This condo is on the 15th floor of a 70's vintage complex comprising several condo towers of like-design - one is 20 stories tall. The Makaha Valley Towers is a clean, well-maintained and secure facility. The Staff is friendly and very accommodating. The pool and BBQ facility are very pleasant and can provide a nice break after busy days if you want one. The condo is freshly remodeled, clean and well-appointed. The VRBO / HomeAway description was accurate and the condo owner was helpful and responsive. The condo's south wall is floor-to-ceiling windows and offers an outstanding view of the valley and Makaha Beach from 15 floors up!
We spent two weeks here, our first time in Hawaii. Due to the leeward shore location, one must do some driving to visit Oahu's attractions, and Honolulu's traffic is heavy, but we didn't find that overly burdensome. Timing is everything, and traveling after rush hour worked out fine. We appreciated the quiet of this condo's location, and, again, the facility management runs a "tight ship" so that all who live here (residents and renters) have the best experience.
When driving around the Makaha Valley, one will note the generally depressed condition of the area - this was probably the only negative aspect of our experience in Hawaii. One simply has to be aware of one's surroundings when out-and-about and the admonitions of taking care of one's belongings holds true. That said, we never felt uncomfortable interacting with the locals - as I said, you just have to be aware. Everyone we came in contact with was friendly towards us.
On the leeward shore, we totally enjoyed snorkeling at Ko Olina Beach Park (man-made lagoons) and Pokai Bay Beach Park (rock wind-break). Saw tropical fish and a couple of sea turtles. The beach at Makaha Beach Park offers ocean swimming and surfing but can be challenging at times due to high wind and waves - warning flags will be posted on the beach as conditions warrant. As noted above, getting to Oahu's other attractions will require some driving; we enjoyed the WWII memorials and exhibits at Pearl Harbor, the Diamond Head hike, China Town, the Dole Plantation, and many sight-seeing drives around the island.
To sum up, we're not fans of lodging in the big city, so this condo suited us very well. As noted above, for us, it rates five-stars.