Vacation Rentals by Owner

Spring Family Vacation

Guest: Kim (Bend, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 04/15/12 Review Submitted: 04/25/12

If you like experiencing the "real" Hawaii, staying in a home like this, in a "real" neighborhood, is the best way to go. After spending a touristy day in Waikiki, we all felt that we had made the right choice staying in Kailua. The house is roomy, bright, and open... more than enough space for 7 of us. We have family in Kailua, so the location was very convenient for us. Our hostess Carol, was very friendly and welcoming. Be aware that tropical climates are good to all creatures, including cockroaches. Although it is disconcerting to see them, and not pleasant to share your space with them, their presence does not indicate a lack of cleanliness. Since the exterminators had just been there, we expected to see a few more than usual. It didn't spoil our pleasant stay by any means.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, pet owners.

A home away from home

Guest: awejz (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 03/30/12 Review Submitted: 04/08/12

We just came back from our family get-together. We stayed at Mala Pua Hale for a week and it was a wonderful experience. The house was clean, airy, and comfortable. The kitchen is so well-stocked that my mother was able to whip up traditional Chinese dinners with no problem. My family had a great time eating together while enjoying the Hawaiian breeze coming from the lush garden. It really gave us a taste of real Hawaiian living. Another big benefit of staying here was the great neighborhood. It's quiet yet close to the beach and shopping. We highly recommend Mala Pua Hale for a family getaway.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

absolutely wonderful house to stay in

Guest: Steve (Rockville, MD)
Date of Stay: 03/16/12 Review Submitted: 03/22/12

There were several things about the house that me and my group of 6 others really enjoyed about the house. It was more than enough room for the 7 of us. The three bedrooms, futons, and each sofas provided us with plenty of comfortable room. The kitchen opened out to the dining room which was nice since there were many meals spent cooking, chatting, and hanging out all together in the area. It's a short nice walk to Kailua beach. We also took advantage of sitting out on the back patio area enjoying the weather and environment. All in all, the house was everything we had hoped for! The owner was extremely nice and understanding; made sure everything was just right for us. I've only been to Hawaii once, but I already know where I'll be staying whenever I go. Highly highly recommend the Mala Pua Hale.

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

Hawaii Vacationer

Guest: Kevin72 (Danville, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/03/11 Review Submitted: 08/31/11

This is my second time staying with this Kailua house. We have stayed at both rentals on property and this larger one is huge and great for a family. AC units throughout and very open inside and private to the outside world. I rarely have had a private garage, full size washer dryer and such a stocked kitchen in a rental. Having the full washing facilities were great for beach towels and a family and packing light. 5-10 min. from some of the greatest beaches in Hawaii and 2 min. to Safeway! Wish we could have stayed longer but had to get back to the real world. See ya next year! Warmest Alohas!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

Rented property 5/29/11 to 6/5/11

Guest: Paul (Clarkdale, Az.)
Date of Stay: 05/29/11 Review Submitted: 07/04/11

I began a review earlier, but ran out of space. Havng lived in Kailua, (on the beach) staying near the beaches is great as we have gone back 5 years in a row. This property is all that was available, and we felkt lucky to get a booking. bUt boy were we dissapointed when we got there. Shoddy furniture that requires throw pillows on top of lumpy sofas, i probably the biggest ripoff there is. We put up with the leaky roof (five pots caught the water) and Caroldid call ot a roofer to repair the rolled roofing (something I know alot about!) She was nice enough to treat us to a bottle of good champaigne, but she needs to take some of her overpriced rental money, and buy some decent furniture. Also, when I read a previous review, Carol said she had refurbished the kitchen cabinets. The cabinets are old, poor fitting, and the first cabinet door to the left of the stove hangs by one hinge. Why wouldn't a cleaning woman bring this to her attention? We would NEVER rent this place again!

