TOUT NOUVEAU AVEC VUES! Vie chic. Des arcs en ciel partout! 3bdr. Marcher jusqu'à la plage

From the moment we walked into Ema's house to the moment we locked the door behind us on our way out, we felt like we were at home. As stated, it had been upgraded with new kitchen, baths, paint and furnishings. All beach supplies were there, too.

For eight wonderful nights, this three-bedroom duplex in a very quiet and serene neighborhood away from the relative bustle of Princeville proper allowed us to relax and enjoy the natural beautify of Kauai. There's more than enough of that to satisfy any traveller. With five people we could have felt crowded. The three decent sized bedrooms and their views of the lush surroundings suited us well.

The kitchen is well-stocked as advertised. There was even fresh ground coffee from a previous guest. We left a few items for the next one. One small suggestion - a good steel chef's knife would fully round out the knife draw.

As for location, Kauai isn't a large island. We prefer the lush North Shore, yet there's few affordable options these days. No longer able to afford Hanalei proper, Ema's house combines proximity to town at a fair price. There's a lovely half-mile walk along a residential road that leads to a half-mile trail down to the beach, a magical experience into itself. Once there, head right through the dense overhanging trees to the beach that's shared with the luxurious St. Regis Hotel. And its famed sunset views of "Bali Hai" ridge.

The location was also central to most of Kauai's awesome North Shore beaches - Lumahi, Tunnels, Rock Quarry (where our kids did much of their surfing), Haena and Ke-e. For that, you'll need to get a pass weeks in advance as there's limited, controlled parking and access to the Napali Coast trail. We only learned about that once on island.

We went hiking in Waimea Canyon and to a hidden waterfall inland from Kapaa. Not for the timid or those with weak knees!

The house is a short walk to Foodland supermarket (great selection of poke) and other shops, restaurants and amenities of Princeville and is just down the street from the local police and fire station for additional security. Not that we ever felt insecure...

Although we never met Ema, she was very responsive to whatever we needed. She has a small crew of property managers/cleaners who came whenever we requested something that needed attention. No hassles at all. Certainly she's among the best hosts we've ever dealt with on VRBO or Airbnb.

Highly recommend her house.

We just loved the house!

Loved staying here! It was perfect for our family. Ema was very nice! Highly recommend!

Great experience

We had a wonderful vacation! The house was perfect for our family, beautiful, and was so close to the beach. The location was quiet and so relaxing. Ema was wonderful to work with and provided tons of extras in the house. She was so kind to allow us to have a late check out so we could fully enjoy our last day. Definitely hope to stay here again in the future.