Castle Kona Reef Condominium Resort

This hotel is located about 15 minutes drive from the Kona international airport (KOA). I chose it mainly for the location - close to the airport, ocean view and beaches. However, I spent my time in Kona checking out the volcanoes. This hotel is minimum 2 hours drive to all the volcanic national parks. Not recommended if you plan to spend a whole lot of time in Hilo or the volacno national parks.

We were there for three days for vacation. The location of the property is generally nice, and is by the oceanfront. The Kailua downtown is nearby and has much to offer. WWe had rented a one-bedroom unit. However, the condo unit assigned to us the first night was very bad ... it stank as if with mold, the floor was dirty, the furniture was old and broken. The office had closed at 5 pm, so there was no one to serve/help us when we arrived at the property at 5:15 pm. The key was in a lockbox and we had to sleep in a stinking condo. The next morning we asked for a change in unit. They gave a better unit by middle of the day, but did not in any way even attempt to make up for our wasted time and inconvenience of the previous night. There was no help available to move our baggage from one unit to the other; there is very limited service overall. The A/C unit did not work in the second unit. There are better properties in the neighborhood at better prices, so I would recommend to a visitor to look around for options. thanks for reading.

The location was excellent. The Castle Kona Reef is on the ocean and near enough to walk into Kona. Unfortunately, the unit and staff did not live up to the setting. The unit was fairly newly painted, but the very large brown stain on the ceiling over the sink was unattractive. The rugs were not clean, and there was mould growing in the shower. The airconditioner was on, but made no appreciable difference in the room temperature. The ceiling fans worked well, but the unit became stuffy at night when the lanai door was closed. The bathroom was so small the toilet paper roll extended ovet the toilet seat. Boith of the receptions were indiffernt and uninterested in helping. I would not stay at Castle Kona Reef again. In fact the property was so poor, I would not stay at a Castle propery in the future.

We were looking specifically for a condo rather than a hotel for our trip to Hawaii and decided stay here. These are all privately owned condos, and the one we were in needed some updating (although staff claimed at checkout that the owner would be updating it soon). It had tile throughout, which was kind of strange. The living room was a little bare with just a futon, coffee table and small table with chairs. There is a wall AC unit in the living room but no ceiling fan. The living room leads out to the oceanfront lanai which seemed dirty - I mean I know it's outside but it was just dirtier than other places we had stayed - maybe because it was only about a half story up off the ground. We had to brush dirt off the bottom of our feet any time we went out there. But it had a nice view overlooking the rocky shoreline, where people were regularly surfing. So there is not a beach at this resort, but there is one immediately to the south of the resort that you can walk to. The bedroom had a ceiling fan, but no AC. Bathroom was old and was showing some rust and mildew. Kitchen was average. On the positives, the staff was friendly, and it is only a short 5-minute walk from the restaurants and shops of Kona. It also has a nice pool. Overall, it worked out for us since we spent most of our days out exploring, and mostly just ate breakfast and slept there. So if that's what you're looking for, it will work. If you're looking for a more luxurious place to stay, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

The Castle Kona Reef Condo's are a mid-range value for your money. Price is mid-range for some of the other hotels in the area. I have stayed at the Kona Reef condo's 3 times now and would do so again. Rooms are old but clean. Because of the closeness of the ocean a lot of the metal in the unit shows signs of rust and corrosion. Ocean view rooms have an excellent ocean view. Condo's are walking distance to the shopping area of Kona. Pool and BBQ area are very nice

the owners of these time shares do not like childern that behave as childern. they are to be seen and not heard. whats the point of bringing kids if they must act as adults!?

This is a condo complex, and so your experience may be different from ours, as the units are individually owned and decorated. Ours (B27) was outdated in decor and somewhat dingey, but had a great view and some nice conveniences. The location is very convenient to walking "downtown", and there is covered free parking. The adjacent beach is not acceptable for swimming for kids, but is nice to look at and explore. The condo's lanai has a great view, facing eastward, of this beach. The pool is small but well-kept, and the adjacent grilling area is covered and nice, with tables. All in all a good deal for the modest price, but it ain't the Ritz. Be sure you want a condo, with a kitchenette, and not a hotel with all the amenities. Ours was a one bedroom with a sleeper couch. There is also a significant difference between this part of Kona and the Kohala coast. This part of the island has a much better 'night life' and restaurant scene, and night life. The Kohala coast is isolated, but the hotels are very luxurient.

The location of our unit was perfect for us; we could watch birds in the palm trees and the grass in the park next to us AND see and hear the ocean. The location of the resort was within walking distance to town, which was great.

We've stayed here 2 times & would return. Great location, an easy walk to downtown Kona (5 min), fabulous views, and pool is actually ocean front. BBQ and other amentities in pool area a plus. Even the garden view units have a partial ocean view. But. . .the units are all individually owned, which means, their quality and condition varies greatly (also what they come with, cooler, boogie board, basic pantry needs, etc.). They are clean but very basic and some units could really use some new carpet/showers, etc.

Overall the experience was good. The people in Hawaii are the mellowest and nicest that you will ever meet. Even the vagrants were cool. The hotel was not very updated. It was very blah. But, the room and accomodations were adquate.