Owner response:Sorry to hear that this family of four was unhappy with the furniture and feel that they were ripped off because of it. We haven’t raised the rent in 6 years. Most of the furniture in the house is koa and teak and woven natural materials from Bali. Shoddy is definitely not an accurate description. However, we will take a look at the rattan couch and woven chair in the living room with the throw pillows and see if we can’t find something more comfortable. Everyone has different taste in furniture and we certainly can’t second-guess what our guests will like or find objectionable. We can only do our best to make the house attractive and comfortable for families. We can’t apologize enough for the roof that leaked onto the tile floor during one of the most severe series of rainstorms we have experienced in 20 years. Our neighbor’s retaining wall collapsed and many people were flooded. We have had that leak repaired previously and this was just too much rain too fast. All is well again. Re: Kitchen cabinets. The cabinets were “refurbished” not “replaced.” Hinges get loose from time to time and then they have to be repaired which we did. Some people are harder on cabinet doors, than others, so hinges come loose. Our intentions are to always please our guests and hope that all will find our efforts satisfactory.

Recommended for:

What a wonderful week we had at this very comfortable home away from home!

Guest: Liz (NC)
Date of Stay: 05/13/11 Review Submitted: 06/24/11

This property was perfect for the eight of us while we visited for my daughter's graduation from the University of Hawaii. The house is comfortable and spacious, with a very well-equiped kitchen. The pictures online don't do the house justice! The owner lives close by and helped us with anything we needed. The house is clean and very well cared for. It was particularly lovely sitting outside having coffee every morning with the birds singing and the wonderful gardens surrounding us. The house is easy to get to and in a nice quietly relaxing neighborhood. We had three generations with us, my children and their significant others, my spouse, and my parents who are both in their 80's. The house is very easy to get around and quite comfortable. Not only would I recommend this house to friends but if we go back to visit we would love to stay there again. We had a wonderfully relaxing week.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Had a truly Magical Time! Did not want to leave.

Guest: Marlie (Montclair, NJ)
Date of Stay: 05/08/11 Review Submitted: 07/13/11

I don't know why I am so fixated on that Kona Sunrise coffee that the hosts supplied us with, but I have this beautiful impression still left in my head of sitting out on the lanai with a full pot of Kona in the kitchen and a colorful Hilo Hattie cup of black coffee next to my nose. So many memories and so many happy events. We had two generations with us, my wayward youngsters haven't started their own families yet. We talked so much at the table while popi performed miracles on the gas grill. Loved the garden, loved the lanai, loved the location and loved the hosts. So sweet. Loved walking down to "Obama Beach" as they called it. (Where Mr. Pres. stays in winter) All I can say is Mahalo, Mahalo, Mahalo and Aloha, Aloha, Aloha

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

6 week stay

Guest: Cathy (Aiea, HI)
Date of Stay: 03/31/11 Review Submitted: 04/28/11

We enjoyed our 6 week stay at this location. Close enough to walk to the beach and a wonderful quiet neighborhood. Carol was very helpful, making our relocation to Oahu much easier. Any issues were addressed quickly, with consideration of guests needs or comfort. We appreciated the supply of outdoor sporting goods (snorkling equipment, boogie boards, coolers) that are available without extra charge. Carol & John, thank you for a wonderful stay.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners.

Not so Private Home, misrepresented in many ways

Guest: Diane (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 03/18/11 Review Submitted: 05/11/11

We stayed here for one week in March with two toddler girls and four adults. We were very surprised to find out after we got there that there is another rental unit on this property as well as the owners, so I would not say it was private. The pictures on VRBO are much nicer than in real life. The property needs much TLC. We were not informed prior to our arrival that there was "construction" going on, which was a ditch and the owners knew we had children in our party. Apparently there is an imaginary boundry of the Bougainvilla bush that is the cut off for the renters in the big house. We didn't know that the "lush garden" as described in the listing was only partially for our use. Carol, the owners mother informed us in a very aggressive manner. The other major discrepancy is the Gecko problem. I have been to Hawaii in rentals many times, and have never had a problem such as this house. The Gecko poop was not just a little, it was everywhere, so if you have young children in the house, I would not recommend it. It is very toxic. The screens were falling apart on the doors. The patio has a sad looking bamboo bar that's pushed up against some overgrown brush. The carpets are stained. The neighborhood is not in an upscale area. The upscale area is within walking distance, but for sure not in this neighborhood. It took over a month to get the security deposit back. When I complained to VRBO there was nothing they could do. I do not think they are licensed, which means they do not abide by the rules and laws of rentals. When I asked for a portion of our money back, they did not even respond to our complaints of the home. Rent at your own risk! We would have left if we could, just couldn't afford to pay for another place after paying for this place. There are many options to staying in Kailua, I would recommend looking elsewhere. There is a reason there are some bad reviews on this property.

