Beautful Property and Accomodations

Guest: M & J (California)
Date of Stay: 01/30/12 Review Submitted: 02/07/12

Our stay was extremely comfortable and relaxing. The accomodations left us wanting for nothing. Very clean, roomy and quiet. The property is beautifully manicured and the jungle/clifts give the feeling of lush Hawaii. Linda is a a very gracious and fun host. We highly recommend this VRBO. Close to many attractions a beaches.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+.

Restful

Guest: Terri (Invermere BC)
Date of Stay: 10/15/11 Review Submitted: 10/29/11

My husband and I spent 6 nights at this lovely cottage. We used it as a home base, it was a well appointed cottage with everything you might need. The location was perfect, nice and quiet after a long day sightseeing in other busy parts of the island. We would definitely visit this place again. Thanks Linda for sharing your lovely piece of paradise.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway.

Perfect Relaxing Home Base away from the Hustle & Bustle

Guest: E & A (Maine)
Date of Stay: 06/20/11 Review Submitted: 07/13/11

My husband and I are 30-somethings that want to enjoy natural beauty, good food, and interesting local sights on vacation- nightlife, shopping and hordes of people are not our thing. When we started to look into vacation rentals on Oahu, our criteria were a reasonable price, positive reviews, decent amenities, and away from Waikiki but still close enough to not spend all our time in the car seeing the sights. This rental was the perfect fit! It is located up a winding road through a quiet residential neighborhood, right at the foot of the mountains. That picture of the waterfalls? It's true- that IS your backyard view and it is amazing. We found the bed comfortable with the ceiling fans and open door sufficient to keep us cool at night in late June. The birds and sun did wake us every morning a little earlier than we sometimes wanted, but I guess Hawaii is just beckoning you to get up and explore! The bathroom was clean and well appointed, and the shower had everything as described and a fantastic big shower head. The kitchen was well equipped; we made smoothies, frozen pizza, coffee, and bacon & eggs during our stay. I only wished for a dishwasher. We took advantage of the boogie boards, snorkel equipment and beach towels they had for our use- it made our stay that much easier. The location was about 45 minutes from the North Shore, 15-20 minutes to Kailua, and (depending on the widely varying traffic) 30-60 minutes to Waikiki. We didn't find a lot of convenient eating establishments right near the rental (though the local grocery store is very well stocked), but Kailua has tons of great places to eat out. Overall, if you want a comfortable, moderate rental with plenty of charm and hospitality that is at the base of Oahu's amazing green mountains and lets you feel like a local, you will not be disappointed with this place! The pictures, description, and reviews really do capture this lovely little home away from home. Mahalo to Linda, Matthew, & Anne!

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

Loved it!

Guest: Chism (SN Diego)
Date of Stay: 05/20/11 Review Submitted: 06/03/11

I did not know this was on my bucket list! We wanted the nature experience in Oahu, not just the beach. I woke every morning and walked out to the hammock with my coffee to bring in the morning gazing at the beautiful mountain. This usually lasted a couple hours because I just wanted to soak it all in. Used the kitchen because it was nicely stocked with pots and pans which gave us a lot of choice for meals. Could have easily stayed a week longer. It was clean, comfortable, quiet and we especially appreciated the joy the little cat Chism brought on his many visits. This is a wonderful getaway for couples or a single traveler wanting quiet time. We really liked the location because it was close to doing the things we were wanting to experience while on this side of the island. We would have happily extended our stay and made the drive into Honolulu for the remaining few days on our visit if there was availability.

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

Best deal on the nicest place to stay on Oahu -- Killer Views

Guest: Sue (Ft Lauderdale, FL)
Date of Stay: 09/30/10 Review Submitted: 11/02/10

This place is terrific! It's clean, comfortable, has fantastic views and is very conveniently located. My husband arrived a day before me and awoke to the sound of the falls. He said it was totally amazing. Living in Florida,we had no desire to stay at the beach. This was perfect; we felt like residents of Hawaii. We didn't cook in the fully equipped kitchen, but kept snacks and stuff in the refrigerator. The bathroom, bed and sheets were fine. The pictures capture the feel of th place. If you are looking for something elegant and fancy, this is not for you. But if you are looking for a reasonably priced, quiet, conveniently located comfortable place with a KILLER view, book it now.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Fair and nothing luxurous or confortable

Guest: QuebecTraveller (Canada)
Date of Stay: 09/11/10 Review Submitted: 10/09/10

This appartment was just a 'base camp'. Because it was not very confortable, we slept, had breakfast and left for the day. We were not tempted to lounge and relax there (the couch is in the kitchen; the kitchen chairs are very unconfortable so no long dinners or breakfast; although the outside chairs and table were very nice). Yes the view is beautiful, but inside it is just average. Some parts were very clean (fridge, oven, towels and sheets were spotless), others not so much (grout and shower curtain in the bathroom had mold; sheets were clean but had a lot of lint. Please buy new sheets). The location is fantastic. It is within 15 to 45 min to everything: golf, city, pearl harbor, beaches). The house is in a quiet neighborhood. The owner's son was very nice and quiet (there is a shared wall in the kitchen). So if you are looking for a bit of luxury and confort, that's not the place for you. If you are looking for somewhere inexpensive and close to everything, then go for it.

