Halii Kai Resort

This was a truly beautiful place to stay — the grounds were very well maintained, so every morning you wake up to the sounds of birds chirping and the sight of lush greenery. The apartment itself was very spacious — a reasonably sized bedroom, big bathroom, huge living room and kitchen with new furnishings. A covered carport is provided to park your car.
It’s not an ocean view, but I was not disappointed in the slightest!

We’re seasoned travelers and expect things to happen, not every trip or suite/​villa can be perfect. This however is one of the worst locations we’ve stayed in. Upon walking in you think «hmm looks nice» but that’s about as long as that lasted. Here’s a list of the issues we had while staying in 16A in list of severity…
— Cockroaches in unit (thankfully dead)
— Rat droppings on lanai area
— Broken fold out couch (missing springs on the end, toddler fell through)
— Stains all over the carpet
— broken toilet
— broken lamp shade
— broken dishwasher (doesn’t drain)
— overall very dirty
Management has replaced the lamp shade, fixed the toilet and fold-​out couch, oh and they vacuumed up the dead cockroaches, but that’s about it. Never stopped by to inspect the rats or droppings so we didn’t go out on the lanai for the rest of the trip. Complained to the manager and all they would do is give us a food credit of $ 150 at the restaurant. Although appreciated, it’s not much when you consider the booking was more than 3k. Overall I would expect Castle and or Costco to take more pride in the villas, and or switch us to another villa. If I could give this unit a big 0 I would, but gave them 1 point for the view from the ocean club, that’s spectacular at least. Pics are of rat droppings, cockroaches and dirty floors.

We visited the Halii Kai resort over thanksgiving week. We have been to a quite a few time shares and vrbo properties everywhere from Breckenridge to Florida to Cancun ranging from $ 300-​$ 600/​night. We were very disappointed and for the first time ever I contacted a manager to discuss my concerns. I received no response and called to make sure my emails had been reviewed and they said yes and they would get back to me. No one ever contacted me back. No apology or explanation. I also sent two emails prior to arrival just asking about the number of beds that were never answered as well. So I decided to write a review that will help others or at least prepare them for what they may encounter.
The condo we stayed in was dirty with desperate need for now carpet and painting. Upon arrival I noticed how dirty the carpet was but the furnishings looked nice and the décor pleasant. I went to use the master bathroom after our long trip and noticed black hair in the corner and drip marks down the wall besides the toilet. I thought well that’s gross and went to look for a Lysol wipe. No luck, no cleaners anywhere. I later found there was hair and sand in the master tube. I couldn’t find an instruction book for the rental so we just had to wing it. I pulled a blanket out of the closet to put on my daughters bed and there was a huge urine stain on it. I went to the hall closet and saw another set. On the very top was a pillowcase folded with blood on it. Luckily the air conditioning didn’t work the first three days we were there so there wasn’t much need for blankets. Since there was no beach towel and only 4 white towels I had to buy beach towels and once the AC was fixed we used the beach towels as blankets. The mattresses were in very bad shape. The master bed had deep divots on both sides and do I had to sleep in my left all week to keep from rolling into the center. My husband who can sleep anytime anywhere tossed and turned the whole trip. Both my daughters complained of back aches to the point where I considered taking my oldest to urgent care. My son in the queen room didn’t have any issues.
We had planned on eating at least one meal a day in the condo but after attempting it twice we decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. There is nothing in the kitchen not even salt or pepper. The appliances are old and cheap. Both can openers were broken and there was no masher or mixer. There were only 4 mismatched coffee mugs… Not the gourmet kitchen the listing boasts by any means. Some of the dishes were dirty upon arrival but this wants a huge issue just a little annoying on top of everything else.
I found a vacuum and went to vacuum the carpets but it didn’t have any suction and was a bag-​less full to the brim of other tenants hair sand and dirt– gross. There was a dustpan but no broom which when you are going to the beach daily is an issue. There was a two beach umbrellas but both were flimsy and broken. There were 4 beach chairs that worked decently. The was also a flat basketball and no pump. The toilets plumping was cranky and there was no plunger so we had to call the resort handy man to fix it which was embarrassing.
We weren’t informed how far we would be from the pool so that even though it was beautiful we only went once since we had to drive to it and we figured if we had to get in the car might as well go to the beach.
This is not the only issues but it’s where I will leave it. We had a lovely time in Hawaii despite the condo issues. We loved the area, the shops, beach and especially lava lava beach club. Kona was great and we had quite a few good meals there.

