Castle at Kona Reef

B22 is close to a lot along Alii drive, and Don's Mai Tai bar next door has great Mai tai's. But I wouldn't choose this unit again if the view or peace and quiet matters. Half the view is of the street and half the beach, and people at the beach or picnic tables can see inside when the curtains are open or you're on the lanai. The sofa is worn, the dishwasher doesn't seem to open all the way, and the bedroom only has two tall nightstand-style drawer units, though there's a large closet and we added extra hangers. The iron leaked water and had black mineral deposits. The dimmable lights have non-dimmable bulbs, so they strobe. There's a small washer and dryer, but the washer's one setting didn't move at all, even though the clothes seemed to get clean.

The basement room, unit E-1, looked onto a small, hidden garden, which felt like poor value at around $600 a night. We were there for four nights over Christmas, and the room was uncomfortable from the start. The AC made it so cold that even with it off all night, the kids and I shivered. There was only a thin blanket and sheet for the sofa bed, which was so uncomfortable I woke up with lines on my face. The washer-dryer was too noisy to run at night, so I had to use it before going out. The old toilet flushed slowly, and the towel rod came off when my daughter tried to hang up a used towel. There was no room service during our four days. We were expected to take trash to the second floor and wash the dishes, which is okay, but didn't feel fair for a hotel rather than an Airbnb. Maybe it was just the time of year, but getting an Uber was a hassle, with repeated driver cancellations and at least a half-hour wait. I wouldn't recommend staying here unless there were no other options.

We spent a week here over New Year's with ten of us, and it worked out fantastically. The pool is great, the ocean view is magnificent, and the staff were attentive and ready to help. You can borrow beach chairs, chest coolers, boogie boards, and other things to take along. The rooms are comfortable, and the location puts you right in the middle of all the action. We hope to come back.

The first-level rental I was given was damp and musty, with rust on the fridge. I have a severe mold allergy and couldn't stay there. I hadn't realized these garden-style units are partly underground. They were fully booked and couldn't move me, and they refused to refund my first night because I hadn't cancelled in time, even after I called several times to explain. If you book here, find out which unit you'll be in before confirming.