We arrived in Kapaa at Sarah's unit in the evening.
I'll start with the pros - ideal location, easy check-in process, great kitchen and fabulous decor.
That's where there the positives stop.
Here are the cons:
Upon check-in, we started unpacking and getting situated. It was hot in the unit, so I wanted to turn on the AC units (yes, units), only to find out the AC in the living quarters was broken and had a note taped to it stating it was broken. I went to the bedroom and turned that unit on to start cooling the unit off.
Back in the living quarters there was a ceiling fan. I turned it on to try and circulate air since the one AC unit was broken. Shortly after turning the fan on, it popped and started smoking. I immediately turned the fan off. I messaged Sarah right away and she responded quickly stating she would send someone out the next morning at 9am to look at the fan. In the meantime, the living quarters were hot and uncomfortable, while the bedroom was freezing due to that being the only working AC unit. The maintenance man came the next morning and simply disconnected the fan and left.
For the 3 nights and 4 days that we were at Sarah's place the bedroom AC ran non-stop trying to keep the place at a reasonable temperature (which it could not do).
After the fan had popped and smoked, I noticed that there were no smoke detectors in the unit. There were places on the walls where 2 smoke detectors used to be (the brackets were still on the wall). Had that fan caught fire while we were sleeping, with no smoke detectors, one can only imagine the possible outcome. SAFETY FIRST????
On check-out day I noticed another safety concern. The AC unit in the bedroom (the one that had been on non-stop for our entire stay) had black mold growing inside the vents, blowing mold spores that we breathed in for 3 nights and 4 days. This is unacceptable! I was glad to be leaving. I wish I would have noticed this earlier as I would have left the unsafe conditions of Sarah's place immediately.
I requested a partial refund from Sarah, to which she replied only after AirBnb got involved. Still not satisfied that anything would be done to rectify the issues related to Sarah's place, I got in touch with AirBnb's global operations. They took over the case and will address the issues with Sarah.
I would not stay at any of Sarah's places if this is the type of business she conducts with not being concerned about her guest's safety and well-being.
While the location is great, the health concerns are not worth it.
I am very glad that our whole 10 days on the island were not at Sarah's place.