Owner response:A 3-bdrm, 2-bath main house with 2 lanai (one 200 sq. ft) is at the front of the property. A 2-story guesthouse & lanai is at the rear of property with a 1-bdrm ground level apt. There are separate entrances & complete privacy to all. We advertise both on VRBO. Prospective renters are advised to go to our Web site where the 2 properties are plainly listed. We live in the upper level apt., the better to manage the property. Many guests say our presence makes them feel more secure. The main house & garden-level guesthouse apt. are often rented together. When this family arrived, they inquired how far back on the property their children could play. I explained that they could go as far as the bougainvillea (past it is the lanai for the garden-level guesthouse apt.). I also mentioned that there might be some workers repairing the City/County easement (some 50 ft back from their lanai). We didn’t know if/when the workers would be there. We were awakened at 7 a.m. 6 days into their stay by children playing & adults talking. The 2 women from the main house were sitting on the lawn & back lanai of the guesthouse having breakfast & talking while the children played. I told them that they were not allowed back there - it wasn't part of the main house and they were right under bedroom windows. It was not safe for the children because of the City & County easement. Later, this guest called to apologize & left a nice note in our guest book upon departure: “Thank you for letting us enjoy your house,” & sent a note: the front-door screen was “probably damaged by the overgrown tree.” The “overgrown” tree, a giant Bird of Paradise, did not tear the screen. We still repaired it & thanked her for telling us it needed work. The “sad” bar is happy again no longer pushed up against “overgrown brush” better known in Hawaii as tropical ferns & papyrus. The carpets are shampooed as often as time permits. This neighborhood consists of homes in the $750,000 to $1.3 million range; its residents are primarily professionals: doctors, lawyers, educators, etc. Professional? Upscale? Symantics. Once they received the damage deposit, they sent an e-mail asking for 1/2 their money back, implying that they would cause us trouble (such as this review). We don’t respond to threats. We don’t understand why they expect a refund. They did not pay for the guesthouse & its lanai. They paid for the 3-bedrm, 2-bath house with 2 private lanai, & somehow managed to enjoy the house for 7 nites.

Recommended for:

VERY NICE EXPERIENCE

Guest: The Oregonians (Springfield, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 02/16/11 Review Submitted: 05/06/11

Our group of seven enjoyed Kailuahouse very much. Comfortable spacious accommodations in a great neighborhood with close access to shopping centers, beaches, and highways to amazing sites. 15 minute ride to Honolulu. Highly recommended for a vacationing group.

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

Fantastic!

Guest: Tracy (Arizona)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 08/03/10

We visited Oahu and stayed in this beautiful home for a week in July. The home was very clean, spacious and in a great neighborhood. The beds were comfortable, plenty of towels, linens, extra pillows etc. It's location to the beach and nearby shops was great. I highly recommend this property and will definitly be back in touch with Carol when we visit again. Tracy

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

Great for Kids, We'll be coming back!

Guest: The BeeBees from Boston (Massachusetts)
Date of Stay: 04/11/10 Review Submitted: 05/22/11

An amazing time at this "hale!" It was great for the kids (6 and 8) and it was so bright and airy. We had everything we needed to make our stay the best! Having boogie boards and snorkeling equipment made our beach experience so much more pleasurable. So great to not have to go out and buy things like beach chairs, beach towels, sand toys, etc. Loved our host, she told us so much about the history of Hawaii and local language like "hale" "keiki" "mahalo". We felt like real locals, living like Hawaiians. Town of Kailua was so much nicer than the brassiness of Waikiki. But we still loved hopping over the "Pale" to go there. We're coming back next year and I'm looking forward to this place feeling even more like home. There's something about parking your car in your own garage each night after exploring. Before I forget, ask host about local restaurants... Mahalo! everyone.

