Let me start off by saying that these are professionally taken photos of the place, probably when it was first done up. I say that because upon walking in everything looks similar but just very worn and definitely not as bright at the pictures make it out to be, however, this could be easily fixed with proper/frequent up-keep and maintenance.
Things to look out for/keep in mind:
-This is an island and it is full of bugs and little creatures that like to hang out in your living space from time to time, but when it’s raining, expect to see them more frequently! I’ve been to Hawaii many times so I’m not bothered by it, but just be aware because I did get startled one morning when a little lizard fell from the toilet people roll 🤣 Also make sure to wipe down all the counters before bed or you will wake up to a colony of ants chillen on it!
- Noise: The walls are thin and the windows don’t fully close. The only thing separatingj you from the outside world is a screen cover and glass blinds that flip up and down, but there are still gaps in between, meaning any noise that is happening outside— someone talking, garbage can being rolled around, birds chirping.. you’ll definitely hear it. Some of you might be thinking “birds chirping” that sounds nice. Don’t get me wrong, it is very nice when you are awake before 5-5:30am. Not so much when you aren’t up that early. I kid you not, those little guys go off like clockwork and it’s not gentle chirping. It’s like they’re screaming at each other 😂 you can also be downstairs in your room with the door closed and hear the people upstairs (in the same house) talking through the windows.
- Cleaning/bathroom supplies starter package. If you are there for a night or two, you’ll be fine. But people weren’t kidding when they said that this place only provides you with two garbage bags.. we had a family of 6 staying for 6 days.. two garbage bags did not gonna last us.. Thank god I listened to other reviewers and brought some extra trash bags! We also had to pick up more toilet paper.
- Doors are loud and often get a little stuck when opening.
- Try and prop the downstairs bathroom door open when not in use, having it closed even for a few hours will cause it to smell a little musty in there and cause towels to smell sour, once again, towels are very used, most white towels are no longer white and some even have stains on them.
- The fridge.. it doesn’t stay very cold, but be sure to REALLY push it closed and not open it up too much to keep it cool in there.
- The bedding, very old, obviously has been used a lot. I’m sure they clean them but they still have a funky, used smell to them. Do NOT use the decorative pillows, I don’t think those ever get cleaned because my mom smelt them and oh boy… just don’t smell or sleep on the decorative pillows. I mean, I get they’re just for decoration but some people actually use them and I just don’t think they get cleaned. We all checked (smelt everything!) our bedding when we first arrive and ended up rewashing ALL the pillowcases because they smelt a little slept in 😓
- Washer and dryer. Man, when I found out this place had a washer and dryer I was over the moon! Glad to know I didn’t have to go home with a huge bag of laundry! However, don’t put too much stuff in at a time because the washer only uses a bit of water and if you put too big of a load, expect your clothes to still be dirty and smelly after a wash. Dryer drys very slowly as well, had to run the dryer 2-3 times to get all the stuff to dry. They do give you a couple pods for the washer.
Pros of this place:
- Has a gym, racquetball court and swimming pool, which we didn’t use but it was nice to have the options.
- About a 10-15min walk to a beach where you can snorkel
- Shopping (grocery stores and restaurants) plaza literally down the street
- They have boogie boards, flippers and beach chairs you can borrow (though an umbrella would have been a nice thing to offer as well)
Overall, I’m not really sure if we would stay here again? This was a first stay and I have no other place to really compare it to.. I mean this place has A LOT of potential of being a great place to stay and that really just depends on whether the owner is willing to invest in his property to upgrade and better maintain it.
I mean if you REALLY think about it. We paid about 300 a night, this place is mostly booked out, so 300 (nightly cost) times let’s say they are booked 300 days out of the year that’s about 90,000 a year off ONE listing. They have about 86 listings, some even have a higher nightly price, but let’s still average it at 300 a night. 90,000x86= 7,740,000 a year. Yes that is untaxed money and not including cost for cleaning and staff, etc. But point being, there should be more than enough money to upgrade some things— Juuuuuuuust saying…
Hope this reviews helps more than just the people booking. Nudge nudge, Knutson & associates 😉