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Kepharts' Ocean-view Hale: A Home Away from Home
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Reviews
10 out of 10, Loved by Guests
Top 10% of guest reviews in this area
5 bedrooms3 bathroomsSleeps 15223.0 sq m
Popular amenities
Explore the area

Kamuela, HI
- Place, Pua Mau Place Arboretum8 min drive
- Place, Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area14 min drive
- Place, Mauna Kea Beach17 min drive
- Airport, Kailua-Kona, HI (KOA-Kona Intl.)45 min drive
Rooms & beds
5 bedrooms (sleeps 15)
Bedroom 1
1 Double Futon and 1 King Bed
Bedroom 2
1 Double Futon and 1 Queen Bed
Bedroom 3
1 Queen Bed
Bedroom 4
1 Queen Bed and 1 Crib
Bedroom 5
1 Queen Bed and 1 Double Futon
3 bathrooms
Bathroom 1
Bathtub or shower · Toilet
Bathroom 2
Bathtub or shower · Toilet
Bathroom 3
Bathtub or shower · Toilet
Spaces
Deck or patio
Kitchen
Garden
Dining area
About this property
Kepharts' Ocean-view Hale: A Home Away from Home
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House Rules
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events (including family gatherings, birthday parties and weddings) are allowed on site. Maximum attendees: 30
Note from host: Clear with owners. No sound systems allowed.
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock
Property Registration Number GE-209-208-6258-01, TA-209-208-6285-01
About the area
Kamuela
Located in Kohala Estates, a neighbourhood in Kamuela, this holiday home is in a rural area and by the sea. While the natural beauty of Mauna Kea Beach and Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area can be enjoyed by anyone, those looking for an activity can explore Mauna Lani Resort Golf Course.
Consider Anna Ranch Heritage Center for a night out or Pua Mau Place Botanic & Sculpture Garden if you're travelling with kids. Discover the area's water adventures with jet skiing and kayaking nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with hunting and hiking.

Kamuela, HI
What's nearby
- Pua Mau Place Arboretum - 8 min drive - 2.7 km
- Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area - 14 min drive - 13.2 km
- Mauna Kea Beach - 17 min drive - 13.2 km
- Mauna Lani Resort Golf Course - 25 min drive - 25.7 km
- Mauna Lani Beach - 29 min drive - 27.6 km
Getting around
Restaurants
- Ikena Landing - 17 min drive
- Copper Bar - 17 min drive
- Mauna Kea Cafe & Market - 16 min drive
- Manta & Pavilion Wine Bar - 16 min drive
- Hau Tree - 17 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Reviews
10
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window9.4/10
Cleanliness
10/10
Check-in
10/10
Communication
10/10
Location
10/10
Listing accuracy
Reviews
Verified
2 Apr 2026
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 30 nights in Mar 2026
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Meghan D.
21 Jan 2026
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Meghan D.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2026
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Stephanie S.
10 Aug 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Home Away From Home

Stephanie S.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2025
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Marion and Jesse L.
17 Jan 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
A wonderful stay!
Marion and Jesse L.
Stayed 8 nights in Jan 2025
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Colin O.
1 Jan 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The Kepharts are great hosts.
Colin O.
Stayed 14 nights in Dec 2024
Verified
10/10 Excellent
chris w.
1 Jan 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Wonderful Location
chris w.
Stayed 10 nights in Dec 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
WILLIAM L.
22 Jan 2023
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Comfortable and enjoyable stay
WILLIAM L.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Ann T.
8 May 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Second time was just as good as first
Ann T.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2025
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Bonnie B.
23 July 2022
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful Home
Bonnie B.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Teresa C.
12 Oct 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great place for Family Gathering
Teresa C.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2024
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Bonnie B.
17 Apr 2023
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful Home Excellent Hosts
Bonnie B.
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Sean K.
13 June 2021
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Loved our stay here
Sean K.
Stayed 8 nights in Jun 2021
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Kenneth R.
10 Jan 2023
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Grand escape
Kenneth R.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Sascha B.
