Kanaloa at Kona, Keauhou, 20 Yards from the Ocean

Our fourth visit winds up today and 1701 Kanaloa has continued to weave its magic upon us. This is not just one more minimally serviceable condo in a lovely location--it's an exceptionally beautiful home we've been privileged to visit. We come here for peace, quiet, beauty--the sound of those waves beneath the lanai lull us throughout the day and night. But the condo is, itself, unusual. Very intelligently built, it has full-sized bedrooms and bathrooms, wonderful showers, complete kitchens equal to those in any home where the owners enjoy cooking and good food (as these owners obviously do). Everywhere you look, every picture or art work on the wall, shows the taste and class of the owners. I've never seen rental properties with kitchens this well stocked and with high-end cookware to use. Everything--from the sheets on the beds to the towels in the bathrooms is high quality. We're already looking forward to the next visit. Fabulous place.

Kanaloa condo 1701 is everything advertised and more. From the moment we arrived, we felt like we were home (only better). Because, honestly, who has that amazing view at home!?! It was a bit warm on the day we arrived, so we opened the sliding doors to the lanai in addition to all of the louvered windows. We were immediately drawn to the lanai--the waves were crashing on the rocks just below the lanai. Absolutely beautiful! We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the view.

The kitchen is fully equipped; there was even beer and soda in the refrigerator. We did not cook while we were there, but we could have with all of the provided tools. We rarely cook at home, so why would we do that on vacation!?! Normally, we dine out when we are on vacation, but we found that we preferred the simplicity of grabbing a Subway sandwich or pizza and bringing it back to the condo to eat on the lanai while watching the sunset. Everything we needed was just up the street at the Keauhou Shopping Center: Longs Drug, Subway, Bianelli's Pizza, Kenichi sushi, and even a post office to mail our souvenirs home.

I don't know whether it was the bed, the sound of the waves, or the fact that we spent every day outside, but we slept 8 to 9 hours every night. I am guessing that all of the above contributed to the restful sleep. Plus, we never had any back or neck pain. I give the bed an A+ for comfort. We tried to stay on California time as much as possible, so we were on the lanai every morning before dawn. It was so tranquil.

We spent most of our days getting scuba certified and diving with Big Island Divers. We highly recommend them, especially for the Manta Ray dive/snorkel--it's the experience of a lifetime. While diving, we saw sharks, turtles, manta rays, eagle rays, eels, octopus, and dolphins.

The owners were very helpful before we arrived, during our stay, and after we were home. The communication exceeded our expectations. The owner heard there may have been an issue during our stay and was eager to fix it. The issue had nothing to do with the condo and was beyond the owners control, but we were impressed by his response. They provided helpful rental car information, and suggested books to read and websites to peruse. In addition, the owner has compiled a huge book of activities and reviews that is waiting for you upon arrival. We got many ideas on must-see sights and activities. Everything was spotless and in perfect working order. We will be back to Condo 1701.

We so much enjoyed our 5 days in 1701! The drive into the gated community was breathtaking with outstanding landscaping of all Hawaiian tropical flowers and plantings with majestic palm trees! The condo's parking place is extremely close to the condo which directly overlooks the splashing waves towards the west. What else could you want? The condo's owners are extremely kind and caring by directing us before our arrival to many helpful hints-including car rental. The interior is gorgeous and the 4 adults of us enjoyed our home for these few days. We grilled at the nearby bbq pit and enjoyed lounging at the ocean pool. We found the travel agent at the office of the complex extremely helpful to map out sites we could visit. We actually drove the perimeter of the entire island one very long and gorgeous day. Our first stop was in Honokaa at Tex Drive Inn where we "dove" into yummy malasadas; these are pastry-like dessert/donuts with Portugese origins. Then we were in awe at the 420' Ataka Falls. The path between these Falls is breathtaking towards the beautiful falls of Kahuna. Approaching Hilo, we took the Scenic Route just north of the city. This drive was like a shorten version of the Road to Hana. Simply gorgeous. The Volcano National Park is outstanding and we had the pleasure of a Ranger take us on a short trail hike and told us some wonderful stories of the history of the area. We returned back to our wonderful condo following Hwy 11 and passed by the Place of Refuge, which is a must to see, and the Kona Coffee Plantation--both of which we returned to the next day. We enjoyed a fun hamburger lunch at well known Annie's which is on the way to the Kona Coffee Plantation. We found our beautiful white sand beach at Hapuna State Beach which is about a 30 min. drive north. See how great our stay was at "our" Kanaloa at Kona condo was? We enjoyed the use of the condo beach chairs, snorkel gear, and beach towels. We had a fantastic vacation! Mahalo Becky and John!!!