If you're looking for your own, private house overlooking the ocean from your own slice of paradise in the middle of Maui's jungle, Ocean Lookout will simply not be beat. All for the price of a condo or room in some God-forsaken resort filled with howling tourists.

PROS:

Private. Private. Private. Your own house. Your own hot tub. Your own washer/dryer. Three decks. Deck for outside dining for 6.

Giant kitchen. Gas burners. Great knives. Dishes, pans, everything you'd need to cook and serve meals just like home.

And a washing machine to do the grunt work.

Everything in the house was immaculate. The floors, cabinets, every surface, every room, every window.

We watched the sun rise every morning and--from bed--and had a 270 degree view of the coast.

The single most beautiful kitchen table we've ever seen. A weird thing to note, until you see it and use it every day.

We arrived at Lookout House to a platter of fresh fruit and all the cooking essentials we'd need for the week.

Sharyn was available at all times by phone, but never intruded. A wonderful, friendly host.

It's one of those places that -- awesomely -- can't really be captured with photos. As good as it looks here, to be in it is an altogether incredible experience.

CONS:

The windward side of Maui is filled with beauty, coconuts, private estates, tiny bug-eating geckos, refreshing afternoon showers, crazy flowering plants...everything but giant hotels and tourists. So if you're all about the room service and all-inclusive resort experience, this probably isn't for you. You'll need a rental car, you'll probably want to shop for your own groceries and cook a bit, especially if you're coming for more than a night or two. For us, all of this was obvious, and what we came for.

There was no garlic press. Which, literally, was the only "con" wrong we could think of. A con so small, we forgot to mention it to Sharyn while we were there. A truly perfect experience.