Perfect Vacation

Guest: DB (Vancouver)
Date of Stay: 12/25/11 Review Submitted: 01/06/12

We just returned from an amazing Vacation in Maui! We absolutely loved the Honua Kai Condo and found it to be totally accurate to what Ely described. From the beginning, Ely was easy to deal with and gave us clear and detailed instructions for our stay in his suite. The suite was perfect for our family of five and we were all very comfortable. We found it to be clean and well maintained. The views from the suite were beautiful and the huge deck was perfect for sitting, relaxing and enjoying the sunsets. We also loved the location of the Honua Kai. It was close to the supermarkets, restaurants and a great local Farmer's market. My kids loved the 4 pools that the condo offered as well as the incredible beach with the best snorkeling around! Dukes restaurant was really great to have on the property as well. It was really good food, and good service. We highly recommend this place and this particular suite. We can't wait to go back!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great views!! Excellent location!! Don't miss out on Honua Kai.

Guest: Mike Fidler (Denver, Colorado)
Date of Stay: 10/15/11 Review Submitted: 10/24/11

Like many others, we have been to the islands many times usually staying at the Westin Maui or one of the Hilton properties if we are on the Big Island or Oahu. This time we were traveling with our 13-year old daughter and great friends of the family and decided it would be nice to have a little more room and the convenience a condo offers (kitchen, laundry, etc). This property, this unit and everything about this trip far exceeded our expectations. Ely is great to work with...very quick to respond, very professional, and covers all of the details. The two bedroom two bath corner suite is a perfect location. One of the largest lanai's available at the Honua Kai resort (much larger than the pictures show). Enjoy both beach and mountain views from the huge lanai that offers sliding windows that open across the entire living room. We spent most mornings and most evenings on the lanai just enjoying coffee and drinks during sunrise and sunset. Everything you need is right there...beach access with beach chairs, numerous pools (some heated), hot tubs, Duke's Bar and Grill (ask for Dave or Adam at the bar - great bartenders), and poolside bar service. There is a market on the property to pick up quick items or you can go right across the street where there are a number of quick bites like Subway and a full service supermarket. There are Viking gas grills and dining tables poolside if you want to have a cookout and enjoy the sunset from the beach about 20 steps down the boardwalk from the grill patio. The unit has everything you need including a coffee maker, blender, washer, dryer, even beach towels, beach chairs and boogie boards. The pictures on VRBO do not do this unit justice. The bathrooms are much larger than they appear with an over-sized shower and bathtub and double vanity sink in each bathroom. Friends of ours have already booked this for February after hearing us talk about how awesome Honua Kai is. And when you are not enjoying the condo or the many amenities the property offers, Erica at the concierge desk can set up anything you need - dinner reservations, zip line, jet ski rentals, sunset or whale watching trips - she has access to everything. Thank you Ely, we will see you next year.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Love this Condo!! Highly Recommend!!!

Guest: K Family (Santa Clarita, Ca)
Date of Stay: 08/04/11 Review Submitted: 10/17/11

We have been to Hawaii and it's islands several times over the years. We have spent several anniversaries visiting. We usually stay in 5 star hotels and always prefer ocean front or ocean view. This year we visited with our family of 6 (with college age kids). We decided to rent from a private owner and a place that had plenty of room and a kitchen so we would not have to be confined to a small area. We chose the right place!! It was so easy working with the owner Ely. Brian met us at the condo for check in (at midnight) to make sure we had everything we needed. He was a very nice and friendly man. The place was clean and well kept. It had most everything we needed (we donated an ice chest for day trips) It was very convenient having a washer and dryer in the unit. Everything about the condo was first class and convenient. The view was fabulous. There is a nice ocean view but also a beautiful mountain view. You get the best of both! And the lanai was spacious and the place to be. The location of the condo is great for all adventures of the island. We walked every morning along the ocean walk which was very peaceful. We also walked to Black Rock a couple of times (about a 50 minute walk) Our college children and their friends loved the place and were in ahh of its size, beauty and features. Thank you Ely & Brian. We can't wait to come back!! We highly recommend this condo!!!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

Very happy!

Guest: T. North (Somewhere cold)
Date of Stay: 03/26/11 Review Submitted: 10/14/11

We were extremely pleased with our stay, and would definitely come back.

Recommended for:

Presidents' Week Family Vacation

Guest: Family of 5 (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 02/19/11 Review Submitted: 10/06/11

We had a great stay at the Honua Kai. Ely is great to work with and very responsive. The unit is large with an enormous lanai, and is very comfortable and clean. The view is great with the only downside being that there is a parking lot and road below. However, at the same time the ocean view is huge, and noise is not a factor, and because the unit is on the 6th floor, you are far above the parking lot. The unit also provided boogie boards and beach mats and toys, which we enjoyed using! The resort is beautiful with fun pools, a great dining option (Dukes) and access to a wonderful beach with excellent snorkeling. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend this unit!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Maui Honua Kai

Guest: Tamie (Southwest United States)
Date of Stay: 07/05/11 Review Submitted: 08/03/11

