Kona Coast Vacations — Local services in Hawaii

We could not be more happy with the decision to book Mauna Lani Fairways 1101 for our stay from November 11 - 26, 2018.

The property was as advertised and even more. The townhouse styled unit is very spacious with more than enough room to house up to 5 guests. We only used it for the 2 or us. The property was exceptionally clean and maintained in great order for our stay.

We arrived late in the evening and the property pre check service had left lights on for our arrival making check-in very easy (as everyone that has stayed in the area before, it can be very dark in the evening).

All the communication throughout the booking, stay, and departure process was handled extremely professionally by the staff of Kona Coast Vacations.

Booking with a professional management company gave us the confidence that we made the right choice. We support #BookDirect with professional managers like Kona Coast Vacations because they provide all the important services to ensure our stay is the best and saving us having to pay out unnecessary booking fees to HomeAway/VRBO or Airbnb. We highly recommend them and save yourself money and seek them out directly before booking with the online travel booking platforms.

The property development came with an amazing outdoor pool and lava rock spa pool that was resort styled in size and scope with less the crowds.

However, the best is for last. The property renters all get access to the exclusive Mauna Lani Beach Club with private parking, restaurant, and one of the best beaches on the Kohala Coast. The beach may not be large, but it might be the best places to snorkel in the region. Experience all the marine wildlife to your hearts content in relatively calm waters. Snorkel Bobs at the The Shops at Mauna Lani just a couple minutes away can set you up with snorkel gear. Say hello (from a distance) to the many Honu sea turtles. (little hint, get down to the beach club early such as 8:30 AM to get a cabana and snorkel early before larger crowds show up.)

There are many beaches in the region that you should experience as well from Hapuna Beach to Beach 69 or the not so well known Beach 49 black sand beach to name a few.

The Fairmont Orchid is literally a 10 minute walk from the property where you can access some great food and entertainment. The Mauna Lani Resort is currently closed until the end of 2019 going through a major renovation and re-build, however, when it re-opens it will provide more restaurants and experiences to the resort area.

Waikaloa Resort is just to the south with great shopping, theaters, restaurants etc in the Queen and King Shops. You will also find great stores and restaurants at The Shops at Mauna Lani just down the street such as Tommy Bahamas store and restaurant and Food Land Grocery Store.

Some other great places to check out is Waimea (cattle town 2500 feet above) and its great shops and must experience breakfast at Hawaiian Style Cafe (order the pancakes, we dare you). Also take the self tour of the Parker Ranch houses with its deep cattle ranching history and more.

Hawi and Kaapau (considered the birthplace for King Kamehameha I) are wonderful historic towns at the north end of the Big Island along the Kohala Coast (make stops at Keokea Park and the amazing views and hike into the Pololu Valley which is at the end of the road). Love mac nuts? Go to Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co in Kawaihae and take a tour and get amazing various flavoured macadamia nuts (wasabi flavour was off the charts) and other baked goodies, tropical dreams ice cream (made in Waimea), and local produced coffee.

Take the Mamalahoa Highway from Waimea to Hilo (side excursion to Waipi'o Valley) and see Akaka Falls, many little historic sugar plantation towns, as well as some of the best large waves to watch at Laupāhoehoe Beach Park.

We could add the many other places from exploring Kona, volcanoes, coffee tours, star gazing on Mauna Kea. It would take a life time to see all that there is to see on the Big Island. However, if you do, book Mauna Lani Fairways 1101 with Kona...

Kona Coast Vacations has been my property management company since day one, and there is no question that choosing them was the single most important and best decision I made after closing on the house. I was an utter rookie, without any experience as a vacation-rental owner, and thus was constantly bombarding the KCV office with question after question, problem after problem, issue after issue- some sensible and important, many completely inane and trivial. Regardless of what particular difficulty I threw at them, the staff at the office was, without exception, unfailingly kind, patient, helpful, and- always- extremely competent. Their willingness to consistently go the extra mile for me was a real revelation. The house in question needed substantial capital improvements (made by many different local contractors), which had to be completed in a finite, inflexible time-frame, and I was 5,000 miles away; so my need for a knowledgable, efficient property management team was truly pressing. KCV came through for me then, and continues to do so to this day. (The house has received nothing but five-star reviews thus far, which of course is due in no small part to the thorough, efficient way the property is managed.) Being a New York City resident for most of my life gave me a pretty close-up view of capitalism in general (both good and bad, honest and dishonest), and of the service industry in particular. I've seen it with my own two eyes, so many times: the success of this kind of company is completely dependent on the quality of the people who run it and work for it. This is where KCV really shines. Every single person- without exception- I've dealt with at KCV over the last nine months has been awesome. They have treated me with respect and kindness, and have made it plain, through their actions and words, that they "get it": they understand that the house I have entrusted them with the care of is not only a source of profit, not only the most important investment of my life, but is, most of all, a second home that my family, friends and I have come to love. From the ownership, to the office staff (especially Makenzie, Amy, Becky, Gabby, and Asi), to the maintenance team, to the cleaning crew, there is one common theme at KCV: they make you feel like you're the only homeowner on the roster, even though you're actually one of more than 200. That's not an easy trick to pull off, but they've done it for me, many times over, since the first day I became their client. It's a good feeling to know I chose the property management company which, somehow, has nothing but all-stars in...

We had a wonderful stay at Mauna Lani’s Palm Villas I23 in early January 2023. The property’s location was perfect, and Kona Coast Vacations was incredibly responsive and helpful. The villa itself had plenty of room for our family of four (including two teenagers), and we absolutely loved the patio off the living room... really private and wonderfully peaceful. The villa is clearly loved by its owners and is very well taken care of. We must have gone to the pool... even if only for an hour or so... everyday; it’s absolutely gorgeous with incredible landscaping... very Instagrammable. Even though we were there during high season, the pool was never busy. The beach club was a fantastic perk, and while it did get super busy during the day, we had one day at the very end of our holiday... just after the high season rush... when it was almost empty (I’m guessing that’s more the norm). A highlight was walking to the beach most mornings with my daughter (the main reason we picked the Palm Villas over other options in Mauna Lani was its proximity to the beach), grabbing coffees and malasadas on the way (from the stunning Mauna Lani resort), and settling into a set of covered beach chairs while waiting for the boys to drive over with the rest of our gear. The walk through the lava fields and around the fish ponds shouldn’t be missed! The best advice overall for a stay in this area is to research all of your dining options before you go; there aren’t a lot of great options within easy driving distance, especially if you’re figuring it out at the last minute, and those that are available aren’t necessarily worth the high cost of dining out. Our favourites included Pueos Osteria (ate there twice, including NYE – seems to be a local fav) and Tommy Bahamas (had our last dinner there... should have gone sooner... all four of us, including the teenagers, loved it). Shave Ice from OBISIC is a must... as are Acai Bowls from Island Vintage Coffee (both at Kings’ Shops in Waikoloa). Just up the road... Juice 101 and Foodland Farms were frequent stops... the ready meals at Foodland are tasty and great value, but you have to get there early... during high season, they were sold out by 4:30 PM. David from Kona Concierge is also wonderful... if you need to book any activities, go through him!! We wouldn’t hesitate to stay at the Palm Villas again, and we would definitely book...