Hi there...
I am new to the Forum area, but I had to jump in and talk a little about KVR....
We just had a visit to KVR (not our first and certainly not our last!) and to say the KVR is "rundown" is so untrue. Granted, it is not the 4 Seasons that is a walk away. We did walk down to the 4 Seasons and did the "sneak" into the pool. We swam for about 45 minutes and our 4 girls couldn't wait to get out and walk back to "our home". They are right next door to one another, yet a world apart.
First, if you want a "Cabana Boy" spritzing you with water throughout the day (even when it rains) then go to the 4 Seasons.....If you want friendly people calling you by your first name and having coffee and V-8 juice waiting at your breakfast table before you even get there, go to Kona Village Resort.....
Second, if you want rooms with Driect TV and free movies, then go to the 4 Seasons......If you want nights that are filled with the most amazing stars you have ever seen and sitting on the beach looking up at them and having your kids ask to stay longer, then go to KVR.......
I am not sure what the friends said is "rundown"....The only thing I saw that could use some "help" was the bathroom at Hale Samoa. It is a bit pre-dated and has a fan in the window. But come on.........Who spends there time in the bathroom at Hale Somoa??????? I am thinking really, really hard about this. We were just there for 10 days....I honestly cant think of any other places or things that were rundown.
Feel free to look at my review and the pictures I posted to my review. I have 550 more pictures of EVERYTHING at the village, so if you want pictures, I have plenty!
KVR is not for everyone, but for the people that truly enjoy the village it happens to qualify as heaven on earth! There were 7 of us there for 10 days, we had 2 hales right next door to one another and couldnt have been happier. We took our 4 daughters and they had a ball. We have our trip planned for next year already.
When we walked to 4 Seasons, even though they are owned by the same person (Michael Dell) they are worlds apart. As soon as we set foot on the property you could feel the mood shift. Lots of people with the "upity" attitude and the feel of "who has the most money". When you are at KVR, you know there is money, but the feel is not present. Its amazing how you feel with everyone. We met a couple who told me this was their 17 visit and come to find out, he was a HUGE NBA person. We had no idea and he was a nice as the person next door. He and his wife told us they started at 4 Seasons and walked the beach and ended up at KVR because of the people they met on the beach! Never a mention of rundown....Another person my 16 yr old daugher met were 2 of the girls of The Hills TV series. These are 20 yr old girls and I asked why they would pick KVR. They told me that it is quiet, secluded and away from people that think they are "cool and rich" (their words, not mine). They also said they had been coming to KVR for 4 yrs in a row....Not a mention of rundown. These were spectacular girls and so very sweet to our daughter!
I realize I am going on and on....sorry.........But when someone says that a resort is something it isn't I will add my 2 cents worth.........
Hmmmm, now thinking about it, maybe we KVR junkies should just keep quiet and keep the place to ourselves..........:)
If I were you, I would pack my bags and consider yourself luck to be a patron of KVR..........