6/10 Okay
Brett C., Vancouver, Canada
13 Mar 2023
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location
Decent stay
This was a perfectly adequate rental that met our needs. It was clean and everything functioned well. However, it was a tossup between a 3 and 4 rating; 3.5 might be more appropriate. We had concerns about this listing. First, the agents Hawaii Life Vacation charged us $250 USD (over $300 CDN) for a minor change to our stay that we made 4 months in advance. Yes, we knew provision for this was in the 7 page agreement that we signed when we originally booked. However a problem at work over which we had no control necessitated the change. They were absolutely inflexible about this charge despite several emails regarding it. To charge this kind of money for something that took a few mouse clicks to change is ridiculous. It should be mentioned in the listing itself, as once you receive the contract and read it, you've already decided to rent and onerous fees like this should be known in advance. We've booked on VRBO many times and have never seen a fee like this. Offsetting this a bit is the fact that Lara the local representative was very kind and efficient when we contacted her over a minor issue which she resolved while we were there.
Second, the suite is listed as "recently updated". That's overselling things a bit. We've stayed in several units at the Banyan over the last 31 years, and this one has the original kitchen (except for appliances and lighting) and second bathroom. They've done an update of the ensuite bathroom but there is wear and tear on furniture, flooring etc so you should expect that. There is AC in the main living area only, not in the bedroom which many units have here. The property is well maintained and pleasant and the pools are great but one final warning - many people smoke on their balconies here and we were driven inside about every other day by the smell of tobacco or something else.
Again, this unit was adequate to our needs and we had a good stay in Kihei but be aware of some of the realities of this rental.
Brett C.
Stayed 14 nights in Feb 2023
