Heaven on Earth

Guest: Tony (Royston GA)
Date of Stay: 05/28/11 Review Submitted: 07/06/11

This has to be the best possible location to stay on a vacation. The beach is in your back yard! 10 steps to the beach from the back deck! Once on the beach there are beautiful mountains to your right in the background. We only saw a couple of people walk by on the beach every day or two.Very private. As for the house, it is in good condition. It is not a 5 star hotel but very liveable. The location makes up for what the house is lacking. Could have the walls painted some nicer colors instead of all white and could definitely use some new wash cloths please. Lack of AC was not a problem. I am a hot natured person and I was fine. The strong breeze blowing through the bedroom windows at night with the ocean in the backbround was a joy! Everything else was fine.Clean, no creatures. Cars riding by on the road at night weren't too bad just the ones that sounded like they were speeding! House even had 2 large coolers to use for drinks/ice. I would definitely recommend to anyone. If you found this listing look no further. This is a wonderful place to stay. As we were leaving my wife had to take one last look at the ocean from the deck. She walked back in with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to leave our new found home! It makes me sad everytime I think about this place because I make never get the chance to go back. Come experience heaven on earth! Thanks Larry!

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

Down to Earth

Guest: I love OAHU (New York City, NY)
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/19/07

Our flight was delayed by at least 6 hours, but property manager stayed at the property until we arrived. She kindly asked us to remove our shoes before entering the house (a hawaiian tradition), and showed us around. House was clean, fresh towels and sheets. A full kitchen (in my opinion could use a little degreaser), washer and dryer. The house is listed as 3 bedroom, but it's actually two....third is bathroom with bed in it....(there is no devider between toilet and bed) I couldn't even imagine myself sleeping in there. The other two rooms are great! Master bedroom is large and bright with it's own bathroom. Upstairs room is like a little appartment , also with it's own bathroom. it's located on the windy side of the island, so it takes a little getting used to constant "breeze". It's also rainy side of the island, but pretty close to turtle bay beaches and resorts, horse back riding, golf corses...etc. Just minutes away from Polynesian Cultural Center that have great food , shows...games markets...etc. We don't like touristy spots, so it was our choice to stay some place quiet and it was great.

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

Great Spot for a Wedding

Guest: Laurel (Lyons, OR)
Date of Stay: 11/21/11 Review Submitted: 01/04/12

If you are looking for a place away from the crowded streets of Waikiki this is the place to come. Relaxing, plenty of space, and a million dollar view. Other than PCC you will be about an hour away from most things and they do call it the "Windward" side for a reason, but would you rather wake up to the sounds of the ocean or the sounds of the city? We had our wedding here and I could not have asked for a prettier spot. Sunrises are killer and the reef about 1/2 mile out is loaded with green sea turtles. Our stay was filled with laughter, great food, and wonderful memories. By the way - for good local plate lunch don't forget to check out Keneke's just down the street from the house - it's ono!

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

Great location, mediocre house

Guest: P&J (Gloucestershire, UK)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 08/19/11

Undoubtedly, this house is in an amazing location, with the beach just yards out the back door - it's so great to hear the sound of the waves in the morning, and to have a cool breeze blowing through the house at all times. The outside of the house is fantastic, and the beach is really quiet, with barely anyone else on it. However, the house itself is not so great - as described by other guests, it is most definitely not 5-star, and could do with some tender-loving care to re-paint it, and replace many of the fittings which have gone rusty. The bathrooms could do with being completely refitted and modernised, and the fridge has seen far better days. The 3rd bedroom is really weird - more like a prison cell than anything else, with a narrow single bed, and a lavatory, sink and shower cubicle in the same room, with no dividing wall between them, and barely any floor space to walk around in. This room also had quite poor ventilation in it, and suffered from proximity to the main road, so was noisy while the rest of the house was much quieter. There is also an unnecessary set of rules scattered all around the house - about not eating candy in bed, or using too much toilet tissue, keeping the floor clean and closing the fridge door. They were really unnecessary and made us feel like we were the naughty children. So, there is both good and bad in this house - while you wouldn't want to spend much time in the house itself, I would definitely recommend it to people who intend to spend a lot of time out of the house, either on the great beach that is right outside, or visiting other sites on the island. Honolulu and Pearl Harbour are well worth a visit and are just over an hour away, as is Waikiki Beach. And the old Sugar Mill up on the northern tip of the island does great food, despite its slightly shabby appearance - very definitely worth seeking out.

Owner response:We are on an island at the beachfront.with the sea air and salt there will be changes to man-made materials.The refrigerator is 2 years old. The 3rd bedroom has a ceiling fan and full wall of windows in the room for ventilation they do need to be opened by the guest,quite adequate for one person on vacation in paradise, it does have a dividing wall seperating the bathroom and sleeping area.The homes design is a A frame style the original homes of Hawaii.The housekeeper does a excellent job in cleaning and the refrigerator should be closed securely or the humidity will not allow for efficiency.We try to provide a clean home for vacation time and enjoy the island style home. We don't know how the atmosphere was for this visitor while they were in the home.This review is the first terrible thank-you we have had from a guest in our home in 6 years. Waikiki at the Hilton might of been the better location for them to stay.

