I am considering renting a condo in the Kona Isle complex, on the Big Island. The unit I am considering faces the ocean but it does NOT have air conditioning. The owner assured me that the breezes would keep me cool and the ceiling fans would help too. I am going the first week of September. Can anyone who has spent time there in September give me some advice? I've heard it's especially HOT that time of year... HELP!

We were on the BI at the end of the month of Sept and first wk of Oct, and it was awfully hot. No trade winds.

The potential for heat is always there, even after August ends. We've visited the BI in September, and we needed air conditioning. Everyone is different of course, so take that into consideration. If the condo is positioned so that you can open the doors to the lanai and get a breeze by also opening the front door then you'll be able to cool down some, but my choice would always be for air conditioning. Trade winds are essential, and sometimes they don't cooperate.

If you want to stay north of Kona, in Waikoloa, the Vista Waikoloa condos are fairly reasonably priced and are air conditioned. The price per night varies by the number of nights you book.

No way would I risk being hot and miserable. At least A/C gives you some control over the situation.

We just got back from Kauai. Stayed at a B&B on the North Shore with no AC. We were on the ground floor, and if we wanted privacy at night, we had to close the curtains and lock the sliding doors for security, blocking any sort of trade wind. The ceiling fan did not cut it. We had AC at our other places, and I wouldn't go without it.

We go to the Big Island quite a bit.

We almost NEVER use the AC. We just open the lanai door and let the breezes do the rest.