This is a great place to stay if you want to visit the North Shore. It’s only 5 minutes to Hale’iwa Town in a local neighborhood. Thee parking space is easy to find and pull into (patch of grass in the front yard) but there is a lot of cars everywhere so you just need to go a little slow.
The room itself is very comfortable for 2 people with no frills, but the kitchen has a full cupboard with condiments, the bed is very soft and comfortable, and the shower is AMAZING—great water pressure and the shower head even tells you why temperature the water is! The host provided thoughtful instructions and local recommendations and there are towels, beach chairs and 2 backpacks that you can use for hikes, etc.
In terms of tips around in the area: (1) Paalaa Kai Bakery, a small local bakery just off the side of the road about a 2 min drive (or 10 min walk) away, is a great local spot for delicious donuts & sweets. The vintage store next store is totally worth checking out. (2) Giovanni’s shrimp truck is not really worth it in our opinion—we read that Jenny’s is better but didn’t have time to go back. (3) For dinner places, we loved the Smoking Boar and the Coconut, another local place. (4) Kaimana Shave Ice is apparently better than Matsumoto’s—the line at the latter was insane. (5) Do Ka’ena Point! It’s so worth it!! (6) Waimea Valley is beautiful.
Conclusion: the North Shore is a magical place.