased. So.... Thank you Leslie, Ashley, Kelsey and the entire team including Bula (who is amazing), Patrick, Karen...... The list goes on.

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Harriet Sent on 10/30/2018

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Wedding at Royal Kona -091918

I am so glad we chose Royal Kona Resort to host our wedding. Kimberly was amazing in answering all my questions very quickly and in great detail. She is so friendly over email, and I'm glad I was able to meet her in person before her last day working there. Ashley was wonderful on site, helping us with the rehearsal and making the ceremony go smoothly. She got my wedding group great seats together so we were able to enjoy the luau unobstructed. I would definitely recommend anyone to have their wedding here. Absolutely the best. Thank you! Mahalo!

Amy D. Sent on 10/30/2018

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Fantastic Day

My husband and I have recently been married at the Royal Kona Resort and it was fantastic! We could not fault the timely communications and all the support we received leading up to the day let alone how the team managed and coordinated the actual wedding day! It was perfect from start to finish. Everyone involved was extremely professional but friendly and we could not have wished for more. Everything was completed via email and they captured exactly what we hoped for, especially the wedding flowers, centrepieces, and decorations. Nothing was rushed or forced the team totally supported our vision throughout the whole process. We would thoroughly recommend the Royal Kona Resort and their fabulous Wedding Team you will not be disappointed as the setting and effort placed on making us feel special was magical, so thank you so much!

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Claire Sent on 10/30/2018

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Ashley is a wedding planning superstar!

My wife and I couldn’t be happier with our wedding at the Royal Kona Resort! It got a little bumpy with our wedding planner leaving the resort about a month before the wedding, but it was a blessing in disguise (no offense to anyone). We couldn’t be happier with our experience with Ashley! She took over as our planner, and she picked up right where our other planner left off. Ashley and her team (Kayli and Kealea) were really professional and paid attention to detail! They were thorough in our prewedding meeting as well as the rehearsal. The two brides felt SO relaxed before the wedding, because we were in good hands. Even though we started almost an hour late, we didn’t feel rushed or pressured. They were all cool, calm and collected. Thank you!!

We also loved all the vendors that were provided to us in our package...Michaela, Bula, our hula dancer, and even the photo booth. There was one small mix up with the selection of vodka (my wife is a little selective about her liquor), but Ashley went up and beyond to ensure that it was rectified.

Thank you again Ashley and team! We would definitely recommend this venue 100%!! The view from our room was also stunning!! No complaints here!! Again, mahalo!

Sheri Sent on 10/27/2018

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Gorgeous venue, amazing coordinator!

This place has such a great Hawai’ian feel. The Private Lagoon is a perfectly intimate, almost hidden beach, wonderful for a ceremony. And the Sunset Cove sunsets cannot be beat.
As a photographer myself, I have the honor of working here a lot, and it’s one of my favorite places to photograph.
I also cannot say enough about Ashley, the lead coordinator. She is seriously the best on the island. No detail will be forgotten, and your stress level will be nonexistent.
I’d highly recommend having your wedding here!

Miranda Sent on 08/09/2018

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Well done. Seriously, if I could give the resort higher than a 5/5 rating I would instantly do it. They far exceeded my expectations as the food was great, the wedding planning went smoothly, and the whole experience was everything I had imagined and more. The wedding planners and on site coordinator really helped make everything fantastic. If you're not sure where to have a destination wedding in Hawaii, I would say this is the place.

Gabriela Sent on 05/08/2018

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Wow! Where do I begin?!? I just got married two weeks ago at the Royal Kona Resort on Thursday April 26, 2018 and I was such a happy bride. Everything was PERFECT! We had a total of 45 people fly out from California and they all were super impressed and bragged about how much fun and how dreamy the wedding was! I had been looking for different options and was skeptical about a destination wedding but I think destination is the way to go, stress free, intimate, and affordable! 6 months prior to my wedding I reached out to the Romance Center and spoke with Ashley and she walked me through their process and answered all my questions. She mentioned that we wouldn't start planning until 3-4 months prior to the wedding but sent me a questionnaire right away so that I could start thinking and working on the details of my wedding. I was a bit worried about the timeline but with a team like Ashley, Leslie, and Kayli, 3 months is plenty of time. That questionnaire they first give you is filled with all the questions you may not even think of yourself when planning a wedding. The girls were super accommodating even when I needed to make changes days before the wedding. The day of the wedding was so stress free and so coordinated. I just had to worry about showing up and looking pretty. I had my ceremony at the Private lagoon and WOW! It's so BEAUTIFUL! Truly doesn't need any additional décor! And can I just say Bula Akamu was the cherry on top!! He played 15 min prior to my arrival, as I walked down the aisle and during cocktail hour and he was AMAZING! Everyone wanted his name and wished he was selling cd's lol We had cocktail hour and the reception at sunset cove and it was beautiful! The Food was great and there was so much of it! Drinks were awesome and bartender was super friendly! DJ was great, really emceed the wedding to the T, just wish he played more of the songs we requested. To end the night we had the Fire and Knife show as a surprise! Wedding of my DREAMS!

Taylor Sent on 04/06/2018

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I knew I wanted to have my wedding in Kona, just not sure where. I chose the Royal Kona Resort mainly because I knew the area of Alii Drive and it seemed like a great resort that most of my family and friends could afford. I also liked the packages they offered as I was on a budget. We got married on March 29, 2018 and it was the most spectacular day of our lives and our family and friends are still saying it was the best wedding they had ever been to. The Royal Kona wedding team was above and beyond my expectations. I mostly worked with Leslie Fumo, but I know the whole team works together to take care of their brides. I had to plan mostly over email and everything went incredibly smoothly considering long-distance planning. My coordinator, Leslie, was incredibly responsive and patient with me. I wish I could start it all over again. We chose to get married at the Nohea Point and have the reception at the Coconut Grove with around 50 guests. The resort is GORGEOUS and perfect. The venues we chose were simply beautiful. We had both a dj and ukulele player. The food was maybe the best food I had ever had at a wedding and the cake was so good too. It was hard as a bride to not know for sure how all the details will pan out... not to be able to see the flowers in person, or taste the food, but I was BLOWN AWAY.

