If you're looking to get away from the tourist trap/city, this is the location! The North Shore is our favorite place to stay!
WARNING: Although they are upfront and include it in their description, they request an additional fee for taxes (paid to them directly, not through Airbnb). They charge guests for the General Excise Tax (GET) and Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) that they are responsible for paying to Hawaii. NOT FAIR, in my opinion. But it was the only Airbnb left in the North Shore, so we went ahead and paid.
We spent the Thanksgiving holiday here with a total of six people. The condo accommodated all of us perfectly (each couple got their own bed, and there were two full sized bathrooms). The location was ideal for us. However, if you're looking to find lots of shops or restaurants, then this is not the location for you. There are markets and food trucks nearby, but they do not stay open late. ** This is a 2nd floor unit, in case stairs are difficult for anyone. **
Other than what is in the description, the below is what we walked away with:
PROS:
- communication after booking was great and they were responsive to any issues that arose during our trip
- plenty of beach towels to use
- plenty of boogie boards and floaties to use
- tons of board games to play
- Alexa! but she had issues after we used her for 10mins (and we couldn't connect our own phone)
- washing machine
- window/wall a/c unit in the bedroom and living room and ceiling fans throughout the condo
- easy access with a gate key fob (only one) and key-less entry to the condo
- walking distance to Turtle Bay resort
- noise level: quiet
CONS:
- the downstairs bathroom smelled of urine, like a public restroom. it was very unpleasant during our stay (not sure if prior guests pee'd on the bathroom rug??) - sanitation and cleaning could have been better
- the foam on top of the mattress in the bedroom was VERY soft and uncomfortable. Our backs hurt from sleeping on it as we sank in most of the time. I was tempted to remove the foam topper, but it was too much of a hassle.
- there is only one guest parking pass
- wifi is spotty
- extra taxes charged on top of the service fees of Airbnb
Note: there is a 24/7 security guard on the grounds, and he takes his job very seriously! our 3rd rental car was given a warning note despite there being plenty of open guest parking spaces.