Spectacular Views, and Great Place!

Guest: Hawaiian Love (Denver, Colorado)
Date of Stay: 12/18/08 Review Submitted: 01/08/09

We have stayed on all the islands, and this one was the most beautiful, best location, with everything and more that a guest could ask for. Attention to detail, owners are very helpful and friendly. This unit is updated, furnished beautifully, quiet location yet close to everything, we can't say more. We had the time of our life and plan to be back to see the turtles, sunsets and relax again, in this "home away from home". It's a very special place.

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

Very nice rental unit

Guest: al and jeanne (North Dakota)
Date of Stay: 01/23/12 Review Submitted: 02/05/12

My wife and I just returned home from a 12 day stay in Gayle's condo on the Big Island. Everything was great. This is the best equipped rental we have stayed in. Kitchen is fully furnished with everything you need to cook meals. The views from the lanai are second to none. We saw turtles on the rocks or beach right in front of the condo every day of our stay. This was our first trip to the big island, but not our last. There is so much to see and do, but it is at a relaxed pace. Not like the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and Waikiki. Wednesday is cruise ship day in Kona, very busy in town that day, otherwise not bad at all. The black sand at Punuluu is a sight to behold. Lots of turtles here also. The "Ride the Rim" ATV tour of Waipio Valley is fun and the view is breathtaking. You will put some miles on your rental car on this island, but driving is at a relaxed pace most of the time.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+.

paradise in Kona

Guest: Kevin (Bakersfield,CA )
Date of Stay: 11/18/11 Review Submitted: 11/28/11

The condo was exactly how it's described in the listing. The property was very clean and well-maintained. Check-in and out procedure were well explained. I will definitely recommend to friends and family. Being able to hear the sound of surf and the ocean view from the balcony were the best part of the stay.

Recommended for:Families with young children.

From Chicago to Kona

Guest: Char (Aurora, IL)
Date of Stay: 05/14/11 Review Submitted: 06/13/11

This was our 21st time to Kona and the first time to stay in Gayle's condo and at Kona Bali Kai. I chose it because the bedroom was on the ocean and most importantly, because it had an elevator, and luggage cart, which came in handy not only for luggage, but also for groceries. We are in our 60's and appreciated those amenities. Gayle's condo was lovely. The bedroom, living room, and of course lanai were about 40 feet from the ocean. The condo is clean and well appointed with touches that indicate care for one's guests. The free wireless was great. We also "ate in" all meals but 2, as I'm on a strict food program. The kitchen was set up with everything we needed to do meals "in." We shop the farmer's markets for local and organic produce. The one at Keahou Beach Hotel has a very local feel and was great. I understand that the farmer's markets south of downtown are some of the best for true local and organic. There are also two wonderful healthy food stores, Island Naturals by the Ace Hardware and Kona Natural Foods by the Safeway. I also did 8 yoga classes at Big Island Yoga in Kealakekua. Take the by-pass road and it's 15 minutes away. I found a fabulous masseuse; Gayle has her information. All in all very relaxing and beautiful, with us being able to watch the sunsets each night. Another good place for sunsets is the old airport beach. We also love the beach at the City of Refuge and enjoy driving over to Waimea; take the low road one way and the high road the other. Holualoa is a must visit for local art. Take Lako Street up the mountain until it dead ends at Hualalai Road, turn right, and at the next stop sign, turn left; it's about 15 minutes from the condo. Gayle provided excellent customer service and was easily accessible by email. I would recommend this property to a friend. Char from Illinois

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

Sunsets

Guest: Tartufe (United States)
Date of Stay: 04/12/11 Review Submitted: 05/02/11

Perfect location south of Kona. Magnificent sunsets from the lannai (we even captured the legendary green flash on film!), great place to see Sea Turtles and (to us) exotic birds. Condo kitchen is well equipped with dishes utensiles and basic spices, oils, etc. The owners are very helpful. We would go back, and can recommend it to others.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

lanai sunsets

Guest: retiredfun (toronto, ontario, canada)
Date of Stay: 01/20/11 Review Submitted: 01/26/11

beautiful place, everything that one could need

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+.

Another Great Stay!

