BEST VRBO EVER

Guest: Kevin (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 02/10/12 Review Submitted: 02/11/12

Where to begin? Positives about the house: 1) VIEW. The photos online totally under sell the view. You have 180 degree view onto the water. You can hear the waves in every bedroom if you choose. Awesome. 2) BIG open plan living space upstairs with kitchen/dining/living room all flowing together and flowing out onto a great deck with tons of space to eat or chill outside. 3) SPACE three bedrooms again understates it. The owners used to rent it as two apartments but no longer do (confirm this thought!). So there is a second living space downstairs if you book it as two families then you can have your own space. 4) LOCATION. Close to Poipu (3 minute drive) but far enough to not be covered in tourists. Negatives on the house: 1) It is top of the line decoration for, say, 1998. Everything you need is there / well furnished, but a bit dated (get over yourself if you care). Other comments. 1) Our toddler got a stomach flu a few days before we were supposed to start our trip. The owner was awesome - she would have let us transfer our booking to some friends if we couldn't make it and as she had a small gap between our booking and the next she let us shift a few days (don't expect it though!). ALSO when we rebooked the trip there were NO rental cars from any of the agencies but the owner tipped us to a local travel agency that got us a great deal on a car from hertz. 2) For little kids, the house is safe (hard to tell from photos). There are some half-staircases that you might be worried about (we blocked them with some chairs). The pool is not gated but no way the little one wanders out there accidentally 3) The negative review dates from when they rented the house as two apartments. What else can I say? Please don't rent it so that next time it is available for us!

Owner response:Thanks for the wow review. Looking forward to your next visit. Aloha Gale

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Truly paradise

Guest: JJ and Pam (Rancho San Diego, San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 11/02/11 Review Submitted: 11/20/11

This home has everything, comfortable furnishings, perfect location and a view that leaves you breathless !!! There are six adults (??) in our group. We have traveled together for twenty years. This was by far our best vacation ever. We stayed for 10 days in luxury. Our daily routine included walking to Spouting Horn, have a light breakfast, walking 1 minute to a sandy beach to snorkel, return to the house, enjoy the pool, have cocktails while watching the sunset then out for dinner. All the furniture is top quality and the beds were fantastic. We had contact with Gale (owner) a couple of times merely to tell her how much we were enjoying ourselves. We are already planning on returning next year. Thanks Gale for sharing your beautiful home with us !!!!

Owner response:So glad you enjoyed your stay at Hale Hokuu Too. Looking forward for your returning visit with us. Thank you for taking the time to write this wonderful review. Aloha Gale

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

lewisg

Guest: lewisg (NJ)
Date of Stay: 07/26/11 Review Submitted: 08/12/11

We needed to travel to a late July destination wedding in Kuai and find a place to stay with our two sons, daughter and niece ages 14 to 20. Normally we would have picked a five star resort such as the Hyatt but I stumbled across VBRO and Hale Hoku Too caught my attention. The slides, video and description enticed me to contact Gale and the rest was easy. In the ensuing months I viewed the site over and over and shared it with the rest of my family. When we arrived the kids said to me, "Dad I don't know how or where you found this place but it's the nicest house we've ever seen!" Nothing changed over the next seven days. We were active on the island but always found time each day to relax in the airy living room and balconies overlooking the ocean or on the back lawn or pool, next to a manicured tropical garden also overlooking the ocean and Spouting Horn! We did walk one minute to Small Boat Harbor to swim or just watch the few boats going in and out. Or we drove 3/4 mile to the Beach House, best restaurant on the island and most of Hawaii, where we dined or snorkeled. The swank Poipu Beach area restaurants and shopping are another half mile or so. There are many great features in the home. The trappings and furnishings are top drawer. What I'll point to as most comfortable are the many many Jalousie windows and louvered doors and vents that allow plenty of air flow from every direction making the home completely comfortable on any warm day. A/C is in each bedroom but we didn't need it. There are also plenty of ceiling fans. Gale was completely fair, helpful and passionate in her dealings with us. On the way out my wife and I declared it our last trip to Hawaii because of the travel from NJ. Hale Hokuu too makes it so worth it we are now saying to each other, 'How soon can we return?'

