While the month of June is officially designated to mark LGBTQ+ Pride, the Fairmont Orchid, one of Hawai’i’s most luxurious destination hotels, honors its commitment to actively welcoming LGBTQ+ travelers and families throughout the year.
The Fairmont Orchid’s PRIDE Package includes 20% off the resort’s daily room rate for a four-night minimum stay and daily breakfast for two. And as a bonus, $20 from every package booked will be donated to Kona Pride, Inc., a non-profit organization that serves to enhance the visibility of LGBTQ+ and allied community through year-round events to promote LGBTQ+ awareness, equality and support. The promotion is good through December 21, 2021, and can be booked here.
The property is a destination resort within the gorgeous Kohala Coast area north of Kona, just a 30-minute drive from the airport but worlds away in its remote, mellow vibe. The crescent sand beach is super-calm in the mornings, perfect for stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and snorkeling around the reef just off the shore. Expect to see sea turtles (“honu” in Hawaiian) and lots of colorful little fish.
The resort encompasses 32 oceanfront acres and feels like a world unto itself. There’s a 10,000-square-foot pool, a beach club that offers rentals of all kinds, and a Spa Without Walls where you can enjoy outdoor massage in a secluded cabana.
It’s refreshing to find a property that’s both kid- and queer-friendly, and one that makes good on its welcome of LGBTQ+ travelers. The property offered rainbow malasadas (kind of like Hawaiian doughnuts) for the first two weeks of June, and it even raised a big rainbow flag at the front entrance to the hotel to signal its commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion for all.
The Fairmont Orchid celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride month with rainbow malasadas.
Fairmont Orchid Hawai’i
The Orchid is ideal for a romantic getaway for two or a full-on family vacation with generous rooms and suites overlooking a common lawn and the Pacific beyond. It has both casual (Binchotan Grill) and formal (Brown’s Beach House) restaurants onsite, as well as a deli/coffee shop and an outdoor lunch spot by the pool — and room service, of course. Luana Lounge, in the main building, serves top-notch sushi and cocktails in a low-key setting. Service throughout the property is on-point, despite statewide staffing shortages at hotels and restaurants.
My wife and I visited the Fairmont Orchid with our two kids earlier this month, and we all loved the balance it struck between laidback, slow days and professional, luxurious service and amenities. Stay tuned for a full property review next month.