Outdoor dining

Reviews of KAHALU'U BAY VILLAS#103 Oceanview, Elevators, Air Conditioning, Walk to Beach


Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 38 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 47 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 47 reviews" "

9.6/10

Cleanliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Gary L.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great condo great view
We spent 3weeks here and it was wonderful. Seeing the sunset each night on the lanai and having coffee in the morning. The king size bed was really comfortable. We had so much fun there, hope to do it again. The property management group was great.
Stayed 21 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

cindy b.

Liked: Cleanliness
GREAT location!
We ran into a small issue which the rental company took care of immediately for us! I loved the location, you’re directly by the best snorkeling spot in Kona. I didn’t understand why there were no blackout curtains in the bedroom as you are directly across from the elevator that is constantly lit. I think that would be a huge help.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 20 Mar 2024
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! We will relay this to the owner, we appreciate your suggestion!

10/10 Excellent

Lisa S.

Liked: Cleanliness
Big Island getaway
My husband and I enjoyed a week at this location with great communication from the local property manager. Walking across the street to a great snorkeling beach was just what we were looking for. We had a great time on the island!
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 12 Nov 2023
thank you so much for the great review!!

10/10 Excellent

Laura R.

Liked: Cleanliness
Perfect
We LOVED our stay. The condo was clean and spacious and in the perfect location. We had everything we needed and more. Not to mention the view from the lanai was beautiful. Would definitely come back again.
Stayed 9 nights in Oct 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 2 Nov 2023
Thank you so much!!

6/10 Okay

Brooklea G.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great location, terrible rental management
This is a beautiful clean large place in a good location with a very comfortable bed. Note that there are no shops/restaurants within walking distance but there is a really nice pool and a great beach half a block away. The permanent residents in the building are extremely lovely and happy to help visitors. The big problem is with the property managers Knutson & Associates. They spam you with messages before you get there telling you that they have a "concierge service" to help you but they are extremely unhelpful. The property was missing VERY basic things like a cheese grater, a can opener, a kettle, and a clothes drying rack. We were also only given 2 rolls of toilet paper, and 3 laundry pods for two people for a two week stay. We also had limited garbage bags and dishwasher pods. When I asked for more, I was rudely told that the supplies were not meant to last the duration of the stay and that I could buy my own. They did eventually deliver toilet paper, laundry pods, and a drying rack but not a cheese grater, can opener, or kettle. Locals told us that Knutson & Associates is widely known for their horrible service. In summation, the property itself is pretty much ideal but don't expect any help from the property managers.
Stayed 14 nights in Sep 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 26 Oct 2023
We are so truly sorry & surprised to read your comments about our service. We reviewed the messages between us, and we were under the impression you left happy. Respectfully, it did list in your rental contract there was only a starter supply that’s offered of supplies. However, we did offer to purchase more with permission of the owner when you requested. We are very sorry we missed that cheese grater on that request sheet & the other items you had. Our company has some of the highest ratings on the island, so we’re very disappointed & surprised to hear locals are saying differently, We’ve been a family owned and operated brokerage firm & aim to ensure guests are happy. Again our sincere apologies for any shortcomings on our end.

8/10 Good

Alicia G.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great location
If you want to stay across the street from a snorkel and beginner surf spot, this place is great. I recommend it. It's a quiet building seemingly more residential than a vacation spot. Unit is on the older side: ie: bathroom and appliances. I had trouble with the dishwasher and laundry machine (ripped up a tank top) working properly. Kitchen/Bath only carries the basics. Expect to buy/bring: condiments, shampoo, soap, toilet paper, etc. Has beach towels, some snorkel and 1 boogie board with no leash. It's clean. Couch bed is decent. Altogether fine stay. Pros: location (safe, Kahalu'u proximity, quiet), designated garage parking Cons: old appliances, management not very servicing (initial response they do, but not the follow-up that provides the actual answers), large AC unit takes up large part of balcony and is unpleasant
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 28 June 2023
Thank you so much for your review! We will address these concerns, and appreciate you bringing these notes to our attention! Mahalo!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Quiet humble place
Quiet humble place near the snorkel beach. Property managers were very communicative and helpful
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jane T.

