Surviving the 3/11/2011 Tsunami

Guest: Otto (Prescott, Arizona)
Date of Stay: 03/07/11 Review Submitted: 04/13/11

My two adult children and their spouses and I stayed at the Johnson's in Maui for a week in March 2011. JM was very accommodating and we enjoyed the property a lot, especially the kitchen and the beach chairs, boogie boards and mats in the garage. The Tsunami turned out to be a non event, but we met a lot of nice people hanging out in the parking lot of the convenience store all night. My only down points are that the coffee maker was not large enough for 5 drinkers and that the air conditioner compressor is very noisy, making it necessary to turn it off to enjoy the back patio for meals. We also enjoyed the glimpse into local life provided by the neighbors out back (very friendly) with their chickens and cats. The third bedroom is set up for young children with bunk beds and tons of toys. We would stay here again.

Recommended for:Families with young children.

Our best experience yet at Napili Gardens

Guest: Mike (San Francisco, Ca)
Date of Stay: 08/12/10 Review Submitted: 02/14/11

We have been coming to Maui for 27 years and have stayed in resorts and in privately owned condominiums. We have spent the last few years at various units at Napili Gardens. What a great find! Just steps away from Napili Kai Resort, but at less than half the price. The condos at Napili Gardens are so nice since they have a two car garage for storing our beach gear and board rentals. The floor plans of these units are nice since the bedrooms are on a separate floor from the kitchen and living room. The owners of this particular rental have done a fabulous job of remodeling and furnishing this place. They have a huge deck out back, the granite countertops in the kitchen are so nice, and they even provide beach towels, shampoo, and it seems like everything we needed (except our own clothes). We especially liked the fact that they have plush carpet in the living room and stone flooring in the entry and dining room. The furniture is so comfortable - we shared many naps on the sectional. After sleeping on the tempur pedic beds, we decided to buy some for our own home. We must say that this is the nicest unit at Napili Gardens, and certainly one of the nicest spots on the entire island. We plan to keep coming back for years to come! One time we locked ourselves out of the unit. We called the cleaning company, PWC, and they sent someone out within 15 minutes to open the place for us. I almost forgot, the morning walk along the sidewalk heading north through Kapalua is fantastic. You get a great workout and you have an unbelievable view of the Pacific Ocean. You can even take a lower trail off the beaten path that lets you walk even closer to the ocean.

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

Beautiful Condo, Amazing Location

Guest: Anne (Milwaukee, WI)
Date of Stay: 12/28/10 Review Submitted: 02/09/11

My family and I spent 6 days in the condo during New Year's week. Price was right, and it definitely accomodated the 7 of us, including grandparents and a 5 and a 2 year old. Each of us had enough space to spread out when we were "home," which wasn't often! The beach is so conveniently located to the condo that we were able to walk there in the morning, return for lunch and a nap for the kids, and go back later in the afternooon to see the sun set. The washer and dryer in the garage were great to have, as well as the selection of boogie boards, beach mats, toys, and coolers. Our kids loved having the great variety of toys available to them, and the toys and DVD selection helped to keep them entertained while we were cooking and lounging. This was our second trip to Hawaii, but our first time staying on Maui. We had spent the week of Christmas on Oahu, where it happened to be rainy and a little cool. The weather in Napili and Lahaina did not disappoint any of us. Thanks to the warm sunshine, we were able to do a beach day everyday and even took a trip to see the volcano at Haleakala National Park. Our favorite time during the trip was spent snorkeling the reef right across the street at Napili Bay. We also enjoyed snorkeling to look for sea glass, which made a beautiful souvenir for us. Lahaina is a nice beachside town that was neat to visit. Taking your picture under the banyan tree is a must. We also purchased a print from Jim Kingwell's Island Art Collection (the same one that is hanging in the condo!) to hang in our sunroom as a memory from our trip. We highly recommend this condo for its cleanliness, spaciousness, and location. The owners were very easy to work with, albeit a little hard to reach at times. My brother forgot his laptop in the condo, and they even sent it back to him, with no questions asked. We appreciated them opening their house to us during our multigenerational family trip. What an amazing way to spend the holidays, while Wisconsin was snowcovered and cold. We can't wait to come back!

Owner response:We love our Jim Kingwell art and have brought some back to the mainland as well. We have changed our email service provider in order to avoid future difficulties with guests being able to reach us. We also provide a mobile phone number to guests that can be used at any time if there are any issues.

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

Bakker Family

Guest: Hans (Turlock, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/09/10 Review Submitted: 01/10/11

Our family vacation to Maui was fantastic. The condo was clean, well stocked with good linens, and ample kitchen equipment. There was even an espresso machine that saved me a trip to Starbucks in the mornings! It did not feel like a rental, but my own personal condo. We walked to the beach and snorkeled-- sweet sea turtles. The 2 car garage made it very convenient to wash out sandy chairs and towels from the beach. It looked like most of the condos were owner occupied so it was very quiet.

Owner response:Our hope is that future renters will find our quiet complex makes their stay in Maui very relaxing as well.

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

Great family getaway

Guest: Paul (Pleasant Hill, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/16/10 Review Submitted: 01/09/11

We stayed at this condo with our family and it was wonderful. You have access right across the street to two beautiful sand beaches. It is off the beaten path of Lahaina and Kaanapali but only minutes down the road. We enjoyed several meals staying in as the very nice kitchen, dining and adjoining family room more than accomodated our family of five. It has a wood deck in the back perfect for BBQ and just relaxing. Walk across the street for breakfast at the "Gazebo" - unforgettable food and views! We enjoyed easy access to all the rest that Maui has to offer - snorkeling (right across the street), golf (just down the road at Kapalua), diving (several places), shopping, dining (mostly in Kaanapali and Lahaina), etc. A great find and a great price!

Owner response:We have a family of five as well, and we truly enjoy the times we can spend at our vacation home. We have to agree, the breakfast at the Gazebo is truly delicious!

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

Best Vacation Yet With Our Kids

Guest: Jack (SF Bay Area)
Date of Stay: 06/14/10 Review Submitted: 01/09/11

Having our own kitchen made it very easy to have breakfast and lunch in between our short walks to the beach. We never realized how nice Napili Bay is for swimming and relaxing. The place was so quiet and it have everything we needed to make our vacation a true vacation. We slept so great on the tempur pedic beds. The bunk beds were perfect for the kids. We will definitely come back.

Owner response:Jack, glad to hear that you enjoyed the kitchen. We completed remodeled it in 2010 hoping that it would serve our guests even better.

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