Pros: beautiful setting, clean, Janis and Thomas were solicitous (helping with our bags; offering beach towels, snorkeling gear, extra blankets)

Cons: uncomfortable atmosphere (see below)

We had an offputting interaction with the owner of this property. On our second night here, my husband and I ate dinner on the lanai while listening to an NPR podcast at half volume on a laptop. At 7:40 pm, the owner came out onto the porch of his house, about 100-200 feet uphill, and started yelling, “Turn it off! Turn it off!” So we did. Creepily, he then watched us silently from his porch for about ten more minutes, staring at us as we finished our dinner. We washed our dishes and went to bed after he finally went back inside.

This was the most extreme moment, but it was representative of a more widespread problem at Paliuli. There were rules posted everywhere and more passed on in person: No food or drink in rooms. Quiet hours between 9 pm and 8 am (which our dinnertime transgression was well outside). Damp towels not to be hung in your room or on the porch, but only on the clothesline. Any fruit provided should be considered a sample; don’t expect it to meet your fruit needs. Don’t talk on your cell phone outside. Avoid using the bathroom after dark or in the morning (the light might wake up neighbors). Don’t roll your suitcase.

Janis and Thomas, the caretakers, were responsive and responsible—I can see why there have been such stellar reviews in the past—but my best Airbnb experiences have involved trust. I didn’t feel that here. My husband and I are quiet, rule-following guests—as we tried to be at Paliuli—but I found it the opposite of relaxing to spend my time at Paliuli on tiptoe.