BEAUTIFUL LUXURY VILLA *** STARTING AT ONLY $99/NIGHT ***

Everything was perfect. The villa itself was super quiet, yet swimming pool and tennis court just around the corner. For this reason alone our teenage boys (13 and 15) liked this place the best, compared to condo's we had before on Maui and Kauai. We all loved the space to spread out and it was the first rental in Hawaii where we did not find little critters in the house: super clean. We shopped at Costco but also made quite a few trips to Island Gourmet Market which was so close and in our opinion not expensive at all compared to prices we found in other locations. We visited Volcano and stayed there 1 night, could have easily spent 2 or more though, there was much to see and the hiking was awesome. The boys spent a morning zip lining, and I (mom) loved to explore Hawi at my own leisure without teenagers in tow. We hiked the trail down to the black beach at the Pololu Valley and drove back through Waimea: beautiful, beautiful drive. We visited Waikoloa, so glad we did not stay there, it felt dreary in the middle of nowhere. At Two Step we swam with turtles and had supper after at Bubba Gump: awesome view sitting outside and watch the boarders brave the very high waves. We have been to A-bay the first day which was nice and close by, but once we had been to Hapuna Beach we were spoiled and did not feel the need to see any other beaches. It was love at first sight: We have seen beautiful beaches on Kauai and Maui previous years, but Hapuna has it all. Great facilities, plenty of parking space, clean sand, warm water, gorgeous weather and fortunately safe swimming during our stay. The icing on the cake was the group of whales playing offshore! The last couple of days of our stay (14 in total) we spent at Hapuna, happily returned to the condo where the boys went straight for the pool while we stayed 'home' and relaxed some more. One morning we also walked the grounds of the Hilton: very happy to return to this villa away from the madness. Jim was very easy to work with and we will recommend this villa to anyone who is looking for a great base to explore the island!

One week is not nearly enough time to see the Big Island; however, this outstanding villa is a great place to act as a hub for your Big Island vacation. This villa is described perfectly in the VRBO listing. It was super clean, in great shape, and had everything we needed. Even the wi-fi Internet access worked the first time. The owners are great, and we highly recommend this villa! Though we did much more than what we wrote below, we wanted to share a few particular tips.

The villa is 30 minutes north of the Kona airport. The nearest gas station (to the Kona airport) is actually SOUTH of the airport. Remember that when you return your rental car (i.e., leave time to go back towards Kona about 7 miles to fill it up). By the way, a rental car is essential, and a 4-wheel-drive is not an unreasonable luxury. Access to a few historical sites and off-the-beaten-path beaches would be a real challenge in a sedan.

Here's a tip if you plan on cooking in your villa instead of eating out the whole time. Even though you likely will be tired when you arrive, make a grocery list and try and stay awake long enough to shop at Costco (if you are a Costco member) or Walmart right after you leave the airport. Both of these stores are SOUTH of the airport; the Costco is about 5 miles south of the airport and the Walmart is about 9 miles south. Though there is a grocery store in the Waikoloa Beach Resort (called the Island Gourmet Market in the Queens' Marketplace), I suspect that even locals laugh at how ridiculous the grocery prices are there. Expect to pay 20-30% more than mainland prices for groceries at the Costco or the Walmart, as opposed to about 300% more at the Island Gourmet Market. I will say this about the Island Gourmet Market-they have high quality groceries, and if you need some mayo and forgot to pick it up when you arrived, the $4.00 for the tiny bottle of mayo is a lot cheaper than wasting your time and expensive gasoline driving back into town for it.

We relaxed at two nearby beaches. The one nearest the resort is called A Bay and has coarse white sand and palm trees. The next closest beach is Hapuna-about 9 miles north of the villa. It has fine white sand and sun, a little more surf, and plenty of covered places for picnics.

We spent a long day at Volcanoes Nat. Park, about 3 hours south of the villa. On the way, we visited the Punaluu black sand beach. Wish we spent more time at the Park, though. Leave before dawn, and plan to return well after dark.

This place was beautiful! We had such a great time and Jim was great to work with. The condo had everything we needed. From all the beach gear, to tennis rackets, to laundry supplies. I would definetly reccommend this place to all my friends and family.