My name is Bruno, I am brazilian an just qualified for Ironman Hawaii in October. I am working in Washington DC for the World Bank until September 19th and after that I am planing to head to Hawaii and spend the time left training for the race.
I would to know if anyone knows about a cheap place to stay or even if someone is open to offer his/her sofa!! :o)
Any info about Kona (e.g places to ride, run, swim, eat… ) would be much appreciate. It will be my first time there and I am kind of lost!!
Try www.KonaHawaii.com this is a rental management company here in Kona. You will see wide variety on possiblities. Try to stay close to the pier to avoid traffic on the days leading up to the race as well as race day.
I am in the royal kona. I have a girlfriend coming in friday before the race. I also have 2-3 people that said “maybe” they’d come and “maybe” they need a place to stay. But so far I am alone in my room for a week
Nice…
How close is this place to the Pier, do you know?
I may try to reserve a room for myself and family for the race week and before that we could share a room to save some money!!
How does it sound to you?
Do have the hotel contact info?
Thanks a bunch!
Peace,
Bruno
I know of someone who has an seperate room in their home, about a mile from The Pier, with some cooking facilities and laundry machine, for a decent price per night. PM me while I try to find that information. Where Marisol is staying is about 1/2 mile from The Pier, easy walking and close to everything IM related.
Try www.vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner). I found a condo for less than some of the agencies by dealing directly with the owner. Will be arriving Monday before the race and will be up for some short training rides or runs. andrew
Is it possible to find spur of the moment lodging if one just wanted to fly over and watch the event?
I’ve been at the Kona Seaside and King Kam hotels during race week and have seen people walk up to the front desk with no reservation and get a room. Seaside gets no shows…someone books a room far in advance then doesn’t qualify or volunteer, but doesn’t bother to cancel the reservation. Can’t promise this will happen to you, but my husband has said he’s seen it the last three years we’ve stayed at the Kona Seaside. There are always condo and timeshare rentals available down Alii Drive in Keauhou because most people don’t want to stay 5-6 miles away. FYI, the old Kona Surf, now the now Sheraton Keauhou Resort and Spa, has reopened.
Any info about Kona (e.g places to ride, run, swim, eat… ) would be much appreciate. It will be my first time there and I am kind of lost!!
The place to swim is at The Pier in the morning. THE place to see and be seen. Also, there is a great pool a half mile away, free. There is a good masters group but also lots of free swim time all day. It’s where most of the top guns go to really train and get away from the circus-like atmosphere that The Pier takes on race week.
Running and biking, you have to do segments of the race over a number of days. The only place you will not have access to is OTEC/The Natural Energy Lab. That two mile road is not open for public access leading up to race time.
Eating…depends on your diet. There is a good natural food grocery store in town that has a good deli/take out counter inside. It’s next to Safeway and Subway (and Cold Stone’s :-)). There are three main grocery stores in town, and one more in Keauhou, and lots of little coffee places and restaurants. For anyone reading this who is renting a condo and has a car, there is a Costco between the airport and town. My favorite grocery store is KTA. Best prices and quality, they try to get as much of their produce locally as they can. Safeway is okay but expensive, Sack 'N Save varies in consistency but the prices are decent. There is an outdoor market open Wednesday to Sunday on Alii Drive, a farmers market right in the middle of town across from where the expo will be, and another farmers market in the Old Industrial area, all three easy to bike to.
Hey Bruno, this is Tai who you emailed earlier. Hope you find something, sorry no new lines on a place for you to stay. Did you ever get a hold of Raul Boca?? Did I tell you to try the Kona Bali Kai?? Big rooms for a pretty decent price 3 miles from teh pier or so but still $150 a night or so. Good luck.
Hi Mom, Is that on a corner plot with parking? I seem to recall a very good one with a small seated area inside to eat from thier canteen style dishes and some internet access, although I could be getting muddled with a simular one in Lahaina.