Longtime reader Nancy wrote to us with the kind of comment that caught our attention and makes every fee chart feel secondary. It was not from someone who had tried Hawaii once and decided it cost too much, but from someone who had built a 20-year habit of coming back to the same place.
“For the last several years we have visited both Maui and Hawaii (Big Island) and stayed a total of 3 weeks. This year, we only visited Maui and stayed for 10 days. The condos that we love on Hawaii (Big Island) have an added beach club charge of $130 per day, so we opted to skip the island altogether….we do not plan to return for the next 2 years as we are making other plans, not just for cost, but with 20+ years of coming every year, we decided to make a change.”
Nancy said “Hawaii,” as many visitors do when they are referring to the Big Island. What she described was much larger than a shorter trip: 20-plus years of coming every year became 10 days on Maui, no Big Island stay at all, and, after that, no Hawaii plans for the next two years.
The number that stopped us cold was $130 a day. Not a one-time charge, not a checkout nuisance, and not the kind of resort fee most travelers grudgingly absorb because the room rate looked fair. This was a daily beach club fee attached to the kind of condo stay many longtime visitors chose in order to avoid those fees in the first place.
The beach used to come with the room.
For years, the condo was an easy workaround for longtime Hawaii visitors. You got more space, a kitchen, a washer and dryer, a lanai, and at least the feeling that you were stepping outside part of the resort machine. The place that had been Nancy’s escape hatch now had a daily gate on the part of the trip she came for.
We know these Kohala Coast resorts firsthand, and we understand why visitors become attached to a particular complex. It is not only the condo, or the floor plan, or the view from the lanai, but the whole feeling and pattern of the stay.
That is changing at some high-end properties on Hawaii Island. What once felt like one resort experience is being split into pieces: the unit is one place, the amenities are another, and beach access comes with a separate daily charge.
Same building, same coastline, same beach memory. The difference is that the thing many visitors thought they were buying has been separated from the unit and now has its own price.
Where the $130/day comes from.
Nancy’s number is not a stray complaint. We checked. One rental operator’s published Mauna Kea Resort amenity page lists Mauna Kea Club daily rates, most recently published at $130/day for a 2-bedroom residence, $195 for a 3-bedroom, and $260 for a 4-bedroom, before taxes. Pricing is based on unit size, not the number of guests.
The program is accurately described as opt-in for guests staying in a Mauna Kea Resort vacation rental. It includes access to hotel and resort amenities at both the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and adjacent Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, including beach access, hotel pools, hotel fitness centers, hotel parking, and a resort access key card.
Registration is for the entire stay, without exception, and arrival and departure days are charged at half rate. That is how a 2-bedroom condo lands exactly at the $130-a-day figure Nancy named.
Opt-in can still feel unavoidable.
The opt-in wording is important. The guest chooses whether to buy the club access. But if you picked that Mauna Kea complex because of that beach and its beach chairs, the beach club is not an extra in the trip’s emotional sense. It is the reason the place worked in the first place.
You can technically decline the access, but then the stay may no longer be the stay you believed you were booking. That is the unbundling of Hawaii travel in one move: what used to feel included becomes something you pay extra for, and paying extra becomes the only way to get the trip you actually came for.
Even the same building can hold two prices.
At the neighboring Hapuna Beach Residences, the unbundling is literal. The beachfront condos sit inside the Westin Hapuna footprint, where private residences and hotel rooms share the same resort setting.
One manager, South Kohala Management, charges some guests there $75 per day (one-bedroom condo) for up to four people to use the resort pools and beach amenities, payable to the resort on arrival. The access is purchased for the entire stay there too, not just for the days someone feels like using the pool.
A hotel guest just next door reaches the same pool through the hotel’s own resort fee. A condo guest in the same footprint may see access listed as a daily charge, depending on the unit and booking channel. If you think that’s confusing, we do too.
Some Hapuna listings actually include that access in the stay, while others bill it daily as a separate fee. That means which version of the resort you bought can come down to how your unit was booked as well as the unit itself.
What the hotel guest actually pays.
