My goal in writing this review is to make sure that whoever rents this airbnb in the future makes an educated decision. I had a love/hate relationship with this place. I stayed here for 2 months, and personally due to the duration I feel this review is justified so please do yourself a favor and read till the end.
I will elaborate on each rating criteria AirBnB uses plus one or two extra:
Location - 5/5: Perfect location right on the beach, nearby to a few restaurants, the gas station, and bus stop. The location of this place is the saving grace for it. It is truly "right on the beach" the water is easily 15 yards from your stay. It has stunning views of sunsets, easy access to some of the best surfing spots and a nice walking path down Ke Nui Road. If you are an avid surfer you can take quick walks to Rocky's, Sunset point, Gas Chambers, or Pupukea. It is about an 8 minute walk to Ehukai Beach Park/Pipeline. Foodland is about a 5 minute drive by car or about an 8-10 minute bus ride.
Check In - 4/5: Simple and easy check in, they had the door unlocked and the key on the counter. We came during the day and we were able to meet Todd who showed us where to go. If you came late at night I am not sure if it would be as simple or not.
Cleanliness - 1/5 This is where the love hate relationship starts. Simply put, this place is "rough and ready." On our arrival we were greeted with a padded toilet seat that had discoloration and staining, along with a heavily molded shower curtain. Thankfully we were able to go to ACE Hardware down in Haleiwa and get a new toilet seat and shower curtain for a relatively cheap price the next day. The main grounds are also not neat. This area is used by the owners to dry their towels, blankets, they hang these things bushes and trees to dry. There are old tattered patio furniture and chairs strewn about. If you are sensitive to smoking then this is not the place for you. Unfortunately two individuals who live here smoke daily, cigarette butts are scattered about the location.
Accuracy - 1/5: The pictures on the air bnb listing are old. The tides on the North Shore are so great that the "lawn" pictured is no longer there. It is now loosely connected with astro-turf, loose grass, decking and old furniture. The balcony pictures are ones taken from the next door lanai and the appliances pictured are not the ones that are currently there. This place is not as private as it looks. It is essentially a 4-way split quadruplex with a shared space in the backyard, facing the beach. So if your shared/duplex neighbors are loud, you are going to hear EVERY bit of it. This place is OLD. So old that it had plumbing issues on 5 separate occasions. As a renter, I understand that these things happen. But 3 out of those 5 times I had to go under the house to turn the water back on cause the "plumbers" didn't. I am happy to help but it is not something I expect to do as an AirBnB guest.
Communication - 5/5: "Kenneth" the one who lists this airbnb doesn't live here. Two gentlemen named Todd and Ray do. They are super kind and very helpful to anything that you need. They made our stay here much easier.
Peace and Quiet 2/5:Some nights were blissful silence and others were "renters" or friends of the owners partying till 2 or 3 a.m. on a weeknight. Unfortunately, there were some domestic disputes that occurred and it is quite jarring being woken up to profanities and screaming in the middle of the night, this happened about 6-7 times during our stay. During one of these disputes law enforcement arrived. After speaking with locals who live in the neighborhood this was not an uncommon occurrence for this location.
Safety - 2/5: As I mentioned before, the other "guests" partying late, domestic disputes/arguments definitely put me a bit on edge during my stay. I also caught someone attempting to steal one of the other guests' mopeds during our stay. If you are here I would highly recommend that you lock your car and house doors at night and anytime you leave.
Value - 2/5: The two saving graces of this place are 1) the location and 2) Todd and Ray. These two guys really are the best. I believe this location may be one of the more affordable spots on the North Shore, but that will come with the aforementioned drawbacks. If the things listed above are something you are cool with, then I have no doubt you will enjoy and love your stay. But if you are someone coming with children, or expecting a quieter or cleaner stay, you might be in for a bit of a surprise. I am not sure if I just happened to be there at a bad time? I was here for 2 months... and I think that at a price of $4,200 a month, it is too steep for what you are getting. My hope is that it can turn to a more peaceful place, get a few fresh coats of paint, and catch a little more of that calming aloha spirit because this location is truly stunning.