Snowbirds

Guest: The Birds (Canada)
Date of Stay: 10/31/11 Review Submitted: 11/28/11

We stayed for 15 nights this November and highly recommed this lovely condo. Great view, very clean, new king size bed, quiet and peaceful. Enjoyed our meals on the patio, late evening swims and hot tub, dawn and dusk chorus of the birds, walks on the beach. Kamaole Sands has lovely pool and hot tubs, well monitored and serviced. We enjoyed our stay!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+.

Nani Kai Hale Property

Guest: acdclc99 (Vancouver, Canada)
Date of Stay: 04/28/11 Review Submitted: 05/19/11

We stayed at the Nani Kai Hale property Apr 28-May 1. I chose this property due to the reviews and features. My main criteria was a nice lanai where we could have drinks, meals and enjoy the view...which is how I intended to spend most evenings. As well the owner assured me this was a luxury property and gave me a good price for last minute booking. On arrival we discovered a number of things...the condo is dated and not what I would consider “luxury” but it was comfortable and had new flat screen TVs. The building may be ocean front (and it was a nice location, with impeccably kept grounds) but the condo itself is not ocean front. There is still a view of the ocean, palm trees and pool, however, the main feature on the lanai which you cannot avoid when looking ocean side, was the old, rusty, leaking air con unit which sounded like a freight train. You could turn it off when sitting outside so as not to listen to it, but you could not avoid looking at it. The tray and drain pipes could not contain the runoff and soon a lake formed on the lanai so we avoided going out there for the most part. We phoned the mgmt co to advise them and they scheduled a handy man to come and check the leak the following day. Meantime, we did a huge grocery shop (so that we wouldn’t have to shop again during our stay) and filled up the fridge. The next morning, the contents of the fridge were warm to the touch and many items had already gone bad due to the heat. Certainly not anyone’s fault but just another issue we had to deal with instead of enjoying our vacation. We called the mgmt co again and they scheduled an appliance guy to come and look at the fridge the following day. They advised that if a part were required, it could take days. Our only option at this point was to move to another property. I contacted the owner, explained the situation and he agreed to refund our remaining 6 days stay. I asked for a refund for the 3 nights that we had to endure the leaking air con, no lanai and the faulty fridge but he refused. I thought a refund (or partial refund) to be reasonable for the aggravation, time spent making arrangements, time spent packing/moving and of course replacing groceries gone bad. We ended up at Waiohuli Beach Hale, a great condo with great features. The mgmt co took good care of us and I will book with them directly in future. The Nani Kai Hale could be a great property but it is due for some serious upgrades!

Owner response:It was unforntunate that the A/C drain and the fridge both experienced problems during the guests stay after they arrived. The previous guests left two days earlier and had no problems with either. The appliances were repaired immediately after the management company was notified but that was the day after the complaining guests had left. The guests were compensated and any spoiled food offered to be paid for. The condo has been totally renovated from bathrooms to kitchen, new king bed and HD 40 in. TV, etc. Nani Kai Hale is a beautiful Resort directly on a fabulous beach and needs no major upgrades. If the guests had stayed one day more there would have been no bad review.

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Excellent Condo

Guest: M&P (St. Albert, Alberta)
Date of Stay: 02/04/11 Review Submitted: 05/02/11

The condo lived up to our expectations and we loved the large lanai. We never had any meals at the dining room table - always out out on the lanai. The photos accurately reflected the condo. The location was just perfect to get to the beach. Don was in touch with us to make sure everything was okay with the condo and the addition of a new flat screen t.v. will be enjoyed by those who want to watch t.v. We definitely will be back!!

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

john and carol

Guest: JJ (Canmore, Alberta)
Date of Stay: 04/07/11 Review Submitted: 04/30/11

The property was as listed - very clean and decently maintained. It is centrally located for most activities including biking, snorkelling, beach walking, even surfing just down the beach. You can also head out for a paddle with the local paddling club just around the corner. Even saw some whales. Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean just outside was great.The owner was very helpful and went out of his way to ensure our stay was pleasant. I would heartily recomend this property to others

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Perfect Getaway

Guest: Dave (Sechelt)
Date of Stay: 03/27/11 Review Submitted: 03/29/11

We have been having a fantastic time here since we arrived. The condo is set up with all we need, plus enough room to stretch out and relax. The operators of this resort complex and thorough and make sure you have everything you need to make your vacation memorable and just the way you want it. We'll be back!