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

Filthy and needs upgrading& false advertising

Guest: Irv (Melfort/ Saskatchewan Canada)
Date of Stay: 02/24/10 Review Submitted: 04/22/11

This house was not what was described in the listing for our once of a lifetime holiday with our friends and child, I pondered writing something for a year, and finally decided I don't want anyone elses vacation ruined. I haven't looked at this listing untill today and seen that someone had the same issues as us with the Geccos. The 2 nights we spent there were the most disturbing nights of sleep I ever had.Coming from a rural town in Saskatchewan, Canada I have seen my share of mice and rats, but never in my home.... Now when Carol said there is nothing we can do as they are the natural pest of the island thats fine, but at home Mice are our pests and like I said I have never had a mouse in my house here, and in one night we counted up to 8 geccos on the wall. That was one thing but the gecco droppings were on the rug, on the walls, on the window sills, it was everywhere,We wouldn't even leave our suitcases unzipped. We were going to make a Pizza in the oven and when we opened it it was the most digusting thing I have seen. Also she excleded to tell us that the kitchen had a 1 foot drop off when she knew we had a 1 year old child with us. The room our daugter was to sleep in had ants crawling up the wall & the light socket crackeled & buzzed when we turned it on. We were scared of fire & did not want insects crawling on our 1 year old. Needless to say, we did not have her sleep in that room & slept with us instead. That was a let down to us, as we chose this proprty so we could give her a seperate room from us & our friends. The yard said it was enclosed & really is not. The house next door was under extensive renovations, so on day 3 we told Carol that we had enough and wanted our money back. She seemed shosked and said that it has never happened before, now I see on a difefrent review this wasn't the first instance. Anyway we got next to nothing $$ back ( for sleeping there 2 nights out of the 10) and we went and rented a way nicer place for a lot cheaper in the same area. We wrote Carol a letter when we got back and never recieved a response so I guess that is how much she cares .Since this has happened to others, it makes me wonder maybe this is what they want, what an easy way to make money. Rent out the place for 2 nights & keep 2/3rds of the money. Seems easy to me. Any way my word of advice is there is nice places for less money so keep looking. Don't let this place ruin your holiday like it just about ruined ours.

Owner response:When this family stayed in our home over a year ago, the house next door was under renovation. It was supposed to be finished. Eventually it was completed. Phew! RE: The dirty self-cleaning oven. Cleaning svc. forgot to turn a switch. I offered to have them return to clean whatever the family felt was dirty. The offer was refused. For the record, we have a new cleaning service. We didn’t answer this family's letter as we don’t respond to threats. The review implies that mice & rats were in the house (there was none) & compared them to geckos, small lizards that don’t hurt people, eat insects & poop. Gecko diapers? 20 years in Hawaii & we’ve never seen 8 geckos at once inside. Possibly they were outside? Outside lights attract insects which, in turn, attract geckos. The light switch (not socket) that crackled was replaced after their departure. If they had mentioned it right away, not in a letter 2 months later, it would have been replaced then. We expect renters will notify us if something is broken so we can repair it. We asked the renter to tell us if they saw ants in the house. Our pest control service addresses such problems in between regular service. No mention of ants until we got the letter. Note: The so-called one-foot drop from kitchen to dining area is a small, 5 ½ “-step. This family booked 9 nights (not 10) & paid a package rate less than the open rate. Our cancellation policy also applies to early termination. No refund unless we book the time period left on your rental. If we book the time period left we will prorate the number of nights you have stayed at the current open nightly rate for that time period. Any balance remaining would be refunded less cleaning fees and termination fee. Construction on adjacent properties or conducted by City, County or State is not reason for termination of rental agreement, nor reason for refund of any monies. Contact with insects, rodents & geckos and/or their droppings inside or outside of the house is not reason for termination, nor reason for a refund of any of your monies. Hawaii is a tropical climate in which these creatures flourish. We make every effort to hold your interaction with these creatures at an absolute minimum including regular professional pest control. We have welcomed 250+ families over the years. Less than a handful of complaints is testimony that we are responsible, honest homeowners. Most comment on how clean & quiet and like home the house is. Our advertising is not false.

