We had a very pleasant stay at Martina's Garden Paradise. The setting described in the listing (a "sanctuary" with a "million dollar view" and cool mountain air) is totally accurate. That said, I am going to try to make this review as honest and complete as possible (to the point of being nitpicky) because, frankly, those are the only reviews I read myself when deciding whether or not to book a place. So:
Pros:
- Martina is very friendly but also not intrusive. Her check-in instructions and information binder were detailed and helpful but not overbearing or unreasonable.
- The million dollar view. Seriously. You can stand at the counter in the kitchen and watch the sun set over the ocean through the double doors to the lanai. It is quite majestic.
- My wife remarked that it was one of the cleanest AirBnbs we'd ever stayed in and I agree.
- The lanai is huge and really nice and is just like sitting outside to eat dinner but with more light and no bugs
- Even when it is a stifling hot and humid 85ºF down by the beach, the temperature basically never went above 75F at the house and was usually more like 70F at night.
- Other than the roosters and coqui frogs (which are ubiquitous on the Big Island) the neighborhood is *quiet* at night. It is also dark, which is great for stargazing.
- The unit came with a very complete set of pots and pans. The kitchen was well enough equipped that we were able to make several meals of grilled fish and salsa with fruit from the farmer's market.
- Tankless hot water heater means showers of unlimited length (important when you are bathing an infant as well as yourself) and the shower itself is luxurious.
- Washer, dryer, stove, grill, and dishwasher are all new and work great
- Very convenient to the airport (more of a "plus" than I thought it was going to be because there are only like 5 flights a day so it's not at all noisy)
Cons that are not under the host's control:
- 20 minute drive to downtown Kailua-Kona where most services are located (good coffee, Target, supermarket, farmers markets), though the Matsuyama market up the street is definitely worth checking out and has plenty of basics (and interesting boxed meals).
- The coqui frogs are very loud (though not everyone is bothered by this of course)
Cons that are under the host's control (note that I did NOT mention any of these things to Martina during our stay so they should not be considered an indication of her responsiveness):
- Kitchen was reasonably well equipped by AirBnb standards but was missing a few random things I would have considered basics (like cooking oil and a spatula) and the knives, though available in all shapes and sizes, were completely dull.
- The mattress was a bit hard and the pillows were a bit thin
- Every room has ceiling fans but they are so anemic as to be basically useless. Thankfully it was only warm enough for us to care on one night of our stay and even then only barely.
- We were informed 2 weeks after booking the place (but thankfully 2.5 months before check-in) that we would have to check out at 8 AM on our last day instead of the normal time of 11 AM for termite maintenance. Not a big deal and didn't end up affecting our trip but it would have been ideal to be notified about this immediately after booking in case it required us to change our plans.
- Hot water stops randomly if you aren't using enough of it (e.g. if you are trying to use lukewarm water to wash a baby). I think this is an issue with older tankless water heaters and you can work around it by turning on another hot water faucet at the same time. Still pretty annoying when bathing a baby, though.
- Provided snorkeling equipment was....incomplete (a set of fins, one pair of goggles, and no actual snorkels). These weren't promised in the listing so definitely not docking any stars for it, but other places we stayed included them and it did seem like an effort was made, so I felt it was worth mentioning.
All in all everything on the above list was pretty minor and we would definitely stay here again next time we're in Kona if the place is available.