Hale Kona Kai by Casago Kona

This is our second stay, and the staff have been helpful. We like to walk around town whenever we can, even though we rent a car in Hawaii. Restaurants, coffee shops, the market, and other attractions are all an easy stroll away. The pool sits right by the ocean, too. The place is beautiful and set back on a side street, away from the main road, so the surf is the only noise.

Our week at Hale Kona Kai 207 was a letdown and a frustrating one. We booked in early June 2025, Saturday to Saturday, for $3,341.44. Hale Kona Kai strongly recommended buying their Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection insurance for $218.60. Between the price, the insurance, and the photos online, we expected a great stay. What was advertised certainly wasn’t what we got, and we regret choosing this place. I can’t recommend the business. The location is ideal, with a good ocean view, easy access from the main road, and restaurants and shops nearby. The pool is very nice. But the unit felt old as soon as we walked in, in a neglected way rather than a charming one, and smelled damp and moldy. The bedroom shades were broken, lampshades stained, and wall mirrors old and stained. Old screws had been painted over on the walls. There were cans of paint and other materials stored in the apartment. It was somewhat clean, though the floors and some furniture tops were dusty, and the outside of the property also looked poorly maintained. A kitchen drawer was missing a piece of wood. The bathroom was a major hazard. The tub was old and slippery, with no handrail, and we nearly fell a couple of times. The hardware was rusty and the tiles cracked. We could hear upstairs guests walking and opening and shutting dresser drawers, which are very old and noisy. If someone upstairs is packing for an early flight, it can keep you awake. Staff were responsive and helpful, though they didn’t always answer the phone. We spent a lot of money on a vacation stay and were disappointed.

We stayed in unit 212, facing the beach, with a wraparound lanai. The rocky shore has excellent surf breaks, and there are oodles of crabs scuttling around. We even watched a seabird try to catch one, which was good entertainment. Kona restaurants are within walking distance.

The views are awesome, and you can walk just about everywhere from this location. It’s tucked far enough from town’s noise and set back from Ali'i, so traffic isn’t an issue. The decor is a little hard to describe and may not suit everyone, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. Having air conditioning was a huge plus.