Day 2 at KVR

My friend Nancy arrived on schedule last night, long day of travel from Brooklyn. We woke to a gorgeous Hawaii sunrise, our beachfront hale is deeply appreciated. Breakfast on lanai. Coffee here is excellent (Kona, right?!) but no decaffeinated tea other than herbal/fruit available which is weird. Decaf coffee not a problem. Breakfast edible.

Nancy has gone off on a walking tour of Kailua-Kona. I’m hanging out on the lanai appreciating blue water, white surf and ocean sighing ebb and flow. I keep meaning to read but the view keeps drawing me away from the book.

Hard product continues impressive. Service continues to stutter in obvious ways. Temp control un-glitched and working fine. Found the laundry bag. Asked housekeeping for duvet under sheets.

Late dinner at Moana last night was excellent which is good since it was very pricy indeed. I glass wine, 1 cocktail, one starter, one salad, one entree — $173 plus tip. Grilled ono, Dungeness salad, abalone starter, wine, cocktails. Service was grudging. In contrast room service has been warm and sweet. Very few diners in the large restaurant. Live music was too loud. Tonight we’ll try the other restaurant.

Due to the sprawling size of the resort, it’s difficult to get an accurate read on occupancy. Demographics clump into under 40 and over 60. Quite a few family groups, some with small children. There are six sun loungers on the sand in front of our lanai; all unoccupied during our tenure

A noticeable proportion of service workers are Spanish speakers from Mexico. Google reveals there is a sizable community of Mexican-Americans and Mexicans in the Hawaiian hospitality service sector and farm work. The current Director (and VP) came over in January from Rosewood Mayakoba. His resort manager also came over from Mayakoba. Housekeeper did not speak English but I’m fluent in Spanish so we had a nice chat. Very sweet young woman.

Housekeeping did not arrive until 3pm which made the succeeding turndown service at 5:30 oddly funny.

Golf cart shuttle drivers/valets easy going, competent and responsive. Have never waited longer than five minutes for pickup. We are some distance from the center of things.

Hale very private. Occasional beach walkers pass by. Keeping my clothes on. The immediate waterside is volcanic rock so no entry into the water. There is a small sand beach elsewhere. Two pools — one family, one adult. No to overstate the case but this is perfect oceanside bliss out venue.

Getting ice proving to be an issue.

No Toto washlet in hale. Moana restaurant has Toto toilets but they are not washlets. It’s not uncommon for upscale venues to deploy washlets in their higher-end accommodations.

There are many entry level and second level accommodations.

Herewith my rate details:

RATE DESCRIPTION:

Elite Discover More
WHAT'S INCLUDED
-Luxurious accommodations
-Upgrade at the time of arrival, subject to availability
-Welcome amenity
-Daily breakfast for two at Moana restaurant, In Room Dining, or Kahuwai Market up to an amount of USD75 per registered person
-USD 100 hotel credit once per stay
-OR - USD 500 hotel credit once per stay when staying 3 nights or more in a multi-room Kauhale
-Additional one-time USD 150 hotel credit
-Complimentary wireless Internet access
-Early check-in / late check-out is subject to availability on the day of arrival/departure
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Offer extended exclusively to our Elite partners and is subject to change and availability at the time of booking; black-out dates may apply. Credit cannot be used towards room and tax. No refunds on the unused portion. Offer not combinable with groups or corporate negotiated rates. Rates are based on single/double occupancy per night and may vary by arrival date, room type, and/or length of stay. Rates exclude applicable tax, service, and surcharges.