Shelin Sent on 03/30/2018

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We wanted a very intimate beach wedding for ourselves are our 3 children. Kim Canario, wedding planner and Ashley Akamu, wedding manger helped us to organize the perfect Hawaiian wedding. Our day started with beauty pampering from Beauty Lux Salon. Nails by Bobbie, Hair by Maddie and Makeup by Malia, all experts at their craft. These ladies put my daughter and I instantly at ease and made us gorgeous! Next a relaxed lunch for the ladies followed by swim in the pool for the guys. As sunset approached we picked up our orchid bouquets prepared by Ilima Flowers and made our way to the beach, just steps from our room. The bridle path was strewn with orchid petals and Hawaiian music played for the bridal march. Dard performed a beautiful, not too long non-denominational ceremony for us, complete with lots of Hawaiian references. Sunset photos with Sheri and Max from Kelilina Photography followed. They were both very professional and made sure we got the shots we wanted. Then we enjoyed beautiful 4 course meal served on the beach with a private chef and butler. Live guitar music provided by Charles Grace so that we could dance by moonlight. Very romantic, very relaxed, a night we will never forget. Highly recommend Royal Kona resort and all the vendors the picked for us, great service and great value!

Thereza Sent on 03/08/2018

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Unfortunately I could not have my wedding here at the Royal Kona Resort but I had to write a review on Ashely. She just awesome, she was so patient with me, I emailed her so many times, asking so many questions and she would email me back with answers in a heartbeat. She's very understanding and caring. When you're going crazy planning a wedding this is where you need to be to have a smooth and professional service.

Erin Sent on 11/05/2017

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I can't overstate this...Royal Kona was amazing! Kayli, Ashley, and Kim were fabulous! I was a little worried while planning from the east coast, but everything was exactly how we pictured it. I can't say enough good things about the services they provided, including arranging the officiant, florals, musician and DJ, photographer, hair/makeup artist, etc. They really do everything for you. We had one scare-the private lagoon where the ceremony was to take place flooded about 2 hours before. They called immediately with options and we moved the ceremony to Nohea Point, which I think turned out to be better. The reception was at sunset cove and it was perfect. I have absolutely no complaints and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. I am thinking about surprising my parents with a vow renewal here on their 50th!

Sandra Sent on 09/12/2017

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With my sisters help my husband surprised me with a vow renewal for our 27th anniversary. Our time share put them in touch with the Royal Kona Resort. Once we were there and I was let in on the surprise I was very happy with all the arrangements. I love that he was able to set up everything through our package. He set up photography, flowers, and a hair appt for me. Very romantic! We had a simple ceremony with our daughter and grandchildren. Beautiful view! The officiant Patrick was very nice along with the photographers! Our coordinator Ashley was very helpful and professional! We also enjoyed the luau afterwards.

Kelly Sent on 07/08/2017

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The Royal Kona Resort was the perfect location for our wedding. We planned the wedding over a year long period, and Kayli was so flexible and helpful the whole time. They made sure every one of our requests was made. We even changed the wedding site the day before the wedding. It rained right up the wedding start time then stopped. We had 40 guests who all loved the wedding and said it was a wonderful event. I honestly cannot think of anything negative that occurred during our wedding process. We had Charles Grace as are musician and he was SO good. He has a beautiful voice. They only negatives were the DJ did not play the correct song to our reception entrance and we did not like our wedding photos. But with these aside I would encourage anyone planning a wedding in Hawaii to use the Kayli and the Royal Kona. It was the best.

Kate Sent on 06/14/2017

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We just want to say the biggest thank you to Ashley and Kayli for making our day the most perfect, special moment. We just wanted a very simple, small wedding with only a handful of people and they made it work beautifully. Nothing was too much trouble, and everything on the day ran like clock work. It was so wonderful being able to turn up without having to worry about arranging anything, and all the smallest details were managed to perfection. Even the food was to die for. We can't wait to come back to the resort in the future.

Ryan Sent on 05/31/2017

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I honestly wish I could relive this day over and over again. Kayli Towler and the entire Romance center did such an amazing job. I am some what of a picky person when it comes to the overall look of things. And she literally NAILED IT!! I can not say enough great things about Kayli and the whole team. I would recommend this resort and wedding planner to anyone. Not only did I think this day was amazing but so did ALL of our guest. We had 60 people and everyone said that they have never had so much fun at a wedding before.

Ashley Sent on 05/10/2017

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My husband and I have loved staying at the Royal Kona Resort and knew that we wanted to get married there.
Ashley Akamu and the wonderful staff at RKR Romance Center did a beautiful job making our wedding ceremony one to remember! The planning was easy all thanks to Ashley. She was able to work with multiple last minute things I added. We opted for the elopement package and added some items from the a la cart menu. The prices are reasonable. And Bula was also a fantastic addition, as his great guitar skills and beautiful voice made the start of the ceremony amazing. The venue location and the hotel itself is beautiful and the scenery is breathtaking. I cannot rave enough about this hotel and their Romance Center. Thank you Ashley, Kayli, and Karen for your help on making our day special and one to remember. :)

Candice Sent on 03/02/2017

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I had the wedding of my dreams here. I started dealing with Kayli Towler at the Royal Kona Romance centre a year before my wedding. Planning a wedding via email and phone calls can be a bit nerve recking. Everything was perfect Kayli went above and beyond to my our day special. The flowers were spectacular and the location was amazing.
Thanks forever Candice Galamini

Stacy Sent on 12/29/2016

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Ashley and Kayli took care of everything! All we did was fill out a questionnaire, picked a few details, and showed up. It's such a great way to have a vacation wedding. Not only did our family have fun, but we did too. The photographer was fantastic as well and we got the pictures back so quickly. If you are thinking of a destination wedding look no further. The Royal Mona resort is it!

