JUST MINUTES WALK TO THE BEACH & TOWN!

We just returned from our fabulous vacation on Kauai. Thank you so much for sharing your home with us, what a comfortable, lovely and spacious house! We thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the deck and gazing at the mountains. It was perfect for us, we walked to the beach near the Pier most days and had the best time.

We stayed for 10 days at Ileina's Hanalei House in November. There is no doubt that this rental is in a great location. We loved being able to walk to the beach. The house met out needs, although we found the washer/dryer was very old and did not adequately clean our clothes...that being said we didn't complain about this during our stay. The layout of the house was not ideal for our 2 families with small children, as the kids were not old enough to be on another floor (2 bedrooms are on the main floor and 1 bedroom upstairs). I wish I had thought about this before booking. All in all we had a fabulous time...mostly because Hanalei is such a magical place. Unfortunately, our memories of our stay have been soured by our experience after we left. As we were leaving the property manager/cleaner was at the house and asked why our mattress cover was backwards. I had washed the cover (something I do at rentals and once a week at our own house). I was peppered with questions asking whether my children had accidents on the mattress and if that was why I had washed the cover. The cleaner insisted she felt damp spots on the bed. I inspected the bed with her and disagreed that I didn't feel dampness or smelled anything...there were no stains or damage to the mattress in the areas the cleaner pointed out. Our daughter, (the only child not in diapers all the time) was sleeping on a completely different mattress. Imagine my shock when the owner sends me an email 3 weeks later saying she is keeping our ENTIRE damage deposit because of the ruined mattress! I sent 2 emails explaining my interaction with the cleaner. I did not hear a respond and finally just asked for the owner to confirm she received my emails, which she did in a 2 sentence email. I asked for some pictures of the damage and received no response! I am more than happy to pay for damages or even extra cleaning if I believe we were the cause, however, I feel completely taken advantage of in this situation. Of course, it is my word against the cleaners, but we are a family who respects people's property. I do not normally write reviews, but I feel compelled to just warn other families to be a bit wary and potentially even take pictures of any damages you see in the house..I know I will do this at future rentals...just in case you are accused of causing them! I am trying to remember the good memories we had in Hanalei and not let this experience cloud them.

Just got back a week or so ago, and I thought I'd add my impressions. We had a great stay at Lieina's House. We knew the area, as we've stayed in a nearby house before. The house itself is really nice, perfectly clean, well equipped with beach towels, chairs, boogie-boards, washer/dryer, kitchen stuff, everything we could have needed. All three bedrooms have windows to both ends of the house, so they have excellent ventilation. Combined with the ceiling fans, we didn't miss having AC. Each bedroom has its own bath, a great convenience for 3 adult couples. The deck on the upper level, which is the primary living area, has great view of the mountains, only a couple of trees in the way of watching the waterfalls. As we knew before, its only a 5-minute walk to the beach, or to the shops and restaurants in Hanalei.

The owner was a pleasure to deal with throughout the process. The final positive was the return of our security deposit, the check came within a week of our return. This is not just an excellent house "for the price", its an excellent house!

We just spent 2 weeks here and all I can say is - it's fantastic! Great location! You can easily walk to the beach and to town, yet you feel tucked away. The layout of the house is also great. There are two bedrooms downstairs and one upstairs off the large open living /dining area. The bedrooms are quite large (with king size beds) and all have their own bathrooms (total bonus!!). The kitchen is well stocked and the table on the lanai is a great size for dining - we ate every meal out there. The house was very clean and the fresh flowers that were there when we arrived was a nice touch! We will rent this house (or the cottage if we are a smaller group) again for sure!!

This house was the perfect place for us to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary. I only feel bad that I forgot to write a review at the time! This trip was more the "romantic getaway" trip, but this house would also be PERFECT for kids! We stayed in the "house"--there is a matching "cottage" on the property as well (we referred our friends to the cottage--in fact, they are there today and LOVE it!!!). This house is in the PERFECT location: a 5 minute walk from town in one direction, and a 5 minute walk to the beach in the other direction! We had a rental car, but didn't even need it every day. You can literally walk in just a few minutes to the grocery store or several restaurants. The house is just across the street from an outstanding beach! Hanalei Bay beach is great--the water was warm, the sand was ample, and the crowds were sparse. There are waves breaking in some areas, while other parts of the bay don't have any waves at all. It was an OUTSTANDING beach to read, to take long walks or runs, or to swim. We were amazed that, although there were always other people on the beach, it was NEVER crowded--even on the weekend when there was a local youth surfing competition at the other end of the bay. The house had everything we needed--the bed was comfortable, the kitchen was great, and the deck was an outstanding place to hang out morning or night. We will be back again this August, and intend to rent this property many, many times in the future--both alone and with our kids, and hopefully (in a few years yet) with our kids and THEIR kids!!