As all the other guest have stated in their reviews, Carolyn’s place has UNBELIEVABLE and unbeatable view of the Kona coast. Watching a real live postcard daily / sunset from the lanai makes every meal better, and you truly feel transported and serene.
Would recommend this as a great rental for 2-4 persons! Carolyn’s place has everything you need, plenty of dishes, coffee maker for that Kona coffee, basic beach gear ( beach towels, chairs, umbrella, cooler and even snorkel and fins). Soaps, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, and many miscellaneous items were all provided!
While the unit is in an older complex, the unit itself updated with modern fixtures in both bathrooms and the kitchen, including large shower in the master and tub in the guest bath. The lanai itself is huge and could comfortably seat 6-8 adults, and directly overlooks the ocean and palm trees.
Location wise, 25 minutes to KOA airport, 10 minutes to a number of grocery stores, white sand beaches, main drag of shops in Kona-Kailua, 1 h 35 min to hawaii national volcano park or Hilo.
The unit is in a building with other rentals managed by a private vacation company ( not Carolyn’s unit) so it seemed most of the other occupants were visitors to the island., not locals.
There’s also a small pool and Da poke shack is down stairs. Tip: da poke shop - is a famous spot for poke and a bit pricey for poke. If you wan to try they close earlier than posted hours when they sell out daily! (open to 4pm but runs out well before).
Two small items:
1)the elevator was out the entire stay, which made checking in and out with luggage a bit of more of schlep to the top floor unit. Carolyn gave us a heads up the day before check in and I saw building staff working the issue daily but no resolution :/
2) A reminder to anyone booking heads to budget for the Hawaii accommodation tax in addition to the fee Airbnb charges you initially! The only awkward communication was when I received a request to increase the fees post booking after I paid. While the the house rules and the description mention Hawaii accommodation tax is not included and will be collected after booking, it was jarring to receive a message asking for additional fees. I did read the house rules before booking but I didn’t account for the fee when making comparisons of other rental in our price range when booking - slipped my mind. Carolyn did try to answer my questions surrounding this item!