Shan Sent on 12/27/2016

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We had our wedding at the Royal Kona on 8/1/16 and it was PERFCT! Our wedding coordinator Kayli Towler was amazing, she took care of every possible detail and even found a hair stylist to come to my room at the last minute (an hour before the wedding!) to do my hair. the ceremony was perfect, We could not have asked for a more beautiful venue. The musician that played the Uke for our ceremony is so talented, Bula Akuma has an amazing voice, he helped make the ceremony really special. We chose to have a dinner and private luau instead of a traditional ceremony. We where expecting a few dancers and a nice dinner but what we got was so much more than we (or our guests) ever expected! The show was amazing and the food was so ono! Our guests where blown away by everything! While we where taking photos the dancers taught our guest to make leis, showed them hula moves and even showed them some fire knife moves! We have always loved the Royal Kona and have always had great personal service but what we got for our wedding went above and beyond anything we could have ever expected. Kayli is a miracle worker!!!

Tara Sent on 10/26/2016

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Kayli was wonderful to work with and the romance center gave us the wedding of our dreams!!! Even with a little rain prior to our wedding (a blessing from heaven according to Kahu Tomasi that made it even more special), everything went off without a hitch. Kayli had back up arrangements in case they were needed for the ceremony and re-staged the reception so dancing was still in the sand/dance floor but the tables were out of it and still kept the flow for the evening. Every vendor picked was fabulous!!! Renae at Emotion Galleries, Sheri at Kalilina Studios for video, Kahu Tomasi, the DJ were all perfect, there wasn't one piece that fell short of amazing! Kayli helped arrange for all of our guests to be in the main tower despite busy IronMan conditions, set up a Luau for our welcome dinner to guests and was very accommodating. For anxious brides - there's not a ton of communication or decisions until after your questionnaire is filled out but don't hesitate to trust they will make your day amazing!! It can be nerve wracking planning from the mainland but it's a million times worth it. Be aware there are some extra costs outside the main package (lighting, dance floor, extra bar hours, etc) for planning purposes but they are fairly reasonable. Food/Drinks/Cake/Flowers were all top notch also - not hotel food or watered down! Mara for in room make up was outstanding! Even with humidity/light rain, my make up and curly hair stayed put and looked wonderful all night.

Tips - Book extra hours for the videographer and photographer, it's a location that you want to capture every second of on your wedding day.
Ask for the Top floor of the Ali'i tower for the nights with your wrap around royal suite - the view can't be beat.
If our "brush the beach from your feet but keep the memories close to your heart" sign and brushes made it through the rain - Enjoy! =)
We can't wait to go back for our anniversary at some point!! ♥ Aloha A hui hou

Tasha Sent on 04/17/2016

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The Royal Kona was perfect for us to get married at. Even though it was at a very busy resort, the location felt like we were the only people there. Ashley was great to work with and gave us lots of options to personalize our wedding. Since we had a tiny group of people we skipped a 'traditional' reception and instead went to the luau. We chose to have it filmed by Moa Loa studios, who worked well with our photographer that we brought with us. Overall the resort was accommodating to my group, especially when they chose to have their rooms move into the same tower as my husband and I. I was also glad that we chose to have breakfast there every morning. The food was delicious and filling, plus watching spinner dolphins every morning made everything that much more special.

Amanda Sent on 12/31/2015

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The Royal Kona Resort was the perfect location for our wedding. We planned the wedding in less than a month, and Ashley and Kayli were so flexible and helpful the whole time. They made sure every one of our requests was made. They communicated everything to us in a timely manner. The private lagoon was an absolutely beautiful location for the ceremony. Lucky for us, the weather was perfect and everything was so picturesque. I honestly cannot think of anything negative that occurred during our wedding process.

Jayne Sent on 12/29/2015

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Our wedding at Royal Kona was perfect! It was so much more than we ever imagined it would be from the start. Kayli made it easy to plan from a distance. She was responsive to all of our questions and needs and made everything flow smoothly. Derek was amazing as an officiant. The service was exactly what we wanted, even though we only met him moments before the ceremony. Keoni Thompson provided fantastic ceremony music, in addition to at the reception. Ranae Keane captured the whole event in pictures that made our jaws drop open upon seeing how beautiful they were. The hotel staff was fantastic and greeted us daily with enthusiasm. You won't go wrong having your wedding at The Royal Kona Resort!

Tia Sent on 12/28/2015

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Our Wedding was absolutely beautiful! You don't often hear about someones wedding going off perfectly, but ours really did (despite our Best Man dropping out last minute). The music, the food, the drinks, the decorations, the cake, everything was perfect. My only regret is not eating more. Everyone enjoyed themselves so much. Thank you so much!

Dusty Sent on 12/27/2015

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had a great time and everyone worked really well together.Reception and food were amazing as well as our wedding spot.

Victoria Sent on 12/27/2015

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Planning a wedding thought the royal kona resort was very easy! Stress free and exciting. Ashley akumu helped us arrange everything I just picked from a lovely choice of suggestions and it was all arranged without any hassle. I highly recommend it.

Tyler Sent on 12/27/2015

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My husband and I would highly reccomemd Royal Kona Resort for their wedding services. We live in Australia and wanted a romantic and intimate wedding on the beach. Kayli did everything we needed and was an absolute pleasure to work with. If your after an entire package then the Royal Kona Resort is the place to go!