2 Oct 2023
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great house!
Sascha B.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
joe u.
10 Aug 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Panoramic and Relaxing
joe u.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2024
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Tamara M.
12 Oct 2023
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great home base
Tamara M.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Davi M.
17 June 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great family vacation
Davi M.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2024
Verified
10/10 Excellent
John E.
5 Apr 2018
Perfect family vacation home
John E.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2018
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Monica K.
4 Sept 2023
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Family vacation
Monica K.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Amanda P.
9 Aug 2022
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great home for large group
Amanda P.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Jeffry Stephen B.
22 Feb 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Kephart's Hale
Jeffry Stephen B.
Stayed 8 nights in Feb 2024
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Jeanne L.
4 Jan 2023
Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful views
Jeanne L.
Stayed 11 nights in Dec 2022
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Susan H.
31 Dec 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Christmas family reunion
Susan H.
Stayed 10 nights in Dec 2024
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Kathleen E.
7 Oct 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
A week in paradise
Kathleen E.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2024
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Robert M.
8 Nov 2022
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Kohala Estates
Robert M.
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2022
About the host
Hosted by Kerrill or Don
Don grew up in California, earned his B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University, and his PhD in biology from the University of Chicago. Kerrill moved to California from Michigan. She earned a B.A. from Eastern Michigan University and an M.A. in English literature from California State University in Long Beach. We both finished our teaching careers at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where we were able to teach the subjects we loved to students who made us laugh and think every day we spent with them.
We built Hale Kephart in 1989 during nine weeks of our summer vacation with the help of family and friends. We enjoyed staying in the house during spring, winter, and summer breaks for 14 years. Then we retired and built our current residence on the same five acres as the vacation rental and thus began another chapter in our lives.
Hawaii is our home now, and we cannot imagine wanting to live anywhere else. We love the climate, the dark and quiet nights, the fresh air, the ever-changing views of ocean, mountains, and sky. We have embraced the aloha spirit and the whole concept of ohana.
We also love the people. We have made friends from many walks of life; each one of them has enriched our lives in some meaningful way. Some of them have been guests at our vacation rental who kept coming back until our relationship metamorphosed into a deep friendship. Others we met while writing articles for the local newspaper or playing tennis at Mauna Kea's Seaside Tennis Club. Most we met through other friends.
Our lives have developed a rhythm to them that is both interesting and comfortable. Every year we take at least one trip to the mainland to touch bases with friends and family. We have enjoyed sojourns in Alaska, Australia, New England, Washington D.C, New Zealand, Micronesia, the Pacific Northwest., the Galapagos, Europe, and the Pacific Southwest. We have seen spectacular places and had breathtaking experiences, but we are always glad to come home.
We built Hale Kephart in 1989 during nine weeks of our summer vacation with the help of family and friends. We enjoyed staying in the house during spring, winter, and summer breaks for 14 years. Then we retired and built our current residence on the same five acres as the vacation rental and thus began another chapter in our lives.
Hawaii is our home now, and we cannot imagine wanting to live anywhere else. We love the climate, the dark and quiet nights, the fresh air, the ever-changing views of ocean, mountains, and sky. We have embraced the aloha spirit and the whole concept of ohana.
We also love the people. We have made friends from many walks of life; each one of them has enriched our lives in some meaningful way. Some of them have been guests at our vacation rental who kept coming back until our relationship metamorphosed into a deep friendship. Others we met while writing articles for the local newspaper or playing tennis at Mauna Kea's Seaside Tennis Club. Most we met through other friends.
Our lives have developed a rhythm to them that is both interesting and comfortable. Every year we take at least one trip to the mainland to touch bases with friends and family. We have enjoyed sojourns in Alaska, Australia, New England, Washington D.C, New Zealand, Micronesia, the Pacific Northwest., the Galapagos, Europe, and the Pacific Southwest. We have seen spectacular places and had breathtaking experiences, but we are always glad to come home.
