Pamo

Anyone ever stayed at this place ---opinions would be appreciated!

Mariann

We stayed down the street from this place but next time will stay there. The place has beautiful views and is next to some great snokeling. I can't imagine anyone being dissappointed with this place (except the pool isn't anything special if this is important).

circa2

Have you read the reviews @ www.tripadvisor.com?

ms_go

I stayed there in March. I thought it was a decent value for the money -- I think we paid $130 per night for an oceanview room with breakfast included.

The pros: The room was fairly standard, but clean, comfortable, and there was plenty of room to move around. It had a small refrigerator. The views from the bar are fabulous (see: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...26841739iWFyrb) Service was very friendly. The pool area is small but nice. The grounds include some historic sites. Turtle watching in the hotel's lagoon provides some entertainment while sitting at the bar. The breakfast was very good, as were bar appetizers (but we did not try out the restaurant for dinner).

The cons: The rooms have a small balcony, but it is not private. You can see all your neighbors. I thought the bathroom (at least in our room) could use a bit of updating, but it was serviceable. It is a ways from the center of Kailua-Kona, so a car is more or less a must. There is a shuttered hotel on the adjacent property, which has some broken windows and graffiti (visible from some points on the Ohana property).

I saw some rooms that appeared to be undergoing full renovations, and I think in general this is a hotel that is on the rise.

I would stay there again, if I was looking for a hotel in the Kailua-Kona/Keauhou area (although after three times in that area I will probably opt for the Kohala Coast on my next trip).

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.

JohnD

Pamo,
Below is a copy of what I posted in my trip report after staying there in March:

I agree with "Hawaii-The Big Island Revealed's" description of solid gold value. For less than $200 our ocean front corner room had a great sunset view with 2 small lanais. We were on the southend corner, so the south view partially contained the abandoned "eyesore building" but the show in the tidepools below the hotel made you just want to stare there at the turtles, eels, moorish idols, sargeant majors etc. The room was good sized and comfortable and we did not hear any other guests in our room, except when outside on the lanai. We did not use any of the hotel services or eat there but the dining area was open air, as was the lobby and appointed with polished wood and turtle castings. The air conditioning worked, the bathroom with sitdown shower was new and clean, the room had an empty mini refrigerator and coffee maker and iron/board. The maid replaced our coffee packages free of charge, however there was a $5/day parking fee, and we didn't make any local calls @$1/each, as our cell phones worked fine. The only thing lacking was a microwave, and interestingly the guest rules included a shocking list of prohibited activities, that presumably prior guests had attempted, for example; barbecuing on the lanai, using hot plates & other cooking devices in the room, lighting or shooting fireworks from the room.

The pool was not overly large or small or new, but there was room enough to enjoy it. With the awesome snorkeling available a few steps away at Kahaluu beach park next door, it is hard to go wrong here with the exception that the sandy beach area is limited and not exactly powdery soft like it is in the Kohala region. A short scenic drive is involved to reach either the nightlife/restaurants up Alii Dr. north, or to the closer Wendy's and Keauhou Shopping center to the south. We didn't explore the historic grounds either, but there were available tennis courts and supposedly petroglyphs in the area. Almost on every visit to the parking lot we saw mongooses scampering from lot to lot amid the clamor of local birds in the surrounding trees.
The KBR had a "hawaiian resort feel" to it with a large canoe in the lobby, and as stated we may stay here again.

travellyn

The hotel was just okay, but the location was fantastic. I'd go back there in a heartbeat, and this time I'd spring for an oceanfront (as opposed to ocean view) room on a low floor. I'd spend hours watching the turtles and other sea life in the tide pools below the hotel. Forget the swimming pool; after one trip to snorkel at Kahalu'u Beach Park next door, we never went back into the pool.