User2490924 Sent on 12/27/2015

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The Romance Center was outstanding in their willingness to make the brides dream wedding a reality. Long distance was not a hindrance in planning the wedding. Ashley took the time to understand the brides desires and then found options to accomodate almost everything. The Romance Center made sure that the flowers were perfect, the decorations were just right, the wedding cake had a half hidden football for the groom, they created signs that the bride wanted, we shipped the wedding dress and several personal items to include in the wedding ahead of time to the Romance Center, Ashley worked with the Officiant to have a ceremony that expressed the bride and grooms love and beliefs, while including Hawaiian traditions in the ceremony and also included an untraditional Wine Box Love Letter exchange. With a hurricane passing on the opposite side of the island, Ashley waited until the afternoon of the wedding to let the bride decide on a covered reception venue in case of rain or to keep the planned outdoor area Coconut Grove. Glad the covered area was chosen. The Ceremony was a clear beautiful sunset at Sunset Cove. The delicious buffet reception was high and dry while it did rain and downpour at times, and the musician was great. Bula Akamu played the guitar and ukelele for the ceremony. The DJ was very accomodating and the photographer Ranae took beautiful pictures. The Fire Dancers performed after the rain had stopped and it was a great way to end the perfect Hawaiian Destination wedding. The Romance staff were available throughout the wedding day and throughout the entire event to make sure eveything went smoothly and timely. The hair and makeup staff was amazing. It was a dream come true for the bride & groom. AWESOME JOB and thank you Ashley and Romance Center staff.

Katrina Sent on 09/28/2015

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The hotel was great! We had our ceremony at the private lagoon and ended at the what was supposed to be the sunset cove. Unfortunately it started raining right before the reception. The wedding coordinators were excellent and moved the reception from outside to inside before it started pouring. Kayli was excellent in returning my emails and answered all my questions whether it was silly or not. The planning was simple and easy. They do not plan until 3 months prior to the date, which for my type A personality, got kind of worrisome. However, everything was exactly how I wanted it and planned. They were even able to make some last minute changes. They do have wedding packages available, but there are certain things not included in the packages and cost some extra.

Jolene Sent on 05/06/2015

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Ashley was so wonderful in helping us provide the best experience possible on our day!
We had so many questions and were answered within the same day. Her suggestions were much appreciated and her special touches were so unexpected but definitely made the whole atmosphere perfect.
Thank you so much Ashley, it was so great to meet you. Without your talent I am sure the day wouldn't have been the same!
You have made some friends, and hope to see you soon.
Aloha!
Jolene and Derek

Alma Sent on 03/11/2015

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I couldn't have asked for a better wedding planners than the people at the Romance Center. Ashley was wonderful! Always prompt and very helpful. Kaitlin was a sweetheart as well as everyone else that helped make our wedding a reality. The wedding venue (Private Lagoon) was to die for. It is the most beautiful place to get married at and will definitely add a unique touch to the ceremony that no one will forget. I highly recommend the Romance Center's services. You will not regret it.

Kimmy Sent on 12/30/2014

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Ashley at Royal Kona Resort put together a wonderful venue for our wedding reception. She did a great job. She was prompt with her responses and she was great at guiding us through the wedding reception prep.

Nancy Sent on 12/21/2014

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The Royal Kona Resort was a wonderful venue for the wedding. Ashley did an amazing job. Everything went as planned. Would absolutely recommend the Royal Kona Resort.

User1973082 Sent on 12/17/2014

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Can't beat the quality and price!

Norm Sent on 10/28/2014

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This was a surprise wedding proposal dinner for my girlfriend. Brian & Ashley at the Royal Kona Resort Romance Center did a fantastic job helping me to plan this special event. They explained everything thoroughly, and walked me through the whole process. On the night of the dinner, I gave Ashley the engagement ring, and she arranged for it to be brought out with desert after dinner. My girlfriend thought we were waiting to be seated for dinner at the hotel restaurant. Ashley came and got us and took us to the secluded, beautiful Nohea Point, where everything was set up perfectly. Tiki torches, Hawaiian flowers and candles everywhere, waves crashing on the lava rocks, and an impending sunset. My girlfriend was totally surprised, and was in awe at the beauty of our private dinner hideaway. We were introduced to our private butler Doug, who did an excellent job of taking care of all of our needs for the evening. All of the food courses were amazing, as we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets during our visit to Hawaii. Not only was Doug an excellent waiter, but he also offered to take photos for us throughout the evening with the camera we brought. As we enjoyed our meal, a Hawaiian Guitarist named Bula arrived, and serenaded us with beautiful music. Bula is very talented, and his music was perfect for a romantic evening. When the desert course came out, the chef had done an excellent job of decorating the plate that held the box with the engagement ring in it. I got down on one knee, and she said yes, to the enthusiasm of Doug & Bula. Bula recommended that we dance, as he played a special engagement song, and Doug took photographs as we did. The entire evening was flawless, and will always be a special memory to my fiancé and I. Great job, Doug, Bula, Ashley & Brian!!!

Laura Sent on 10/23/2014

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I just wanted to say thank you to our coordinator Ashley Akamu and all the Royal Kona staff members for all your help in our September 15th wedding reception. Our wedding day was better than we could have ever imagined it to be. Everything came together so perfectly we couldn’t have asked for a better place to have our wedding reception. The hotel grounds are beautiful, the food was excellent, the view was awesome, the DJ, luau crew, photographer, and all the Royal Kona staff made our dream wedding possible. Thank you so much!

Sandra Sent on 10/06/2014

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I loved everything about the wedding reception for my Daughter Brian and Ashley were wonderful and very professional!

Christina Sent on 09/29/2014

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I would strongly recommend this venue for a wedding. The coordinators were awesome as well!

Marlon Sent on 09/21/2014

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we had a great wedding event venue ever!!... service package is the best and I will recommend it to everyone who are going to have their weddings to have it at Royal Kona Resort.