Guest: Anne (Kirkland, WA)
Date of Stay: 10/02/10 Review Submitted: 12/13/10

Returned again to stay at this condo and I could not have been happier! Felt like home as soon as I walked in! Spent 10 nights here and with the closet space and the dresser was able to unpack so was able to truly feel at home and not like I was living out of a suitcase! Great that there are already beach towels and a cooler there so made it easy to pack up the car and hit the beach for the day. While there are a number of great restaurants in Kona, it was sure nice to have a full kitchen available in the condo as we did a lot of cooking and ate our meals on the lanai. Dont think we could have gotten a better seat for ocean front dining than the table on the lanai!! It is hard to believe the view from the lanai is even more beautiful than it looks in the pictures on the website! Would definitely recommend this condo to anyone looking for a place in Kona.

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

The best Condo ever!

Guest: Sachi (Tokyo, JAPAN)
Date of Stay: 04/29/10 Review Submitted: 05/11/10

We had such a priceless time during our stay in this Condo (Kailua Kona). This condo is just to direct oceanfront, luxurious, romantic and totally private area as if we were on the beach or luxury liner. Also, one of my friends got to work but free WiFi made her so happy and easy to contact people she needed. If you have a rent-car, super-market and drug store are very close for your own cooking. Cooking equipments are all set up and they are all clean and usefull, so that we cooked almost everyday during our stay. I totally recommend this Condo to my friends! Thank you. With best wish, Sachi, Naoko, Masae

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

Guest: matt (-)
Date of Stay: 03/01/10 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

Oh my gosh this condo is beautiful. My hubby and I have stayed at the Hilton and the 4 Seasons - they can not hold a candle to Gayle's Condo.. We have stayed there I think 5 times maybe more and it is the only place we will stay. It's like coming home everytime we stay there we bring our clothes and a little food and everything else is there. I mean EVERYTHING-boogie boards snorkle masks beach towels-condiments, spices, it's like coming home. > The whole front of the condo is sliding doors and windows so you can see the ocean from any room. I used to be the person who when she went on vacation would not cook, take me out; but now I want to stay here and bbq. There are nice bbq's with picinic tables right beside the tide pools you can watch the turtles come in at night. They are so funny they surf the waves in then swim back out and do it over again. During the day it's not unusual to see them sunning on the beach. We usually go in March because we love to sit on the lanai and watch the whales go by. I spend every minute that I'm not on the beach on the lanai - there is a nice fan to cool you down and beautiful glass topped table and chairs it's great for a romantic sunset dinner. > The unit is spotless and beautifully decorated. You can tell the owners really care about it and take excellent care of it. Even our rental car has a beautiful parking spot facing out on the ocean. (that was input from hubby). Also there is an elevator which is great since my husband has a bad leg and back. > The pictures are great but it's so much more in person the colors and the smells of the ocean and flowers, I love to lay in bed at night and listen to the ocean and in the morning the birds sing you awake as the sun rises. Oh and when the sun hits waves just right - about 7-8am you can actually see the fish swimming in the wave the water is so clear. > > I'm counting the days untill I get to go back next March. I would highly recommend this condo to anyone looking for a relaxing-carefree totally furnished just move in vacation rental."

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Guest: Dow and Family (-)
Date of Stay: 07/08/09 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

Hello Gayle, We have finally recovered from our travels and I wanted to shoot you a huge "Thank You!" for the wonderful accommodations and provisions you provided during our Kona stay. Your condo was absolutely gorgeous and the location was prime for exploring the island. We loved looking for the current resident turtles in the cove area every day; there was only one day that we did not see them, but we did see dolphins swimming by in the distance that day, so we basically did not go a day without some sort of wildlife "show". We also enjoyed 4 days of snorkeling - how amazing that was! We took the Body Glove morning snorkel cruise (which we also would like to recommend), rented Kayaks from Ihu and Kai (another recommendation) and kayaked to Captain Cook monument to snorkel, during which time we enjoyed a visit by a pod of dolphins in the bay. The island is so rich in history both geologically and culturally, and it was so enjoyable to have a fun, educational vacation with the family. We were amazed at every turn, every sunset (though we never saw the "green flash"...so we'll be back!),every encounter both with nature and the people of Hawaii. We are so looking forward to another visit, hopefully in the near future. I think the most enjoyable part for us was the comfort factor - we've been to Jamaica and several places in Mexico, and while those places are certainly beautiful and fun, it can be somewhat uncomfortable being in another country - we liked the fact that we could visit a tropical island and still have all the amenities of America. Again, thank you for sharing your paradise with us!

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