This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
10/10 Excellent
Anna-Maria P., Corvallis, Oregon
4 Apr 2015
Easy Family Spring Break Week
Our party of five (parents, two college kids, and one of their friends) stayed at this Puako condo for a fun spring break trip that didn't break the bank. The condo decor is island style without being kitschy and was very clean and comfortable. We did not use the AC and were comfortable with the sea breezes and the fans moving air through. For a group with different abilities and interests, the location is perfect. My husband and I liked to get up early while it was still cool and go for a walk or an early snorkel (the snorkelling at the end of Puako Beach Drive was amazing -- we saw turtles, a manta ray, and a multitude of varieties of coral and tropical fish). We would come back to the condo for breakfast and pack up a picnic lunch and head out to a sandy beach where the younger set could boogie board, etc. (Puako Bay is mostly lined with lava tide pools.) Hapuna, Beach 69 and Mauna Kea Beach all within 5-15 minutes drive. Beach towels, four folding beach chairs, a small cooler, four boogie boards, two beach hats were all provided by the condo, stored in the study. Sometimes we picked up sandwiches from the general store next door, which also had a used book exchange and good rental DVDs. One morning we walked along the beach trail that starts at the end of Puako Beach Drive and in fifteen minutes were eating breakfast at the outdoor restaurant at the Fairmount Orchid resort. The trail to the Petroglyphs is close by the same resort. One nonbeach day we drove to Waimea for lunch at Pau restaurant and then north along the Kohalo ridgeline and on to the end of the north shore road to hike down into the beautiful Eden-like Pohulu Valley. Shaved ice in Hawi on the way home along the coast. One evening we drove 10 minutes south to wander around the ancient Hawaiian fishponds on the Mauna Lani resort grounds and had a big splurge dinner at the Napua restaurant overlooking the beach there. A week sped by. We liked the condo option over staying at a fancy resort; it was more affordable, we could do our own cooking when we wanted to, and it felt more "real" to be in a small beach community. The large front bedroom with access to the lanai and ocean view is the best. The condo is delightful and we highly recommend it. We rented snorkel gear for the week from Snorkel Bob's at the Mauna Lani shopping area and did our main food shopping at the Foodland there; take the turn off Hwy 19 toward the Mauna Lani resort (the last turn before the Puako exit).
