Teresa A.
January 2025
The view from the upstairs deck is so amazing. We brought binoculars and we could see dolphins across the bay. While we were there the neighborhood was quiet. The kitchen was well stocked. I found the photos of the house misleading due to the house being more worn out than is shown in the photos. The bathroom upstairs is small. The setup downstairs is odd. The downstairs rooms are not connected with the upstairs and so families should be aware that those rooms would not work for small children, unless the adults were in one of the room downstairs. Our adult daughter was nervous to be downstairs at night on her own. You have to take an exterior stair and cross through the garage to get to the downstairs rooms. The bathroom downstairs is the hallway between the two bedrooms. The description in the listing really did not make this clear enough. It was winter and there were huge swells which made access to the water almost impossible. We were able to rent kayaks nearby on one day and went across the bay to snorkel at the Captain Cook monument. The location cannot be beat. The view incredible.
Paul G.
November 2024
This house, perched on Kealakekua Bay in the protected Marine Preserve and State Historic Park, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay on the Bay, where you can slip into the bay out of your back door to go snorkeling, or rent a nearby certified bay kayak, with an amazing array of reef fish, rays, turtles, eel, and even dolphins and whales. It is an older property that has been recently refurbished with new appliances, cabinets, countertops, floors and furniture, and is an amazing place to stay and appreciate the rare private access to Kealakekua Bay. It is in a relatively remote location about 20 minutes south of Kailua-Kona via the Mamalahoa bypass road. Stay here before a billionaire buys it up and makes it a private compound!
Tony S.
October 2024
Fantastic views from whole house and great porch seats looking out over the bay. Great snorkeling access next door. Lots to see and do in the area. Beds comfortable and kitchen reasonably equipped.
Morgan S.
October 2024
The view and access to a great snorkel spot from Manini Beach absolutely cannot be beat!
Denny D.
September 2024
A perfect place for r&r
Joe D.
August 2024
I can’t think of a better experience. The house was well cared for, well kept, and in one of the most special and significant locations in Hawaii. We loved every moment of our family stay. The local property management took great care of us. Highly recommend.
August 2024
Well kept up, clean. Super nice view. Enjoyed snorkeling right out the front door!! Very quiet, had a great stay. Would stay again.
James P.
August 2024
Beautiful oceanfront home, adjacent to a lovely historic local park
susan a.
July 2024
The location is amazing!! We spent a lot of time during our stay on the porch and in the tide pools directly in front of the property. We loved listening to the waves during the night and feeling the sea breeze. Manini beach is a beautiful public beach about a 2 minute walk away.
The property is a traditional older Hawaiian house that we found charming and well kept. The house was very clean and we enjoyed the gift package of local treats awaiting our arrival.
The cons for the property were for us the heat, as the sun baked the house in the evenings after 6 pm in July, shining directly through the windows. The living room and kitchen don’t have any type of blinds or curtains sadly. There are plenty of fans however that were helpful in cooling things down later in the evening.
Of note we booked the property through VRBO but the property is managed through Vacasa. We didn’t get critical checking information and had to go through the Vacasa automated phone tree to get the information. This was inconvenient as we had traveled for 15 hours and arrived in the dark.
The living room furniture is a little worn and dated but the kitchen and bathroom are updated nicely.
Lesley V.
July 2024
Don't really want to post about this house because I'd prefer to keep it a secret....it's even nicer than the photos in the listing and we really appreciated the kitchen update this year! New kitchen counters and appliances. Fantastic.
June 2024
This place is in an unbelievable location and we will be back.
Rebecca O.
May 2024
The view is priceless, we used boogie boards and were supplied plenty of towels. The oven is modern and has an air fryer capability. Kitchen was well stocked with utensils, plates and so forth. Area was nice. Very relaxing and plenty of room. Loved how there is a bathroom downstairs for the two guest rooms.
katherine d.
April 2024
We stayed for three days and really enjoyed the neighborhood, park, and proximity to the ocean. The neighbors were the only downside. There was a massive party on our first night and so we were not able to sleep very well. Party was less than a second night and happily quiet on the third night.
Tracey P.
April 2024
We loved this rental. Location was awesome with amazing snorkeling steps away. The views and sunsets were beautiful. There was lots of room and the kitchen has everything you need.
Susan W.
March 2024
We’ve stayed in this house a couple times and it’s so incredible to be right on the water. Love the neighborhood and watching whales and dolphins from the lanai.
Christopher B.
December 2023
It's right on manini Beach. Wonderful sound of the ocean.
Daniel O.
November 2023
We loved the location of the house. The house has that old Hawaii feel. The newly updated kitchen countertops were a plus!
No issues with the property. Will book again next year.
Byron B.
September 2023
Worth it!
Pull the trigger!
Bruce B.
September 2023
Lovely location, really couldn’t be better. While the photos do give an accurate picture of the dated decor, what they don’t show is that it has not been kept up in the interior. The cabinets are falling apart in places, doors delaminating, and tongue and groove boards have stains. The downstairs bedrooms are accessed via walking through the garage. King bed is downstairs, and you must reach it by walking through the jack and Jill bathroom. We saw kitchen cabinets waiting in the garage, so I hope a rehab is planned for the near future. The cleaning could be better. Again the location and view are amazing, so I hope good things are in store for this property.
Mindie P.
July 2023
This clean, spacious home was the perfect base for our family of four, with two bedrooms on the ground level so that each of our children could have private space while we explored the Kona side of the Big Island. A well-stocked kitchen allowed us to cook our own meals and store leftovers. Best of all: The home sits on the shore of Kealakekua Bay (a marine life conservation district), boasting breathtaking views, ocean wave serenades, and immediate access to swimming and snorkeling (a 1-minute walk from the house). It's about a 30-minute drive to Kailua-Kona, but we enjoyed being away from the crowds. Would 100% return and recommend to others.
Rebecca L.
May 2023
I don’t want to leave
Jamie S.
May 2023
This is an amazing place to be. Such a short walk (less then 1min) to Manini Beach and good snorkeling access to the amazing marine protected Kealakakua Bay. Relax on the porch and head back for more time in the water. Can't wait to visit again.
Harley B.
February 2023
The house itself was amazing! The views were spectacular, the location was incredible, and the amenities were very comfortable. However the beds were not very comfortable to sleep on across the board and we were somewhat disappointed with the mattress quality for the price of the rental.
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