Wow! I couldn't have imagined a better place for our family. Cliff's unit was perfect for my wife and me, and 3 yr old son. It was so spacious with an incredibly comfortable bed.
A beautiful pool, hot tub and a sand bottom kids pool is only about a 30 second walk from the unit. The beach is only about a minute further, and in my opinion, was one the best beaches we visited. It was such a treat to have a walkable beach at A-Bay. The snorkeling at A-Bay wasn't the best (many other better spots on the island), but the Bay is picturesque and the sunsets can't be beat.
In the unit, appliances were all top notch. We loved the lanai with a Viking Grill, which we used to grill some fish and make our own fish tacos. The unit had just about everything we could have wanted...for families with young kids, he had a high chair, pack n play, stroller and all sorts of beach and pool toys. For us, he had two snorkel sets and boogie boards, and a small cooler we used at the beach. The kitchen was stocked with all the pots and pans one could need. He even provided olive oil, a fresh stick of butter, and had a lot of cooking seasonings on hand, which was really nice to have when cooking. Food in Hawaii is incredibly expensive so we made a stop at Costco on our way from the airport and stocked up for the week, which ended up being much more cost efficient than the local grocery store or eating out all the time. One other nice touch was all the plastic food containers to keep left overs fresh.
As a host, Cliff could not have been more accommodating. He responded immediately to all questions leading up to our trip and was very helpful with suggestions on things to do and restaurants to eat at. He made our stay feel like a 5 star hotel with concierge level service.
About the area...the unit is in the Kolea condo community in the Waiakoloa Resort community, about 30 minutes north from Kona airport. It is a gated condo community with a private beach club which includes a beautiful infinity pool, and fresh pool towels and coffee in the morning (although coffee was pretty average....go get Kona coffee instead). The resort is beautifully landscaped and so peaceful for a great relaxing vacation. We are the type that likes to explore, but it was tempting to stay on the property because of the great pool and beautiful beach so close by. You have to be careful when renting a condo as many of them are very removed from the beach and you must get in your car or walk a long way. My only true complaint was the food in the area was pretty mediocre and expensive. Restaurants nearby were either over priced resort restaurants, or chain restaurants (Macaroni Grill, Subway, Dairy Queen). Not a single place to get Shave Ice anywhere close. We learned that stocking up at Costco was a great move, and if in search for better food you generally had to be in other parts of the island. Lava Lava was the one exception. It is a popular beach side restaurant that we could walk to along the beach. They had a well price happy hour from 3-5 everyday.
Overall, our trip was fantastic, much to the credit of Cliff's beautiful well stocked and spacious unit with such close proximity to the beach. We definitely hope to be back!