Since it had obviously been a while since my last time in Kona, I did my due diligence & did a LOT of research before booking a place to stay during my time on the Big Island. My companion knew that I was reading 2022 travel books, researching online, so she deferred to me.
What we found at Kona Reef was meh to a disappointment. In the end, my friend & I felt lied to, & I was embarrassed that it looked like I chose a less-than-ideal place for us:
-The condo DEFINITELY showed signs of wear-&-tear. There was a huge crack in the ceiling in the closet, there was what looked like dirt/mold on the blurry bathroom mirror, I could go on & on. It was serviceable, but definitely something I was embarrassed to write home about. Most egregiously, if we weren't enjoying the accommodations for the insides, we hoped we would at least have the outside & location. We did not. At the time of booking (& I confirmed this with a friend of mine who is a pseudo-travel agent), VRBO showed the property on the map as very close to the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel side of Ali'i Dr, near/on the main downtown strip. We purposefully chose this condo because there were sites & restaurants that we wanted to try near that hotel, & we didn't want to deal with parking/reparking - we wanted everything to be walking distance. We were shocked to discover that the condo was not as advertised, but was actually close to the Royal Kona Resort, MUCH further down on Ali'i & not at all like on the map the listing showed. My friend has a back problem, so this location (25-40 mins walking) was NOT walking distance from the sites we wanted to visit, so we were forced to deal with parking, parking fees, all of that - the things we wanted to avoid in the 1st place. For how much we paid, & with ALL the VRBO fees, I expected to get what was advertised on the listing, & we simply did not. Frankly, it was embarrassing for me to try & explain to my friend why we were staying somewhere that didn't match with our expectations, & I feel lied to by VRBO.
I make frequent trips to Hawaii, & I have never felt lied to/not gotten what I paid for. It was one of the most "meh" condos I've stayed at (definitely in need of multiple touch ups), but on top of that, I felt swindled. I'm embarrassed & upset, & I hope this review helps others to NOT be taken by a listing that simply doesn't match up with the reality, which is why I will not be recommending VRBO to family and friends.