How Did I Get To Kona?

June 20, 2017

Posted by: cassiekotchnik

Category: Kona

Kona Reef, How Did We Get Here?

Have you ever been to a place where your soul just says “ahhh”?

My friends, Kona is that place for us! We first visited Kona Hawaii after our youngest daughter, Brandi graduated high school. It was almost fate that brought us to this particular island. Brandi’s best friend since middle school, Lincoln Quinn Makanakai Shipman- Ahlo (or as I called him “Aloha”) was born there and lived on this beautiful island until age 5. He is the nicest, most genuine guy and his parents Maureen, a southern California girl and his father, Lincoln, a Kona native decided with us that this would be a grand way to celebrate our kid’s achievements!

Four of us, Brandi, her sister Danni, my husband Rusty and myself were in for an incredible trip. Little did we know, a few short years later we would be able to purchase a little piece of this paradise!

Through friends of Maureen and Lincoln we rented a condo at The Kona Reef. This was base camp for us. In the coming week we would visit many places including taking a round trip tour of the entire island! It was such a memorable vacation and extremely comfortable thanks to the Kona Reef!

Kona Reef

Let me tell you a little about it. The Kona Reef has 130 units, mostly 1 bedroom. We were lucky enough to stay in an oceanfront unit in the “A building”. If you like to relax with the sounds of the ocean waves then this is for you! Open the sliding glass door step out onto the comfortable lanai and there it is: the ocean with all its beauty and grandeur!

We felt so at home we quickly fell into a routine. My husband and I would get up early – still being on California time and let the kids sleep.

We would walk a few short minutes into town and enjoy a mocha or Kona coffee at any of the wonderful cafes in Kona town. By the time we walked back, the kids were up and ready to go! We spent days exploring the island, evenings cooking dinner at the poolside bar-b-ques and enjoyed the amazing sunsets and the Jacuzzi until we fell asleep feeling complete and so relaxed.

Since that first trip, we have visited Kona many times. All but once we stayed at The Kona Reef. We spent a couple trips with real estate agents touring the various properties available for sale but always came “home” to The Kona Reef. And so the real search began.

When we purchased condo B31

In September of 2015, we were able to purchase Kona Reef B31! Having been built in the 1980s, this unit had not seen any renovations. We got there on a hot September evening and immediately started demolition. First was the installation of a zone air-conditioning system. This way the entire condo will be cool! We picked finishes, flooring and furniture that we would want to live with. We tore out the old cast iron bathtub and replaced it with a beautiful walk-in shower. There was some street noise so we installed triple pane windows, now it’s not even noticeable with the windows closed.

I love to cook, so I made sure the kitchen had everything I would want to make delicious meals. Every inch of this condo was remodeled. We love it! It began renting in January of 2016. Our guests truly loved the attention to detail and the sheer comfort of our condo. Not to mention – you’re in paradise!

The day we purchased condo A35

In August of 2016 we purchased Kona Reef A35. Absolute, direct ocean front! Although this unit had some upgrades, we decided to re-do the entire condo like we had done with B31. The AC, porcelain tile, granite kitchen counter and Cal-King bed – all the trimmings that make B31 so fantastic now in an oceanfront condo! The colors are a little different but the intent is the same – let’s make this a comfortable and classy condo. Our first guests arrived in November and we have gotten rave reviews!

We pride ourselves in making our guests happy. A couple suggested reading lamps in the bedroom so on this last trip – we installed them in both condos! We are always trying to improve! Helping people enjoy The Kona Reef and The Big Island of Hawaii is our goal. We hope you visit soon!

cassiekotchnik