Pros:
• Hawaii Kai is the best location if you’re wanting to be close to Honolulu but not in the middle of the city.
** Bonus points: it’s a quick five minute drive to both Koko Crater and Hanauma Bay. Great for getting there at the beginning of the day before everyone else.
• The neighborhood : the house is in the sweetest little neighborhood, think: retired folks walking their doggy companions at all times of the day.
• Safety: We felt incredibly safe the entire time.
• The pool: Being close to the beach and the marina I didn’t know if this would ever be used but it was such a nice place to relax at the end of a long day.
• Safeway & Costco & Longs Drugs: Since this is a long term rental it’s incredibly convenient to have these stores a very short drive away.
• The family “amenities”: I really appreciated that there were beach chairs, pool floaties, and even a paddle board there at the house for myself and children to use.
• Kitchen: As well as full size appliances there was also a small counter top oven that made heating up small meals quicker and less heat-making for the house.
• Chill neighbors: No crazy parties or police appearances.
• Beach: It was a very happy 15 minute walk to sand on one’s toes.
Cons:
• House expenses: Like any rental, one expects to spend money on upkeep. We ended up buying an extra fan (to help us transition into living sans air conditioner) and a box of insect repellent/ traps (the house itself had plenty already installed, I think these were mostly a mental thing.)
• Smart appliances: We had a couple issues with the smart appliances being… cranky. So when lights started flashing I got nervous and thought there was an electrical shortage. Thankfully that WAS NOT the case and smart appliances wouldn’t be a deal breaker but it did make for some anxiety / frustration.
• Older house: There are door locks that stick, floors that aren’t totally re-finished, and the water pressure was occasionally droopy. Again- not a deal breaker.
At one point in our month long trip my family actually rented a room at a beachside high rose hotel for a night so our child could play in the “fancy pool.” We hadn’t even been able to check in completely (think someone else’s crying baby behind me in the 45 minute long check-in line) before I was wishing that we were at “our house” instead of this line with a billion others. I would gladly go back.