What more can we say than we loved Kona by the Sea - in fact, if we could, we would have bought the unit for sale in the building! We stayed here for 8 days in early September in unit 319, and we would have loved to stay longer. Some of the highlights of this property:
- Location, location, location! You are so close to all major attractions in Kona – even walkable to many wonderful shops and restaurants.
- Size: we stayed in a one bedroom, but had two full baths, a large lanai facing the ocean, and two TVs (one was a lovely flat screen in the living room)
- Kitchen: it was so wonderful to be able to keep many food items in the condo with us. Breakfast was always a breeze, and we loved having our Kona coffee every morning while watching the waves roll in. AND, our fridge had an ice maker – KEY in such a warm climate. The kitchen was clearly remodeled in the last 5 years or so and felt very island-ly and updated.
- View: you cannot look at anything more wonderful than the beautiful surf rolling in… you will feel the island’s magic here!
- Staff: the employees here could not have been more attentive or proud of their property. I’m an early riser, and I saw the groundskeeper up at 5 every morning tending to the pool, plants, beach, grills, etc. Beautiful property!
Yes, it cannot all be perfect, but everything we experienced made this location worth it. We did have a small ant problem in the kitchen, but anyone who has lived in a tropical climate (like me) can tell you that this is beyond normal – you learn to deal with the bugs and hire a good bug-man. The bed was slightly hard (no Westin mattresses here), but the bedroom was large, dark, and quiet. The bathrooms were nothing special, but they were impeccably clean and always had fluffy clean towels. If possible, you might want to stay in the units on the southern end of the property – we staying in the southward facing unit, but we could never see the sunset from the balcony – perhaps our only real complaint.
We loved having a condo and feeling like a “local” during our stay. We fell in love with the island while staying here and would 100% recommend this location to anyone planning a vacation to the Big Island. Yes, you cannot guarantee that every unit is as nice as ours was, but hopefully the staff can ensure that all units that are rented will give you the same wonderful experience that we had. We will definitely be back to Kona by the Sea!