Second stay.
Just spent another 11 days here and I have never been disappointed. Relaxed resort away from the crowds like those found in the Hilton. A beautiful pool & spa area overlooking the lava rocks and blue ocean. You can have lunch or dinner near the pool and enjoy great cocktails at your leisure.
The area of Waikoloa is perfect for traveling in each direction to attractions around the island. Very pleasent

Condo was beautiful! We didn’t want to leave! Everything was new! Kitchen very nice and everything was provided! Beds very comfortable and we especially loved enjoying coffee in the mornings on the lanai and wine at night. The grounds are perfectly manicured and the pool area and workout area are very nice! It’s a very very quiet resort!

This review is for the Ocean Club and the pool area. We stayed a week in January and had a fabulous time hanging out at the pool area. Although not designed for true swimming, the pool itself is lovely with many curvy lounging areas. The landscaping is beautiful and the ocean views are spectacular, allowing for great whale watching while sipping your tropical drink. Speaking of drinks, the onsite bar and restaurant are reasonably priced with a limited but delicious menu. Be sure to take a walk along the coast from the pool area; you can go in either direction. The staff there were friendly and helpful.

Amazing views, reasonably priced drinks and food, and super friendly crowd. We plan on staying here next time we are in Hawaii. We met some friends here and had a great time. Very kid friendly, as well.

I’m trying to branch out of staying in hotels while on vacation and go the more condo /​Airbnb route and can’t even begin to explain what an amazing time I had here. I wish I could have stayed longer, since most guests stay for months on end, I, however, only stayed for two short lived days.
I tried to take advantage of the grounds and spent both afternoons poolside at their gorgeous pool. The food was great and we even had another guest share some grilled Ahi that he had literally caught the same day on his boat and just had too much of to eat on their own. The food was great and their margaritas hit the spot. The sunsets there were amazing to watch and I am already dreaming of the day we can go back.

We have stayed at the property for one month/​year for the past 7 – 8 years. This may have been the last year for us…
Pros:
Beautiful location and grounds
Heated pool with fabulous view
SOME units well equipped and clean
Cons:
Terrible customer service — from office staff to pool staff
Slow to no response to maintenance issues within unit (this time a broken washing machine)
Too many rules — really has turned into more of a retirement community atmosphere rather than family. Kids aren’t really welcome — lots of scowls for playing in pool.

Updated — reply to owner:
I wasn’t going to waste precious time of my vacation arguing over issues with the room: It’s not like you were going to buy new mattresses and have them there before we need them; nor is it likely you would have repainted or recarpeted while we were out touring. The alternative would have been to take up our time finding another room (and another and another) until we’re satisfied? It’s not as though there are brand-​new rooms ready and waiting. It didn’t look like any parts of the complex were under renovation, so why should I try to solve your problems on my time?
As far as the dishes were concerned, we were making breakfast. Are we supposed to wait until you can have someone come in and clean up before we can eat? How long would that take. Much faster, and more convenient for me, to clean the dishes, make breakfast and get on with my vacation. My time is finite enough as it is.

Keep in mind, this is a condo facility. It’s not a «resort». It has full on condos, some of which (though few) are lived in year round by Hawaii residents. The rest are vacation homes, and some are rented out. I was happy to rent, and it was a great place. The facility was right near the ocean, and the pool is literally oceanside. There’s no beach, because hey, the Kohala Coast, and the beaches are gems because you have to seek them out! The pool however, is the gem of the property. It is large, has several levels, a hot tub, and has a shape that is conducive to privacy, if you don’t want to be lodged next to loud obnoxious people, or kids, or what have you. (Noticed both of those while we were there.)
There is a restaurant and bar poolside, which allows for sunset cocktails by the sea. Food’s okay, drinks are okay, the bartenders are super nice and great to chat with.
The gym facility, though present, is kind of a joke. GORGEOUS setting, oceanfront, but the sea air has caused a lot of detriment to the equipment, and the weights are poorly maintained. (Can you say, rust?)
The condo we rented was as far as you could get from the pool area (haha, yay cardio?) and was lovely. Well sized, well maintained, beautiful indoors, and fun to see the hammock garden out off of the lanai. Pretty quiet, too, which is a HUUUGE deal for me and the husband, despite two of the three other condos on our building being occupied while we were there.
I’d absolutely return to this place, and maybe shell out a little more for an ocean view. Can’t beat it as far as value goes, especially when resorts without an ocean view (or kitchen!) can cost upwards of $ 500 a night on this coast.

