The Luxury Big Island Hotel That Hosts An Annual Immersive Chocolate Festival

With its tropical climate, Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. where cacao beans can be grown and made into local chocolate. And each year, there's a celebration of Hawaiian chocolate on the island of Hawaii, aka the Big Island. Organized by the Kona Cacao Association, the aptly named Big Island Chocolate Festival is a three day event with activities like tastings, cacao farm tours, hands-on tutorials, and chocolate cooking competitions. This is definitely a bucket list experience for chocolate lovers.

This year's event is on April 10 to 12 at the high end Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. 2025 marks the festival's 12th year, and this year's theme is "Cirque de Chocolate — A Whimsical World of Chocolate Wonders."  The event ends with a grand fundraising gala, where money is raised for local charities and other organizations. The gala features sweet and savory chocolate themed creations by over dozen different chefs, plenty of dancing, and a silent auction. It's bound to be a great place for people watching as guests are encouraged to dress in the circus theme.

Along with tickets to individual events over the three days, there are a couple of packages that include a night at the resort, like the Chocolate Lovers Package ($775), which comes with two VIP tickets to the gala. Whatever event you choose to attend, make sure to book your tickets on the website ahead of time; space is limited and you don't want to miss out.

Staying at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa will obviously give you the easiest access to many of the Big Island Chocolate Festival events, though you don't have to stay there to enjoy the festivities. It's a pretty fantastic property in and of itself, worth visiting beyond the chocolate festival. It's on the Kohala Coast on the northwest side of the Big Island, and it's about a 25 minute drive from the Kona International Airport. It's a part of the Marriott Bonvoy Hawaii collection, so along with some tasty chocolate treats at the festival, you might get some extra perks when you check in to the hotel if you're signed up for the loyalty program.

It has 297 guest rooms, many with ocean views. For peak luxury, book one of the suites in the Na Hale Wing. It's in a more secluded part of the resort, the suites have private lanais, and some of the suites have open air showers. Combine that with a visit to the Mandara Spa on site, which features locally inspired treatments like lomi lomi massage, and you'll have the ultimate relaxing and romantic vacation. The resort is also great for a family getaway. It has three pools, including one with a slide and one with a sandy bottom great for little kids, along with multiple hot tubs.

When it comes to dining, Waikoloa Marriot Resort & Spa has a couple of restaurants as well as a twice weekly luau. In the morning, you can grab a snack and coffee at the Akaula Lanai off the lobby, and in the evening, it transforms into a fun bar. For a sit down dining experience, Hawaii Calls features locally grown ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In case you weren't able to make it for the Big Island Chocolate Festival, you haven't missed out entirely. The restaurant's dessert menu has a flourless chocolate cake and the Mauna Kea mud pie with Kona coffee, vanilla ice cream, and a chocolate cookie crust.

While you could spend all of your time at the resort, it's conveniently located to some of the Big Island's best attractions. It's close to some of Hawaii's impressive petroglyphs, and the resort is just steps from a wide sandy beach in a protected cove along Anaehoomalu Bay; the calm water is perfect for kids and families for easy swimming. You can rent kayaks and stand up paddleboards from the beach, and you can also take glass bottom boat rides out into the bay and snorkel cruises.

As you walk to the beach from the resort, you'll pass by two historic fishponds; this area was once a fishing village visited by Hawaiian royalty. The resort hosts free guided cultural walks that will give you more context to the area's history and future.