We had an excellent stay at Brigitte and Dave's cottage on the north shore. We loved that the place has two full bathrooms so we could get ready to go out for dinner at the same time. Their house is SPACIOUS with lots of natural light. You are surrounded by nature and it feels like you are waking up in a rainforest every morning to all the beautiful sounds of nature - but you also have an incredible ocean view.
The house is extremely clean and tidy and stocked with exactly what you need to make the vacation enjoyable (dishware, cookware, toiletries including shampoo and conditioner, bath towels, body wash) but not so much that it feels cluttered. The outdoor patio set up is so peaceful with such a nice ocean view we actually called it quits at the beach one day because we preferred to sit back at the house!
The lamps throughout the house are awesome because they all have USB jacks in the back to charge up your electronics.
Location is perfect for spending time exploring the north shore. You should have a car. Easy access to both Paia and Makawoa.
We stayed as an adult couple but we think it would also be a great house to take a baby or small/school-aged children. There is an awesome second room just off of the master bed with a pullout sofa where a couple toddlers could easily sleep and there is definitely enough room to put a pack and play for a baby. There is also really clean and well functioning and private outdoor shower to hose off yourself/the kids. We loved this place and definitely hope to go back some day!