Liked: Cleanliness
Hawaii Island Visit
Property was in great and convenient area, and felt very safe while traveling alone. Pool was great, snorkeling right across the street and perfect sunset spot!
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Wilfredo P., Norwalk, California

Liked: Cleanliness
Excellent location
#103 very clean and amply equipped with necessities. Check in was easy and smooth. Location is just a short walk away to one of the best snorkeling and surfing spots in Kona. Very nice view of Kahalu’u beach park and the sunset. Nice peaceful condo unit in a peaceful residential neighborhood. Will definitely come back and visit again in the future. Mahalo.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 4 Oct 2022
Aloha Wilfredo! We’re so grateful that you took the time to share your feedback with us. It’s our pleasure to serve guests like you. Have a wonderful day and we hope to see you again soon! Mahalo!

4/10 Poor

Leah H.

Disliked: Cleanliness
Nice place property company is not helpful
The location was nice and appreciated the AC and king bed but the rest of the condo definitely needs updates. They have a bug problem and request that you take the trash out every night but do not provide enough trash bags to do so. If you don’t take the trash out the kitchen will be covered in bugs. They also do not have anything for babies. We asked for a pack-n-play and they were not able to provide one. We also left a sheet there that we had to use make the window dark in the bedroom and asked if we could pay for it to be sent back. They were going to charge us $50 plus the cost of shipping. The management company was not very accommodating for things like that. The shower was very worn it almost looked dirty. The doors also were covered in dust. I would say it is a good place to stay if you are okay dealing with those things and don’t have a baby.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 4 Oct 2022
Aloha Leah, thanks for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry your experience didn’t match your expectations. It is an uncommon instance and we’ll do better in the future. Please feel free to reach out to us at 808.329.1010. With any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. We would love to make things right if you give us another chance.

8/10 Good

Dennis S., Davis, CA (USA)

Liked: Cleanliness
Condo gets an A!....Propty mgr, not so good.
This condo was perfect for our family's 1wk stay with two kids: (1) location was across from Kahalu'u Beach and close to groceries, gas and some restaurants; (2) uncrowded and easy access north and south to island attractions; (3) nice condo layout, amenities, pool access, and sheltered garage. The only negative for us was the property manager. First of all, they make you sign a separate, 7pp agreement, which technically is superseded by VRBO since that's who you're booking with. Then they have you install a one-off iPhone app to communicate with them. They made a big deal about meeting in person on Day 1, including multiple prior emails, but no one showed up to check us in. Last but not least, communication was lackluster -- they tried really hard to respond with vague, short replies. This revolved around us messaging them months in advance on VRBO to understand what beach amenities was included since this was mentioned in the property description. After about 6 exchanges, I got nothing but vague, non-committal information about what was available in the room and we ended up packing more than we needed, thanks to their poor responses. Never ever had this experience with VRBO and Airbnb. To future VRBOers: the condo is great and I would stay there again for the reasons I noted above, but only if Knutson and Assoc was NOT the manager. For the record, the following are what's generously included by the owners for the beach: beach umbrella, 2 straw blankets, two collapsible chairs, one low-to-the-ground beach chair, two pairs of snorkels and masks, an inflatable safety vest, 2 pairs of wet shoes, and about 4 pairs of swimming fins of varying sizes: L, M, S, kids.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Dana L.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Vacation
My husband, college age daughter and I greatly enjoyed our stay at this condo. We have stayed in this complex before and love the location. This is the first time we have had a unit with AC which made sleeping more comfortable! We had a great stay.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Casey C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great piece of paradise
Great property with views of the ocean and Kahalu`u beach. 1 minute walk to the beach. A little out of town and removed from the hustle and bustle, but only an 8 minute drive into Kona. Great restaurants and stores within a mile. A/C is a nice perk. Nice, quiet complex. Would recommend and stay again.
Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 16 May 2022
Thank you so much for the wonderful review, and feedback! We are so glad to know you've enjoyed your stay, and hope to see you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

JoAnne F.