Recommended for:

Disappointing

Guest: MotherofTwo (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 09/07/09 Review Submitted: 10/06/09

I rented this home for myself, my husband, and our two very young children. Shortly after our arrival we discovered there was a furry four-legged rodent(s) in the house leaving daily droppings (meaning poop) on the floor in the kitchen and living room. I was extremely disappointed that when we left after 2 days (we originally planned to stay 8 days) due to the fact that I did not want to expose my children to vermin that the owner informed me that we would no longer qualify for the quoted weekly rate and upped significantly the daily rate for the 2 days we stayed. Of course, we had paid in full prior to arriving so perhaps I should be grateful that the owner provided us with any refund. (huh?) I was surprised that the owner's initial reaction was shock that I would leave so quickly and not give her the chance to bring in an exterminator and hunt for the rat(s). I guess putting my family's safety first (my 2 year old picked up rat poop!) was not understandable to her. So, if you choose to rent this home bear in mind that it is your problem if anything goes wrong with the home and refunds are at the owner's discretion and judgment on how much she was inconvenienced (not yours- even though you have to repack, find a new place to stay, and put in multiple requests for a refund.) I would not recommend this property to anyone - I recognize things in life happen but how this unfortunate situation was dealt with is my issue and inexcusable.

Owner response:This was a very unfortunate situation that occurred while I was away on vacation. The renter didn't mention that we immediately offered to have our cleaning people clean the house again when she first mentioned that she saw mouse, not rat, droppings. We also explained several times that what she saw were gecko droppings. We understood her concern and exchanged courteous e-mails. She sent us photos of the rodent droppings in question which I felt would help to find the problem areas. The refund was sent 12 days after their early departure from the house. Here is the letter of explanation I sent to her with the refund. Aloha, Sorry for the delay in getting this refund to you but I had to talk to the pest control people and the cleaning people so I could show them the photos and get explanations as to why you felt the house was infested with rodents. Both companies inspected the house. Thank goodness you were wrong. The pest control company verified what I thought. It was not mouse dirt but gecko poop. Geckos, as much as we love them because they eat the bad creatures, are very messy. And the larger size droppings were just made by large geckos. Geckos are also creatures of habit and will leave their poop in the same places, night after night. Hawaii is in the tropics and we cannot keep them out of our homes or keep them from pooping. They are our guests too. Refund is enclosed. Also, your refundable damage deposit is enclosed. The discounted rental fee was based on staying eight nights in September. We have no two night special package rate. Therefore, the two nights must be based on the open rate. The cleaning fee is a departure cleaning. The cleaning company cleaned after you and your family left. It takes the same amount of time whether someone stays one day or eight days. The same procedure is used. Although we have a no-cancellation policy and a no-refund policy for early departures, we feel very badly that this occurred. We apologize for any inconvenience to you and your family. Mahalo. One of things we pride ourselves in is our aloha to all of our guests. We do our best to rectify all problems. We offered to clean the house again. She refused the offer. Contact with pests and/or pest droppings inside or outside of our home is not reason for termination of our Agreement nor is it reason for a refund. We still sent a refund for six days.

