Castle Kona Reef Condominium Resort

First we stocked the fridge with groceries. And then settled in and rested. We hit the beach for half the day and walked about 1/8 mile to downtown Kona. Had a rental car so we drove to the volcano and Hilo.We also took in a Lu'au at the Marriott Hotel. Drove to a nice state park beach {Hapuna} and had a time. On the last day we laid and overed from our sun burns. We took a short Dinner Cruise that wasvery romantic! Had a good time1

We enjoyed our time at Kona Reef, but the traffic noise was a bit much. Also, I believe there was garbage pick at aorund 5:00 in the morning. I do believe the construction crew would start early around 6:00. I do wish that there would be a better cleaning of condos as we had someone come in only once to collect garbage and change linen. there was no other cleaning available and no decent cleaning supplies available. I did not like this as I did not feel that our unit was as clean as it could have been kept. We had much better service in the past.

As geologists and teachers we were looking for a place that would be a great base camp to explore the Big Island for the first time. Castle Kona Reef turned out to be a great choice. We had an upper level condo with a slanted view of the ocean that provided us with several wonderful sunsets, spinner dolphin sightings and the occasional cruise ship mooring off the coast. We chose Kona Reef because the condos provided a full kitchen and patio dining table which we knew would help offset food costs. We bought breakfast and lunch supplies at Safeway and Costco that lasted us nearly the entire week. By eating breakfast in-house everyday and creating a picnic lunch we were able to save over four-hundred dollars in meals. (There are also gas grills for use next to the pool if you feel the urge to BBQ). Our specific condo (C32) was a little dated in terms of decor, but that was the individual owner's taste and the overall layout was nice. The bedroom was in the back of the condo away from the ocean and was very small (barely fitting the king-bed). However, the high window vents in the room opened into the atrium which allowed us to have many pleasant mornings waking up to the sounds of birds and rain showers. We ended up using the living room as a staging area for our suitcases because we chose not to unpack our cases into the closets and dressers. In terms of beach-access, the Kona Reef has awesome tide-pooling areas with a 10'-wide strip of grass that runs between the complex and tide-pools. The old pahoehoe lava flows are teeming with life and there are usually sea turtles eating breakfast there in the mornings. There are no sandy areas to speak of, presumably washed away by the March tsunami. Dinning options were abundant about 600 yards down Ali'i drive. The Kona Reef is a perfect distance for a pre and post-dinner stroll which we took advantage of nearly every night. Lastly, several units of the condo were still under renovations after the March tsunami from the Japan earthquake. There were constant construction noises from 8am to 3pm but it didn't bother us because we were always headed out to explore the Big Island. Besides, noise is a necessity when bouncing back from a large natural disaster.

The location was close to the main attractions of the city. The view was great with the surf right there to be heard any time the door was open.Everything(rm,pool,hottub barbecue& grounds) were clean and well maintained.

The condo was clean and well appointed. The pool and grill area were very nice. Location is excellent- walking distance to downtown Kona.

Best thing is the waterfront location with good surf sounds. Also walking distance to town is a plus. The place is dated though, and the slamming of heavy screen doors was a negative. Also my WiFi connection was poor apparently varies room to room according to staff. There are other hotels in the very immediate area

Great condo unit with full/nice kitchen, flat screen TV in living room, and amazing view from balcony. I realize that units likely differ based on ownership, but our unit was much nicer in person than on generic internet photos (usually you find the opposite!). Nice pool and hot tub area. Gorgeous sunsets every night from the grounds. Just a short walk to the main Kona strip. The only things keeping this from 5 Stars were the check-in and the noise at night. While the staff there were incredibly nice, they botched our check-in big time--leaving us sitting on a couch outside the closed leasing office for 45+ minutes at sunset after we had spent the whole day traveling. The noise was an issue because to avoid using the AC, we kept the windows in our bedroom open, which meant we could hear traffic all night on Alii. If I stayed there again, I would avoid booking in building F for this reason, despite its amazing views from balcony. Of interest, it turns out this is a place that many locals stay when they have events around Kona. We met some very generous Hawaiians around the pool and grilling area during our stay. Highly recommended, and would rate it 4-4.5 Stars with only the issues above keeping it from a 5.

Kona Reef was a perfect place to spent our 46th anniversary. The hotel is well-mainained, and kept very clean. Even the grills in the patio area were cleaned regularly, as well as the pool and the rooms. The weather was perfect - 70's at night and 80's during the day. Downtown Kona is walking distance, and there are beautiful flowers all along the walk. The cruise ships dock within sight of the condo, and there were often surfers that could be seen from our lanai, too. We had an ocean view condo, overlooking the pool and the ocean, and it was very pleasant. Our unit had many extras, including an ice chest to take along on our day trips, and lawn chairs that we could put in the car for sitting on the beach or by Kealakekua Bay. I would definitely recommend Kona Reef.

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.

This was our first time staying at the Kona Reef. We checked in late and easily found our room by using the courtesy phone outside the office. They verified our identity and provided verbal and mapped directions to the unit where the keys were stored in a combination lock box. An extra set of keys was available from the office the next day. The unit was completely furnished with a washer/dryer that was very helpful since we arrived without our luggage. We were able to wash our newly purchased nightclothes and then our street clothes for the next day. We made arrangements for the missing luggage to be sent to the office the next day. The office closed at 5 p.m. but the counter staff told us to contact security to gain access to the office. We opted to return early to get our luggage but later realized that we could have just as easily gotten it from the friendly security staff in the evening. The outside maintenance was excellent. The staff washed the outside grounds during the morning. The poolside, outdoor grills and cabana were cleaned thoroughly by the friendly staff. Access to the oceanfront and the adjacent beach was easy and convenient. We enjoyed and the ocean view from the balcony. There was ample free parking just outside our unit and in the covered garage. The unit was very conveniently located - close to the Kona farmers market and the Alii market - but far away from the crowded strip on Alii drive to allow for peace and quiet in the evening. As mentioned above, the unit was fully furnished with just about everything you would need including a stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, blender, two televisions, sound system, table games, books, pool and swimming gear. We used the dishwasher to clean the (older) dishes, glassware, knives and the (newer) cutlery before use. As the units are individually owned, some units may be better furnished and updated than others. What we had was adequate for our needs since we opted to take day trips around the Big Island during our stay. The unit could have been dusted better. There was some dust in the corners of the bathroom and flecks on the bedspread. Everything else was clean. We were pleasantly surprised by the location and convenience of the place and the friendliness of the staff. We would definitely stay here again and would alternate day trips with lounging time in the complex in the future.