What you look for in a place to stay will depend on whether you will appreciate Mira's studio condo. If you are looking for an affordable place in a great location without your typical hotel amenities such as fresh towels, trash service, and even TP replenishment, then read on!
To be covered: Communication, Location, Condo
Mira was in communication with us from the day we booked our trip. As our trip neared, she sent a list of suggested places to go and restaurants to try. She even messaged us on the day of our arrival to let us know about a free movie event that was happening that night. We did not have any issues during our stay, so we never contacted her again until the day we left to let her know we had checked out. She immediately responded and even wrote our AirBnB review on the same day. If we had any issues during our stay, there is no doubt in my mind that she would immediately respond and rectify the situation.
Location, location, location! We could not have asked for a better location. Seriously. It can take hours to drive from the north shore to the south/west shores, so staying on the east shore allows you to take day trips north, south, and west in just an hour's drive. Not only does it make travel to other parts of the island much more bearable, but the condo itself is located within a hotel community. Right outside our door was a pool, hot tub, and bar. Bonus of the bar is they have happy hour every day with half off drinks. Considering how expensive Hawaii can be, this was a great place to end after a day of travel. The bartenders were amazing and it was easy to make friends with other guests. (If you're wondering, our favorite drink was the Black Pearl!) If you walk a bit further, just steps from the pool and bar area, there is a swimmable beach. Lava Lava is steps away as well. We only had breakfast there, and it was good for a quick bite. Definitely try their BLT Bloody Mary! If you walk along the paved path, it will take you through other hotel/condo communities where you can find hammocks, cornhole, ladder ball, and a favorite dining spot of locals/tourists called Hukilau Lanai. But that's not all...
Mira's place is also located near the Coconut Marketplace. Just steps away is a coffee shop, and a bit further is an ABC grocery store, JoJo's shaved ice, Chicken In A Barrel BBQ, shops, and entertainment on certain nights. Be sure to check out Haole Girl Island Sweets, but go early because they will run out of items. (Grab anything, everything we had was delicious, but definitely get the macadamia nut sticky bun!) The coffee shop was good for a quick fix, but we preferred Java Kai which was less than two miles down the road along with other food spots, grocery stores, and shops. Java Kai also has food, so we grabbed breakfast one morning. I still cannot stop talking about their Dilly Egg Sandwich!!!
Now for the condo itself... it is a studio, so don't expect a lot of room. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the bathroom, and the water pressure and temperature were amazing. The bed itself was comfortable, and the AC kept the room cool enough for us. There is also a standing fan to help when it does get too warm. We left the blinds and curtains closed when we were away for the day so the sun wouldn't beat in, which really helped keep the room extra cool. The kitchen is extra tiny, but a fridge, microwave, and toaster oven are provided. When talking to guests who were staying at the hotel by Lava Lava, we learned they did not even have a microwave. We often had leftovers so it came in handy for us and made us appreciate our place even more. My only thumbs down for this place was for:
-Only one beach towel was provided, but we improvised and used a bath towel as our second beach towel.
-A few dishware items were a little dirty, and the dish soap was watered down. My guess is previous guests are to blame for this, but before new guests check in this should be something to inspect.
-We needed to purchase our own replacement TP, which was stated in the details MIra sent before our trip. It wasn't a huge deal, but we could only find it in a four pack and so we left our leftover rolls for future guests.
For us the few above cons weren't a big deal and did not in any way lessen our enjoyment of our trip to Kauai. We would absolutely stay here again if we return to Kauai as the price and location can not be beat!