We LOVED our stay with Kathleen. A superb location minutes away from excellent snorkeling and good food. It was a very quiet place with a much more authentic Hawaiian surroundings. We were there for a wedding and had friends staying up in Waikoloa and we hopped in the lagoon at the Hilton just to get in the water. After going to Two-Step just down the road from Kathy's place we will NEVER go back to that Hilton lagoon! We had such a surreal experience in the Captain Cook area. Two-Step was superb! We swam with the Spinner Dolphins on our first snorkel outing (it was tough for anything to beat that for the rest of the trip, we counted at least 27 in the pod that day) and saw plenty of fish and even a turtle, all in thriving their natural environment. It was just humbling to witness and be there as a guest.
We loved having the hot tub right on the patio out the front door. At the end of the day we'd clean up and chill in the hot tub (it was October so it was refreshingly cool at night). We didn't make use of the many kitchen amenities and grill. I honestly wanted to eat as much as possible, but on such a short trip we didn't cook for ourselves. I would totally come back for much longer and barbecue then. The pool was also fantastic, although we weren't able to use it due to our short stay.
We went to the Pure Kona Farmers Market and were able to see many locals selling their wares, again a very authentic experience. The shops just North of Kealakekua were also excellent.
All in all we had an excellent time staying at Tropical Hideaway. Kathy shared her many suggestions on where to go and what to do while we visited and it helped improve our stay dramatically.
Stay here! It's AWESOME!