We stayed at Kolea and found a room [...] at what was a decent rate. This property is a condo - each unit is different in many respects, but all are quite nice. We had family and friends staying in three other units as well.This place is super-posh and compared to hotels it is really hard to say it isn't an excellent value, even if it isn't inexpensive. Check-in was a bit esoteric - We needed to pick up the keys from a management company tucked away at Kings' Mall. They closed before our arrival, but my sister was able to get the keys. There is a lock box, but we would have had no idea as to the combination without calling someone. It would be nice if the check-in procedure were better communicated.I've said the most important thing about a room when traveling is that it has a decent shower and I get a good night's sleep. The shower was very good - HUGE, marble, plenty of water pressure. The pillow-top king-sized bed (Simmons Beautyrest) in the master suite, on the other hand, was a bit too soft for my liking, and the pillows a bit too firm. My sister's unit had a very firm (too firm for them) queen bed. The other critical factor in a good night's sleep is climate control. Our a/c unit struck me as over matched for our two-bedroom unit. It would get too warm, then blow icy air, then get too warm again. We slept best with it set at 74. The ideal solution would probably be to set it at 68 degrees and pile on the covers, but that isn't very eco-friendly, and there weren't any extra blankets in the unit. A good climate control system should be almost invisible, this one was quite apparent. We did try a couple nights with the windows open, but it was just too warm and a bit noisy with the sprinklers cycling at night and travelers in neighboring units setting out for golf at 5:30 a.m.Everything about Kolea is very high quality, almost to excess - the appliances are Viking or high-end KitchenAid and apparently hardly ever used. We did use the toaster oven and we grilled on the lanai every other night. I, for one, was disturbed by the excess: lavish African Mahogany cabinetry and trim (having traveled extensively in West and Central Africa, I doubt it was FSC certified), overly complicated lighting systems, spare refrigerators on the lanais, lush landscaping on the desert side of the island, etc. It seems the place could have a bit more conscience and still be just as nice. Our unit was listed on Orbitz as having dial-up (using guest's service!) Internet. There was a router in our unit, but apparently service had been discontinued. This didn't matter as we were able to select from several unsecured wi-fi offerings from our neighbors. The grounds are very well-maintained and there are some shops and restaurants within walking distance. Our daughter really enjoyed the hula lessons and hula shows at the Queens' Market which was a nice ten minute walk from our unit.Restaurants at Queens' and Kings' are decent. We found the Merriman's acceptable for salads only, and Sensei a decent value if you get the early-bird special. We also enjoyed getting away for lunch and found the seafood very good at Cafe Pesto, a few miles up the beach. The wine list at Sensei was decent, and there is a lot of good wine available on the island at the Gourmet Market at Queens' and at an excellent wine shop in Kailua-Kona across from Target.The Kolea pool was really nice, maybe a bit small, but it was never very crowded. The water temperature was fine and the chlorine wasn't oppressive. The beach is a short walk from the pool, though we weren't that impressed by A-Bay. When we first arrived, the water was quite green with lots of algae (phosphorus run-off from the landscaping?) but after a nice storm it cleared out a bit. For swimming it is risky as there are a lot of coral in the sand making it too easy to cut your foot. Snorkeling was decent, but the water was a bit cloudy.Highway access is excellent, and getting to/from the a...