Liked: Cleanliness
Perfect location-Perfect condo
Beautiful, nicely furnished, very clean condo with great parking, and sparking clean swimming pool. Easy to go in any direction. 2 minutes to fabulous snorkeling. Friendly informative staff and residents. Definitely will be going back. Easy check in and out. If your looking for quiet, relaxing, safe accommodations this is the place to be. The sunsets are spectacular!!!
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Feb 2022
Thank you so much for the fabulous review, and feedback! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed your stay, and we do hope to see you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Heather K.

Liked: Cleanliness
Awesome location
Great location near a great snorkel beach! Place was tidy and clean. We loved the view and air conditioning. The only trouble we had was entering the elevator. Initially we did not have the code.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 5 Feb 2022
Thank you so much for the fabulous review, and feedback! We are so glad to know that you enjoyed your stay, and hope to see you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Daryl O., North Plains, OR

Liked: Cleanliness
Wonderful Condo - View Understated
The view from the property is excellent, the photo on the webpage significantly understates the view. The sunsets from the condo have been excellent and this condo is just one block from one of the best snorkeling beaches in Hawaii. The unit has a levered window in the bedroom (eastside) and a large slider onto the lanai on the westside. What is great is that late at night open up both and you get a strong breeze that blows through all night, very nice. The air conditioning does work very well. Very roomie unit, well stocked kitchen, washer and dryer in unit. Spent 10 days here, no problems, but it would be nice to have a more comfortable couch. We would certainly have no issues with coming back again to stay here.
Stayed 10 nights in Jan 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 5 Feb 2022
The property itself is pretty nice. The view is stunning from the deck. Housed our combined families very well. We do wish there was a door on the upstairs bedroom. The landscaping is amazing. The management on the other hand leaves more to be desired. We sent out multiple emails called and use their app to request information which we’ve got no responses. Upon leaving we cleaned up kitchen, washed all the dishes, took all the trash down to the trashcan. i the received a call saying we would be charged extra for laundry and trash. Isn’t there a cleaning fee that supposed to cover doing the laundry? And we just paid the mortgage in 6 days, it wasn’t cheap. Obviously it’s a house that will be rented by six+ people And there is a pool so there’s going to be laundry. Get real Knudsen!

10/10 Excellent

Francine R.

Liked: Cleanliness
Meyer/Rudesill stay
We were very happy with the condo, the size was great and it had everything we needed to enjoy our time on the Big Island. I do have a few comments/suggestions. First, the TV situation was very complicated and hard to use. The clear directions given to us didn’t seem to work so we had to give up on the TV. I left some hangers there but even more would be better since we had wet items to hang up at the end of each day. Also more laundry soap pods—we had to wash and dry the beach towels every evening since there wasn’t any place to hang them to dry. I would have washed more of the bath towels if we’d had more pods. All those big fans were a problem and definitely not needed. We couldn’t use the closet with them in there so we put them out in the living room which spoiled the nice decor of the room. We never used them since the air conditioning and ceiling fans kept us very comfortable.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 28 Jan 2022
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We are so glad to know that you folks enjoyed your stay, and hope to see you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Nicholas C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great location.
Great bed and newer AC in two places made it just right. Quiet at all times and easy short walk down to snorkel. The fins in the closet were a bonus. We added some gear when we left, for the next guests. Loved our week here.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 2 Dec 2021
Thank you so much for the fabulous review! We are so glad to know that you enjoyed your stay, and we look forward to seeing you again soon in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Laura J.

Wonderful location!
Great view, fantastic pool! Property Management very responsive.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 21 Oct 2021
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We are so glad to know that you enjoyed your stay, and look forward to seeing you in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Yana K., Mountain View, California

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Stay
Me and my husband had a wonderful stay! The condo is relaxing, roomy, and quiet at night. Located within walking distance to the great snorkeling spot in Kahaluu Bay as well as a relatively short drive from the local markets and dining places. We enjoyed mornings and evenings at the lanai. Also, the condo was surprisingly cool enough during our stay that we did not even have to use an A/C. I would recommend this property to anyone.
Stayed 10 nights in Mar 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 11 Feb 2022
Thank you for the fabulous review, and feedback! We are so glad to know that you enjoyed your stay, and hope to see you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

barbara k., Santa Cruz, Ca

Liked: Cleanliness
Keauhou condo
The location is fantastic for snorkelers. Short walk to Kahalu’u Park. Beautiful view of sunsets. Nice pool. Very quiet. Condo is clean & comfortable. Enjoyed our stay immensely. Mahalo
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 14 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We are so glad to know you enjoyed your stay; it was a pleasure having you folks stay with us! We look forward to seeing you in the future! -Knutson and Associates

10/10 Excellent

Linda W.