DO NOT STAY HERE!
Unless you really like hiding in a gated community with a bunch of snobs. Maybe if you are looking to recover from plastic surgery or are in the witness protection program and really desire to be ignored by everyone, watch tv, and avoid experiencing anything about Hawaii — this might be the place for you. This is not Hawaii.
Within the rock walls (not kidding — rock walls) of this «resort» they seem to have actively worked to stomp out anything resembling the warm welcoming spirit that is part of this wonderful state’s culture. You can get this (awful) experience anywhere.
The property is beautiful and well maintained but I expected to be attacked by the Stepford Wives at any moment. The first thing they do is (after assigning you a key card for the gate and an entry code for your unit) is hand you a lists of rules. An entire page of crap like the «quiet hours» and «no child under 12 is to be un-​supervised at any time», and «park only in your marked space and display your parking pass at all times». You aren’t even allowed to swim without a T-​shirt or coverup — That is once you use your key card to get into the pool — that’s inside of the gated, rock walled, community, that you used your card to get into in the first place… I expected to see «don’t run with scissors» on the list.
There is nothing to do here. No beach within walking distance. There are two shopping malls — about a mile away with the same stores you have at home and the same chain restaurants as anywhere else in the US. Also be warned — The property is about as geographically far away from any of the island’s big attractions as possible — e.g. Volcano National Park is about 100mi away.
To top it off the office staff was rude, curt and even obnoxious to each other. The «property» was not clean, (even the furniture in the office was stained!) and they allowed only a single towel and washcloth per guest — with only weekly visits from the «cleaning» staff.
We had to make use of the hideaway bed in our unit that was initially only provided with a bottom sheet. When we we went to the office for more bedding and a blanket we were scolded for not informing them we would be using it in advance and had to fill out a form for the «extra» bedding.
In all a truly awful place for a family vacation. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else.

This resort was assigned to me on a recent work trip. It is a beautiful complex with well maintained lawns and a nice pool area (though on the smaller side). There is no beach, so please keep that in mind. The resort is also rather large, so longer walks if you are near the gates to the pool/​restaurant area.
The units are all either 2 or 3 bedroom and are very spacious, clean (the ones we saw anyway) and nicely appointed/​decorated. I had no complaints with the actual condo.
My issue is that there is nothing on property to and you must come prepared if you arrive late — no food or beverage options after 6 PM. There is no where to even get coffee. No gift shop. This is truly a CONDO COMPLEX, which isn’t really clear in the name. A resort insinuates that there are common amenities affixed on property to make life slightly less difficult especially when first arriving — a full staff, gift shop, coffee place, open/​available dining, but none of this really exists.
There is no lighted walkways so if you are checking in after dark, be careful walking to your room. You will DEFINITELY need a car. Because we were being shuttled around for work every day, this didn’t seem necessary but it certainly would have been nice, b/​c we had to pay a taxi $ 20 one way to go to the market for snacks/​drinks the same night we arrived.
In addition, the codes — oh the codes. You must know several to access the main gate (which is nice for security but not great if you are coming and going after dark) and then to your actual unit. I like keyless entry but god forbid you forget/​lose your code!
There is one restaurant on resort which we ate at for lunch and it was lovely. It has a small bar and a nice staff (though a bit slow — to be expected on island time). That being said, they close down at 6 PM and are not open at all on Wednesdays (odd, no?).
I don’t know that I would stay here again b/​c I personally prefer the comforts and easy access of quick shopping and dining and this place offers nothing that; however, if I was going to be in Kona for a long time and planning to cook every meal, this is certainly an option.
The condo complex itself is absolutely lovely and very comfortable for long term stays.

