Castle Kanaloa at Kona — Hotel in Hawaii

Worst place ever! I called well ahead of time to plan my wedding. I did all the research on different places to stay. A came upon different reviews on this place that did not seem so bad. Most if the reviews were having to pay for AC. I called and questioned about the reviews they assured me that all units have air conditioning in will be all included in the price. I did call a few times to assure that everything was paid in full and did not want to have any surprises. They assured me everything was set and paid for. Upon arrival we were greeted by high pressured sales lady and to the surprise of us having to pay for AC. I explained that I called to assure everything was paid for in full. The receptionist was rude and stated that AC I to be paid per day upon arrival. We then asked to speak to the mgr and stated the mgr was not available. So we were forced to pay for the day of AC. This was such a wonderful welcome to our first day in Hawaii and first time ever to Hawaii. Upon entering our room we were greeted by bugs in the condo and worn torn furniture. The next day when speaking with the mgr he was no help, argemative, and stated he had to do research on the person I spoke with. So not only did i have to deal with the finishes of my wedding, but also being called a liar! My whole bridal party stayed there as well because of us and stated they had the same issues. My in-laws did not even have the option to pay for AC they did not have one in their unit. They were not told of the issue, and had to stay at a better place. We would have left if we did not have a big group staying with us. After hearing the run around with the mgr the whole time we were there, and spending a lot of money we still had to pay for AC. If you want to enjoy your time in Hawaii STAY AWAY...

This place was absolutely perfect for our family. There was plenty of places to sleep for my family with the extra loft. There was a queen been plus 2 extra pullout single beds up there that are perfect for our teens. The view was spectacular with it overlooking the private Heeia beach. We didn't get a view of the sunset in #3704 but it kept our lanai much cooler during the afternoon sun. This helped since we didn't use the AC and didn't really need it in March when we visited which worked out perfectly because we loved having the lanai doors open with the screen doors closed to enjoy the ocean sounds and feeling the cool breeze in the mornings and evenings. This place is so spacious and had plenty of room to sit, eat, cook, and sleep. The rooms are very spacious and each room has fans to keep you cool at night. I imagine that the summertime we might need the AC but in the spring it wasn't needed. The pools were perfect to use and usually were rather empty so my kids enjoyed having the pool to themselves. We spent alot of time at local beaches but it was nice to come home and relax in the evening with a pool swim or on days that we needed a rest from going out and about. The tennis/pickle ball court was perfect for my boys, they borrowed a pickleball set from the front office and loved playing on the court in the evenings. Our place also came equipped with beach chairs, pool toys, snorkels, beach mat, and even 2 boogey boards. This place was very well stocked, the kitchen had everything we needed. I would definitely recommend this place to my family and friends and we will absolutely stay at this place again in the future. FYI: it does have 16 steps to get up to the apartment (for those who may have a hard time doing stairs) but the parking was right in front...

We chose this resort because for value for money it seemed like a great option. However upon arrival we were presented with almost double the cost of the room in extra fees. We booked through a third party site and felt we had reviewed for resort fee and tax costs in advance and thought they were paid for. However, when we arrived we were given a cleaning fee that was more than listed in 2 of the third party sites listings, more taxes, and a “destination fee” (apparently different to a resort fee but no real explanation was given as to what it was) and also a charge for AC. While we opted out of AC (warm but manageable to survive without AC, if we had been staying longer we might have paid), the other fees were not optional. We presented our case to the front desk staff and a manager and they were helpful in resolving. From reading reviews, people who knew about the extra fees rate this place highly but people who did not know rate it poorly. The staff were helpful. The grounds and pools were clean. It was lovely and quiet. But the initial cost experience obviously made us highly critical. It was dealt with but I do think the resort should make an effort to update their third party sites with correct information. There were some cleanliness issues too, nothing major, but again we were extra critical due to the excessive cleaning cost. The rooms also had slightly dated bedding but were overall good. I would still go back but knowing the cost is not what it seems. The check out process was great and staff were nice and the place was...