It’s reasonable to wonder what the hotels charge their own guests, because that is the real measure of what unbundling did. At The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, hotel guests pay a mandatory resort fee of $37 a day plus tax, with self-parking on top of that.
A condo guest in the same building can pay $75 per day for up to 4 people to access the same pools and beach. That is more than the hotel’s fee for the identical beach and pool.
At the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, the hotel itself advertises no resort fee. That sounds like the opposite of the trend, until you look at where the cost went.
The amenities there are bundled into the room rate, and those rates are among the highest on the island. The hotel guest is still paying for the beach and pools, but they simply don’t see it as a separate line item on the bill.
That is the whole story in one comparison. The hotel keeps the beach bundled and priced into a premium room, invisible. The condo unbundles it, prints it as a daily charge, and the renter pays daily.
In the end, nobody reaches the sand for free. The difference is whether you can see what you are paying for, and for the condo that was originally going to be the cheaper path, the visible version sometimes costs more now.
The pattern is much bigger than one resort.
This is not only about Mauna Kea, and it is not only about one reader. The same move into separate daily fees turns up across the Kohala Coast and onto other islands, in different forms and at different price tiers. It is a trend.
At Halii Kai in Waikoloa, the association collects a 2026 resort fee of $25 a day plus tax per reservation, capped at $500 plus tax per stay, for entry, parking, and Ocean Club access. That is a fraction of the Mauna Kea number, but it’s the same structure, with a separate charge to reach once bundled amenities.
At Mauna Lani, CoralTree condo guests get their Beach Club cards included at check-in rather than as a separate line, which shows the resort is built around the same club access even where it is currently still bundled instead of billed.
The move reaches past the Big Island, too. On Kauai, the Waipouli Beach Resort in Kapaa raised its daily resort amenity charge to $45 a day plus tax at the start of 2025, collected through the rental program. Booking directly from an owner can sometimes get around it or see it bundled. That’s the variable to check before you pay, because at some properties the fee applies to every booking, and at others it doesn’t.
Taxes grow the number.
Hawaii’s tax rules add another turn. For the Big Island, the state TAT is 11%, Hawaii County TAT is 3%, and GET may also be passed on. Therein, $130 likely comes out closer to $154/day. Taxes can vary depending on how the property construes these fees.
Some amenities are real.
There is another side to this. These amenities are not made up, and some visitors want exactly what they provide. A private cove, resort parking where public access is charged, oceanfront pools, beach chairs, towels, and fitness centers. These all have value. Some owners and associations will say those facilities must be funded somehow, and many renters will decide that access is still worth it.
The shift isn’t that amenities cost money. The shift is that the condo stay, which used to feel like the way around the hotel model and fees, is starting to inherit much of the hotel model, just in pieces.
The workaround is harder to find.
Before booking an island condo now, we would search the listing for resort fee, amenity fee, club fee, beach club, parking, check-in fee, cleaning, damage protection waiver, and payable at resort. We would also ask one direct question before paying: are there any required daily or one-time charges collected outside the quoted night room and tax price?
The second question is just as important. Does booking directly with the owner change the fee, or does the association or club collect it regardless of how you book?
That is where the old condo strategy can still work at some properties and fail at others. The nightly rate alone just no longer tells the whole story.
Nancy did the math and walked.
Nancy did not write us a policy argument. She wrote about a valued 20-year relationship in Hawaii that no longer penciled out.
She knew the complex, she liked it, knew the beach she wanted, and knew what the trip used to be like. Then the part of the stay that made the place work came with a $130 daily fee, and she skipped the Big Island entirely instead.
That is the question some longtime Hawaii visitors are starting to ask. When the workaround stops working, when the condo starts charging the resort fee by another name, at what point do you do what Nancy did and make other plans?
Have condo resort fees, beach club charges, or owner booking differences changed how and where you stay in Hawaii? Did booking direct help, or did the fee tag along anyway?
Lead Photo Credit: © Beat of Hawaii at Mauna Kea Beach.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
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The county governments are in cahoots with the hotels and resorts, without question. By pushing visitors out of houses and condos and into hotels, you’ll see fewer visitors overall, and your economy will tank. You cannot survive by limiting visits to the wealthy. Good luck.
