Emily Duplessis did not enjoy her Kona vacation, so instead of taking any action while she was here to resolve the issues that she complains about, she engages in libel. This is the behavior of a classic passive aggressive.
When you rent a condo, you have a manager whom you can call any hour of the day or night if you should have any kind of problem. The problem might be a clogged drain, people idling around the grounds that do not belong there, or women screaming at night. It does not matter what the problem is. When you have a problem, you should call the condo management.
If the problem can’t be resolved, most management will help you find another place to stay. If the condo does not have on-site management, then you have rented a dive. Also, we do have a police force, and they do respond to calls regarding threatening behavior, especially when a tourist feels threatened. How insulting that she did not call the police for assistance, as if our police are not capable of dealing with vagrants.
Why didn’t she call the condo management, or the police, if she heard a woman screaming all night? She assumes the woman was mentally ill, but, regardless of the woman’s mental stability, she might have been in danger, and she may have needed assistance. Where is Ms. DuPlessis’ humanity? I suppose she left it at home where everything is clean and pristine.
She was disappointed by the litter at Old Kona Airport Park beaches, as it ruined her photographs. Really? Of all the places on the island, I can’t imagine anyone thinking that Old Airport beach would be a picture-perfect setting. She says that she has been to the Big Island before, but she does not seem to have any knowledge of it, as evidenced by her choice of Old Airport for family photos and the condo she rented. She does not mention exactly where she was staying, but complains about “the downtown district.” It seems to me that she did not do the proper research necessary for a great vacation and now feels justified in denigrating all of Kona and the Big Island.
Why would you book a place in the downtown district when you have young children? Just like almost every downtown district on the mainland, the downtown district in Kona is an adult playground at night. There are many wonderful and family oriented places to stay on the Big Island. Vacations are not cheap, and you get what you pay for no matter where you travel. We don’t want, nor do we need, tourists coming here for a bargain holiday only to complain. We want people coming here to enjoy, but people need to plan carefully to ensure that they are booking places that fit their needs.
It is the Big Island, and there is something wonderful here for everyone.
I am a resident, and I resent that you published this tourist’s trash. This tourist is afraid of us? I am afraid of them. I have been attacked by tourists. Fat, sweaty, sun-pink tourists surrounded my car on Alii Drive. They would not let me pass. They rocked my car. They called me horrible names. They incorrectly assumed my ethnicity, and they decided that they did not like it. They told me to “Go home!” They spit on me. A big, young man came to my rescue, and I was able to drive away. I do everything I can to share and model aloha, but if you possess no “ha” you will never understand it.
Charla Larrimore is a resident of Milolii.
