We had a great time at the Golf Villas. My family of four (6 and 10 yr. old) stayed at J1, a 2 bedroom condo and could not be happier. This was our third time on the Big Island; the first two we stayed at the Palm Villas. Although the Golf Villas lacked the interesting lava cave-lined path to the beach, we found that it was way quieter and the people more family friendly. We loved the beach club and spent many lazy days there. On our first two days, there was a pod of dolphins that hung around just at the ocean break. I rented a stand-up paddle board and we watched the dolphins jump out and play tricks.
The snorkeling at this beach is unparalleled, even comparing it to the Place of Refuge, which is suppose to be spectacular. What I love is how we can walk from the club through ancient fish ponds toward the Mauna Lani Resort where lots of lots of giant sea turtles laze about in the sun.
The beach club restaurant changed owners and it's a bit pricey. Better to buy your lunch at Foodland and bring it down. Oh and make sure to come early in the morning so you can get a cabana seat or beach chairs. If you come later, you'll just have to sit on the sand or the grass, which is okay too if you don't mind that.
We have booked our Hawaii (Maui and BI) condos through www.vrbo.com and have always been pleased. Make sure to pay only by credit card and seek liberal refund policy. One year we had our trip cancelled due to a snow storm but the condo owner gladly credited us the unused days for a March trip we took the following year.

we usually stay at hotels but since we have the entire family, we decided to rent a villa at Mauna Lani golf villas. I can honestly say that this was the most relaxing vacation that I've ever been on! we stayed at C2-it's 3 br 3 baths so everyone gets their own room. Upgraded kitchen, large lanai for dining (plus grill), and spectacular view of golf course. Oh there''s also a den with 2 desk and free internet. The owners Rick & Kim provided lots of 'extras' for their guests to use: children's books, dvds, toys. And for adults: dvd, books, 2 bikes, snorkel gear and much more. There's a fitness room and pool but we never used it.

The entire Mauna lani area is quiet and upscale-I like the fact that you don't bump into many people so you really feel like you're getting away from it all. The use of teh private beach club is awesome too. Calm water, grat for kids and snorkeling.

I can't wait to go back to BI and stay at C2 at Mauna Lani. Totally recommend it!

maunalanigolfvilla.com

we rented townhouse C2 direct from the owners on VRBO and could not have been happier. The house was beautiful, clean, comfy, big screen and several flat screens. All the accessories we could have needed. The owners were great, very helpful and very easy to deal with. My husband and I had our own room with cal-king bed, our teenage son had his own room. Use and parking at the private beach club-which is probably one of the best places to snorkel and relax anywhere in the islands. I don't see us ever staying in a hotel again when we can have so much room to spread out for less than what we would pay for one room at a hotel.

Found the condo #O23 on VRBO. We were looking for 3 BR in the Mauna Lani area, and wanted to use the Beach Club. The 3rd BR is actually a loft, but was fine. The nightly price was good, but the cleaning fee ($199) was a lot for 3 nights! There were a couple surprises with the condo. First, it is all upstairs, and the lanai is small and doesn't have a BBQ like most of them do. However, the public BBQ is across the street near the pool, so it wasn't really a problem-just not what I expected. There were only 4 beach towels for 6 of us, and a few beach toys/chairs in the garage for use. The condo was beautifully decorated, and we enjoyed our stay there. The kitchen had some spices and condiments left by others, which was handy. The snorkeling at the Beach Club was fabulous! It was nice to be able to get drinks or food right there also. Foodland at the Shops at Mauna Lani was very convenient for groceries, and not too expensive. This is a very dark, quiet area, and the stars at night are amazing!