Posts Tagged ‘Kolea’

Over the years of running a vacation rental business in the Waikoloa Beach Resort I have come across numerous web sites that rank the vacation rental complexes at Waikoloa Beach Resort.  The thing that seems to amaze me is that most of the companies aren’t even located in Hawaii so I have a hard time understanding why they feel they would be able to correctly rate the properties.

Here are my rankings taking into account what I think along with what guests have mentioned to me over the years.

Kolea
Kolea is by far the most luxurious complex at Waikoloa Beach Resort.  The average selling price of a villa there is almost double that of any other complex at Waikoloa Beach Resort, which supports the fact that they are very nice and in an excellent location.

Pros- Only beachfront vacation rental complex; Spacious lanais with grills; Luxurious interior finishes; Solid construction; Easy access to all the Waikoloa Beach Resort amenities
Cons- Small pool

Halii Kai
Halii Kai is in a middle class of its own.  It is nicer than the other complexes at Waikoloa Beach Resort, but falls short of Kolea. The Halii Kai Ocean Club is the most attractive feature of Halii Kai.  The Ocean Club is on a bluff overlooking the ocean and features a multi-layer heated resort style pool, restaurant, and fitness hale.

Pros- Halii Kai Ocean Club; Spectacular views from the buildings towards the front of the property; Tennis court
Cons- Small Interiors; average construction; distant from the amenities at Waikoloa Beach Resort.

The rest of the vacation rentals all fall within the same class of properties.  Although they they are close in value, there are some that are a little more desireable than others.

Vista Waikoloa
Pros- Centrally located within Waikoloa Beach Resort; Good construction; Large lanais; Heated swimming pool
Cons- Road noise for many of the buildings; Many of the interiors are outdated

The Shores at Waikoloa Beach Resort
Pros- Good construction; Resort style pool; Tennis Court
Cons- Many interiors are outdates

Colony Villas at Waikoloa Beach Resort
Pros- Townhome style so there is no other properties above you; Nice pools; Quiet location
Cons- Distant from the amenities of Waikoloa Beach Resort

Beach Villas at Waikoloa Beach Resort
Pros- Nice interiors; Convenient location to the amenities of Waikoloa Beach Resort
Cons- Poor construction

Waikoloa Beach Resort Fairway Villas
Pros- Nice interiors; Convenient location to the amenities of Waikoloa Beach Resort
Cons- Poor construction; Small pool area

Kolea and Halii Kai are the top two vacation rental complexes at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. Both of them are very different and offer a unique experience. Many vacationers who have been to the Waikoloa Beach Resort know which complex is best for them and many people who have not been to the Waikoloa Beach Resort have a hard time deciding which property is best for them. Below is some helpful information about the two complexes.

Location

Kolea is located on A’Bay, the only sandy beach at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. The two hotels and the Waikoloa Kings and Queens Shops are also within ¼ mile of Kolea. Halii Kai is located on the signature hole of the Waikoloa Beach golf course in a more private setting and is roughly a mile from the beach at A’Bay and 1/2 mile from the Waikoloa Kings and Queens Shops..

Views
Both complexes have a wide range of views. The front row condos at Kolea offer ocean, beach, and mountain views. The condos nestled in behind them offer mostly mountain and garden views with a few condos offering ocean views. The condos on the oceanfront at Halii Kai offer spectacular solid ocean views. Other buildings towards the front of Halii Kai offer a view of the signature hole of the Waikoloa Beach Course and the ocean. As you travel away from the front of the property most of the condos have fairway and garden views.

Interiors
The standard finished within Kolea condos are better than what you will find in a Halii Kai condo. The furnishings within each condo are supplied by the owners so that is not better in one place versus the other. The average condo at Kolea is much larger than the average Halii Kai condo. A Kolea condo ranges in size from 1200 to 2200 square feet and a Halii Kai condo ranges in size from 1000 to 1400 square feet.

