Location
The townhome is an end unit with mountain views. It is also the last townhome complex in the Ko’Olina resort, so there is not a lot of traffic on the road. Our family enjoyed several quiet walks under the huge monkey pod trees along the main road. The home is within walking distance to beach, but we loved taking the owners’ golf cart to the lagoons instead. The ABC market (grocery, deli, souvenirs), a handful of restaurants and coffee shops, a hair salon, and golf course are also a quick 5 minute drive down the road. We loved taking our young children to the nearby lagoons to swim. The rock barriers make the water safe for kids to swim and play while parents relax in the beach. We always saw sea turtles swimming at Paradise Cove, which was recommended to us by the owners. Ko’Olina is a nice suburb away from Honolulu, which we preferred. Honolulu is such a busy city with people everywhere, but in Ko’Olina, we felt like we always had our own space. It rains so much in Honolulu, vs Ko’Olina, which stays much drier. With all those things said, it’s still a quick and easy to drive anywhere on the island, so you can still visit all the tourist spots in Honolulu when you want to.
Value
This rental would be a steal split 3 ways with 3 couples. Our family of 5 was able to take advantage of the owner’s 46% discount for a 4-week rental. We paid about the same price to stay here for almost a month as we did for a 5-night stay at the Polynesian! Friends of ours went the resort route and could only afford a week long stay. Their resort charged $50 per person for beach chairs/umbrella, but at Candyce and Cameron’s place those things are included along with just about anything else you might need for a day at the beach. We appreciated the big gear bags, coolers, and water bottles for our excursions to the other parts of the island. The full kitchen and washer/dryer in the home definitely added to the value of our stay. ,Candyce and Cameron’s place was our “home away from home” for our 4-week stay. The home is well stocked with baby things and toys and games for kids to make your stay more comfortable.
Cleanliness
The home is very clean and bug/mold-free. There are handy baskets for keys and a table in entry where we set down our hats, sunglasses etc so we could stay organized. The bathrooms all have little baskets for toiletries and medicine cabinets, so we could keep our things tidy during our stay. I appreciated finding shampoo and lotion etc under the sink. The bedrooms all have laundry baskets, closets, and drawer space, so that we could unpack instead of living out of a suitcase. The kitchen has ample space in the fridge and pantry for food, which we valued since we did most of our meals at home. The home is intuitively organized, so everything was easy to find.
Accuracy
Candyce and Cameron give a very accurate description of their home on their listing. The pictures reflect exactly what you will find, and the guest handbook makes it easy to find things. The host is very organized with documents and procedures, making the whole rental process very easy.
Check in
Candyce and Cameron send their guests a welcome email with detailed directions and pictures that make the place very easy to find. We arrived about an hour before the official check in time, but I called Cameron, and he was able to remotely unlock the door for me without issue or extra charge.
Communication
The owners communicate clearly and effectively via email, text, a welcome letter, and a guest handbook. They address questions and concerns politely and professionally in a timely manner, and they have local hookups that can come to the home to address issues if needed.
Overall, I highly recommend staying at Candyce and Cameron’s place!