Excellent Condo - Excellent Landlord

Guest: George (Syracuse,NY)
Date of Stay: 11/16/11 Review Submitted: 12/29/11

My wife and I enjoyed a month in the condo spanning November and December. It was well stocked with just about anything we needed. The grill on the lanai was all set to use and the kitchen was supplied with all we needed to cook and dine. Watching sunsets from the lanai was a great opportunity for picture taking. The location is great, near the village, near the Alii bypass to go south and near the highway to go north. A local landlord is very conforting. If anything goes wrong he's there to help. We would return anytime!

Recommended for:Age 55+, sightseeing.

Great condo, excellent value!

Guest: blamere (Newport Oregon)
Date of Stay: 10/04/11 Review Submitted: 11/21/11

My family stayed in Larry's condo for 2 weeks in October. We had a great time. The condo is well appointed and very clean. Our family particularly enjoyed the lanai with the great view of the golf course, and distant view of the ocean. The pool was nice, and we had it to ourselves most of the time. No issues with the condo being too warm, as another reviewer claimed. Nice breeze every evening that cooled the condo down nicely. If we return to Kona, we will definitely stay in this unit again.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

Great place to stay!

Guest: Bob & Janis (Colville, WA.)
Date of Stay: 12/14/10 Review Submitted: 02/20/11

My husband and I stayed in this wonderful condo for 2 months. Larry is a very gracious host and did everything he could to make sure our stay was comfortable. We have been coming to the island for about 12 years now and Punahele is a great condo complex with friendly helpful people. We had our kids come to visit and the condo is very roomy and comfortable to accommodate 6 people. We would recommend this condo for anyone, especially families that need a little extra space. We found the condo to be very comfortable without air-conditioning, so there is no need to worry about that!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

Highly recommend this place!

Guest: Charlie (Bend, OR, USA)
Date of Stay: 10/16/10 Review Submitted: 12/20/10

We have been coming to the Big Island for around 15 years and this was our fifth stay at the Keauhou Punahele complex and our second in Larry's condo. We have been here with friends and family and everyone loves it! The condo location is very quiet but is within walking distance to Keauhou Bay (watch Mantas at night) and the Keauhou Shopping Village (groceries, theaters, restaurants and Saturday farmer’s market). Since there are so many fantastic beaches, hikes and activities on the Big Island, I recommend renting a car. If you choose not to, it’s easy to catch the free Alii Drive shuttle. We were at the condo on some very hot days this year - even the locals were complaining. In the heat of the day, when the condo was warmer, we were out and about. To keep the condo cool, we used the blinds to keep direct sun out of the condo, and the fans to circulate cool air at night. We love the weather in Kona, but if you are extremely sensitive to heat, there are areas on the Big Island that are much cooler, and of course you can find condos with air conditioning. Please note- my 90 year old grandmother was fine and preferred this condo to my parents’ air conditioned time-share... With two bedrooms and the loft space, the condo has plenty of room for large parties. Larry stocks the condo with everything you could possibly need (except for food and clothing). The entire condo overlooks a golf course and faces the ocean with the lanai running the length of the west/ocean side. The pool area is lovely and we often had it to ourselves. If you like to wake to the sound of song birds, drink Kona coffee while eating fresh mangoes on the lanai, cook in a well-equipped kitchen, and kick back with a mai tai while barbecuing fresh fish and watching the sunset from the lanai, then this place is for you! We will be back this summer and will continue to recommend this condo to our friends. Mahalo Larry!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

The photos didn't do justice!

Guest: Beverly (San Diego, California)
Date of Stay: 12/23/09 Review Submitted: 12/03/10

The condo is furnished perfect for a vacation. Beautiful, yet comfortable. I like the floor plan because the bedrooms downstairs are completely separate and private. The kitchen accommodated us for the Holiday season and it was wonderful for entertaining. The views are great and we liked walking to the Sheraton Hotel in the evening to view the manta rays. Parking is good because I don't like to lug groceries far like some of the complexes I have stayed in. Spa is nice and so is the pool and covered gathering area. You can BBQ on the lanai-this condo has a good gas BBQ. I would defiantly stay here again!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

exceptional!

Guest: krista (oregon)
Date of Stay: 09/17/10 Review Submitted: 09/28/10

This was our first trip to the big island and it was wonderful. This condo was fantastic, great location, great pool/spa, very good air circulation, and clean. The room has no a/c but it didn't matter, there are plenty of fans and windows and doors for the air to pass through. I loved the locwtion of the condo as well. I cant say enough good things about this island and condo and i highly reccomend it to anyone wanting to have a relaxing, enjoyable trip.

