Hale (pronounced ha-lay not hail) in Hawaiian means house which is important to know before you get to this place. We didn’t realise prior, so were slightly surprised when we arrived to see this house converted accommodation (not in a nice homely way but more a no-security, no-privacy, laid back kind of way) especially after being in a great hostel in Waikiki. Located 25 mins from Kona International Airport you can get there by the local Hele-On Bus or Ali’i Shuttle ($0.75 – $2.25 USD, both are very infrequent so make sure you time it properly), a shuttle bus service ($15-$17 USD), taxi ($30 USD) or hire car (prices start from $25 USD ex. taxes). Depending on how much of the island you want to see, hire car is the best option as it gives you the flexibility to travel between remote must-see spots.
If I were returning to Kona I would not stay at Koa Wood Hale again.
Rating: 46%
Atmosphere: 37%
I feel like the atmosphere has potential to be a lot better depending on the people who are staying there at the time, as it has two large outdoor areas, an open kitchen and TV lounge room. It wasn’t very busy when we stayed there and everyone we tried to talk to (apart from the manager, Marcus and a gentleman who had been there for 5 weeks doing handyman jobs around the place) didn’t seem interested in having a chat.
Cleanliness: 45%
When we first arrived in our room, despite being told we were the only ones staying in there, someone’s belongings were strewn throughout an open cupboard (we found out later they belonged to a staff member who slept in the lounge room). The shared bathroom ran out of toilet paper twice while we were there and I’m unsure who monitored or cleaned it.
Facilities (most important ones): 55%
– No breakfast
– Common room with cable TV and Dvds
– Free wi-fi
– Free parking
– Cooking facilities
– Linen included
Location: 68%
The main street in Kailua-Kona is Ali’i Drive and while Koa Wood Hale is only a couple of streets back (5-10 min walk uphill) if I were to return to Kona I would look for something on the main road instead.
Security: 20%
While I felt my belongings were safe-ish at this place there was basically no security except a couple of lockers upstairs which were already being used. We were not given any keys when we checked in as there were no locks on the bedrooms or for the house.
Staff: 50%
The manager, Marcus, was friendly enough however there was a staff member who seemed to bring the whole place down a bit. I’m not sure what his role was because I only even saw him lying on the couch playing on his phone. We tried to talk to him a couple of times but his replies were one-word answers if that so either he didn’t speak English or he was a total drop-kick.
Every Country 