We loved our stay!
Hospitality - A & J offers clear directions and quick response time. I was very worried about the complications of the COVID requirement knowing Hawaii has stricter rules. As long as you follow A&J’s advice, you will not run into any issues. Cumulatively, not counting travel time, we spent less than 15 minutes for COVID testing at Walgreens, boarding the plane, arrival (with expedited check out) and checking into the house.
A&J are perfect hosts. They are easy to talk to, attentive but not intrusive. A quick chat with them provided much interesting insight of the island.
Location - the house is by far the best house on the block. It is a 5 min drive/10 min bike ride to downtown Kailua, where Whole Foods, Target and various other business establishments are located. It is also about 4 blocks away from the beautiful Kalama Beach Park which we preferred - a much better alternative compared to the more famous neighboring beaches along the expensive neighborhood in Lanikai. There are many beautiful hikes around as well. The most frequently traveled is perhaps the famous pillbox sunrise - well worth the early rise!
House - We loved the house. It’s clean, comfortable, modern and tastefully decorated. There is extra of everything - sheets, towels, space... We didn’t cook much as the local restaurants were simply fantastic.
Amenities - A&J offer just about everything you need for the beach include bikes! Make sure you take advantage of it!
All in all, we are so glad that we stayed with A&J rather than a resort as originally planned. With COVID, many of the tourist attractions are closed or have been scaled down. By staying with A&J, we are grateful that we got to see a more organic, local side of the island...
Best of luck to your search! I hope your stay will be as pleasant and comfortable as ours!