Liked: Cleanliness
Beautiful condo
We really enjoyed our stay. The condo was clean and very close to the beach. I would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 18 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your incredible review, we sincerely appreciate it!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Snorkelers' delight
The apartment is very nice, with a fine view of sunsets and the ocean. If you like to snorkel most every day, it's a two-minute walk to Kahaluu Bay, lots of fish, calm water, good for beginner and intermediate snorkelers. Five minutes to a well provisioned shopping centre, 20 minutes into downtown Kona, five minutes from the Fair Winds manta ray and Captain Cook excursions.
Stayed 10 nights in Feb 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 18 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your incredible review, we sincerely appreciate it!

10/10 Excellent

Jacques G.

Liked: Cleanliness
Quiet,clean and secure
enjoyed proximity of Kahaluu beach park
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Levonia B.

Good on a budget
Noisy neighbors but a cute, simple rental in a good location.
Stayed 8 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Lena & Oleg L.

Very good
Maybe not very fancy, or updated condo but has everything you need plus some. Would like to come back again and again.
Stayed 9 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Don W.

Just what we were looking for
We wanted a place close to the Kahaluu beach so we could walk there for snorkeling, and this unit was perfect (5 minute walk). Its also well located if you are headed south towards the Captain Cook area (you don't have to deal with Kona town traffic). The unit itself is very nice and clean. We loved watching the sunsets from the balcony. Check-in was very smooth. And, an added bonus for couples-- it has 2 sinks in the bathroom! It was also nice to have a washer and dryer in the unit. Though all went smoothly, the manager still checked in often by email to see if we needed anything. We plan to stay here on our next visit.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Todd R.

Nice Condo
Nice place for a couple. We stayed late February and it was perfect weather. 81* and sunny everyday. This unit doesn't have air so be thinking of that if you stay when warmer. We had no issues though as there is always a nice breeze blowing through unit. Building is dated and is currently being freshened up. Pool area is nice with a brand new Weber grill to use. Wifi worked flawlessly as did TV. Short walk to one of the nicer areas for snorkeling. Unit is on the main street to downtown but is quiet at night. It's just a 10-15 minute drive to town for dinner, grocery or shops. We would stay here again
Stayed 14 nights in Feb 2019

6/10 Okay

Bonnie B.

The unit is very old and tired, really needs to be updated.
The property, the entire building is very well maintained, the caretakers do an excellent job of looking after the place. The location, up the street from the snorkel beach was nice. The ocean roaring in on a westerly wind, we loved that. Next door to the property is government housing, no problem with the neighbours at all, very respectful, lots of little ones running for the bus at 7:oo am. Really quiet place, could not believe how quiet it was and when we were there, every unit was occupied. The Koa wood detail is really something, if you are into Koa, it's a lot of Koa. A few beach bits and pieces. On the downside, the unit and others were visited are in desperate need of upgrading, no exageration, for goodness sake, upgrade. Broken tiles, shower floor finish is gone. Fridge and freezer cold, but no water or ice, that part of the fridge died a long time ago. We found the place needed a good cleaning the day we arrived. The carpet needs to go 30 years ago. There are 11 fans in the unit, fixed and portable, staying there in hot months would be stressful. We have been vacationing on the Big Island for over 30 years. The pictures are better than the reality. For what the place cost per night, one could do better. So guess I'm saying, we won't be renting this unit again.
Stayed 22 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Patricia H.

Aloha
The condo and building was exactly how it was described - or even better. The pictures were accurate. The washer and dryer were actually in the unit. The condo was a block from snorkeling and the surf shop, where we rented surf boards. My kids were able to walk to the surf shop everyday and pick up a board, and then walk across the street. The condo was clean.