We spent a week here with extended family. We cooked all of our meals in the very nice kitchen and on the BBQ by the pool. It was like being at home, but with the pacific ocean as our soundtrack and backdrop. The great room is huge, with three separate eating areas and multiple sitting areas, allowed everyone to spread out. We enjoyed cocktails on the lava out by the crashing waves while watching the sun set over the Pacific. Kids loved the pool. The house is well stocked with towels, boogie boards, coolers, etc for day trips to the various beaches. The neighborhood backs up the the Kona community center, with jogging paths, tennis courts, playscape, and an incredible aquatic center (with a former olympic swimmer coaching masters classes) available free of charge! Very strong swimmers can snorkel off the front of the house, but there is not much to see. Enjoyed swimming the ironman swim course Kailua Bay, watching colorful fish on the way out and dolphins play on the way in (they come into the bay in the mornings). A day trip to the volcano was fun, but a long drive. The botanical gardens by Hilo were also very nice. The snorkel trip to see the Manta Rays was very cool (don't waste money to scuba with them, the snorkels are actually closer and have better views for less $'s). They all go to the same spot, so shop for best price. We used sunlight on the water and were happy with them. There is a Costco close to the airport, which is a good place to stock up, as the grocery stores are very expensive, and most of the restaurants are mediocre and overpriced. Although, we enjoyed our coffee and fish sandwiches at Lava Java. Sushi lovers will appreciate the fresh, locally caught ahi at the TKA grocery store in town. We enjoyed that with cocktails every night! Farmers Market in town has good local fruits and a good French bakery stand (try the coconut butter on their large loaf, sliced and toasted...ummm yum!). Donkey Balls chocolate store in town has great chocolate and very memorable souvenir shirts. We'll definately be back!

Villa Kai is a wonderful home right on the water. We have been coming for the past two years. Owner continues to surprise us with new upgrades/features. Nature supplies the whale watching right in front of us. The community park near by has 4 tennis courts in great condition and they have started to offer Pickleball as well, which our group likes to play. We can also enjoy the beach area which is a 2 min. walk from the house. A better Hawaiian experience could not be found. Our batteries are fully recharged by the time we leave (which we hate to do).

The house was beautiful, spacious, and well-appointed, located on an idyllic location yards from the ocean, and close to town and great beaches for swimming and snorkeling. My children used the pool and hot tub for hours a day. There were plenty of towels. The owner brought over a Christmas tree with a string of lights, a thoughtful attention. It was an extraordinary holiday for myself and family.

The pictures of this house don't do it justice. It is simply paradise. The uniqueness of this house is magical. Even though we were all family, it allowed us to each have our own space and privacy. The house is VERY well kept and the furnishings AWESOME!! I didn't explore the island as I thought I might because I was happy just being at the house and enjoying the pool and surroundings. It was so relaxing watching the ocean and listening to the birds sing. Everyone was so friendly (security guards at the front gates) to beautiful little songbirds that would hop in the house when we had the front doors open. It was by far my favorite vacation spot, and I would HIGHLY recommend this house to anyone thinking of vacationing in Kona. Again to the owner of the house, Thank You for sharing your paradise with us.

The pictures do not do this property justice. We got married during our stay, rented this home for some family members and ourselves. I spent most of post-ceremony just relaxing here. Well equipped, clean and nicely decorated. If Hawaiian outdoor living with spectacular a sunset oceanside view is what you are looking for, look no further! Loved it!

My family and I stayed at the Villa Kai from April 15-22 of 2011, and we loved it! There were 6 of us (5 adults, one child) with room for more. This house is EVEN BETTER than it looks on the web. It's huge and airy, with lots of light and windows, and constant ocean breeze flows through when you leave the patio doors open. The view is breathtaking...you can see and hear the waves crashing on the lava rocks just feet from your patio. Although the oceanfront is public we hardly ever saw other people walking, and it felt very private and very safe. Sometimes cruise ships would dock for a day in the distance (not close enough to distract from the view) and we could see lots of kayaks and sailboats. We loved the tide pools out front, and saw little black crabs, sea cucumbers, spiny urchins, small fish. The keiki beach is less than a 4-minute walk along the sea wall and is gorgeous -- cove-protected crystal water, views, etc. Our 4-year-old loved splashing and exploring there. The drive to Alii drive/Kona town is short and easy. The guard is friendly (although we didn't need him, it felt good to see him patrolling regularly.) The kitchen was well-organized and had everything, including coffee grinder and pot, cooking stuff, spices, olive oil, extra rice, napkins, etc. In fact, we bought food and cooked breakfast every day, b/c the view from the patio was just so much nicer and more relaxing than any restaurant could supply. Even the yard/sides of the house were fantastic, with pineapple plants, thick green moss on rocks (think Fairy Garden, as my 4-year-old did), and lots of adorable green geckos with red spots. We did see a few wild cats and mongooses but they didn't bother us, and they didn't approach the property (at least, not that we noticed). You will find cats and mongooses everywhere on Kona. There were tons of spider webs with gorgeous black and yellow spiders, and we enjoyed looking at the interesting stitching in their webs and taking macro photos of them. The front bedroom and main living area have no AC, but with fans and ocean breeze, this was not an issue for us. One note: b/c the pool and spa are not gated, and because you will be keeping the patio doors open for the ocean breezes, you need to keep an eagle-eyed watch on toddlers -we did a "tag in" plan to keep our 4-yr-old 100% watched, and we had no issues.Overall, this house is FANTASTIC, totally worth the price, and we'd stay again.You will not regret staying here. It's super!