Owner response:Thank you for your wonderful review of Hale Hokuu Too. Glad everyone had a great time. Please come back. I take a lot of pride in how nice my house looks and appreciate your comments. Aloha Gale

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

A hidden jewel among South Shore rentals

Guest: Kim (Eyring)
Date of Stay: 08/07/10 Review Submitted: 08/27/10

We just returned from a 12 day stay at Halehokuu Too and had a fabulous time! This house is absolutely perfect and Gale is wonderful to work with. My daughter, husband, and two kids stayed downstairs and my husband and I were upstairs. We usually spent the late morning at one of several beaches around the island, came back to the house for lunch, and the kids were in the pool in the afternoon. The kitchen is well equipped and we used the grill often. The wireless PC network worked great as did the TVs. The kids played with the beach equipment everyday. We were close to several beaches, including Poipu Beach and you could see Spouting Horn do its thing from the back deck. We had a minor issue and Gale was extremely responsive and right on top of getting it resolved. I only hope we get to return soon.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great House and View

Guest: BB (Dallas, TX)
Date of Stay: 07/06/10 Review Submitted: 07/28/10

We absolutely loved Hale Hokuu Too. What a beautiful home and the very peaceful. We had a great stay and Gale is a very gracious host. We would consider staying here again the next time we visit the island.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 09/22/09 Review Submitted: 09/22/09

Wow...What a property Ms. Kramer (no relation) has and offers as a vacation rental. This is no ordinary home. Grand furnishings, spectacular views.. My fanily has been coming here for the last 4 years. We enjoy the privacy Hale Hoku Too offers. We travel with 3 small children and it is a relief to be able to enjoy my family without the screaming of other families at the popular resorts..Also perfect for couples travelling together.(I work in the Hotel Industry), this by far exceeds any amenities that may be offered at High Priced vacation resorts. The kitchen is 1st class. While we enjoy eating out, we also enjoy the opportunities that having a FULLY furnished kitchen. Keeps cost down on food costs so we can enjoy some of the extra's. There is an air conditioning unit in each of the bedrooms, the beds are extremely comfortable with top of the line linens..(important to my wife). There is an ocean view from all bedrooms and family areas, the sound of roaring ocean in morning is incredible, watching the abundant sea life from our own private deck as well as the most incredible sunsets ever imagined. This place is completely turn key, all you have to do is unpack and ENJOY... Very Very Clean and we will be back for many years to come. Thank you Ms. Gale for a most enjoyable vacation experience.

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Hale Hokuu a great place in paradise

Guest: The Happy Traveler (Seattle, Wa)
Date of Stay: 02/09/08 Review Submitted: 06/27/08

This was our first time to Kauai and we consider ourselves very lucky to have stayed at Hale Hokuu. What a fabulous place to stay! We were twenty feet off of the ocean with our own private pool. Beautifully decorated. It had everything which made this vacation very special for me and my entire family. The kids loved the pool and we could hardly get them out. This home had it all. Great location, private and a fabulous view of the blow hole. The owner (Gale) was around but we hardly knew it. She offered us complete privacy but yet when we had a question, she was right there to help out. We will definitely come back to Kauai and not consider any other rental but Hale Hokuu. The furnishings are very nice. The beds were very comfortable and the sound of the ocean each and every night was a real treat. The air conditioning was pleasant which we only used a few nights. We saw whales and turtles right from our own back yard, not too mention the great sunsets. What a treat for people who live a long ways from the ocean. We used the gas BBQ many nights and had dinner right outside. The weather was perfect. Everyone enjoyed eating under the stars. Thank you Gale for sharing your lovely home with us. Hope to come back soon

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Most Fabulous Vacation..!!!!

