I was very impressed by how well equipped and stylish Ka'Haiya's place was! The apartment itself was very cute and has everything you need for your stay. The kitchen, in particular, was very well stocked and made it quite easy to make meals. The balcony and garden terrace was also very beautiful!
One thing that I was unaware of and that I think is important to note for people travelling in groups is that no visitors are allowed in the unit. I came to Hawaii for a wedding, and because my partner was unable to attend, I decided to travel around the island with my friend and her husband, who were staying in Kona. The day that I was to check in, I was visiting some local sites, and my friend, who was pregnant, wasn't feeling well. Given that the air bnb listing noted that there was a fully equipped futon in the unit, I suggest that my friend and her husband come back to Ka'Haiya's place to rest for a while and offered them the futon if she did not feel up to driving back to Kona that night. We had some difficulty finding the place, so ended up checking in a bit later. Within minutes of arriving and unpacking, I received a message from Ka'Haiya stating that she had noticed two cars in the driveway and that she wanted to check in to see if additional people would be staying so that she could make sure that there was enough bedding if I had forgotten to include an additional guest in my reservation. I wrote back stating that I had been travelling with friends that day and noted that I had offered them the futon. I asked if it was okay for them to stay, assuming that it would be given that Ka'Haiya's initial query was related to ensuring that there was enough bedding for everyone. However, Ka'Haiya then contradicted herself, stating that visitors are not allowed on the property and that she only provides enough bedding for the number of people listed in the original reservation. While unpacking, however, we could see that there was indeed enough bedding and towels to accommodate all three of us, and so I was a bit perplexed by this logic, which I shared with Ka'Haiya. In a subsequent message, she shared that she likes to know how many people will be staying in advance so that she can maintain a "peaceful and mellow vibe" at her residence and noted that she has had negative experiences in the past with guests inviting visitors over. I can understand this, and of course, it's her home, thus her rules. However, Ki'Haiya's initial communication was unclear and misleading, and I felt that the reasons provided were perhaps a bit disingenuine as she also suggested that my friends could pay to stay in the unit next door :/ After having to awkwardly share this exchange with my friends, they offered to drive back to Kona that evening despite the fact that my friend was still unwell. I didn't have much contact with Ki'Haiya after that, although I could most definitely hear her and her partner moving around the property and there was some hammering or banging that took place the following morning around 7:30am.
Overall, my stay was okay. Although I knew that Ka'Haiya and her partner lived on the property, I did not realize how present they would be. I have stayed at air bnbs in the past where the owners lived on the property and have had no issues. Ka'Haiya and her partner seemed friendly, but I was not particularly impressed with how the matter was handled and felt that the communications were both confusing and dishonest. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I likely would not stay again as a result.