Why they chose this property
Our son taught high-school mathematics for a year in Kona. We came out during spring break to see him and to see the Big Island--the only major Hawaiian island we had not visited. We fell in love with the spaciousness and the diversity of the island and kept finding ourselves drawn to Hapuna Beach, which is six miles south of us.
A few years later we came back and stayed at Puako. We began looking for property. Kerrill kept coming back to a windswept, almost barren piece of land on a hillside in the Kohala Estates. Don finally said, "If you can find anything green on that lot, I'll consider buying it with you." We are not sure that we ever did find anything green--only sere buffle grass and dead kiawe trees. But we kept coming back because the view was better than anywhere else we had looked. And, finally, the land spoke to Don, too, and we put in an offer.
We've never regretted it. We enjoyed the vacation rental for 14 years and then built our retirement home behind it on the same lot.
When we are not traveling or maintaining the property, we enjoy reading and writing--we have a library of close to 14,000 books. Don does woodworking, builds model wooden ships, makes and shoots off rockets, hunts feral goats and pigs, makes knives, and enjoys photography. Kerrill enjoys tennis and gardening.
A few years later we came back and stayed at Puako. We began looking for property. Kerrill kept coming back to a windswept, almost barren piece of land on a hillside in the Kohala Estates. Don finally said, "If you can find anything green on that lot, I'll consider buying it with you." We are not sure that we ever did find anything green--only sere buffle grass and dead kiawe trees. But we kept coming back because the view was better than anywhere else we had looked. And, finally, the land spoke to Don, too, and we put in an offer.
We've never regretted it. We enjoyed the vacation rental for 14 years and then built our retirement home behind it on the same lot.
When we are not traveling or maintaining the property, we enjoy reading and writing--we have a library of close to 14,000 books. Don does woodworking, builds model wooden ships, makes and shoots off rockets, hunts feral goats and pigs, makes knives, and enjoys photography. Kerrill enjoys tennis and gardening.
What makes this property unique
The unique benefits are self-explanatory to anyone who has visited our property. It enjoys an ideal location and an especially beautiful view. It is in a quiet neighborhood, one that so far has been so safe that most of our neighbors don't bother to lock their homes and cars. Besides, where else can you watch whales breaching against the backdrop of a full-sky sunset from your own front porch?
When we return to the mainland--as much as we enjoy seeing family and friends and taking in some of what it has to offer (theater, museums, specialty stores, national parks, restaurants, swap meets, etc.)--we soon become a little homesick. We especially appreciate the lower population density here. A traffic jam here would be considered a mild slowdown in most parts of Southern California.
When we are away we find ourselves missing the raucous calls of the gray francolins in the mornings, the trade winds blowing (sometimes gusting) through our palm trees and making their clattering fronds sound like falling rain, the panoramic and ever-changing vista that our eyes drink in as we look in any direction. We miss the fragrance of plumerias and gardenias, the bright and gaudy colors of the hibiscus and plumbagos and poincianas. We miss the fresh and soft air. We even miss the physical labor that it takes to keep up two houses and five acres of land.
We like to think that we have been here long enough now to consider ourselves kama'aina even though we weren't born here.
When we return to the mainland--as much as we enjoy seeing family and friends and taking in some of what it has to offer (theater, museums, specialty stores, national parks, restaurants, swap meets, etc.)--we soon become a little homesick. We especially appreciate the lower population density here. A traffic jam here would be considered a mild slowdown in most parts of Southern California.
When we are away we find ourselves missing the raucous calls of the gray francolins in the mornings, the trade winds blowing (sometimes gusting) through our palm trees and making their clattering fronds sound like falling rain, the panoramic and ever-changing vista that our eyes drink in as we look in any direction. We miss the fragrance of plumerias and gardenias, the bright and gaudy colors of the hibiscus and plumbagos and poincianas. We miss the fresh and soft air. We even miss the physical labor that it takes to keep up two houses and five acres of land.
We like to think that we have been here long enough now to consider ourselves kama'aina even though we weren't born here.
Languages:
English
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