Stefanie Sent on 09/11/2014

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The Royal Kona Resort, Ashley Akamu in particular, was exceptional! From the first email up until the end of our vacation Ashley was a great help! She saw my wedding vision and executed it perfectly! We, of course, had a bit of a weather issue (double hurricanes) and The Royal Kona resort team kept me informed throughout the day with updates on ceremony information. I could not imagine having to get married without Ashley and Brian's help! You will NOT be disapointed with The Royal Kona Resort!

Fran Sent on 09/04/2014

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You guys were amazing, and so much fun !, it wasn't your everyday stuffy formal wedding , and the chosen venue was breathtakingly beautiful, and yes you won't be able to keep us away, we loved every minute of it, Patrick was wonderful, and I loved the traditional aspect of Hawaii involved in the ceremony as well ! Thank you so much for helping us organise our special day! It will truelly be a memory we'll ever forget! Thanx guys so much !!

Kelsey Sent on 09/02/2014

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I recommend royal kona to everyone who is planning on going to Hawaii. We had an amazing wedding.

User1776107 Sent on 08/22/2014

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Everything was perfect. Brian and everyone and the Royal Kona were wonderful. Did not have to worry about anything, couldn't of had a better experiance!

Ingrid Sent on 08/10/2014

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We just recently got married at the RKR, it was the most amazing wedding, ever. Brian, aka " Dr Romance" was our wedding coordinator and he nailed it. Everything, I mean EVERYthing was perfect. We planned our wedding from New Zealand, for 50 people. Our ceremony was at Nohea Point, which is the best, most initimate place for a ceremony, followed by a wonderful reception at the Alii Surf room. We also got the firedancers which was so incredibly special. Brian and I communicated via email for almost everything, and it was so easy. Any questions I had, he answered immediately, and I was able to bring in my own photographer, and design the table numbers, etc myself and it was no problem. RKR is such a stunning place for a wedding, really laid back, affordable, and has the best bar to watch the sunset at. We spent the week up to our wedding relaxing at the lagoon, hanging at the bar, mingling with our guests. It was the best week of my life. Cannot thank Brian and RKR enough!!!

Beau Sent on 06/03/2014

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Brian was the best wedding planner I could have ever hoped for! He was very thoughtful, thorough and paid attention to every single detail! My husband and I arrived in Kona almost a week before our wedding and we dropped off a few items for the wedding and Brian took care of the rest. If your goal is to relax and enjoy your wedding, Brian is the guy to go to. He was very organized and made sure everything went smoothly. I literally did not have to do anything on my wedding day except for enjoy my day. He got to know our guests and even surprised us with a few extras, which made our day even more perfect! Brian was an absolute joy to work with and I will never forget what he did for us on our wedding day! I will be forever grateful and would recommend him to any bride. Thanks again Brian!!!

Jeffrey Sent on 05/27/2014

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Brian was our wedding planner at Royal Kona. We had a ceremony and reception at Sunset Cove. We planned the whole wedding less than a month but Brian delivered above and beyond our expectations. we had a small wedding (only 8 of us) but he made it beautiful and elegant. He surprised us by adding a lot of palm trees around the wedding bamboo arch for ceremony and extra decorations at dinner table!!). He always responded right away via e-mail or phone even small details. He is very experience in planning wedding. His advice was straightforward and sincere. He has a great list of vendors/contractors that you can choose from. If you plan to have a wedding in Big Island, call Brian!!

Nicole Sent on 04/27/2014

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The Royal Kona Resort was the perfect spot for our wedding! I must admit that in the beginning of my planning I was a bit nervous about planning everything from afar since we live in California, but from the moment I inquired about information, they made every step of the way easy for me. We had Ashley as a coordinator and she is truly a blessing! She answered every questioned and set up everything. I didn't have to worry about scheduling anything on my own. Which I loved! Once we got to the island, she was even more amazing with her service. She is such a sweet woman and we were definitely impressed with her. On the wedding day, every single moment was perfect because of her. She made everything such a breeze for me, which was so appreciated!! She was even sweet enough to sign our guestbook! We loved that! :) If you are thinking about using The Royal Kona as your venue, you will not be disappointed!

User1598074 Sent on 04/26/2014

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This venue was everything and more that we were hoping for. They were flexible with all the changes and questions we had. Even let me do some last minute changes! The coordinators were friendly and professional. The venue was amazing and beautiful. Having a variety of areas on the property to explore and utilize. We attended the public luau as well. Loved it. Thanks to all who made this day so memorable and special!

Katie Sent on 04/10/2014

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My wedding at the Royal Kona was amazing! I was worried that planning a destination wedding would be extremely stressful, but Brian and Ashley were so responsive and helpful that it made it easy and stress-free! The venue is beautiful, the food was AMAZING (everyone still talks about how good it was), and everyone had a great time. I definitely would recommend the Royal Kona to anyone interested in having their wedding in Hawaii!

Amy Sent on 03/15/2014

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Royal Kona and the team were wonderful to work with, they made the months and days leading up to the wedding stress free! The day was absolutely beautiful and I would not change a thing! If you are looking for a beautiful, stress free wedding Royal Kona is the place to go!

Monica Sent on 03/09/2014

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A big thank you goes out to Ashley at the romance center. At first I was very skepitcal with doing a destination wedding but Ashley made it easy. She was there to answer all my questions quickly and professionally. Ashley made our wedding planning look easy. She is a friendly, wonderful person. From the venue to the flowers and the arrangements to everything in between Ashley had it covered. Our minister Patrick was unbelievable. He made our ceremony fun and inviting. My flowers including the Haku were breathtaking. My suggestion would be to use the romance center for your destination wedding. You wont be disappointed!

Kayla Sent on 03/08/2014

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Fell in love with the location and everyone who was apart of making our special day possible.

