We stayed at the beach house in Nov/Dec for three weeks. The beach is fantastic and great for kids, even in winter - white sand, shallow a long ways out, fun for boogie-boarding and making sand castles. Public beach access was only about 4 houses down. The house is like a small duplex with a tenant (caretaker) in the other side, and it could use some upgrades (minor roof leak in the bedroom, patio doors are stuck, massage chair is broken), but it was very spacious and contained all the amenities required, including a very nice washer/dryer set. The beds were very comfortable, and we were able to get by with the ceiling fans at night and didn't need to turn on the air conditioner. In the winter there isn't that much natural light, but there is a lot of privacy and peaceful greenery provided by the surrounding foliage. The house is very kid-friendly and safe - we were able to let our 8 month old crawl around everywhere and only had to be careful of a couple of electrical sockets near the ground. There was a pack and play and a highchair provided, and we left behind a portable booster seat so hopefully future visitors can use that too. We had to be careful about sweeping up after every meal to avoid ants but it's a family beach house, not the Hilton. The only thing we were lacking was a patio (there is outdoor seating available in the carport though).

Waimanalo Beach is almost entirely recreational/residential with few businesses within walking distance other than a small McDonald's and some small groceries and take-out joints. A car is a necessity, and we found ourselves mostly driving into Kailua (about 15 minutes drive) for groceries where there is a Foodland, Whole Foods, Safeway and Target. If you are looking for a quiet, restful vacation though, Waimanalo is definitely that. Even in the wintertime the beach was amazing and although it rained most days when we were there, the rain would usually only last for about 10 minutes and then the rest of the day would be sunny and warm. There was an amazing Christmas parade that passed by the end of the block in December, which was a nice treat for our 5-year-old - take a plastic bag with you, they give out lots of candy! It was about a half hour drive to Waikiki so we were able to visit many of the tourist attractions in that area as well.

Pamela was very responsive and helpful with our questions/requests. We had a wonderful vacation and have many happy memories of our time in Waimanalo.