So clearly Nancy picked the wrong condo association. We charge nothing extra for beach club access @ Mauna Lani resort.
I tell everyone I know who is thinking of a trip to Hawaii to rethink and go to Saipan. It cost a bit more to get to Saipan but you will save overall. Food, hotels, rental car, were all cheaper and no hotel fees or fees to park at every site you visit. I had a beautiful hotel room overlooking the beach which was far more beautiful than any Hawaiian beach I have been to and it was only a $160 a night, compared to the run down place I had on Maui at $325 a night with a $35 a night fee plus $20 to park a day. In Saipan I had free hotel parking, no hotel fees, and the hotel had a wonderful reasonably priced open air cafe with beach view. Saipan is every bit as beautiful as Hawaii and I experienced no overcrowding or traffic. It was every bit a vacation; Hawaii was a headache of high prices on everything, run down hotels, booked up adventures, overcrowding, traffic, and lack of parking. After 15+ years of Hawaii it is no longer a great vacation but Saipan sure is.
We have experienced the opposite situation. We have been staying at the same condo resort on Kauai since 2008, usually 4 weeks per stay, same time each year, and, as regular returning renters, we are given rent discounts (incredible but true). The condo (2 bedroom, living room, full kitchen, laundry, lanai) has beach front and no beach access fee. We guess we should be classified as among the fortunate few. BTW BOH, love Kauai Island Brewery in Ele’ele.
I think it’s fine that Nancy isn’t coming back to the Big Island. There are a million other things to do on BI that don’t involve staying at a condo and paying a beach club fee. If she doesn’t have the time or desire to get to know the whole island, then that’s her problem. There are many places to stay and visit that don’t have fees like that on our island. I swim, snorkel, read under a palm tree next to the ocean about 100 days a year. I don’t pay a penny for this. Those that want to complain don’t help the Big Island vibe so we don’t need them here.
We have altered our pattern and the fee is part of it. We have a few weeks in a timeshare. We know what we get every time. That’s our resort time, and most of our beach time. The only add on we’ve been hit by is the excise tax… one I think we should sue over as we’re not visitors, we’re residents using our property. No parking fees, no resort fee, it is in our maintenance fee.
We travel to other islands to explore when we visit. In those places, we don’t go for the resort experience. We pick a location to stay in when we go exploring the island.
You are not a resident of Hawaii unless you live in Hawaii for more than 200 days during a tax year and file your income taxes in Hawaii as a resident, otherwise you are just anothertourist.
Just another tourist the state would die without…
I’m not sure I understand her issue. I get the $130 gives you access to more than just the beach (resort pools etc). But the beach is free regardless if you’re staying at the resort or not. You can’t use their beach chairs. That’s fine I’ll bring my own. If you’re already staying at the resort in one of the condos. Just walk to the beach and enjoy. No one is going to stop you.
My wife and I will frequently have lunch at Lava Lava restaurent in Waikoloa Village. Then walk down to the beach in front of the Hilton. We bring our own chairs. No fees.
You can’t really walk to the beach from Kumulani where we stay. You have to cross the highway and hike to the beach.
I will never understand why anyone would stay in a resort. We visit Maui two or three times a year. We stay for three to four weeks each time. We rent a nice STVR condo in South Kihei. We pay the room rate (150-200 a night), plus county and state tax (19%) and a cleaning fee (150-200 total). No other fees, pool free, beach free, beach chairs free, parking free, beach umbrella free, ice chest free, washer dryer free.
Maui doesn’t have to be expensive.
Aloha.
We always rent a STVR on both Maui and the Big Island. Unfortunately, the cost is not even close to your $150-200 per night. The condo we stayed in on Maui this year did have beach chairs but no umbrellas which meant we had to rent one. That’s another added cost of course. They also charge a resort fee of $35/day plus taxes. We only rent units with an in unit washer and dryer. We pay more for the location because it is a short walk to many places in West Maui. Kaanapali Beach is steps outside the building. Convenience comes with a price.