Loved it here. The condo we were in was a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suite at the end of the complex which was close to the pool and we had a partial ocean view from our lanai which is not what I was expecting. The unit was very clean and the kitchen had more equipment then I could ever imagine ever having in my own house. Trust me, if you go here and go grocery shopping in hopes of eating some meals in, don’t fret you can cook it, bake it, blend it, pack it and save it. We were hoping to share the condo with another couple or some friends but that didn’t pan out so we had the entire place to ourselves. We stayed for 8 nights and there is a «cleaning service» mid week. I think all they did was vacuum and change the towels. We had done laundry and I wish that they had given us one more detergent when they came to change towels… I had to go to the front desk and ask for a box.
There was snorkel gear, noodles, and boogie boards in the closet for us to use. That was extremely nice. There was also a large cooler if we needed it (we didn’t). We went to the pool one night for a drink. Nice and relaxing.
I would definitely stay here again, and I would also recommend it. I had found a charge on my credit card for $ 141 and some change but there was supposed to only be a one time resort fee of $ 40.00. I called about it and the desk was helpful and investigated into it. Said it was for two lost keys, but that was incorrect since we dropped our keys in the drop box before they opened just as it was instructed on the box. They credited my card and the charge was dropped, keys had been recovered like I had told them.

I stayed here mid-​June for 4 days, renting from unit 19G. I have nothing but wonderful things to stay about this place.
From the moment I walked into the unit, I was pleased. It’s very beautifully decorated and feels very comfortable, like a home away from home :) Honestly, this place is equipped with everything.
1. The kitchen is FULLY stocked. and I TRULY mean that. It has the normal stuff: glasses, mugs, bowls, plates, silverware… but also has things like a kitchen aid mixer, pots, pans, a pizza stone, chop sticks, cooking spices, measuring tools, blender, serving dishes of various sizes, bbq tools, leftovers containers, cutting boards, a toaster, a banana hook, ETC. seriously, i could go on forever… The kitchen is also a nice big size with bar stools :) There’s also a separate area for dining.
2. 3 bedrooms! We only needed to use two, but it was still nice to have an extra. Each bedroom had a clock with an ipod player, a plasma or lcd (sorry i’m not very tech savvy) flat screen tv, and very unique and beautiful furniture/​lamps/​decorations/​bedspreads. The master bedroom also comes with a very private balcony with two comfy lounge chairs
3. 3 full bathrooms, so nice! I was traveling with 3 others, so there were times where all bathrooms were occupied, so it was really convenient!
4. The living room/​family room area is so comfortable! Plenty of seating, a huge flat screen tv with tons of channels and a blu-​ray player.
5. The downstairs balcony is equipped with a table and chairs for eating outside. SUPER nice, we ate outside for every meal even though there was a dining table inside because we wanted to enjoy Hawaii’s ocean breezes :) There’s also a really nice gas grill on the balcony as well.
Other amenities that I loved were the land line telephone, high speed wi-​fi, really nice laundry/​dryer machines, and all of the beach equipment to use (snorkels, boogie boards, towels, beach umbrellas, beach chairs, coolers). We didn’t have to bring anything from the mainland, which was super convenient.
As for the grounds, they are beautiful! 19G isn’t the closest unit to the pool or the ocean, but the walk takes about 5 – 10 min and really wasn’t that bad (can’t complain about walking around in hawaii haha). 19G is close to the tennis courts and basketball courts
The pool area is truly stunning! They give you towels upon entering and you can also order drinks/​get food in the pool area (it’s kind of expensive, but convenient). The pool chairs aren’t your normal cheap loungers, but padded nice ones that you can fall asleep in the sun with :) Also, nothing beats the sunsets from the pool, as it is literally RIGHT on the ocean. The gym is also right next to the ocean, and they keep the window open, so you can exercise while feeling the ocean breezes and looking directly into the water. I didn’t use their gym facilities, but they looked nice.
Overall, I have absolutely no complaints about my stay at Hali’i Kai. The grounds are beautiful, the pool area is nice, and my stay in 19G went above and beyond my expectations. The Big Island was already my favorite island in Hawaii, but now I’m even more determined to get back again soon and stay here again. Hawaii is already amazing, but it’s nice to stay at a place that feels like your home and provides you with everything you could possibly need. :)

