We recently stayed at Mark's place for our 10-year wedding anniversary and overall enjoyed our stay. The place was accurate to the images and description which was good and was very comfortable. The location of the hotel is unbeatable being a block away from Waikiki beach so that was totally awesome to be within walking distance from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, however, we do have some constructive criticism to offer the host which would have made the stay better and more special.
1) There wasn't any shampoo included in the unit. We just had a shower gel, conditioner, and a bar of soap even though the ad said it would be supplied. I luckily brought a small container myself but otherwise, we would not have had enough between the 3 of us for the entirety of our vacation.
2) We stayed for a total of 10 days. I asked Mark for extra beach towels so that we could have an extra pair to switch between when ours were wet. Unfortunately, he turned down my request in a sort of condescending way and told me to do laundry instead to keep the towels fresh. The towels being dirty was not an issue for me it was not having towels to switch between since beach days were almost daily. I guess I really just didn't appreciate the resistance and being there during a special time like my anniversary I wasn't too keen on doing laundry while I was there on my first vacation in over 2.5 years. So that's something I wish the owner was a bit more accommodating on.
3) The mattress cover was too small for the bed. It literally came off on day one and wouldn't stay on. We had an uncomfortable sleep with the mattress cover bunching underneath us the whole time. A bigger cover and having the elastics to fasten them underneath would have improved that.
4) The kitchen was stocked with pots pans, dishes, and cutlery and it was so nice to have that handy for breakfasts and lunches, however small details like having a coffee station that was actually stocked with coffee, tea, and sweeteners would have been nice. There was a coffee machine and no coffee so especially the day after traveling and being jet-lagged would have been nice to be able to have a cup of Joe right away without having to go out and buy some. We ended up buying a box of tea and a box of sugar and leaving it in the unit so that guests after us could use them because we felt that was important.
5) Lastly since this is a beach apartment we were expecting to have a bit more for the beach. There were sand toys which were great and some sunscreen but there was no beach sitting included. We went to ABC stores and bought those beach mats for $3.50 a piece and used those for our stay which we ended up leaving as well as a boogie board for the next people, but was it necessary for us to go out and buy them instead of our host thinking of us and having that stocked? It doesn't cost him much to make his guests feel like they are taken care of.
So to conclude we really felt like the host wasn't putting himself in his guest's shoes and provided the unit with the small necessities that would have made this a 10/10 accommodation. Considering the expensive cost (Well priced compared to other units I might add) we just wish he went the extra mile to make us feel special and paid attention to the details. These are simple gestures that don't cost him a lot on his end but make such a difference in the well-being of his guests.
Mahalo M+M+S