Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Our best ocean view and sunnyest unit...Discounts, peaceful hawaiian home with studios n hawaiian touch , very close to beaches, galleries, aloha live theater, many close to restarants, downtown & chocalate/coffee farms, 1 mile from one of the top beaches in Kona and 1.5 miles from the top surfers beach and snorkel beach . Up country where it’s less hot but still 70 plus degrees . Helpful hosts to share the amazing wonders of hawaii with you .
It was very native, like camping outside. Only a bathroom and bedroom. Just as pictured. Very restrictive parking. A lot of glass missing in the windows beautiful location and views. Quiet neighborhood
I texted the owner beforehand, if it is possible to check in earlier to which he agreed on. So, my friends and I arrived and found the property in a condition that looked like the property of a compulsive hoarder. First, we went to talk to the owner, however were really turned off by the way everything looked. There were dozens of magazines stacked on a table, the kitchen was the opposite of clean and nobody would've cooked there. There were leftovers in the sink, the gas-stove was black and brown. A big room was stacked with cloths to the top and had a big brown stain on the floor. The owner meanwhile showed us our room, which was not what we expected aswell, because in the description it stated two bedrooms, however there was only one, which had a bed and a sofa that was made into a bed in it. He then showed us through our room where for instance the bathroom was in a bad condition. When he tried to close the shower-curtains, they just fell apart. Since there was another room empty, we wanted to check this one out aswell, figuring it might be in a better shape and bigger. There, it was pretty much the same e.g. we found white sheets with big brown stains on it. So the whole property really was not clean. Contrary to what we've been told there also was no refridgerator in this room, so the one in the front of the building would've been for us to use. When we opened it, it was dirty aswell and he wanted to clean it for us. We also wanted to see where we could wash our clothes. So the owner took us to the back of the building where he showed us a washing mashine that was old, rusty and brown. Even the owner, when he showed it to us, shrug his head back while opening the washing mashine and meant it may need some cleaning. Not only were the rooms dirty, the whole property was stacked with stuff one might find at a dump. For instance, under the steps to the rooms there was an old ice-vending machine and loads of more stuff that was covered behind a curtain. To all of this the owner meant it was work in progress and not intended for us to be seen. Thing is, when the whole property is under this condition, you cannot not see it. Besides that, we were promised a pool, a jacuzzi, etc. as showen in the pictures, but the back of the building where everything was supposed to be wasn't even able to be entered. In the pool there was even more trash! In the end, vrbo offered us to stay at a hotel and a refund that we didn't get until now.
We booked this property four days before our trip. Check-in time is 4pm. We called the owner and he said the room was not ready and to wait 3-4 hours; there was not much to do about it so we looked for a restaurant while waiting. We arrived at the property around 8pm and room was still not ready. During our walk-through with John the owner, we noticed that the bathroom lacked proper ventilation; plastic shower curtain was moldy and towels were rough, frayed and very worn out. Toaster oven was really dirty and so was the microwave oven. The refrigerator was disconnected and he said to only connect it if we were planning on using it because electricity is expensive. Couches were very dusty and had several stains. John tried to show us the TV but did not get it to work. Bed linens had stains and pillows were flat as a pancake and smelled stale. The ceiling fan was not operational and had a thick crust of dust. It was very hot and stuffy inside. John brought in a fan after another until one of them finally worked. To cool down the room he opened all curtains, windows and sliding doors, eliminating any modicum of privacy we could have. To increase the flow of air, John indicated that the screened double-door back entrance had to remain open. There were two large camping tents fully setup on the back yard; we did not ask if they were rented, but did not feel comfortable leaving the back door open without any secure locks. We didn’t expect a luxury experience, but we did not stay because the place was very dirty, lacked proper ventilation and had zero privacy. John tried to show us the “original” room we rented, which still was not the one in the pictures we saw when looking at the rental. This room was not clean nor well ventilated either; bath curtains were moldy with no screen on door nor window. John did not comply with the contract. We offered for him to keep the clean-up fee and to refund the rest to us; he said that he might refund the money if he managed to rent the place. Please note that the room had not been rented prior to our last minute inquiry. He tried to ascribe the situation to our inability to sustain “hardship” and that we would only be comfortable in an air-conditioned room. We lost 480 Dollars and ended up driving around in the middle of the night trying to find suitable overpriced lodgings. In contrast, our stay in Hilo Mar 19-22 at Property #990627 was incredibly pleasant in a clean well ventilated (not air-conditioned) room.
Shared balcony and sitting area allows you to interact with other guests, if that is your thing. Amazing views of the ocean. Not a luxury house rental, a bit run down and in need of renovations, but clean enough and the property manager is friendly and accommodating.
Pros: Great location Awesome view Extremely friendly and helpful owner Cons: Not a 2BR place No privacy Beach towels were much softer than hand/shower towels
Enjoyed staying here very much, got loads of inside information about the island. The house is located in a quite neighbourhood with a few turkeys as well :-) Good place to explore the west coast of Big Island.
Definitely not your average tourist hotel, which is a good thing in my book. Cozy rooms, a nice deck and good quiet location in a residential area. The owner was very helpful as well. Stay here if you enjoy being away from more touristy places and a little closer to Hawaii.
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