This was my family's (me and two teenage girls) first trip to Hawaii.

Sam and Connie's condo was as described in the listing. All communication was prompt and complete, we had everything we needed to access the unit without issue.

The neighborhood is very quiet, mostly modest homes and small, low-rise condo complexes. It's about a 10 minute drive to Kailua Town, with numerous shops, restaurants, and larger resorts along the waterfront. Nearby are also supermarkets, gas stations, and fast food restaurants. We did see some local buses running, but we had a car for the length of our stay due to the island's size and our activity plans. Parking at the unit is reserved, and steps from the front door.

The unit was clean, quiet and comfortable, nicely Hawaiian-themed. The kitchen was fully stocked with all appliances and utensils (including full-size coffee maker and espresso maker). We bought breakfast food at Safeway and has breakfast in several days. There was also plenty of beach gear available, which was wonderful. Boogie boards, mask/fin/snorkel sets, beach mat, towels, and coolers for food/drinks. Made it so easy.

There's a small library of books, with several Hawaii travel selections. There was one on Big Island snorkeling spots we took with us everywhere that led us to several outstanding places. Very helpful and greatly appreciated.

There is a quiet park on one side of the complex (pretty, but not good entry for snorkeling). There other side has Magic Sands beach, which had wonderful soft sand extending far out into the water, nice waves for bodysurfing/boogie boarding, and lava/coral on both sides that provided excellent snorkeling.

If you're staying in the summer, pay attention to the fact that the unit doesn't have A/C. Connie let me know this immediately when I booked, so it was no surprise. We were gone all day most days, and having the large sliding glass doors open at night, along with the two fans provided, we never had any issue sleeping comfortably. On the couple of occasions we happened to be in the unit in the middle of the day, it was very warm. Heed the advice to keep the curtains closed during the day. At night with the sliders open, there was a little breeze, and the sound of the surf right outside was wonderful.

I can recommend Sam and Connie's place without reservation. Our first trip to the Big Island was wonderful, in large part due to staying with them.