Owner response:Thank you David and Kathy for the good review. I am happy you are enjoying my condo in building #5 at Kamaole Sands. I try to make my guest's vacation as pleasurable as possible. Best regards, Don

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

Kamaole Sands Condo

Guest: Christine (BC Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/29/10 Review Submitted: 01/17/11

We stayed in a one bedroom unit in building #5 Kamaole Sands. We really enjoyed the amenities of the development and its proximity to the beach and restaurants and would stay here again. Although our unit was well situated, we were very unhappy with its condition. We were advised that the unit was renovated with new beds but this was not the case. With the exception of a new counter in the kitchen and a newish tile surround in one bathroom, the unit was old and very dated. Upholstered cushions felt grimy as did the wicker furniture. The bed in the master bedroom was compressed in the middle; the hide-a-bed was collapsed on one corner and very uncomfortable even for two small children. The glass on the patio table was cracked. The fridge was old and rusted and did not seal properly so items did not get very cold. The oven function was spotty. The mop was rotting and falling apart (we had to put it outside because it smelled) and the broom was very grimy so it was not even possible to give the place a good clean. Given that the VRBO listing is for for four separate units, the photos and description of this unit are selective and do not realistically convey the unit as it is. The state of the unit is not a result of poor housekeeping (the housekeepers were great) it is just very old and in need of a complete renovation and replacement of out of date furnishings, cabinets and appliances. The unit was described as luxury accommodation and it was not. I would not recommend this unit to anyone although I would recommend the development and we will likely return. Before booking this condo, get current pictures and ask whether it has in fact been renovated to address these concerns. Our condo was the low part of an otherwise great holiday.

Owner response:I assume my guests' bad review stemmed from the rainy weather we had on Maui duirng their vacation. I don't know why they took it out on me. They never contacted me although I was on Maui and they had my contact information. They never contacted my Maui management company to complain until they left Maui and returned home which was too late to look after any of their concerns. The condo has indeed been renovated with a new pillowtop queen bed and new sofa bed mechanism and mattress. The appliances are in excellant working condition and the kitchen fully equipped. The LR furniture has been re-upholstered and all floors and bathrooms are re- tiled. Qotation from Resort Manager of Kamaole Sands: "My head of houskeeping and I inspected the condo after receiving the bad review and found the guests' comments to be totally unjustafied and we re-graded the condo an "A" rating which it was before and the only items needed replacing were the mop and broom and they were replaced."

Recommended for:

Awesome Maui experience.

Guest: laugh (Fort Mcmurray Alberta Canada)
Date of Stay: 03/31/10 Review Submitted: 04/18/10

My husband and I visited Maui for the first time from March 31st- April 11th 2010. We went online to look for a condo to rent and being Canadians we choose a Canadian owner and are so glad we did. We rented Maui Banyan T307, this condo is everything and more that the owner said it was. The condo was very clean and spacious had everything we needed right down to beach chairs, umbrella and a cooler to take to the beach it indeed was a home away from home. Maui Banyan is directly across the street from a beautiful beach so no driving it also has two great pools and hot tubs. We were so impressed with the grounds at the Banyan ,beautiful gardens and again so clean.Maui Banyan is a two min walk from great restaurants, shops and several other beaches.Would we recommend Maui Banyan T307 to others well, we have already booked it for next April so what do you think? Thank you so much Don and Geri for making our holiday so special! Joanne & Dennis Alberta , Canada

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

Guest: Barbara Voigt (Ontario)
Date of Stay: 02/13/10 Review Submitted: 02/13/10

We were very pleased with the accommodation. It was well equipped, tastefully decorated and very comfortable. We particularly enjoyed the views from the balcony of both the ocean and the mountains and we ate many of our meals out there. We made good use of the lounge area at the beach and the BBQ's ! It is so conveniently located at the hub of the highways that take you in any direction you choose to go on the island. Should we return to Maui, your property would be our first choice. Thanks so much ... Don & Barbara, Ontario, Canada

Recommended for:

Guest: Mary & Dave Nichol (New Westminster, B.C)
Date of Stay: 11/10/09 Review Submitted: 11/10/09

We stayed at Kamaole Sands unit 1-205 from October 25th to November 8th, 2009. We had a fabulous time and found the unit to be everything we needed for our vacation. The unit was clean, quiet, close to the beach and well equipped. The grounds of the complex were very well kept and barbeques were clean and of good quality. We only used the pool area 2 or 3 times but found it very nice when we did. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to our friends and with any luck will likely stay there again in the future

Recommended for:

Guest: Irina and Sergiy (Vancouver (BC))
Date of Stay: 10/14/09 Review Submitted: 10/14/09

We stayed in Nani Kai Hale condo #407 for 9 days and were very happy with it. This is our 3rd trip to Maui and so far the best. The condo is spacious, beautifully decorated, maintained and has a phenomenal view of the ocean from the lanai. Phone, TVs and free internet access were great. The location in N. Kihei is convenient to the airport and makes it very easy to reach any part of the island. We love the fact that you can walk or run for miles on the beach. Early morning swim before breakfast this is that our family never done before. You just can’t resist the calm blue water in the morning. We'll definitely look to staying in this unit when we come back to Maui.

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