Guestbook Comment

Guest: katharine& Peter (Denver CO)
Date of Stay: 04/01/07 Review Submitted: 04/02/07

We stayed here and loved it. The views are fabulous and it is an easy short drive to a great beach. A very special place.

Owner response:Yes, the view is awesome...Ocean, river, valley, AND the Crater Hill National Wildlife Refuge. Many people, after discovering Kahili-Quarry beach, just a short walk or very short drive down from the house, decide that it is their very favorite beach in Hawaii! Come see what you think, but better make your booking today. The word's out on Hale Kai Kalani...it's wonderful!

Recommended for:

central coast ca

Guest: craig (grover beach ca)
Date of Stay: 10/23/11 Review Submitted: 11/27/11

My wife and I spent 9 days staying in this secluded corner of paradise. We loved it. The house was just as shown on the website but even better in the experience. The layout is terrific. Everything is in perfect order and clean. The lanai and hottub were great and we used them often. The outdoor shower was perfect and handy for cooling off during the warm afternoons or after a soak in the hottub. May have to install one in my California home. The couch in the living room needs to be upgraded and maybe the screens could be secured a little better for mosquito prevention after dark. Bruce and Cyndee were perfect hosts and willing to help (although we never felt the need for assistance) and very discreet. This location was very handy to many great beaches and towns on the northshore. Just down the dirt road from the house is Rock Quarry Beach, great for swimming and surfing and we used it often. We plan on returning often.

Owner response:We are happy, as always, to hear that our guests enjoyed their stay at Hale Kai Kalani. It sounds like Craig and Vickie took full advantage of the location and the amenities. We give them thanks for their comments on fastening screens more securely and an upgrade on one of the living room couches, and will get on that right away! Thanks for your visit, and glad to hear that we can look forward to seeing you again in the not-too-distant future.

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

Truly wonderful

Guest: Taylor (Jackson, Mississippi)
Date of Stay: 06/26/11 Review Submitted: 08/24/11

My wife and I spent our honeymoon here in this beautiful home. We feel that we could not have found a more perfect place. The location of the home on the top of the bluff sets up an absolutely gorgeous view off the back porch. Everything was as it was described, and if anything, better than described. We spent mornings cooking breakfast in the kitchen and eating/drinking on the porch. The bed was quite comfortable (felt like a tempur-pedic). Our days were spent exploring the island. I am happy to say that we went to all sides of the island. Truly made the most of our trip. I HIGHLY recommend going on the 2.5 mile hike that starts at Tunnels Beach and leads to a secluded beach. Bring plenty of water with you, though. You will be wise to bring a hiking filter. The trek is arduous, but will leave you feeling more alive than you ever have been. Bruce (the owner) was very professional. Gave us our privacy, and was quick to answer any questions that we had. If we are lucky enough to return to Kauai, we will stay here again. I find myself going back to this place in my mind almost daily. We are so thankful to Bruce and his wife for allowing us to stay.

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

Great location and views but not all it advertised...

Guest: CDPetersen (Bay Area, CA)
Date of Stay: 04/03/11 Review Submitted: 05/17/11

Over all the stay Hale Kai Kalena was good. It was a nice sized, clean and a well located place. But honestly, I think the owners need to stay a few days and nights there themselves to fix up a few things. When I go on vacation I don't expect to have to fix things and deal with issues and bugs. My friend was so irrate she almost contacted the owners for a refund, but I decided to let thigs go and see if they got better. My mistake. First, let me correct some false advertising: The second bedroom has no windows and very poor circulation. My friend ended up having to stay in the master bedroom with me cause the second bedroom was so dungon like, dark and depressing. In the master bedroom the curtain rod kept falling on my head everytime I tried to open or close the curtains. The second bathroom had mildew stains all over the caulk, the toaster handle shot off everytime you toasted something, the smoke alarm mysteriously went off at 4:20am, the beach stuff is rusted and in no condition to be used. They say they have a library of films...which they do...all VHS and only a DVD player to play them with. It wasn't anything big which got us, but it was all the little tiny things that kept adding up. Which if the owners were made aware of, could easily fix. We are not nit pickers, usually pretty chill but I don't believe we got what they were selling. We specifically picked this place because of the hot tub...it never did work. And when we inquired about it, Bruce emailed me 3 pages of instructions on how to fix it myself...hmmmm...not cool. We never got it to go higher than 90 degrees...a huge disappointment! We also had to fix the wifi too. Then there was the issue with bugs...two to three inch roaches and a seven inch centipede which came after me the night before we left. The traffic is constant next to the house going down to Rock Quarry, which they make it sound like a little hike...NOT. It is a steep and hard to get back up hill especially when muddy. Then on the day before we left, we were interupted by the cleaning people in the middle of a massage, to clean the house...a day early. We were disappointed to say the least. If they could just fix all the little issues it would be great. It was a beautiful location and so convenient to Kapaa and Hanalei but I would not recommend staying here to my friends until the owners adress the issues and/or change the listings of amenties and such on VRBO.