I appreciate your opinion. We have been going to the islands from So Cal over 20 years at 2-3 times a year Have experienced resorts and condos. We prefer the resort with that vibe and amenities over the condo To each his own
Aloha
Regarding beach access fees: My understanding is that no one “owns” the beaches. Maybe I’m incorrect, and please let me know. Are there exceptions?
If I am correct, how are they able to charge beach access fees?
This is Nancy from the article… the beach access is more than being able to go to the beach. It provides valet parking, beach lounges and towels, use of the swimming pools and the fitness centers. At the Mauna Kea a beach attendant will find you chairs and set you up with your towels. At the Westin Hapuna you get your towels at the pool and find your own chairs. However, if you go on your own, good luck finding parking unless you go early in the day. Both beaches, especially Hapuna, are world renown beaches so personally I like using them and not having to worry about parking for the beach, pool or fitness centers. On my last trip in 2025 the pool at the condo where we stayed was closed!
Access to the beach from the private property, patios, chairs, umbrellas….
All the stuff that the general public can’t use.
We’ve been going to the Mauna kea for 25 years and we stay at the condos, we book directly through the hotel and everything is included. The reason why it’s extra is that the owner either wants to make their money back on their Club membership or they never purchased the membership package the only way I will book a condo there is through the hotel for that reason. We will be there again in October. No beach club fee.
You ask if all of these fees have changed our trip plans, I say Oh Yes!!! I don’t come to Hawaii any more. For 50 Years I was a regular visitor. Now I go elsewhere. Sad but true. They have really screwed up tourism.
The fees in general to visit Hawaii have gotten outrageous. I’ve been coming to Big Island 30 years. This September will probably be the last. The dollar value is no longer viable despite the love. I have stayed in Condos all those years. Much superior to hotels. Unless your the wait on me hand abd foot type. I’m moch more into space, calm and quiet.
Last comment. Resorts/Hotels accepting fees to permit non hotel guests to overcrowd out paying guest, is the beginning of the end. I’ve been in the industry 25 years. You can not supplement your income by hurting your own paying guest and crowding them out of amenities they pay for and expect.
We stayed at the Mauna Kea condos years ago when the whole experience was great and seamless. You paid a lot, but you knew you were also paying for the beach chairs, resort pool, and the ease of it all. This new version feels like paying for the room and then being asked if you would or wouldn’t also like to buy back the missing parts that together made it into a real vacation.
I understand the frustration with how this is evolving, but someone has to pay for pools, landscaping, insurance, staff, towels, and maintenance. These higher end properties are expensive to maintain, and visitors expect everything to be perfect. For me it’s better to see the fees upfront than have them buried in a higher nightly rate.
The fees are there for two reasons. Avoiding booking website fees as they charge a percentage of the nightly rate, and to lower the nightly rate to steer people to the places with a lower rate and higher fees.
Both are deceptive and the booking websites are trying to crack down on them. If they’re not optional, the booking websites will penalize properties doing this. Often the mandate a refund of the fees and if the property won’t, the property will be de-listed.
This isn’t really unlike how the airlines are behaving. We stayed in Maui condos for decades because we like having a kitchen and a little more space. It was never about being cheap, but it was about knowing what we were getting and the price was the price. Once it’s unbundled and the beach and pool among other things are separated from the condo like this, it gets harder to see the point anymore.
This is exactly why we stopped looking so much at condos on the B.I. The nightly rate looks okay, and then by the time you add the club fee, cleaning, taxes, and parking, it feels like hotels were somewhat more transparent from the start. We love the Big Island, but not enough to feel tricked before we even arrive.
Hawaii making it too hard and painful and costly.
Many simply don’t want us coming and that faction is going to win.
Interesting, in that, just like Oregon for example, the beaches in the state of Hawai’i are not owned by individuals, companies or resort.
They are here for All to enjoy “free” of charge.
So, how can resorts charge for something that is free? Hmmm!
Long time resident Big Island. Now happy in bustling Waikiki, O’ahu,
Sharon 🌺
I just posted the same question!!
How are they able to charge for beach access, or is it not really for the beach, per se’, but for the beach amenities (chairs, umbrellas, etc…)?