TL;DR - First guests to stay here and what an incredible 3 months it’s been.
We came across Jamie and Erin’s Airbnb because we were in desperate need for a change of scenery because of Covid... Being stuck in a small apartment back at home drove my fiancé and I stir crazy so when we heard that Hawaii was finally allowing visitors to come in with a negative test result, we immediately jumped on the opportunity to temporarily relocate for a few months.
I’ve been burned a few times on Airbnb where I’d book a place that aligned with my high standards but would get there and end up super disappointed and leave mid stay because it was total opposite of what was advertised. So I’m not going to lie... when I first found this place, I loved everything about it (modern and affordable) but I was quite sketched out because they had no reviews. But after a few back and forth exchanges with Jamie and Erin, we decided to just do it and book their place (YOLO, right?). So as their first guests, this is my honest breakdown of their place.
Common area: It was just my fiancé and I so the space was more than enough esp. because we were both working remotely while here (we would take turns working inside at the kitchen island and outside on the back patio). Kitchen was spacious and had everything we needed (appliances, cooking essentials, cleaning supplies). But one thing we had to adjust to was using an electric stovetop but not a huge deal.
Bedroom: Spacious and the bed was so comfortable. We’re now even planning to get a Casper at home as well because we literally had the best sleep there. We even tested out their pull out bed (had a movie night in the living room), no complaints.
Bathroom: Walk in shower was very nice. One con - the hot water only lasts for about 10 minutes. But if you wait a bit, it gets hot again.
The location: Keep in mind Kahuku is about an hour drive from Honolulu/ Waikiki so make sure you rent a car or have access to transportation if you stay here. One big reason why we booked this place though was to get out of that city life (we’re from a big city) so it was perfect. I wish we got to experience the town pre Covid but things were starting to re open while we were there. Tons a great food around (within a 20 minute vicinity) and we personally loved going to Haleiwa for sit down restaurants. We also really enjoyed the running / walking trails nearby at Turtle bay and had a private beach to ourselves there for a few weeks. You’ll be close to the famous Sunset beach (our favorite). We even picked up tennis while staying here (they have equipment for you).
As mentioned in their description, the house went through a big remodel right before Covid so don’t skip out on this place just because you don’t see as many reviews. We ended up extending our stay twice, that’s how much we loved it here and now even telling our friends and family members about it.
We’re counting our blessings that we found such a gem but the cherry on top was how wonderful Jamie and Erin were throughout our stay. We absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for a quality stay and we’ll for sure come back again in the future. Don’t miss out!!