Kanaloa At Kona By Outrigger

“Typical Hawaii well-used condo at a reasonable price”

Castle Kanaloa deserves its mixed reviews and I probably would give it 3 to 4 stars. All the units are individually owned, so the condition of each unit is highly variable. We stayed in unit 1103 for a week in September 2024. It was a second floor 2-bed, 2-bath unit without air conditioning. O… more

Castle Kanaloa deserves its mixed reviews and I probably would give it 3 to 4 stars. All the units are individually owned, so the condition of each unit is highly variable. We stayed in unit 1103 for a week in September 2024. It was a second floor 2-bed, 2-bath unit without air conditioning. On the plus side, the location is great in Keauhou on the south end of Kailua. You can avoid the heavy traffic in the main town. It's quick to go to Honaunau or Captain Cook for some of the island's best snorkeling. It was also a reasonable drive to the beaches around Waikoloa. There is a shopping center close by for groceries. Three pools and grounds are in excellent shape. We used the BBQs by the pools every day. Parking was easy with assigned spots. The community is gated. Many units do not have air conditioning, which works great in Hawaii if your unit is oriented properly to get cross ventilation. Ours was not, so we moved the many supplied fans around to help. It would get rather warm in the afternoon, but sleeping temperatures were fine with the fans. Mostly we were out all day anyway. The unit was in acceptable shape. It was not remodeled so there was definitely wear and tear, but it was pretty typical for a Hawaii condo at a reasonable price and it was clean. The beds were good and that's the most important part. The living room furniture sagged but was clean. The refrigerator, stove and dishwasher were new enough. The washer/dryer combo was prehistoric but worked to freshen up our towels. Expect about $400 in cleaning fee, insurance and association fee to be charged on arrival. The Booking.com booking via Southwest Hotels only specified a $35 on-site fee, but after reading the reviews I wasn't surprised by the extra charges. It was odd, however, because our booking already included about $600 in taxes and fees on a room charge of about $1200. I tend to not get too stuck on individual charges and just look at the bottom line. So for about $2200 for the week all told, I was satisfied with the price. I also got a nice chunk of Southwest points that I would value around $300. If you do get a unit with added air conditioning, expect a $30/day charge to use it. It might be worth it for a top-floor unit as they have steeply pitched, uninsulated roofs that really build up heat throughout the day. I believe you can elect to not use the air conditioning to avoid the fee.

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“Pretty unit on a nice property”

First of all, I have to say that we booked our stay through castle resorts. Our unit was very pretty and the property in general, too. We didn’t have the option for AC (as there was none in our unit) so I can’t say anything about hidden fees. However, we had to pay 325 $ cleaning fee which was comm… more

First of all, I have to say that we booked our stay through castle resorts. Our unit was very pretty and the property in general, too. We didn’t have the option for AC (as there was none in our unit) so I can’t say anything about hidden fees. However, we had to pay 325 $ cleaning fee which was communicated at the time of booking and no surprise to us. But we did not have to take out the trash or wash the bedsheets or anything like that. Also, yes there are roaches and other insects but as the property basically is a tropical garden, that should not be a surprise and there weren’t really many, so no problem for us. The unit itself was perfectly clean and the kitchen stocked with everything you need for cooking, including salt, pepper and other spices. Overall, we really liked it at Kanaloa.

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“This is a nice place, but BEWARE, they are going to charge you extra for air conditioning”

We stayed in unit 2905. This is a two bedroom two bath condo with a very nice lanai, with a very nice ocean view. There are lots of stairs, as this is a three story unit from entrance up to the master suite. The place was clean and inviting. The kitchen was well appointed. The beds were better… more

We stayed in unit 2905. This is a two bedroom two bath condo with a very nice lanai, with a very nice ocean view. There are lots of stairs, as this is a three story unit from entrance up to the master suite. The place was clean and inviting. The kitchen was well appointed. The beds were better than average. The bbq grilles were awesome. The lanai was my absolute favorite part of the condo. Now, the stuff that wasn't great. The water pressure in the showers was very disappointing. I really can't stand weak shower water pressure. AC, there is NO AC unless you pay an extra daily fee. AC was clearly shown as an included amenity. The guest services people were NOT helpful at all with the AC issue. BEWARE. This AC thing is THE reason for the review being average.

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