Although the property was beautiful and well-located, we didn’t feel much at ease while staying here. This started with a last-minute request from Mikael to sign a supplemental contract and provide photo ID over email. The contract was eight pages long and was sent to us less than 24 hours before our stay. Mikael stated if we did not sign the contract and send a photo ID, he would not provide the door code for the home. As we were already in Hawaii and without other accommodations, we felt we didn’t have much of a choice but to sign, but the situation felt very, very suspect. Given more advance notice, we certainly would have cancelled our request and stayed elsewhere.
The contract itself was incredibly detailed - I took over an hour out of my time in Hawaii to read through it and be sure I wasn’t signing my life away! There was a line item about a $500 damage deposit - this wasn’t mentioned anywhere before booking. Also, Airbnb verifies it’s users through photo ID, so the request to send ID over email seemed unnecessary - it makes me very uneasy knowing a complete stranger now has my photo ID stored somewhere.
The home feels like a rental - it’s in good (but not great) shape. The standing fan in the bedroom was rusted and covered in mold/dust, so we didn’t use it. Other lamp shades and items in the house were impacted by the mold as well. It’s a very humid area, so I can understand how it happened, but those damaged items should have been replaced. Other than that, the home was relatively clean
There were notes around the house (as other users have mentioned). Some were helpful - a note highlighting where to find plates and cutlery, for example. Others seemed excessive. There were notes on EVERY window and door to close them before leaving (to prevent mold), but the living room wall leading to the lanai is all screen above the doors, so humidity in the home is somewhat inevitable. There was a note to squeegee the glass on the shower after use (okay), but also another note to wipe down and dry all tile and shower floors between each use to prevent mold. There was a note next to the shower head stating it breaks easily and not to move or adjust it. There’s a fourth note in the shower asking you to wash off all suntan lotion before using the hot tub, and then a note outside of the hot tub itself stating if you find it dirty, let Mikael know and he will charge the previous guests for it. We didn’t touch the hot tub for fear of being charged with something down the line.
All this left us feeling like we couldn’t use the property without running a risk of breaking or damaging something and being charged in the process. It was just my boyfriend and I that stayed, and we spent most of the day exploring the area, so we didn’t do much but sleep and shower at the home, but even then, we felt like we were being constantly monitored. Speaking of sleep, there are wood slats on the floor behind the guest beds with a note on them too, stating they’re there to keep the bed away from the wall.
The property itself is in a good area, and well-placed if you plan to explore the island (and the west coast especially). I think the home has potential to be a really special place, but something needs to be done about the supplemental contract and notes all over the house. All in all, it was an incident-free but somewhat uncomfortable stay.