كونا كاي سان دييغو

We had a fabulous time at Kona Kai resort in San Diego celebrating our anniversary! The Jr suite overlooking the marina and pool was beautiful! Highly recommend this location for a special get away. Scott the GM and his staff went out of their way to make it magical for us! The room was large with a balcony, sitting area, tv, comfy bed and pillows, large soaking tub with a separate shower, refrigerator and safe. Definitely would return here! 10/10

We walked in and were instructed to use the self service machine to check in, which didn’t tell us which building we were in so we assumed it was 2 since it started with 2. We then searched building 2, after no luck, we went to building one and the lobby told us that’s the building we’re in. We had 3 suitcases and were told there’s no elevator. After lugging our suitcases up the stairs, we walked into a room decorated for someone else with a cheeseboard and champagne. We called back to the desk after walking into someone else’s room and they told us to come back to the lobby. (We asked if we could know where the room is so we didn’t have to lug luggage back and forth and they were not helpful at all.) Once we got our new room, we walked into a room that looked nothing like the pictures. It also definitely was not the deluxe room we booked. The fake central AC on the wall should have been the first sign. The box unit AC was not on, so the room was boiling. Not to mention, the wallpaper peeling off the walls, moth holes in the curtains, headboards falling off beds, crusty old outdated furniture, and a single wall of cute wallpaper they use to market the place. The bathroom was extremely outdated and small. The toilet randomly starts running and there’s only one tiny sink. Absolutely no counter space. The resort is gorgeous, with less than helpful staff all around. There were no towels at the pool, so we had to ask a pool boy where to go and he led us to the fitness center. The fitness center then gave us 3 towels and said they’re still doing laundry so that’s all they had. We took the towels and headed toward the adult pool, only to realize we had to also get wristbands from the fitness center, so we walked back. We ordered drinks from the pool QR then checked with the bartender after 30 mins and they said not to use to QR since it disappears in their system. They were not apologetic, more so scolding us for doing something wrong. When we went to check out, the tv check out said unavailable. Then we used the self service checkout, which said “unable to check out”. Then we finally were able to check out with the front desk. Would absolutely not come back here unless it was with a day pass. Do not waste your money or your points.

Hotel location, cleanliness, cabana and the fire pits are great. I would be booking directly with the hotel from now on, that way you're not assigned different room and surprised with additional fees. Booked with ******* which resulted in not getting the room we picked and additional hotel charges ($95) was a surprise

This place is a train wreck of bad operations. The actual location of the hotel, and the actual rooms are fine, but something has gone off the rails and the staff can't operate a hotel. And I don't mean that in a small way. My wife and I paid extra for the room to be stocked with a few things like fresh fruit, a few drinks, and a "S'mores" kit (I thought it was funny when they offered it so I just paid for it as a surprise to my wife when we showed up, she likes chocolate). None of those things were in the room when we showed up. But it is so much worse than that. When we called the front desk 5 minutes after arriving, they couldn't provide any of those things until the following day. You know, the day after we had use for any of the snacks we wanted stocked in the room when we arrived so we didn't have to order DoorDash to our hotel. In the room, there were mysteriously no instructions on how to get onto WiFi. That was fixed by another phone call to the front desk who gave us the WiFi access point name (which wasn't the most obvious WiFi access point!!) and the WiFi password. Not a big deal (really) but just mysterious like nobody there actually can run a hotel. Or ever checked into a hotel before. Or knows anybody that has ever checked into a hotel. Or seen a hotel with binoculars from far away. Why wouldn't they put the WiFi info on the paper "card key holder" sheath like 98% of other hotels do? Why require a phone call to the front desk? The day we were going to show up, about 8 hours in advance of arrival they sent me a text message which I thought was WONDERFUL asking if there was anything they could do. And there was an error. It listed "check in time" of 4pm even though I had paid extra for an early check-in. So I responded to the text messaging thinking they were awesome for providing this additional communication channel, and... never heard back. LOL. So they pro-actively reach out and say "contact us here" but nobody actually reads the responses. In fact I sent 3 or 4 text messages to that number they suggested I text message and never heard back once, because it isn't read by any employee or human. After that I gave up and all future communication was face-to-face. Here is where it gets really bad. The card key access on the door to our room didn't work. But we walked in anyway, because the locks on the doors don't actually function. Their "failure state" is to just totally open the room to anybody who wants to come in. It's kind of a feature in this hotel because their staff doesn't know how to program a card key access to any room! Now this is not "fatal" because once you are inside the hotel room, you can flip that physical lever thingy that will defeat anybody coming into the room while you are in the room. It was perfectly safe, it just meant it was IMPOSSIBLE to lock the room when we left the room. No problem, just bring all your valuables with you to the pool, or when you leave the room for d

Overall, the resort has many great features worth noting. First, upon check-in, a cozy fireplace and a convenient water station filled with fresh fruit, welcomes you instantly as a guest. The location of Kona Kai is amazing as its close enough to the city yet far enough for some serenity. There is plenty to do onsite at the resort itself: Bike rides, bon fires, strolling, adult / kid pools, bars, spa service, shopping, movies and excellent food selections. Whether you are poolside enjoying fresh caught fish tacos with tortilla chips sipping on spicy margaritas or dining at Vessel Restaurant + Bar enjoying local seafood selections with designer drinks...you will NOT be disappointed! To be able to sit at your own private bon fire-in a marina in San Diego, California while having top-notch food and drink selections onsite is enough to say LOOK NO FURTHER IN YOUR STAY! Whether you're enjoying a romantic getaway or having an extended family vacation, the resort accommodates either experience. This time we enjoyed the couple experience, but we can't wait to bring 40+ guests with us to enjoy the resort prior to a large group cruise. The staff at Kona Kai is accommodating and welcoming on all levels as they make sure you feel like welcomed guests! Shelter Island and Kona Kai Resort location is as safe as it gets, and you'll find this out by taking a leisurely bike ride from the bikes onsite! To be completely honest, Kona Kai is a vacation within a vacation because you truly don't have to leave the resort to find what you need!

No matter your room you have a beautiful view of the bay and boats. They have a fun activity area for family and kids. Very clean. At night the fire pits are awesome and you can buy smores in lobby. The customer service is unmatched. Love the amount of pillows given.