Owner response:I encourage potential guests to read all of the other 34 guest comments (all 5 out of 5 stars). We are very proud of our inexpensive studio and pleased that so many others have enjoyed staying there. Mahalo, Linda Martin

Recommended for:Sightseeing.

Awesome View and Peaceful Setting

Guest: Jeans (Newark, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/31/10 Review Submitted: 07/08/10

This is the first time I chose a privately owned place off the internet but I saw the reviews on it. Linda Martin was so helpful, answering my questions and easing my fears. My husband and I stayed here for eight nights. We were pleasantly surprised. It's a cute, simple, clean place with quaint decor that met our needs for the stay. I found the weather here to be more pleasant than other places because it's a rain forest but I was glad we had ceiling fans. The area is very quiet and peaceful. The view from the bedroom window off of the patio was incredible. Those mountains and the jungle there was my favorite part and the photos can't really capture it all. Every morning I'd open the sliding door some to hear all the birds and running water behind the jungle lull me back to sleep. These mountains kind of remind me of the Napalis on Kauai. There were no waterfalls when we went but that did not take away from their beauty. It rained off and on but we loved it. The bed was so very comfortable and of a higher quality that I slept great. I've stayed in many hotels and ended up with back pain and I sleep at home on sleep number bed. The owners of the adjoining house were very quiet and we had alot of privacy which we enjoyed. I hiighly recommend seeing the Polynesian Cultural Center and their night time show (Breath of Life). Also the snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. The nearby restaurant Haleiwa Joe's has great food and a beautiful atmosphere and they have a garden you can stroll around in. Waikiki Beach was beautiful and had alot of shopping nearby. I definitely recommend this to friends, those that want to get away from it all and have a rainforest type of experience. It's a good location to get to both ends of the island. Thanks for a memorable stay.

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

Birdsong and Rushing Water

Guest: Dennis and Anita (Indiana)
Date of Stay: 12/02/09 Review Submitted: 06/12/10

We had a great time celebrating our anniversary, Linda and Ken helped a lot by providing such great lodging. We love the out-of-the-way location, driving up from the main road reminded me of driving into the hills to your cabin above Gatlinburg - only tropical! Honolulu and "touristy" places aren't really too far away, but far enough away that they don't intrude. We loved being awakened by birdsong, though one morning the spell was broken by a very noisy garbage truck. Never saw the waterfalls, but we heard them one night: we arrived home one stormy day after dark, the waterfalls were thundering out of the mountains. Too bad they were gone before sunrise. Sitting on the lanai watching the birds, flowers, swaying trees, shadows playing on the mountains, wonderful. However, Hawai'i DOES have mosquitoes, "OFF" or citronella candles are a good idea. We also stayed at the owner's Aiea house, also highly recommended!

Owner response:Thank you Dennis and Anita for such a wonderful and descriptive comment. FYI to others I think that they meant they stayed at our other vacation rental (Beachfront Studio) in "Laie" not "Aiea". You can see our other VRBO listings by clicking on the "See all our listings" button on this webpage. Mahalo, Linda Martin

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Jurassic Park

Guest: David & Joyce (Anchorage, AK)
Date of Stay: 03/01/10 Review Submitted: 03/26/10

What a wonderful 5 nights. Jurassic Park is the perfect location to explore the entire island, including attractions in the Honolulu area. The location makes for easy day trips to places like Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head, but it's real attraction is the great access to the rest of the island. Linda's directions were great. We easily found it on our first try, well after dark. We even managed to get a couple of waterfalls our last day. Very clean and comfortable accommodations.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Guest: Brandon Thacker (Bountiful, Utah)
Date of Stay: 03/16/10 Review Submitted: 03/16/10

The native Hawaiian birds were wonderful to listen to each morning as one wakes up. My wife still misses them. The view of the verdant cliffs is just the right way to start off the day. Such a clean, convenient studio. More room than our hotel room by the airport and much closer to the Shrimp Shack! If you are looking for a relaxing time on Oahu, consider that this location is close to all beaches, historical sites, and culture you could desire. We saw whales breach near the Makapuu Light House (well worth the hike), Snorkled and saw parrotfish in Hanauma Bay, and even found delicious pineapple right at the neighborhood grocer. Wonderful memories of the USS Arizona and Polynesian Cultural Center. Thanks for helping make this possible.

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