Aston Kona by the Sea, Kailua Kona

Everything was great! We (Ian, Jen, Mad, Mac and my parents Scott and Lori) wanted to have some family time after our son had finish his cancer treatment. It was amazing..Hawaii was amazing the people on staff at this hotel were great and helped make our 1st experience to Hawaii just that much better. Need to add my son has been cancer free since Jan 25th, 2010 and was diagnosed in 2006! Way to go Mac!! Aloha from Wolfe Island, Canada

Kona by the Sea is a smaller 4 story resort located on Alii Drive just south of town. There is a small market about ½ block away for last minute supplies. The room was one of the nicest condos we have ever stayed in. Clean, modern, well equipped and after just a few minutes we felt at home. The views of the ocean were fantastic. We spent hours out on the lani looking at ocean, sunsets and the local surfers playing in the waves. At low tide there were turtles sleeping on the rocks. The front desk staff was so in tune with the needs of guests that every request we had was met with a smile and quick accommodation. The girls at the activity desk were very helpful and gave us directions even if we did not book a trip with them. The one activity we did book, a night time snorkel and dive with Manta Rays, was the highlight of the trip. This is something every visitor to Kona should try; it is so easy and exciting, anyone can do it. The pool and spa were seldom crowded and the BBQ set up and tables by the beach were great for grilling dinner and enjoying the tropical breeze under the palm trees.

the hotel was great. the room was great. the food was great. the pool was great. the service was great. i would stay here again.

We had a wonderful stay at Kona by the Sea. It was nice and clean. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. I would recommend this place to anyone especially if you have kids. The location it's great. It's close to all kinds of shops, restaurants, and beaches. The view of the ocean we had was beautiful. The room we were in was very spacious and having a washer and dryer was very handy. We wish we didn't have to leave!

On November 17, 2006, in the late afternoon, my husband and I checked into a Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, resort (NOT Kona by the Sea) that we had booked through American Express Travel. Upon letting ourselves into the unit, we discovered that the “air conditioning” referred to in the property description was a small—old!—window-style unit (not central air) in the living room, as far from the master bedroom as it was possible to get. Additionally the unit was controlled by a timer that would have shut it off entirely while we were sleeping every night. This deficiency was the deal-breaker for us, although the condo was also quite worn out (rusty kitchen appliances, a carpet so dirty that I would never have walked on it barefoot). I contacted American Express immediately, pointing out that the property was certainly not “as advertised” and was not acceptable. Regrettably they were most unhelpful in securing other accommodations for us. After about 45 minutes on the phone with Am Ex with no resolution in sight (and that pitiful air conditioner running the entire time but not cooling the air), I abandoned my conversation with them and went to the local yellow pages. (Three months of surfing the net to find accommodations and at the end of the day I’m reduced to letting my fingers do the walking…I was not optimistic.) The first full page ad in the book was for the Outrigger brand. They were quite compassionate but had no units available. They suggested I contact Kona by the Sea. Rosie at Kona by the Sea was on duty. I told her my whole sad story, including my desperation as I contemplated sleeping in our rental car that night and spending the next day (or two or three?) of our one-week vacation hunting for a bed. Not to put too fine a point on it: I had just provided her with a hand-engraved invitation to price-gouge us to her heart’s content! Instead Rosie assured us that they could accommodate us for the week and quoted a reasonable rate. We dashed down the street to Kona by the Sea as fast as we could. The property is lovely, well sited (right on the shoreline) and meticulously maintained. Our unit was clean, well appointed, well cared for and spacious. (There were also two full bathrooms in this one-bedroom unit, which allowed us to “get ready to meet the day” quite expeditiously.) We were massively stressed out by our misadventure and Rosie put us at ease immediately with her charm and efficiency. She also recommended a restaurant to us for that evening that provided one of the best dining experiences we had during our stay on the Big Island. I made it my business to seek out Rosie whenever she was on duty, to tell her how delighted we were and to thank her again and again for preventing our vacation from turning into a disaster. I also had the pleasure of meeting her supervisor Janet, yet another thorough-going professional with a charming demeanor. I should add that every employee with whom I had contact was genial, helpful and professional. We have stayed at ResortQuest properties before, both in Colorado and on Kiawah Island, and we found them both delightful. I should have learned from these prior experiences and selected a ResortQuest property on the Big Island right from the start. I can assure you that we will be doing precisely that from now on if a ResortQuest property is available at our destination. ResortQuest has most definitely earned such loyalty from us. I should add that I’m sending this 15 hours after we returned home. That’s how important it was to me to tell my story.

We spent one glorious week at Kona by the Sea last December. We were so enthused about it that we just made reservations for two full weeks in November. This place is in a lovely location, is clean and the grounds are exceptional. We were with traveling companions last year but this year we are coming by ourselves and going to enjoy just relaxing on our balcony watching turtles, surfers, sunsets and the ocean. Just one beautiful place with an excellent staff. Judy Thompson

Clean well kept grounds and pool area. Helpful friendly staff. A secure feel with keycard access to buildings and pool areas, but not a resort type 'locked-in' feeling with wrist bands. Clean spacious condo (205) with an open floor plan. All the rooms look like they have a great view of the ocean. Our's faced the ocean, never closed the sliding screen doors, went to sleep listening to the waves each night. We had planned to dine out more; but with the fresh offerings at the stores and the BBQ area we had great food and the best seats for ocean front dinners. We will visit the Big Island again and stay here again.

We loved this place. If you are looking for a mid-priced condo on the beach - this is it. It's quiet, and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. Full kitchen saved us alot on dining out. We enjoyed the beachside gas grills available, and appreciated the free covered parking. Best thing of all is the view. The waves were so close we could watch the locals boogie board from the living room couch. This property is just perfect for a quiet getaway. Next time we come to Kona - this is definately where we will stay.

We just returned to San Diego today from a 10 day stay at the Kona by the Sea. We were totally satisfied with our experience there. The room was large and comfortable. The kitchen had every thing you could need. The in room washer and dryer were very convenient. The free wireless internet was also a nice feature. The pool area and hot tub were a nice place to spend some time in the evening. This place has everything you could need to have a great trip to the Big Island.

This is a GREAT Value. The condo is spacious, the views from the porch are fantastic and while you are not in walking distance of anything, you are convenient to everything with a car. The people running the place are very good. We counted 5 full time service guys around the property...and if you had a problem, they responded within 5 minutes. Unbelievable. And under cover parking on the first floor. The place is spiffed up as good as any we saw. We would love to go back.