The condo has a great location, within a couple of minutes’ walk to probably the best snorkeling beach for relative beginners. The condo has a well-equipped kitchen, good internet and TV, good bathrooms and comfortable beds. The view toward the water and beach is also great; the photo in the listing is for real. The bedrooms (small but OK) are in the back, so street noise wasn’t an issue while we were sleeping. The owners were helpful and responsive, as was the on-site manager.
There’s a grocery store a short drive away. Grocery store prices were 50%-100% higher than on the mainland. Curiously, prices at Walmart appeared to be about the same as mainland prices. We didn’t get to Costco, except for gas – much cheaper than at gas stations.
One (solved) problem: The Airbnb listing said the condo is air conditioned (the owners may have changed the listing after we contacted them; we haven’t checked). The situation is more complicated than that. There’s no air conditioning at all in the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. Portable A-C units (we call them R2D2 units) are available for the bedrooms. The manager set them up, and said there would be an additional charge of $10 per day for each unit. When we contacted the owners, they said we wouldn’t be charged.
The R2D2 units kept the bedrooms comfortable. We typically ran them from about 3 p.m. until we went to bed. When we were there, the daytime highs were 84-87 degrees, and the living room reached about 87 degrees in the late afternoon (yes, we travel with a digital room thermometer). There are several fans, so the living room never felt oppressively hot to us. You might check the expected temperatures when you’re going, just so you’re aware.
One day, there was a storm somewhere out at sea and the beaches were closed. We took a room for the day at the Hilton Waikoloa (less than the cost for overnight), so our grandson could snorkel in their lagoon and use their water slides (and we got to have a $28 pizza at their restaurant!). Our daughter talked to some other mothers, who said they felt trapped in the hotel with overpriced and limited menus. They said a condo like we had was definitely what they would do next time – and so would we!