Kona Koa Lodge

Kona Koa Eco Lodge is a wonderful place to be--the room was very nice and just what I was looking for. The bed was very comfortable and the view was really nice. The grounds of the property are quite beautiful. The entire process of booking the property, multiple questions and answers post booking (e.g., cash versus credit card, laundry service, car rental, etc) and checking in and out was excellent. When I was in Rapa Nui, the property manager was very accessible on WhatsApp. I received restaurant recommendations which proved to be excellent, I asked for a recommendation for a local guide and the guide that was recommended was a fantastic guide. I was able to rent the car from Kona Koa and they picked me up and dropped me off at the airport. The entire experience was fantastic! The location is just far enough from town to be quiet but close enough that it only takes a few minutes to get to town. Two of the restaurants that were recommended were less than 5 minutes away

The Kona Koa Lodge is a perfect accommodation on Rapa Nui. The property is outside of the main town of Hanga Roa so it feels secluded and quiet. You will hear the chickens and the dogs at times during the night or early morning, but it's all part of the ambiance -- which includes wild horses roaming nearby, island breezes, colorful flowers and a sea view. Fiji is a great host. She picked us up at the airport, pointed out several places in town and gave us her WhatsApp number in case we had any questions or needed any reservations. She did book us a show at Kari Kari Cultural Ballet, which we highly recommend. On checkout day, Fiji also gave us a ride into Hanga Roa and kept our luggage so we could have some breakfast and do our souvenir shopping. She then met us at the airport a few hours later with our suitcases. It was only my wife and I in our bungalow but with an extra loft space and futon in the living room you could easily stay with a family of 4 or 5, or with 4 adult friends. The water pressure and temperature were unexpectedly amazing -- it felt great to take a nice hot shower after a day exploring. Internet speed and stability were also surprisingly good; we were able to sustain several Facetime calls back to the US with no problems. The kitchenette has a small refrigerator and 2-burner stove (light it with the cigarette lighter, as I found out!) as well as several pots, pans, plates and glasses. We used this for morning coffee, tea and toast and it worked great. The tap water is potable, however Kona Koa also provides a small bottled water dispenser which tastes great. If you're wondering where to get your guide and if you should rent a car, just save yourself the time and stress and do both through Kona Koa. The guide they booked for us, Tai, was fantastic and great to have conversations with. She also drove the car so my wife and I could marvel at the countryside on the way to the various sites. We used the Suzuki Jimny -- which seems to be the unofficial vehicle of the island -- and it was just what you should want for this location: manual, bumpy, no-frills, fun. You'll need to stop by the one gas station on the island to fill it up before the end of your stay, but we didn't even use a whole tank over the four days we had the car. If you're reading this reasearching lodging on Easter Island, stop and look no further -- Kona Koa is the place to stay!

Our family of 3 stayed at the Kona Koa Lodge for 7 days and loved every minute of it. The Haka Honu cabin was perfect for us and we did not want to leave. Our daughter stayed in the upstairs bed and had the best views through the front windows. We had a separate bedroom that was nice for privacy with a comfortable bed, ample closet/shelves and a safe. The bathroom was spacious and had an amazing walk in shower. If you wish to prepare your own meals or breakfast, the kitchen has a small fridge, stove and plenty of dishes, glasses and cookware. The cabins are located just on the edge of town in a peaceful setting surrounded by a variety of trees and plants with beautiful flowers. The views around the property are nice and you can enjoy the sunsets from the cabin front deck without having to go anywhere. We did this most nights as it was more peaceful than venturing into town. The owner Jérôme and his daughter Fidji are excellent hosts and answered any questions we had prior to arriving. Fidji met us at the airport upon arrival and showed us around the town, assisted with purchasing park entry passes and made sure we were settled into our cabin. She checked in on us regularly to see if we needed anything and coordinated/arranged all our tours. We did 2 full day tours to visit all the popular sights as well as an additional full day north coast hike and full day Poike hike to visit the lesser visited areas. They were all amazing and highly recommend them. Their local guide Tokerau completed all these tours with us and he made it unforgettable. Very knowledgeable and showed pride in his culture and history. We were like good friends by the time we had to leave and he made our vacation much more memorable. We were enjoying the island so much we added a last minute sunrise Ahu Tongariki tour and Star Gazing tour. As the cabin is at the edge of town and we wanted to explore other areas of the island on our own, we rented Kona Koa’s Suzuki Jimny for the week. It was the perfect vehicle for us on this trip and we saw many of them while touring around. If visiting Rapa Nui, I highly recommend staying at the Kona Koa. The location was perfect and Fidji made us feel very comfortable and was always there to help if we needed anything. When we visit Rapa Nui again in the future we will definitely be staying here.