Unit 8H at Halii Kai — Beware of the owners keeping your security deposit. My family is extremely well traveled, considerate of others’ property and not slovenly … and, we’ve never had any portion of any security deposit withheld before … after we left, we received no communication from the owners or the manager (who is related to the owners) … upon realizing that no return of the deposit had been made, we inquired and received a thoroughly nasty and condescending response from the manager about how well he knew that our deposit hadn’t been returned and identifiying a whole host of mostly bogus issues (I will say there were two, very small, issues that were valid but which should not have warranted withholding anywhere close to the entire deposit or the inappropriate response) …
While I understand the owners’ desire to maintain the lovely nature of their property, the list of rules while staying at this unit is quite unusual in our vast experience. And, when housekeeping services are part of the rental package, it is not unreasonable to believe that the cleaners will clean a stove or bbq or launder the linens or vacuum and clean toilets when we leave … we were denied our deposit for all of these issues; and the owners also rudely called us out for smudges on mirrors and not leaving the kitchen cabinets exactly as they were when we arrived (perhaps they should leave a map of what goes in each drawer and cabinet and instructions if that’s what they really expect) …
Leaves a very bad taste, particularly since our family had considered ourselves friendly with the family who owns the property … won’t be back

Rented at the same complex on our 2^nd trip to the Big Island, this time in a 3 bedroom condo. I also rented via VRBO, unit 17E. It was a fantastic stay as before. Although this condo wasn’t as well equipped as the last one, we also had more people this time around which could explain it. However, that is up to the discretion of the private owner of the condo. The facilities at the Hali’i Kai are still just as good as always. The pool area is fantastic, and I love that the gym overlooks the ocean. I sent many friends back home pictures of my view on the treadmill. If only all gyms had that view. I wouldn’t be a couch potato!
June is definitely more crowded on the island than November, but the island is so big that the crowds never bothered us, and the pool area was never full.

We only stayed for 2 nights but wished we had a whole week here. We stayed in unit 18C, a 2BR, 2Bath with a huge living rm, LCD TV’s, and full use kitchen with stainless steel appliances. If we had been here longer I would have cooked some serious meals and burnt some meats on the gas grill. Free WiFi! A primo accommodation!

We stayed at 18D. Though the unit did not have an ocean view, we were still very impressed with our stay. Good internet connection (22Mbps downlink — better than what I have at home :)), nice cable (each room had a flat screen tv) and very well stocked kitchen. Castle Hali’i, has a good market place near by. Pool with in the property was great, we must have spent all our mornings in the pool. This unit (I am guessing all other units too) had body boards and beach toys, which was very thoughtful of owners. My kids thoroughly enjoyed their stay. (Side note: If you snorkel go to the Hilton beach, you can spot few fish and corals.)
This property is very well located, close to Marriot (Mandara Spa/​Royal Luau) and Hilton (Dolphin/​Ocean sport activities). This way we were always very close to our activity places.
Not many restaurants near by (just two: Macaroni Grill and Kings market had a restaurant). The breakfast was very ordinary in the Castle Hali’i. They really need to improve on that. But having said that, the restaurant near the pool side was very good.
Overall, I strongly recommend this place. Esp., awesome for folks travelling with kids.
Hapuna beach is very close (15min drive) from this resort. Kailau-​Kona Pier is 25 min drive from this place. Overall very nicely located property.
Can’t wait to go back.

Hali’i Kai is one of the nicest properties I’ve stayed at in Hawaii. My family of 5 along with 2 friends stayed in a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo here for a few days over Christmas break.
The condo had plenty of room for everyone, was very well kept, and nicely furnished and decorated. Shoot… this place was nicer than my own house back in California, so you can imagine how much we all enjoyed our stay here. The property is beautifully landscaped with gorgeous ocean, golf course, and garden/​mountain views. We enjoyed taking early morning walks and evening strolls throughout the property.
The beautiful multi-​level pool and the open-​air exercise cabana overlook the the ocean down at the far end of the property. There’s also a BBQ area, restaurant, bar, and plenty of comfy lounge chairs and tables. If you explore this end of the property, you can find a small trail that will lead you along the shore. The center of the property also has tennis courts and a basketball court.
The quality and pricing of Hali’i Kai offers a fantastic value for anyone looking for a private, peaceful, and relaxing Hawaiian getaway. It sure beats staying at a huge and bustling resort full of tourists.
We were so happy with our stay, we decided to check out the leasing office. We’ll definitely be back on our next trip to the Big Island.