Recommended for:

Home Sweet Home Away From Home

Guest: Texas Angel (Houston)
Date of Stay: 01/20/09 Review Submitted: 01/30/09

We (8 of us) rented this home from Jan 20th-27th and it felt so good to come "home" after a long day at play! My sister's wedding was in Kailua and this location was close to everything! The owner was so hospitable and welcoming! We had everything we needed and then some at the house when we arrived! We were able to use the full kitchen to even make the Groom's cake for the wedding and being able to have breakfast at "home" every morning saved so much $$! There are two living spaces in the house, one for the adults and one for the kiddos if needed! The house has a good selection of movies should you want a night in. The master bath has a tub/shower combo and the 2nd bath has a shower stall Both have good water pressure. One of the bedrooms does not have A/C but there are small fans and they more than sufficient to cool the space since the home is on the windward side of the island and the winds are so strong and cool at night! The lanai's are great and large enough for the kids to play and enjoy breakfast outside if you so choose. Kailua Bay is literally only a 10 minute walk away and there are several hikes within minutes of the house as well. Kailua town offers great shopping and dining out options as well! All in all the home is very spacious even with 8 ppl staying there. We would highly recommend this home to anyone who wants a more relaxing,quiter stay than a hotel room! Obviously I don't have enough room to sing it's praises but in one word...this place is AWESOME!!!

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

Needs Some TLC

Guest: Ms.Jan (Santa Rosa, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/09/08 Review Submitted: 09/18/08

The house was nice and certainly clean, but definitely in need of some upkeep. The second bathroom needed a re-do of tile and cabinets and the kitchen needed new cabinets. Because the house does not have central air, a few higher quality fans would have been a good addition, afternoons and early evenings were stiflingly hot and humid. The third bedroom does not have any air conditioning, so I wouldn't recommend it for sleeping if the weather is warm. Kailua town was delightful and the beaches are spectacular.

Owner response:We were sure that we had explained that the kitchen cabinets are in the process of being refurbished. And, we apologize for not making that clearer. They are being re-done in between our guests' stays. And, the bathroom shower tiles are next. We don't want to rip everything up while guests are here, so everything is put back together each time we have guests arriving. Everyone in Hawaii suffers from the heat and humidity in September. This is our hottest month and we never know when the trades will shut down for a few days. The small fans are brand new and quite effective when positioned strategically. But there is only so much one can do when it is 87-89 degrees and there are no breezes. The best part is that it only lasts a few days here in Kailua. We usually have lovely ocean breezes. When the smaller bedroom is not being used, I don't explain that if you leave the windows open, the breezes come from that direction. And, there are ceiling fans in all the bedrooms and living room. Hawaii is definitely tropical. Sometimes it takes a little time to get used to this type of climate, There's a reason why we have extra blankets in the closet. They really do come in handy on a cool January evening. The kitchen cabinets and shower tile repairs will be completed soon - that's "soon" in Hawaiian time. Things move a little slower in Hawaiian time. Much aloha!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car

Recent Stay on Oahu

Guest: California Guest (California)
Date of Stay: 07/27/08 Review Submitted: 08/08/08

The house was in a great location and Carol was wonderful. The air conditioning worked well and the house had a very open floorplan. The house could use a bit of TLC. Bathroom tiles and kitchen cabinets are in need of replacing. We felt that these were minor issues in the grand scheme of things though. This house is great for larger parties with three private bedrooms and two baths.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

Good place to be in Ohau

Guest: Want2GoBackSoon (Mountain view, CA, USA)
Date of Stay: 04/12/08 Review Submitted: 05/01/08

The description was very much accurate, and property was clean and well maintained. Good amount of beach towels and beach play stuffs including boards, etc. Great beach in 10 minute distance (car), 3 min distance saftway and other stores - very convenient. Very kind and quick problem solving! Definitely want to go back again and good to recommend.

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

fantastic vacation

Guest: tsaunaz (Phoenix AZ)
Date of Stay: 01/01/08 Review Submitted: 01/15/08

Beautiful, clean, quiet and safe neighborhood. Close to some of the most beautiful beaches on Oahu. House is is good condition and a great size with room for people to move around and have privacy.

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

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 05/01/05 Review Submitted: 04/30/05

We recently returned from a wonderful stay at Mala Pua Hale in Kailua, HI. The property is exactly as represented in the photos and description and we would stay there again. The property manager was very helpful and the owners promptly refunded our deposit after our stay. We would recommend this property.

Recommended for: