Big Island Vacation Rental: Nanahounua Retreat

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When we were looking for a little getaway for the Big Island, we decided to do a search for Big Island Hawaii Vacation Rentals and came upon the Nanahounua Retreat. (One part of my travel planning business is to stay in rentals to see whether or not I’d recommend them to others, so expect any review of a rental to be very thorough.)

I was excited to stay there based on the pictures alone and it looked like it wasn’t far from Kona. However I was a little apprehensive after dealing with the booking agent. She seemed very nice in all of her correspondence but she just wasn’t very organized. She told me I would be receiving the final agreement and directions after I paid the final payment. I had to ask for it 3x and that was after I had to email her images of my cancelled checks showing I paid because she was never in the office when she checked her email regarding my reservation. That was a little nerve racking when your bank account is over $3000 lighter!

The drive in was a little further from Kona than anticipated, about 25 minutes away due to the traffic. There was an earthquake in October 2006 and while there’s no damage to the property, there’s damage to one of the roads leading to the property. It’s one lane and controlled by a stop light that is definitely on the slow side. There’s a beautiful white horse fence that surrounds the property and a nice stone driveway leading to the house. The house is a light pink with a large yard (rare) and a beautiful view of Kona. There were fresh flowers in the house as well as a nice welcome note. As you walk to the front door there’s a koi pond with several large koi fish and a small fountain. To the right of the koi pond are several containers of herbs you can use in your culinary adventures. As you walk into the foyer, there’s a water feature and bench. If you turn to the left, you will round into the front room with a pool table framed by a lava-esque fireplace. A pool table was a real plus for us as they are definitely a rare find in rental homes. The only problem is if you’re shooting on the end where the picture was taken, there’s a wall of breakables which makes it hard to play or you have to switch to the shortest stick. Beside that room is a formal dining room and a living room with a flat panel TV on the wall that can be angled how you choose. All the furnishings are nice and it’s obvious there have been recent renovations in most of the rooms. There are 2 bedrooms and bathroom on the first floor along with an office/computer and laundry room.

Then you get to the kitchen. It’s the one room that needs a facelift. It may not appear so from the picture but when you’re up close, the white paint is chipped and worn, the countertops could use a little updating and well, there were “friends” in the dishwasher. Now anyone who lives in the islands knows they do not tell tourists about the bug issues and I’m used to the geckos, ants and yes, the occasional roach but the dishwasher was INFESTED with roaches. I couldn’t bear to wash our dishes in there so we hand washed everything. When you’re paying $450+ per night, you expect to not have to worry about that. I am hoping that problem is rectified now.