Pools
Although both Kolea and Halii Kai have nice pool areas, the Halii Kai Ocean Club is a step above the Kolea Beach Club. The Halii Kai Ocean Club is situated on an oceanfront bluff and features a multi layered resort style pool. You will also find a restaurant, which has a very nice menu, and an open air fitness hale overlooking the ocean. The Kolea Beach Club has access to the beach at A’Bay. In addition to an infinity pool and lava rock Jacuzzi, the Kolea Beach Club has a sand bottom kids pool with a waterfall which is great for toddlers, an open air fitness hale, and a shaded lounging area there.

The Kohala Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii has become known as one of the premier vacation destinations in the world.  On this coast you will find the Waikoloa Beach Resort, which has expanded and offers two hotels, over 1000 vacation rentals, shopping, and activities for everyone.  It has recently been rated “The Top Vacation Destination in Hawaii for Families”.

The cornerstone of the Waikoloa Beach Resort is the Hilton Waikoloa.  This expansive hotel spans over 62 acres and consists of four towers and two large resort style pools.  Within the hotel you will find seven dining choices.  KPC is the nicest restaurant and is located on a bluff giving an amazing ambiance.  The Kona Pool is the most popular pool and consists of multiple jacuzzis, a grotto, and a waterslide.  The Kohala Pool is comprised of two pools connected by a “lazy river”.  You will also find a few smaller slides at this pool.  Since the Hilton Waikoloa is not located on the beach, they designed a lagoon area fed by the ocean.  Enjoy water activities and snorkeling here.

The Marriott at Waikoloa Beach Resort is the other hotel and is located on the beach, A’Bay.  You will also find shopping just a short walk from the Marriott.  The Marriott was just recently renovated and features a large infinity pool and with a small slide.

If you choose to stay in a vacation rental, the Waikoloa Beach Resort has the best selection on the Big Island.  From vacation rentals as low as $100/night to luxurious beachfront rentals as high as $600/night, there is a vacation rental for everyone.  Kolea is the most luxurious destination with some of its beachfront vacation rentals spanning over 2000 square feet and just minutes from the beach.  Halii Kai offers the best views and has the nicest pool area of any vacation rental complex on the coast.

Within the Waikoloa Beach Resort is the Kings Shops and Queens Shops.  You will find dining as well as an array of boutique stores here.  The Queens Shops has a Marketplace where you can do all your grocery shopping as well as get great local food.

There is a shack at the beach, A’Bay, which has beach toy rentals as well as snorkel gear.  The Hilton Waikoloa is home to DolphinQuest, which is another popular activity for children.  Here dolphins are raised and it gives you an opportunity to get to know them better as well as have close encounters.  If you are a golfer, the Waikoloa Kings and Beach courses offer a challenging game amongst a beautiful setting.

Please contact Waikoloa Vacation Rentals at WaikoloaVRM@aol.com or (808) 987-4519 if you have any questions about the Waikoloa Beach Resort.

We added some new features to our site for Kolea at Waikoloa Beach Resort.

We added an interactive map to the home page that allows you to select Kolea rentals based on their location.  This map is fully updated to show the completion of the private homes on the lots in front of the vacation rentals.  Currently there is no construction going on at Kolea on the private lots in front of the vacation rentals at Kolea.

You can come back to this map for any updates regarding construction or updates to rentals in our program.

Kolea 10A is one of the few “front row” two bedroom villas at Kolea.  The Kolea Beach Club is a short walk from Kolea 10A.

Kolea is one of the only beachfront complexes along the Kohala Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii.  At Kolea you will find luxurious, well appointed, spacious villas.  Buildings 1-8 and 10 overlook vacant lots and private homes and offer amazing ocean and beach views.  Some of the ground floor villas offer partial ocean views.  The ground floor villas in building 8 offer ocean and beach views over the Kolea Beach Club.�
Nestled behind these buildings you will find 2 bedroom villas and smaller 3 bedroom villas.  Some of these villas offer partial ocean views, but most of them offer mountain and garden views.