Recommended for:Pet owners, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

We cut our stay short...

Guest: btsk (Pennsylvania)
Date of Stay: 06/20/10 Review Submitted: 07/12/10

We checked in on 6/20 for an 8 night stay that was cut short to 1 night. This condo is very big and beautiful, but does not have air conditioning. The room was very hot and humid (it was in excess of 80 degrees in the condo on top of being humid, and we were sweating no matter what we did, even with all of the ceiling fans on high and a box fan blowing right on us), and we found it very difficult to sleep. The room was so warm and humid that my mom (who has asthma) almost had an attack during the first night. No one could stand to be in the loft, so it went unused and one of us had to sleep on the floor in the living room. When we reserved the condo, the room description on this website did not state that the room did not have air conditioning (it was changed after we complained). After the first night, we decided to move to an air conditioned hotel so we could enjoy the rest of our stay on the Big Island. The description on this site states that the room is a "pleasant temperature without air conditioning." I disagree. This may be true in the winter, but it was not comfortable to us when we visited in June. We woke up drenched is sweat, which isn't pleasant at all. Larry's (the owners) claim to us that a mountain breeze cools the room overnight was an exaggeration: the room was semi-comfortable from about 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM, then hot and humid from there on. Desipite the condo being roomy and nicely decorated, we were not comfortable there at all. It's miserable to be sweating all the time and have nowhere to escape the warmth and humidity of the tropics, especially in the evenings. Also, I'd like to note that Larry and his wife were not helpful when we asked for a partial refund since the room was not comfortable, as stated. We only got some of the money back after catching them in a lie. Bottom line- If you are used to sleeping/being in air conditioning or have any condition aggravated by heat and humidity- I recommend you look elsewhere. The condo is beautiful but it was not comfortable for us, and the owners are not very willing to satifactorily handle customer complaints.

Owner response:As owners of this 3/3 Ocean/golf course view condo, we feel this review is inaccurate. Please look at the other reviews which have a completely opposite opinion. Specifically, we want to address the following: 1. The temperature is comfortable. We lived in this condo for 2 1/2 years and found the temperature pleasant. We have used our condo as a vacation rental for 4 years and no one has complained about the temperature or problems sleeping. Guests have commented on how nicely the breezes keep the condo comfortable. 2. Our listing does not mention air conditioning as an amenity. These guest just assumed that it had a/c and were disappointed upon arriving that there was none. 3. Our refund policy clearly states that no refunds will be given less that 90 days prior to occupancy. Yet we refunded over half their money. Perhaps being considered "cooperative" requires a full refund. 4. We bend over backwards to make our guests comfortable. Our condo is always kept in excellent condition and nicely furnished. We supply all paper products, bags, and soaps including laundry. All our guest need to do is purchase food. We provide lists for restaurants and shopping centers and when meeting arriving guests, we go over beach, sightseeing and other activites. And we check in with our guests to be sure they are comfortable and there are no problems with our condo. PLEASE look at the other reviews..they are more accurate.

Recommended for:

Gracious, helpful owner/host

Guest: cherryman (Stockton, Ca/central valley/USA)
Date of Stay: 01/04/10 Review Submitted: 01/26/10

We have stayed in this complex 5 times now and what a great experience to rent this time directly from the owner. Larry met us at the condo and gave us a tour, pointing out many helpful details. So nice not to have to search around for what we needed. Very well supplied, from all the paper products, cleaning supplies, including washing products. When the BBQ gave us trouble, he proptly offered to buy a new one. As we enjoy cooking and usually eat in, this was greatly appreciated. Relaxing on the large lanai, watching the sunset is always a special time of the day for us. We again enjoyed a day tour of the volcanos, Hilo, and Akaka falls, as we had newcomers visit while we were there. Took a drive to Hawi to browse the shops and have ice cream. We would certainly recommend this condo to our friends and hope to return ourselves. Jerry and Chris/California

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

Keauhou Punahele 3 bdrm/3bath

Guest: Hollis and Kate
Date of Stay: 08/18/09 Review Submitted: 01/14/10

The facilities were wonderful. It is the best place we have stayed and we have stayed at numerous places. Kate and I want to thank you again for the fresh mangos and warm greeting, you made us feel at home from the very beginning. You will definitely see us again. We will be referring you to all our friends. Thank you for everything, Hollis and Kate

Recommended for: