What I like best about our visits to Hawaii is going out onto the lanai an hour and a half before sunrise, sitting in the dark with a pair of binoculars, drinking coffee, and watching the world gradually get light. I see the moon laying a shimmering strip of silver across the blue-black sea; lights from planes, ferries, and an occasional cruise ship; even tiny lights on outrigger canoes; I hear the big waves exploding against the rocks below. Once the sun comes up, I sight an occasional humpback whale. And I remember why I'm there. Fifty extra degrees of Fahrenheit helps, too. For all this, there is no place better than Hale Kona Kai. We had a little trouble at the start: couldn't open the lock box to get our key. However, after we made a phone call, Ryan the property manager and handyman rushed right over and extracted our keys for us. The next day he re-attached some wires in the back of the TV, so we could watch in the living room as well as the bedroom. He was very friendly as well as knowledgeable and efficient. All in all, we had a wonderful week in Kona.