Recommended for:Families with young children, sightseeing.

Beach House

Guest: JJ (Utah)
Date of Stay: 06/03/10 Review Submitted: 07/01/10

We had a great time on our vacation to Hawaii. We absolutely loved the beach house. It met all our needs and loved that it was right on the beach. We were concerned about no a/c but the breeze that comes through the windows at night was sufficient. I never felt hot inside the house. The traffic noise takes some time getting used to. Outside the master bedroom is a bright light that shines through the window but it took no time getting used to. We had a great stay without any problems. I would reccomend this house to anyone and use it again on our next stay. We were just up the street form the PCC, Temple, and BYU Hawaii Campus.Thanks for letting us stay. We had an awesome time and can't wait to return.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway.

Great Location

Guest: Dee (Sevierville, TN)
Date of Stay: 05/12/10 Review Submitted: 06/22/10

If you're looking for a place where you can sleep with the ocean breeze blowing across the room this is it! Located on the windward side of the island near the North Shore in a peaceful area Moana Lanui is a wonderful beach house. Not luxurious but comfortable. We truly enjoyed having all of the amenities of home with 3.5 baths and a washer/dryer. It was great to be able to walk out the back door and be only steps away from a quiet beach. Thanks Larry for a great stay - will definitely recommend to our friends!

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

A little piece of paradise!

Guest: Hawaiian First Timer (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Date of Stay: 01/09/10 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

My husband and our two adult children spent 3 weeks at this property. It is in a fantastic location - woke up every morning to sit on the deck with our coffee and watch the fisherman, kayakers and breakers on the reef. The beach, which is literally steps from the house, is very quiet and fantastic for beachcombing. The bay is great for swimming as the reef is quite far out so no big waves or undertow. The house had everything you could possibly ask for and was very clean - would give this the rating of a 5 star resort. Honolulu was only a 40 minute drive away and the area had some great restaurants, fresh fruit/vegetable and live shrimp stands. Great little grocery store about 5 minute drive and golfing and the cultural centre were only 20 minutes away and we frequently took drives up to the North Shore. I would highly recommend this as a great vacation spot for families and honeymooners alike! We are definitely going back to this Hawaiian Paradise!

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

Great Place on the Beach in NE Oahu

Guest: Had A Great Time Here (California)
Date of Stay: 04/03/10 Review Submitted: 04/11/10

We just returned from a 7 day vacation at this house and had a great time. The house is right on the beach and has everything you need. With 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths it was easy to get going in the mornings. We didn't cook much but there was a full kitchen as well. The home is very spacious with lots of windows to let in natural light and the great views of the ocean. The location is ideal for exploring the East and North shores of Oahu and not too far from Honolulu. The location worked out great for us since we only planned to go to Waikiki for one day and spent most of our time exploring the scenic East and North shores. Places like Kualoa Valley, Waimea Valley, the Polynesian Cultural Center and the shrimp trucks are all short drives from here. Each of the 3 bedrooms has it's own TV and there is also one in the living room with a DVD player where we relaxed in the evening. Our family of 5 was very happy staying here.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, families with young children, families with teenagers, sightseeing.

Gorgeous spot on the island.

Guest: Steve c (Northern California)
Date of Stay: 08/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/19/07

Gorgeous spot: deck, backyard, beach. Photos on web site tell the story. Corona commercial stuff. First time to islands for self, spouse and three 20-something daughters. Topography on this (windward) side of Oahu is spectacular; dramatic, vertical-spined mountains as backdrop; had kids humming Jurassic Park theme song. Beach is swimmable / reef protected, the light green areas are the sandy-bottom area vs. coral and rock, so go left at first. Trade winds keep house sufficiently cool in summer (last week in august); squall at night blew covers off of bed upstairs, We never complained about no A/C. About 20 minutes to North Shore beaches and shops, and that snorkle cove ("shark's" cove?). The house is right on the Kam highway so you can hear traffic in the morning (never heard it at night) from the bedrooms but from the living area, deck and back yard you don't hear traffic as trade winds off water muffle everything. House is really ideal for 2 couples as the third (single-bed) bedroom is small and right at the front of the house, Our fifth person slept on pull-out in living room as it seemed more comfortable to do that. We got a reduced and extremely reasonable rate when booking over internet; manager and owner were great to deal with. Refrigerator is rusting a bit but works fine, kitchen has water view as does living / dining area. Lots of snorkeling and beach stuff in the house. Used a dial up service to connect to internet over phone line, which worked well enough. Would recommend to friends; would stay there again.

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

Ok, but some issues.

Guest: HeavyDP (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 11/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/18/07

Great location from a beach perspective, but there are some issues to be aware of. We had some 'small creature' issues when we stayed during the night, could have been an isolated incident, but was disturbing. There is no air conditioning as noted, so it can get a bit muggy at night...it would be fine normally with the windows open, but the house is also right on the main road, so if you open the windows, there's quite a bit of traffic noise. But, if you're just looking for a place on the beach and the above issues don't bother you, then it's a good place.

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