David Sent on 03/08/2014

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We found RKR online, and communicated mainly via email from New Zealand. While it was a scary prospect not being able to have a look round the venue, Brian Scully was our main point of contact for any questions we had, and he always responded in a timely manner. We chose the Ali'i Wedding Package for 50 people, and once we placed our deposit, we were emailed a comprehensive pack, with a reassuring questionnaire, which showed that the RKR Romance Center team would have everything covered! All the small things we were worried about, upon meeting with Brian the day before our wedding, we felt relieved and totally confident everything was looked after. Ashley was also a great help on the day! We had our ceremony in Sunset Cove and reception in Ali'i Surf Room. All of our guests loved the setting and enjoyed staying in the resort; we would highly recommend the Royal Kona Resort Romance Center team for your destination wedding, and we look forward to staying there again for our anniversary!!!

Lauren Sent on 02/23/2014

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Brian was our wedding coordinator, and we absolutely loved our wedding. There isn't one thing I would change- and Brian made it all happen :)

Christine Sent on 01/25/2014

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We stayed at Royal Kona in July 2012, our first trip to the Big Island. We saw two weddings take place during our time there from our hotel room. During our stay, my then fiancé, proposed at the Black Sand Beach. In Dec 2012, we decicded that we wanted to be married at the Royal Kona. I was skeptical about doing a destination wedding but we moved forward because the location is just beautiful and special to us. We booked the Sunset Cove for our special day,Dec 4th, 2013...and our journey began. We worked with Ashley, our wedding coordinator, at the Royal Kona Romance Center. The process of deciding every last detail being done through email and phone if needed was actually easier than I thought it would be. Ashely made the process so easy and her recommendations were spot on. The price is very reasonable. There are no words we can express of how grateful we are to have had Ashley. The wedding and reception down to the last detail was perfect. The food was excellent. Ashely and the team are wonderful to work with! I had an in-room hair and makeup appointment, Martha was wonderful and is located at the salon onsite. The Officiant Coleman Kaopua provided a touching ceremony; the photographer and DJ were great and so much fun. Our wedding was exactly as we imagined it; Ashely made it an incredibly special day we could have asked for. It was classy, relaxed, fun and beautiful all rolled into one perfectly wonderful evening. The bartender had drinks ready for us once we were done taking pictures, we were able to relax and take in every moment with no worries. I more than highly recommend Ashely and the Royal Kona as the best place to have a wedding. If she sees this I hope she smiles and for anyone reading it: this should change your mind and trust this is a choice you will not regret. The relationship with Ashely will blossom and you will know she is there for you ever steps of the way! Best wishes to future couples!!!!

User1459965 Sent on 12/02/2013

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We utilized Royal Kona Resort’s Romance Center services for our small, outdoor June 2013 destination wedding ceremony and reception for 15 guests.

We found RKR’s Romance Center ceremony and reception package deal an extreme value. We worked with Brian, our wedding coordinator, in the months leading up to our event mainly by email. He was extremely responsive in correspondence, and always had feasible and wise suggestions on many different aspects of the event; this was greatly appreciated since we had never visited the site prior to our event and we wouldn’t get a chance to. Brian coordinated all of the vendors and their costs. All we were left to do was to decide on what we wanted for music, food, and extras. It was low stress and a relief to not need to negotiate or plan logistics of vendors, facilities set-up/teardown, and scheduling – Brian took care of all of this for us. We met with Brian, in person, a few days before our event to finalize the finer details.

On the day of our wedding - everything, and I mean everything, went on without a hitch or an uncomfortable lag in time. Brian and his colleague were there for the complete duration of our wedding day to coordinate and move the scheduled events forward - there was our dusk/sunset ceremony in the Private Lagoon, followed by an open bar and private luau entertainment on the Alii Terrace, and topping the night with a DJ and dancing! All of the vendors that we used, even though we never had met with them before, were extremely professional, respectful, and were amazing at what they do.
Based on our experience, we think that the RKR’s Romance Center packages and staff are well-worth it, for coordinating any aspect of a wedding or anything romantic.

We highly recommend their services.

Melissa Sent on 11/20/2013

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Our wedding coordinator, Brian Scully, was absolutely fantastic. He brought with him so much experience! Having a destination wedding is difficult when you are a control freak like myself, but everything turned out exactly as I had hoped, even better actually! The florist, DJ, photographer, bartender, chefs, and many more who were involved in making our perfect day happen. I would definitely recommend Royal Kona Resort to anyone interested in having a wedding on the big island that is looking for something spectacular but not ridiculously expensive. Added bonus, the resort is right next to all that is fun and exciting in Kona. Thank you for an absolutely perfect wedding! I couldn't have asked for anything more! Really looking forward to going back for, fingers crossed, our 1 year anniversary.

Jennifer Sent on 10/16/2013

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Everyone at the Royal Kona Romance Center went the extra mile to make sure I had the wedding of my dreams. Ashley was my planner and she was fantastic! Every time I had a question it was answered usually within hours if not at least by the end of the day. They made planning a destination wedding very fun and not even a smudge stressful which I was worried about. Karen was so sweet when it was pouring on my wedding day she held my dress to the venue with an umbrella over my head even though I said I would hold it myself. Every detail of the wedding was exactly perfect and worth every penny. The Royal Kona has very outstanding packages for the price, you can't plan a more beautiful wedding then they put on for the price of the packages. They are very reasonable for the service and attention to detail you get. Thank you Royal Kona for making my husband and I's wedding so beautiful!

Sarah Sent on 11/01/2012

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Ashley, Brian, and Karen are a fantastic team that made the wedding process EASY. Ashley was very helpful in ensuring that everything was exactly how my husband and I wanted. Even when I had a small question, she was quick to respond. I would recommend doing a destination wedding as the process was nearly stress free. The Royal Kona Resort was the perfect location for our wedding. Thank you!

Marisol Sent on 02/24/2012

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We had a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. Everything was exceptional from the venue to the service.