Guest: Godfather (Brooklyn, New York)
Date of Stay: 04/04/08 Review Submitted: 05/27/08

We had such a great time at Hale-Hoku. What a beautiful setting. Our accomodations were absolutely incredible, a beautiful 2 BR with full kitchen, and all the amenities you could want. The grounds were impeccible with a pool, for our use exclusively, and 20 feet further was the ocean. To be able to sleep with the windows open and waking to the roar of the ocean was quite impressive. Ms. Gale was an absolute pleasure to deal with and an incedible host. She was very accomodating to our needs. The furnishings were excellant, the beds most comfortable and as my wife stated, better linens than we had at home. Ms. gale goes out of her way to make you feel at home.. even better than that.. We will definitely be back and will recommend highly, Hale-Hoku to all our friends and family. Ms. Gale also has a villa for rent in Huntington Beach California, which we are in the planning stages to visit there as well. If the accomodations are as good there as in Kauai, which looks even more impressive, we will also be very fortunate to have this as a vacation destiny as well. we have already booked Hale Hoku for next year and look forward to visiting there agai. What a beautiful island... Mahalo, Ms. Gale.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+.

No what it seemed

Guest: RRobert (Santa Fe NM)
Date of Stay: 03/22/08 Review Submitted: 04/28/08

We rented this home based on the photos and description on the Homeaway site. The pictures were great and the description enticing…all except, the pictures did not at all represent where we'd be staying. We were stationed A basement. (We do have pics. of the "real" accommodations) The lower level/basement is reminiscent of a little used second or third hand storage area. The sectional sofa is filthy. The kitchen is a galley complete with ants marching a path along the countertops each morning. There were no extra trash bags although the owner was clear (through signs posted all over the house) about emptying the trash regularly and no dishwasher detergent was available either - we purchased both. There are lots of bugs in this home. Roaches, spiders, ants, and even scorpions. The owner even has a sign up in the home saying this is the tropics and bugs are part of the deal. We have stayed all over Hawaii and never saw anything like this place. The "garden" bedroom featured 5 mis-matched pillows none of which seemed to have been purchased post-2000. Sleeping was dicey due to the very old air conditioner positioned at the head of the bed that sounded like a jet-plane. Luckily there was a ceiling fan, so we gave up on the AC. The true gem in the deal was the location at ocean's edge and a beautiful lap pool - we did have access to those and they are aptly represented by the photos on the website. The lawn furniture is coming apart so be careful how you sit down. Also, the beach chairs are in disrepair and be careful how you sit on those too. We were assured during renting the proerty that we would be alone during our stay. 6 nights into the stay - we heard noises in the upstairs area. I knocked on the door and two young men said they'd be staying there for a couple days. We called the owner. The owner didn't know anything about the upstairs residents and began berating my husband saying she could do anything with the upstairs area she wanted and he should refer to his contract - etc. The website in no way represents what we have received and the treatment by the owner has been a confusing cocktail - a mixture of concern, disregard, misrepresentation and aggressive self protection. There are so many great options to rent in Hawaii why fool with all the hassles of Hale Hokuu.

Owner response:In response to this review. I have been in business for the past 20 years and consider my rental a "AAA" luxury accommodation. We provide on line a picture tour and movie video showing exactly what you are renting. We would be happy to offer you references of previous and present guests that have stayed with us for you to call. We offer a beautiful ocean front accommodation with your own private pool. We have decorated with all new furnishings including new bedding. Her description of my rental is spitefull and not truthfull. The air conditioning in the bedrooms is less than one year old and operates the way it is supposed to. We can have an ant problem in Hawaii if food is left out, which this renter did. In Hawaii you must take a great deal of care and put open foods away or sealed tightly. If things were so bad why did they not leave immediately and request a full refund? They were called a few times during their 10 night stay and said nothing to me. This review is spitful and vindictive, why, I don't know. They had no aloha right from the start. We have many guests that come back year after year. Hale Hokuu has a great location, great value and a 5 star accommodation for sure. Hale Hokuu a must do!

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