The North Shore is absolutely beautiful, and the apartment is exactly as pictured. It was the perfect size for the week we spent. There are beach towels, beach bag and snorkeling equipment available. A car is necessary to enjoy the area, but there are small beaches all along the shore line where you can just park and enjoy. We love really great food, and there were 3 places we enjoyed; Romy's food truck on the side of the road (don't make assumptions...their garlic shrimp is to die for!), a couple very nice, but pricey restaurants in the nearby Turtle Bay resort, and a hidden gem, the Proud Peacock. Honolulu is about an hour away by car, and we spent a couple days there. Of note, Laie is a dry town, no alcohol available in restaurants or grocery stores, but the next closest town is 5 minutes away, and we were able to purchase liquor there.
Joe was not in Hawaii while we were there, but always responded promptly by text, and the neighbor was our point of contact for anything we needed. He even let us check out late our last day due to a late flight. All in all, an amazing place to stay for a relaxing vacation.