Danielle Sent on 12/10/2011

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Hello Everyone,
Not sure who will end up reading this review, but when I was considering getting married at the Royal Kona Resort I couldn't find anything online to help me make a decision, so I ended up using the resort a bit blindsided!
Now that I am back from my fabulous wedding and honeymoon, I wanted to tell everyone about my amazing experience and recommend the Royal Kona to others. Hopefully a future bride will find the below useful!

My partner and I got engaged in September 2010. As soon as the ring was on my finger I said 'Can we get married in Kona?' which was met with a 'of course!'
I am Australian and my partner is Scottish. We both live in Australia and having a destination wedding seemed to be the best idea as all of our family and friends would have to travel, as opposed to just his family if we decided to have the wedding in Australia. We both went to Kona four years prior for a holiday and absolutely loved it. I had always hoped to get married there eventually.
When we stayed in Kona before, we actually stayed at the Kona Tiki Hotel. We both loved it, but it just doesn't have the facilities to hold a wedding. Initially I looked at arranging all the wedding particulars myself, such as a venue, minister, music etc, but it ended up just being too much work to do from Australia via email.
We then started looking for a place that could arrange the majority of the wedding things for us. We only wanted a small wedding with 20 people max & we contacted quite a few different resorts on the island asking for info on their wedding packages etc. We narrowed it down to the Royal Kona Resort & The Kona Village Resort as they both had the sort of venues & prices we were looking for. As my husband is a chef, we ended up going with the Royal Kona as he thought the reception menus were value for money and I enjoyed receiving quick responses to my emails from their wedding Co-Ordinator Ashley Akmau.
After quite a lot of email contact between myself and Ashley we set a date and put down a deposit. We paid this deposit via cheque in US funds (If you're in OZ you have to physically go to the bank and request this to be done and it costs $15AUD) and received a receipt in the post. Ashley told us that they would contact us three months out from the wedding to make arrangements. I was a little concerned about this at first as I thought planning a wedding would take at least a year, but Ashley seemed confident everything could be done within 3 months.
Three months out from the wedding I contacted Ashley to start the proceedings. I was starting to get a bit nervous and concerned that the wedding was so close with nothing yet arranged. Ashley really set me at ease and we started working through all the wedding things. She emailed me a questionnaire about the wedding from 'How many guests' to 'What type of flowers for your bouquet' and we pretty much went from there. At times we were emailing back and forth every couple of days. Nothing I asked was ever a problem and she was always helpful and professional in her emails.
Ashley pretty much arranged everything. She had lots of pictures of the different venues for the ceremony and reception, different table set ups, bouquet pictures. She also suggested little hints and tips to save us money. She also had no problem with us bringing a handmade table runner from Australia and personal decorations for the wedding table. I always felt comfortable contacting her and I didn't feel like 'just another bride' as I’m sure she deals with many every year.
Everything was pretty much arranged two weeks out from the wedding and I was thrilled with the result. Everything I wanted was done. I had the sort of minister I dreamt of, the type of ceremony I wanted, the entertainment at the reception, the food selected, the flowers ordered and the hair and make up appointments booked. . I felt like everything was complete and I hadn't even stepped foot on the Big Island yet!
My partner and I arrived on the Big Island four days before the majority of the guests started arriving. I wanted to arrive early so that I could meet personally with Ashley to ensure that all the wedding things were underway. I also wanted to make sure that anything that wasn't quite right could be fixed in plenty of time. To be honest, the only thing that needed to be fixed was an appointment with a wedding shop to iron my dress as it got really creased on the way over from Australia. Ashley suggested someone that could help and the dress was ironed promptly. Ashley had everything under control and showed us the ceremony venue & wedding reception areas. It wasn't even a problem when the final number of guests jumped from 19 to 23 two days before the wedding due to a late notice RSVP. When our wedding party arrived, Ashley co-ordinated a wedding rehearsal and a meeting with the minister. She also confirmed all the hair & make up appointments for us and gave directions as it had to be done off site due to the amount of bridesmaids.
On the big day everything went smoothly and it was honestly my dream wedding. The thing that surprised me the most was that Ashley & Karen (another wedding co-ordinator) assisted during the entire wedding. One looked after the groom and the other looked after me, making sure we didn't see each other before the wedding. They made sure the guests went to the right place after the ceremony and even helped me at the reception when I broke the bussell on my dress! I never expected them to be there! They were so professional & well dressed for the wedding I wish I'd had them as proper guests!
I'm so happy we decided to have our wedding at the Royal Kona. I highly recommend getting married there and I wouldn't have changed anything. The Royal Kona Resort is so lucky to have Ashley as a wedding co-ordinator and you won't be disappointed should you decide to get married there. Please tell her 'Danielle from Australia' said hello!
Please also feel free to contact me if you have any questions - danielleonholidays@hotmail.com

Chelly Sent on 10/23/2011

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My wedding could not have been more perfect. The venue is setup very nicely. The staff (particularly Ashley Akamu) was very accommodating. The hotel has great public areas and affordable rooms. The food was awesome. Great cake. Overall, a great package wedding with the ability to customize a lot through their great staff. The hotel made for a perfect wedding week in Kona!

Cherice Sent on 09/27/2011

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We had our wedding reception here on Sept 2nd, 2011. It was a destination wedding and I had never been to the site nor to the island so it was a bit scary to plan a reception somewhere you have never been. This venue is just so beautiful and perfect. Our reception was on the Alii Surf terrace overlooking the beach and ocean and couldn't have been more intimate and perfect. Ashley and Karen in the Romance center were amazing and were always responsive to my calls or emails with any questions on the planning. It was truly an amazing experience and a great value for the money. I highly recommend having your wedding or reception here and also recommend booking the ukulele player through them as well, he added such a perfect touch.

Eleanor Sent on 06/28/2017

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My husband and I wanted to plan a destination wedding. But we were worried about how to plan it from so far away. Kayli made it so easy for us. She sent us many questionnaires and forms to help us customize our wedding to how we wanted it. She was very responsive through email and on the phone. She made sure everything ran smoothly, and was very accommodating to last minute changes. Thanks again!