Owner response:We feel badly that these ladies' stay was not up to their expectations, and only wish that they had brought their issues to our attention at the time so that we had the opportunity to correct them. Regarding the claim that the second bedroom has no window and poor circulation, we are perplexed. There is, in fact, a screened louver window to the outdoor patio area, and a full bank of louver windows for air circulation just below ceiling height on the opposite wall, adjacent to the interior hallway. I will be contacting the current guests today to ask about any curtain rod or toaster handle problems and ask permission to come have a look. No other guests have mentioned any problems. If they had, it would have been addressed immediately. It is absolutely true that the caulking in one of the tubs was showing its age, which was noticed by our professional cleaners shortly after Beth and Char came to stay. The old caulk was removed a month ago and has all been replaced. I have no idea why one of the smoke alarms went off in the middle of the night, but it is good to know that they are operative. The latest periodic check of the alarms showed normal function. About beach stuff: we provide lush beach towels and a plastic cooler and a bunch of boogie boards, none of which have any metal parts to rust. The frames of the fold-out beach chairs do weather after exposure to salt and sand, and we do periodically replace them, but some surface rust does not impede their function. Had Beth and Char inquired about DVD movies, I would have directed them to the drawer in which they are stored. I was away during this visit, but responded immediately to an email message from Char about the hot tub operation and WiFi, and gave tips as to what might help. I copied my reply to our handyman, and let Char know that he'd be contacting her to stop by to have a look. Within hours, Char responded to me to say that she'd been able to both systems running by following my simple and clear e-mail instructions. I then told the handyman not to stop by, but to give the guests privacy, and heard nothing more about this until this review. Likewise, there was no communication from the guests about any bugs they may have seen, Had there been, it would have been dealt with immediately. We walk to the beach from our home further up the road almost daily, and do not find it at all difficult to do so. Driving down is also an option. Keep us informed and we will respond quickly! Mahalo nui.

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Wonderfully secluded vacation home!

Guest: Steve (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 04/16/11 Review Submitted: 04/25/11

My wife and I just got home from a week's stay at this beautiful North Shore vacation rental home, for our tenth wedding aniversary. The listing description was very accurate, and we were not dissapointed in any way when we arrived the afternoon of our first day. The house is roommie, clean, and well appointed, with just about everything you might need. The kitchen was well-stocked with appliances, and had plenty of room to prepare meals. The master bed was EXTREMELY comfortable, and my wife comented she slept better there than at home, despite the early morning "Kauai Alarm Clocks (Roosters)!" Beach access is down a dirt road, that is steep in some areas, so we chose to drive it when we went there vs. walking. The beach was very nice and mostly deserted except on the weekend, but even then it was far from crowded. Hanalei is nearby, and Kapa'a not too far away as well, so shopping and restaurants are never very far away. We highly recommend the "Hanalei Dolphin" for dinner, but be prepared to wait, as they do not take reservations. Lunch was OK at the "Lighthouse Bistro" in Kilauea, which is only about a 5 minute drive from the house, but dinner was overpriced and not a good value we felt for what you get. About the only suggestion we might have is to provide a good floor fan for the house (The one we found in the closet was broken), as the afternoons got pretty stuffy in the house, while we were away and we had to keep some of the windows closed-off. I would highly recommend this rental home to any of my family or friends if they were planning a Kauai visit in the future, and anticipate returning again as well! :-)

