Kailua Kona holiday condo

This was our second visit to Kona, and we were delighted with this condo! It was about twice as big as the place we rented last time, less expensive, more conveniently located, and just as nice in terms of furnishings and amenities.

We stayed at the property with my mother and one-year-old son, and it was big enough that none of us ever felt crowded or got on each other's nerves. My husband and I slept in the bedroom with the comfortable king-sized bed, and my mother slept on the pull-out couch. My son had a great time toddling around and exploring the place, and we never felt like it was unsafe for him to do so. The kitchen is well stocked with pots, pans, coffee maker, blender, rice cooker, utensils, glasses, microwave oven, newer appliances etc. and it was easy to cook when we wanted to eat in. The pool was clean and nice, and never very busy when we used it.

The wi-fi connection was fast and easy to access, and great way to double-check restaurant reviews and driving distances before we set off for activities. In the evenings, we all enjoyed the big flat-screen TV in HD. (The condo also has a good selection of cd's, but we never got a chance to watch any of them!)

The location was just ideal for us. The complex as a whole was pretty quiet, far enough away from the tourist strip to avoid noise from drunk cruise passengers, but close enough to walk to restaurants and the ocean quite easily. We could walk to two different grocery stores, a drug store, dozens of restaurants, Ali-i Drive, the water front, "King Kam" beach (perfect for our son). Wal-Mart and Safeway are also only a few blocks away (although too far to walk for us!). Kailua-Kona is a really great launching pad for exploring other parts of the island as well. We did day trips to Captain Cook, Volcanoes National Park, and Place of Refuge.

The only drawback was walking up the stairs after a long day of snorkelling, exploring, eating, etc., but the tree-top/ocean view from the lanai really more than made up for it.

I would definitely stay here again, and recommend it to friends and family.

We stayed at unit 321 Kalanikai Condominiums in Kailua - Kona for a week in mid February ’09. The condo was comfortable and close to all amenities. A short 5 minute walk to Alii Drive and about 15 minutes to Safeway and Walmart. The condo has a view of the water and the gardens below are alive with tropical birds. We really enjoyed our stay in this private spacious unit. The kitchen is exceptionally well appointed and the living area is very comfortable the big screen tv was a bonus.

We didn’t rent a car until our second week on the island. We found getting around was easy with so much to see in the general areas around the Kalanikai condos. You can take a free bus from the Kailua Pier at the end of Ali`i Drive out to the Kahaluu Beach Park for incredible snorkeling about 5 miles out of Kona; the bus stops at several interesting points along the route throughout the day; from shopping in one of the malls to a farmers market. Be sure to arrange an afternoon excursion on the Fair Wind tour boat to Kealakekua Bay 17 miles south of Kona for an incredible snorkeling experience. Our favorite restaurants are the Fish Hopper and Bubba Gump’s.

Be sure to take a day at least and drive to Hilo the climate changes are incredible. The next time we visit the island we will spend a night at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park..

Our vacation in this beautiful island was ideal. Coming from Vancouver BC our only expectations was for the warmth of the Sun and we had it every day.

The apartment is on the third level, stair walkup, so guests should be told of this, and perhaps minimise the amount of luggage they need to bring to this level.

Apartment is well-maintained and has all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. Noise in the area disturbed sleep in middle night and early morning, particularly when the louvre windows in the bedroom were opened for ventilation.

The apartment is well located to walk to both shops and the waterfront of Kailua-Kona.