Susan Sent on 12/31/2016

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I had my wedding this July at Royal Kona Resort, and it went amazingly well. The resort is beautiful, and the details of the wedding were smoothly coordinated, thanks to wedding coordinators Ashley and Kayli. I didn't visit beforehand and only arrived 2 days before the wedding. Everything was planned through email, with a couple of phone calls interspersed. It was made very easy - just got to fill out a questionnaire, and worked out the details as we went. I had my ceremony at nohea point, which is a lovely garden, and my reception at sunset cove, where the sunset was truly beautiful. I had read some bad things about the rooms at the resort before going, but I thought they were nice. A little outdated, but still cute. I had about 35 guests, and nothing went wrong with the requests I had for the room reservations. My photographer Sheri Lynn was amazing (she came as part of the wedding package). I wasn't planning on buying all the photos, but when I saw them later I had to buy all of them (which turned out to be a correct choice, since I ended up paying a lot less than if I had gotten them in the beginning). My wedding officiant, Tomasi, was also extraordinary. I loved the hawaiian elements of the wedding. The food was great. My friend was allergic to many things, and the chef was very accommodating and made her a separate plate. My only complaint is the DJ! She did not know what she was doing at all, did not follow the itinerary I provided, and made things very awkward at the dinner reception. My sister had to take over at one point! But besides that, I'm very happy with how the wedding turned out. And the overall price is very fair. Would strongly recommend for any romantic who wants a beautiful dreamy wedding!

Michelle Sent on 09/28/2016

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Beautiful venue for a destination wedding. Our coordinator made it very stress free. She took care of everything and we basically just showed up and got married.

User2490638 Sent on 01/02/2016

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The Royal Kona Resort fit perfectly into what we were looking for as a marriage ceremony and reception location. The venues on the property to get married were absolutely beautiful and captured Hawaii's beauty. We selected Private Lagoon for the ceremony and Sunset Cove for our private luau and reception. I absolutely loved how we were able to actually have an intimate ceremony and reception on the property with the peaceful waves and beautiful sunset. Ashley guided us through the entire process, especially since it was new to us to not only get married but plan a destination wedding. Having a wedding coordinator that had experiences and expertise was a blessing. We never actually visited the venue before booking/having the wedding but it was better than the pictures online. The resort was stunning and our guests are still talking about the wedding. We were able to select a package which was better in value compared to booking large venues in the city or country club venues. We were able to save tens of thousands and received more than what we anticipated. We personalized our wedding ceremony and reception by telling Ashley exactly what we desired and she delivered, whether we brought things ourselves, she provided through vendors, or suggested other ideas. It was a pleasure to really feel like we had a close relationship with our wedding coordinator even though we had never seen one another in person. The decorations were wonderful, food was sumptuous and beautifully set up, the private luau was awesome, and we were blessed to have found the Royal Kona Resort to make a memory that will never be forgotten.

Ashley Sent on 11/29/2014

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My husband and I picked because of price, location and ease of information. But we ended up with so much more.

First our wedding coordinator, Ashley, was amazing. Through the summer, she was a little hard to get a hold of but Brian would step in and answer our questions. But she always responded once she was back in the office. And I am not sure how my family and I would have got through the day of the wedding without her. She made sure everyone was where they needed to be (& ontime), helped the photographer wrangle my family for pictures, and even escorted out a wedding crasher. Our entire event when extremely smoothly because of her.

Now onto the vendors. We only had the options that the resort gave us, which can be good or bad. For us, it was perfect. I am not a bride that has been planning her wedding since birth, so I loved only having a few options and they all were outstanding! The food and cake was all done through the resort. I was a little nervous since we were unable to taste it before hand... IT WAS GREAT. All of our guest were raving about the food and the cake! The venues were perfect for our small group. Nohea Point is beautiful and private. And the Ali'i terrace was the perfect set up for dinner and dancing. I didn't actually meet the officiant, Patrick, until I walked up to the alter on my wedding day. But he calmed my nerves immediately and I loved his ceremony. The perfect blend of Hawaiian and American traditions without being religious! Bula played the ukelele for our ceremony. Again awesome! He set the ideal mood for our guests. The DJ was fun and entertaining. He moved things along exactly how we planned them out.

Everyone told me throughout the planning process that something will go wrong on the day of our wedding and to just let it go, but looking back.... I cannot think of a single thing that was out of place. Our event turned out exactly how we wanted it. Simple and fun!

I would definitely reccomend this resort!

Christine Sent on 09/27/2014

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Ashley was our wedding coordinator and she did an amazing job. From the beginning to the end, we received great service. She got our details perfect, especially with our decorations for our ceremony and reception. She made great suggestions and even had a back-up if we had rain/ hurricane. Brian was also easy to work with initial contract negotiations and with day off coordination.

Susan Sent on 02/07/2021

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Best Day Ever

Maggie is magical. We had stressful days planning our wedding due to 2020. She made everything work out.
What I would recommend about Royal Kona Resort is that everything is easy. From picking officant, musician, flowers photographer, flowers ect. You are given options and can check out their work.

Raelynn Sent on 08/02/2020

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5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful wedding

My husband and I got married in February 2020 and it was incredible. Our day of coordinator did an absolutely fantastic job and was so on top of everything through the whole day. The venue was stunning and the staff were all so friendly and excited for us. They really made us feel so special. My only suggestion for future weddings would be to have some sort of signage posted at the lobby somewhere letting guests not staying at the hotel know exactly where the ceremony is as a few guests of mine were quite lost in where to go. Other than that is was a fantastic dream of a wedding day! Thank you guys for all your hard work and dedication.

+3 photos

Royal Kona Resort Reviews

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Royal Kona Resort