The condo was great and as nice as described. We had a great time! The views were beautiful and not exaggerated. We had the ocean and the mountain view from the lanais. Rainbows everyday. The beds were very comfortable and the unit was quiet-no noise from neighbors. It was very clean and well kept. Kitchen was well stocked in all cookware we needed. Enjoyed using the kitchen. Ice maker was slow making ice, but there was an ice machine downstairs to supplement when needed. The beach chairs and umbrella that were in the unit were great, however two of the four boogie boards had broken handles, and there was only one complete snorkel mask and breathing tube-the others were broken. Two sets of fins were fine, another pair was ripped and not usable. We were in the unit 10 days, and used the washer and dryer quite a bit. The washer worked well, but the dryer was extremely slow and hard to use. We even went online to try to troubleshoot, and looked the model up. Discovered that according to the manual, it probably has a clog somewhere in the exhaust vent which kept the dryer from working properly. It sometimes took 6 hours to dry a small to regular size load. (The machine kept turning off.) This should be looked into as it is a real energy waster. We liked sleeping with the sliding glass doors open and the screens closed- but the smaller bedroom did not have a window that opened and got too hot at night. We ended up closing things up, and just sleeping with the a/c on at night. The swimming pools and Duke's restaurant were great. Quick to get to, and lots of variety. The gourmet grocery store in the lobby of the first tower was nice. Some of the prices were very good. We didn't find out until late in our stay that they take meal orders, and were reasonably priced. We would have ordered from them more if there had been a menu in the room. Coffees, espressos, newspapers were great. They had a wonderful selection of pre-made foods and groceries. Very nice. The pool staff needs to keep a better eye on things. Several times there were locals coming in from the beach, using the pools and lounge chairs. But there was generally always room around the pool, and open lounge chairs throughout the day. We like the underground parking, and it was so easy to come and go from the condo. In all, we had a great time, would stay in this unit again, and would recommend it to friends. The entire family enjoyed it! Thank you.

Owner response:Mahalo for your kind review, Tamie. It's great to hear that your entire family enjoyed it and that you would stay in the suite again. To clarify a few issues you had: - we don't provide snorkels; prior guests must have left them; they should be tossed when broken and I'll ask our on-island folks to do so. Thanks for mentioning this. - boogie boards are an extra and also not part of the suite, but we'll try to do better keeping them up-to-date; Thanks for alerting us to the broken handles on two of the four boogie boards - we're purchasing some new ones. -All dryers at Honua Kai are very slow in drying due to their non-vented eco-technology; the good news is that we have commercial, vented dryers on level "P" that run on a few quarters -bedroom #2 has a fixed glass window, but also has great air-conditioning and a variable-speed ceiling fan. It also has two doors that should have allowed great air circulation. -Great suggestion on adding an Aina Gourmet Market menu in the room.

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

Beautiful condo

Guest: Jason and Kari Landmark (Portland, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 03/19/11 Review Submitted: 08/03/11

We visited Honua Kai in March of 2011 and had another wonderful visit staying at one of Ely's condos. You sometimes get nervous renting a condo online but working with Ely is a pleasure. He responds to emails quickly and everything turns out greater than expected. This unit is beautiful with plenty of space. It is fully equipped with all the comforts of home. You won't regret booking this unit.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Our recent stay at Honua Kai

Guest: Suzi (Sydney, Australia)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 08/03/11

Great apartment with amazing large bathrooms and a super comfortable main bed. Close to all Kaanapali amenities but far enough away to feel that you can relax in the comfort of the large condo complex, awesome pools and the cool Duke's beach house. Definitely recommend to a friend. Property was clean.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, families with teenagers.

A great time with superb views

Guest: Idaho Family of four (Meridian, ID)
Date of Stay: 02/22/11 Review Submitted: 07/28/11

We had such a wonderful time at this beautiful and comfortable 2 bedroom suite. We had 4 adults and 2 kids and there was plenty of room. The balcony in this place is fantastic. You can sit out there and soak in the view of the mountains and the ocean at the same time. Our kids loved all the pools and play areas on the property with great access to what felt like a private beach for the guests. Parking, check-in, and check-out were all very easy and the staff at the property were very courteous and helpful. We can't wait for our next stay.

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

Outstanding location and condo

Guest: Ezio (Corona, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/06/11 Review Submitted: 07/26/11

We had a wonderful time staying in our condo at Honua Kai. It was exactly as mentioned with enough room for a comfortable stay with a family of 5. The kitchen as well as the gym were bolstered with state of the art appliances and equipment. The amazing view was complimented with a floor to ceiling retractable window across the entire side of the unit. The suite came fully equipped with beach towels, snorkeling gear, chairs and boogie boards, which we gladly put to use down at the beach in front of the resort. The pool area was very clean and not crowded in the least. We found that the cordial staff at Honua Kai were on point with our requests and needs. Location of the resort was prime as their was a grocery store right across the street and Whalers Village was very close by for all your shopping and dining needs. I had a pleasurable time working with Ely; he was quick to respond to emails and ensured us a homely stay at Honua Kai. I definitely recommend this resort to anyone with a family.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.