Princeville Condo w/Views of Mtns & Hanalei Bay!

Property is fully renovated with brand new kitchen and bathrooms. The house is equipped with everything we needed and the view was amazing.

The condo on the ocean was absolutely wonderful. The two bedrooms and two baths worked out extremely well for us. Because the Condo is right on the high bank waterfront, we had a spectacular view of Hanalei Bay and incredible sunsets. Accommodations were very clean and the kitchen was well stocked with basic essentials. Whale watching at sunset with a glass of wine was a plus! We will be back!

The Good:

1. See title.

2. Clean.

3. Ample parking.

The Bad:

1. No A/C--which usually isn't a problem in Hawaii, but unfortunately all of Hawaii was experiencing record heat and humidity during our entire stay. The natural air-conditioning of the Tradewinds was missing. Frankly, it was miserable in the unit until long after sunset. Fans helped a little.

2. No "handy helper" booklet with information about the unit or about the Pali Ke Kua amenities. The lack of something so basic made our first hot, humid afternoon even more frustrating. It would have been nice to know that the pool "key" is actually a card cleverly hidden in a pink plastic holder on a key fob. It would have been nice to know how to operate the TV, cable, DVD; it would have been nice to have a summary of what channels are on what number. It would have been nice to have a plan of Pali Ke Kua so we'd know where the pool was, or where the path to hidden beach was.

3. I believe the unit was built circa 1973; I suspect the kitchen cabinets are original. Time for them to be retired.

4. Beds in lower bedroom are VERY firm.

5. Furniture on deck is too big for the size of the deck. Almost impossible for four people to sit at the deck table. Similar problem with breakfast nook.

6. Why is there only one bar stool? What's the point? Either get more, or eliminate entirely.

Summary: My sense is that this unit has suffered from benign neglect for years. It smacks of an absentee owner who has little interest in the day-to-day operation and upkeep of the unit. (I'm sure he's more interested in the day-to-day income of the unit.) True, there is an "astounding" view, but I don't think either the owner of the unit, or Evolve deserve much credit for that. The fantastic view is a "big thing," but renters also expect the "little things" to be done as well . . . and in this case, too many little things were done poorly, or not at all.

Bottom Line: I won't be returning.

The description of this unit is very accurate. Great view from a clean, outdated condo. Renters should know it has no air conditioning and some windows could not be opened due to corrosion, so it got stuffy when there was no wind. Also there is no barbeque near the condo. Next time I would rent a bottom unit. I noticed they had them on their patios. The walk to the beach is very steep but Great! when you get there. That was my favorite thing about this place.

This was our first time in this particular condo, but our second time staying at Pali Ke Kua. It is a great place to stay! The views can only be described as "spectacular" and the access to Hideaways Beach is a bonus. We enjoyed Lumihuli Gardens, the Kilauea Lighthouse, snorkeling at Annini Beach, and kayaking on the Hanalei River. The furnishings in the living room, dining area and balcony are fine. The kitchen has new countertops which are very nice, but the cabinets themselves are "tired". Still, the kitchen was well stocked with things necessary to cook for a group of four and we did almost all of our meals in the condo with some great purchases from the farmer's markets available locally. We would have liked a firmer bed upstairs and the bedding was, at best, basic. There was some odd placement of pictures in the upstairs bedroom, but that was a minor point. It just appeared that not much thought had gone into the furnishing of the upstairs bedroom. The condo was clean and the downstairs closet was very well stocked with boogie boards, umbrellas, beach towels, etc. These would come in very handy with young kids! Having a washer/dryer was very nice. I would definitely return, but would like to see a little more thought put into the bedding in particular just to make it a bit more comfortable. The pool and hot tub area was well-maintained and enjoyable. The downstairs bedroom had two double beds, making it usable for a couple upstairs and two singles downstairs. This was a difficult bed arrangement to find and was what really sold us on this particular condo.