Aeolian Ranch 73-4645 Old Mamalahoa Highway, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

"Not your pressed sheets nor shiny porcelain at Marriott but Cana is a sweetheart. Especially if you take off your shoes before she asks."

"I was very happy with my stay for the price! The room was clean and comfortable with gorgeous views. The bathrooms are shared along with common areas (including a kitchen!). Thomas and Kana were both kind and welcoming."

"What a splendid way to enjoy authentic simple communal living! Get away from it all part way up the mountain where the temperatures are 10-15° cooler. The ranch is gated but unlocked, so you can get out of the car and open it, then get back in and drive through. Just be sure to close it afterwards, but don’t lock it. The communal nature was enhanced by being made to remove our shoes in favor of house slippers to be worn in the rooms, hallways, and communal kitchen, shower, and bathroom. The communal shower and separate bathroom were right across the hallway from our room, as was the unenclosed sink. One thing though, there are many small steps between the areas, and our room was a fairly large step down from the hallway, so one could easily forget about that and stumble upon entering. One doesn’t go to Hawaii to watch tv, so the lack of a tv in the room is no problem. There is Wi-Fi though, so one can search online for restaurants that deliver. There are no meal options here. Do not be fooled if you see references to this online or along the way as a “Bed and Breakfast.” There is no breakfast aside from a Keurig and breakfast bars. In that way this is more like a rustic commune or rustic hostel than a bed and breakfast or certainly a hotel. The owners were very friendly, and their emailed directions were very concise. Only two stars though, because our room wasn’t ready at 6pm after we had traveled 18 hours to get here."

"This was a cute home with beautiful ocean views. It's more of a hostel accommodation than a hotel, the common area and bathrooms are shared between 3 rooms. The room with a king bed was spacious, comfortable, and had lovely windows. The bathroom was not great, somewhat dirty and outdated. For the price, I expected a nicer bathroom situation."

"We were really disappointed with this place, especially as Thomas and Kana were so lovely to us when we checked in. After the first time finding the location it was very easy to get to. It's a hostel or "live with the locals" kind of place, which we didn't know or understand from the description when we booked. The bedrooms are off the public areas which are also the hosts' living space. The hosts' bedroom is in another wing of the house near where the second available toilet, shower and sink are. The bed was really uncomfortable - the mattress is long past time to replace. One of the bathrooms was extremely filthy. We really overpaid for what we got - over $150/night after taxes for an uncomfortable bed and dirty shared bathroom. This has the potential to be a very charming place to stay, but as it is I can't recommend it."