I just returned from a too-short three day vacation at a vacation rental in Kapoho Beach Lots on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kapoho Beach Lots is a private gated community a few hundred feet south of the Highways 132 and 137 intersection on 137. In order to get in the subdivision you have to go in a gate which is watched by a security guard - no one can get in unless they live there, are invited, or are renting a house - which keeps the neighborhood very quiet.

Most of the houses in the subdivision have an ocean view of Kapoho Bay and at least 75% of the houses have salt water ponds. These ponds are amazing and so much better than swimming pools! Some residents have put japanese gardens and bridges and rockwalls all around the ponds which make them incredibly picturesque. One man has turned most of his yard into ponds and raises Ulua (large Jack Trevally fish which are prized among shore fisherpeople on the island for their size and good eating) as pets. Every afternoon he goes out and feeds his ulua, sometimes drawing quite a crowd. Many other residents have rainbow fish and large sea turtles in their ponds.

The house we stayed in was a two bedroom, two bathroom with a full kitchen and living room and a large front porch overlooking the ocean. The house shared the property with another house owned by the same couple. The property had three salt water ponds all together. The large one was right next to our house, it was fairly large, about 85 feet long by 15 feet wide and about 7 feet deep at high tide, 4 feet deep at low tide. The best thing about this pond is it is naturally heated. There is steam that rises up from the ground and heats a lot of the ponds in this area (they are not hot - just a little warm, like a bath after you've been in it for 40 minutes). The houses also had ocean access via a private dock for swimming, snorkeling and fishing.

Every morning I got up and went swimming in 'my' heated pond and my husband went out to the sea wall to fish. We also went snorkelling and spearing, and in the afternoons we would first watch the man next door feed his fish and then take a walk around the neighborhood. In the evenings we barbecued and ate on the porch and watched the sky change colors at sunset. There were no bugs at all ... I guess because of the ocean breezes - and no community noises at all. Nobody played their music too loud, or even talked too loud. It was incredibly quiet and relaxing. I can't wait to go again, hopefully for longer next time. The house that we stayed at can be seen here and the other house on the same property is here .