Keauhou Kona Surf and Racquet Club Resort - Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii - Oceanfront Condominiums on the Kona Coast

The Keauhou Kona Surf and Racquet Club is unlike most condominium properties offering visitor accommodations on the Big Island. It is not a timeshare. Instead, all of the units are privately owned. In fact, only a few of the condos here are not owner-occupied, so the people seen on the tennis courts or lounging beside the pool are more likely to be local residents than visiting tourists.

Of the eleven units listed for use here by Aloha Condos, Inc., the property manager, six are condo-apartments and five are two-story townhomes. Almost all of them face the Pacific Ocean from the rocky shore of the complex, although one condo overlooks the golf course at neighboring Kona Country Club, while one townhome has a beach view.

All of the units available have two bedrooms. Some can accommodate up to six or seven guests, although the majority are approved for occupancy by no more than four persons. A few are air-conditioned, but the majority are cooled by ceiling fans. Full kitchens, A/V equipped living rooms, independent dining areas, in-unit washer/dryers and private lanais come standard.

The common-use facilities of the Keauhou Kona Surf and Racquet Club include a lap-worthy pool with a shallow area for children, a lounge deck furnished with reclining chairs, a shady cabana and outdoor barbecue areas. The grounds are landscaped with tropical gardens and flowers, manicured green lawns and decorative volcanic rock, inviting morning strolls around the grounds. There are three lighted tennis courts for use day and night, too; guests are expected to bring their own equipment.

The resort's shoreline is rugged and not suitable for aquatic activities, but Turtle Beach is just a short walk from the resort and the snorkeling and swimming there is excellent. Also nearby are the numerous shops of the Keauhou Shopping Village Shopping Center. And guests may wish to play a round or two on the fairways of Kona Country Club, just next door. Day trips from here to such popular local sites as Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are easily arranged.

Because the units here are not timeshares, each of the condos has an assigned person who lives nearby who can help out with any problems that come up during a guest's stay. The necessary contact information for this person is included with the check-in instructions.

The Keauhou Kona Surf and Racquet Club is located at 78-6800 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740. It is just 12 miles from the Keahole-Kona International Airport and 4.5 miles south of the Kailua-Kona town center. From the airport, take the Queen Kaahumanu Highway (State Route 19) south to State Highway 11. Continue to Palani Road and turn right. It will become Alii Drive. Continue on Alii Drive to the resort, which is located on the ocean side of the road, just before the Kona Country Club. Uncovered parking is available for free; renting a car at the airport is recommended.