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

It made paradise Paradise

Guest: Moi_Mir (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Date of Stay: 12/05/09 Review Submitted: 04/22/10

I was here with my partner in December 2009 & it was absolutely wonderful! From the owner, to the location, to the amenities, this cottage was "once-in-a-lifetime". You can do no better for yourself than staying here. It's cozy. It's surrounded by beauty. It's private. There is a botanical garden at the end of the street that is gorgeous & I recommend a guided visit. The wifi is very strong (essential to those of us whose business is travel) & the wildlife! We saw so many tropical birds , geckos AND a wild pig, right in the front yard! All the amenities are right there. It immediately feels like home. The only difficulty I encountered was mosquitoes & that's simply life in the tropics. Come prepared. But even if you're not, there is an ample supply of mosquito repellants (& sunscreen) right at the doorway, which I thought was lovely so I added my own. You absolutely also have to go down to the beach just down the dirt road next door. It was the best beach in Kaua'i, I thought. Quiet, private, beautiful. I cannot recommend this cottage highly enough. My only regret is that we had that extra bedroom empty the whole time. Surely, next time we should bring friends.

Owner response:We are always happy to hear that our guests have really enjoyed their stay, enough that it becomes a truly memorable experience. Please considering visiting us and staying at Hale Kai Kalani, or our other cottage, Twin Hearts, which can be seen here on VRBO as property # 8682.. Think well ahead when making bookings, as both cottages are quite popular. Aloha nui, e komo mai!

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

Holiday stay

Guest: batchcay (Brooklyn, NY)
Date of Stay: 12/22/07 Review Submitted: 07/16/08

The house itself is lovely, very well maintained and equipped with just about anything you could need. The owners were incredibly accommodating and even found a crib for our son to sleep in. I couldn't say enough good things about this. I would say, however, that the property is quite a bit farther from the beach than I understood from the description. It's nearly at the end of a fairly secluded road that is also home to one of the island's botanical gardens - really beautiful (and expensive) but worth a visit. But it also is right on the corner for a little dirt road that runs to the beach. Too far to walk and down a steep, often muddy hill that feels dangerous to walk on because of all of the sharp corners and lack of visibility for cars. These cars seemed to come night and day! But there's a beautiful back deck on the property with a dining table and chairs, plus hammock and porch swing, and also a hot tub (which we could never get to work). So, yes, lovely property, would recommend and consider staying there myself again, but expect to drive to nearly every activity.

Owner response:We are grateful for the many nice things Sarah had to say about our vacation rental home, Hale Kai Kalani. She was here for holiday 2007 which, unusually and unfortunately, was a very rainy period. My wife and I live nearby, walk to the beach and back almost daily, and find the walk lovely and safe. If I had been notified of a malfunction with the hot tub, I would have come over to fix it or, if I was unable to do so, called in a technician. We hope to host Sarah again, and welcome new guests with warm aloha, a lovely accommodation, and outstanding service.

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

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/07 Review Submitted: 04/25/07

nice site

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Eddie Drudge (Burket Indiana)
Date of Stay: 02/01/07 Review Submitted: 02/18/07

Great place to stay! Very clean and an "at home" feeling. We were still on Indiana time 5hours earlier, and would get up in the morning at 4 or 5am Hawaii time and sit and watch shooting stars in the hot tub. If after having a tough day hiking one of the many trails or boogie boarding all day, you can come back and sit on the lanai or in the hammock and relax while deciding where to go shopping or eat in the evening. This is what vacation is all about. Kilauea has some nice shops including coffee and a sunshine market that we tried some unusual fruit. Rock Quarry beach, below the house is where we did our 25th anniversary pictures one morning, beautiful sunrise through the clouds. The house has everything you need and more. Bruce is very helpful if you need info. This is a great place to stay!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Clarance (Not Specified)
Date of Stay: 07/01/05 Review Submitted: 07/29/05

So much fun! Thank you I will be back

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