Kona Reef by Kona Now

“Great option when staying in Kona — ocean front units are worth the splurge”

Close to town but not noisy at all. Easy parking. Pool with bbqs. Easy access to small beach to build sand castles and ... Incredible views and sunset pictures ! We stayed in oceanfront units at the Kona Reef twice, and would come back in a heartbeat!

“Castle Kona Reef Resort managed by Castle Resorts & Hotels”

• Check in-out process o Checking in to Castle Kona Reef is awkward as you must drive 1.7 miles from this resort to Castle Kona Bali Kai to check in from 3:00-5:00. After hours you must call the security phone number to get information on checking in. o FYI: Castle Resorts only manage about 20 of t… more

• Check in-out process o Checking in to Castle Kona Reef is awkward as you must drive 1.7 miles from this resort to Castle Kona Bali Kai to check in from 3:00-5:00. After hours you must call the security phone number to get information on checking in. o FYI: Castle Resorts only manage about 20 of the approximately 129 condos at Castle Kona Reef. There is an office located at Castle Kona Reef called Kona Reef Raintree Vacation Club but mostly services the other units on the property. We booked through Hotels.com so I’m not sure what booking sites use Castle Kona Reef –vs- Kona Reef Raintree. o There will be a Destination Fee (?) and a cleaning fee you will be required to pay upon arrival. o We opted for the late checkout, which allowed us to stay in the condo until 6 pm since out flight was at 8:45 pm. The fee was $60 plus tax but it was a comfortable option for us. • Unit D-1 o This is a nice 1-bedroom ground floor unit that has been upgraded. It has a comfortable king bed and a sofa sleeper and two bathrooms. The kitchen has stainless appliances and granite counter tops. o As this is an oceanfront condo, the view is exceptional. You are incredibly close to the ocean. o Cleanliness of the condo was pretty good. However, there was an empty water & pill bottle under the bed so you know they don’t clean there. Also, the hall bathroom fan was very dirty. o There is A/C in the living room that keep the living, dining and kitchen cool but not the bedroom. It can be uncomfortably warm in there but they have provided a ceiling fan and a floor fan that helped. o Since this unit is on the ground floor, the sliding glass door and window have been secured with a piece on plastic pipe in the slider for additional security, which was appreciated. o Castle Kona Reef is centrally located to Kailua-Kona, which means you can walk to most restaurants and shops. o Although this property is dated, the oceanfront view cannot be beat and we would consider coming back to this property. • Nice to haves o Room safe o Room darkening shades in the bedroom. The side of the bedroom faces the pool area and at night there are several lights that are kept on. It illuminates the room quite a bit, so it would be nice to have the room a bit darker for sleeping. • Homeless population in Kona o As with most cities, Kailua-Kona has their share of homeless. Many of the homeless stay in the downtown area and pretty much keep to themselves and are not a problem. o However, on our last day at the resort, there was a homeless man sleeping on one of the lawn chairs outside of the pool area. Later, when we got back from lunch, he parked himself right in front of our condo. He was lying on the grass and it did not make for a comfortable experience when we sat out on the ground floor lanai. I asked the Raintree office what the rules were for the homeless being on resort property and they basically said he could be there. And, if that is truly the case, I think it is wise to let potential guests know what they might encounter. There are surfers that do pass by the property to access Honl’s Beach and that is does not seem to be an issue.

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